By Mauro Segura
I asked a group of teenagers to estimate how many friends they talk to everyday via the Internet, cell phone, or texting. Most of them replied “several dozens.”

Text messaging, Facebook messages, blog comments, tweets etc…Everything from a simple “hello” to a long conversation counts as talking. Their responses confirm what most of us already suspect: young people engage in a huge amount of social interaction through the web and through mobile devices like cell phones everyday.

All day I hear about how Gen Y has fragile human relationships. Their relationships more volatile than the relationships of youth in the past. Perhaps this is true, yet in front of me I see a much more interesting generation. A mature generation, actually preoccupied in cultivating relationships with my generation.

When I was 15 years old, I played soccer in the afternoon and studied the encyclopedia religiously. I believed everything my professor said. My relationships limited themselves to my classmates, neighborhood friends, and of course my family.

In contrast, young people today are able to travel out into the world virtually everyday. People from all places, social classes, and cultures meet intensely, 24 hours a day. Young people are more informed and attentive than we were at their age. They are conscious of the dilemmas of the planet, and are preoccupied in changing the world, and being agents of change.

A big challenge for Gen Y is time. So many possibilities and alternatives to create and build relationships in the short time-span of a 24-hour day, by a simple mathematical calculation, young people have many more opportunities to talk to people, and so it’s no surprise that the length of their relationships will be shorter and thus more volatile.

Yet have no illusions: young people continue to have the same characteristics of young people in the past. They have friends they confide in, they want to get closer to those they trust, and they want to be successful professionals in their careers.

However, Gen Y is not particularly preoccupied with their privacy, as they reveal parts of themselves on social networks, creating many virtual relationships rather than real ones.

Is this Gen Y’s fault or the fault of social networks? This is the current state of our country and of our democracy. Brazil is a democratic country, things are becoming more and more transparent. The media is also becoming increasingly outspoken. The Brazilian people have started to express themselves more freely. So this so-called “lack of privacy” does not just pertain to Generation Y. It’s part of the general transformation of society, as we all become “more open.”

There’s always something new popping up, giving fuel to those who argue that such or such thing will contribute to the worsening of society, be it the deterioration of family or human relationships. In the past, the same thing happened with radio and television. Now it’s happening with the Internet. Society is evolving, becoming more transparent, and this creates a higher level of social consciousness.

Everything in this blog post expresses the idea that Gen Y is much more interesting than past generations. Raised as citizens of the world, global citizens, and transformers of society.

In conclusion, if you are a reader belonging to Gen Y, have a look below at the hero of my generation. In the 1970’s, I was ten years old. I sat in front of my Television to dream…

By Eline Kullock

I just saw a great film that made me reflect about Generation Y. The film is called “Head in the Clouds.” The story takes place during WWII, and is romantic, but also very realistic.

What really struck me in the movie was the way in which before the war, people seemed to live each moment as if it were their last.

“It was a time where the rules of society were changing…” states the trailer.

There were lots of parties, glamour, sex, alcohol, and an overall sense of permissiveness.

As one character explains, “The past and the future are irrelevant. The moment is everything.”

The war finally arrives, though many people refuse to see it. They all had “their heads in the clouds.” Gilda, the main character, also had her head in the clouds. She feared that life would bring her reality. She failed to see the dangers of the moment, with the Spanish Civil war, and the German invasion in France.

What does this have to do with young people today? They also have a great desire to live in the present, as if there is no future. In a sense, we are also on the verge of a war, which many of us don’t want to see.

Young people go clubbing in the middle of the week. They go to class the next day, as if these were the new rules of a changing society.

“But you’re going out today? Again? Partying?”

“Mom, but it’s the last party, it’s going to be the coolest party of my life.”

“Are you going surfing again? What about school?”

Mom, but this could be the last wave of my life.”

“When are you getting back from your trip?” “You are going to miss 10 days of class!”

“Yeah dad, but there may not be other opportunities to travel like this.”

I wonder what future this generation sees. Maybe there’s some sort of war coming around. Maybe I’ve got my head in the clouds!

Are we preparing a future for our children?

I believe we are, but maybe I’m wrong.

Our children live in the short term. Of course this attitude will have great impact on businesses. I already wrote about this generation’s difficulty to accept strategic planning of 5 or 10 years. Even planning a year ahead is questioned by Generation Y. They ask us:

“What if another economic crisis hits?” “How do we plan ahead in a world which is just a “beta test” and for which there is no time to test newer, better, more advanced, versions?” “The beta version already leads to other products, software, and applications…”

Sadly, we are constantly talking about a world in which it won’t be possible to fulfill everyone in a satisfactory way, and a world in which our forests may eventually disappear. We live in a world where we have to think about politics regarding gas emissions in the atmosphere and the spread of disease. Will all these important questions make us revisit and reflect on the planning of our future? What future are we preparing for our kids?

I can’t forget the sentence I heard Mario Sergio Cortella speak the other day:

“The future we are preparing for our children, lies in the children we are preparing for the future.”

We live with a sense of urgency and immediacy. Everything is about money, end of the year bonuses, and short-term results. Are we helping Generation Y to gain a long-term perspective and vision? Perhaps we are also contributing to their heads in the clouds.

I always remember, the sentence that has greatly influenced my career as a businesswoman. “Only great men can have their feet on the ground, and their heads in the clouds. But only great men.”

As I was growing up, my family always ate meals together, around a table.

Today, people may say that I’m nostalgic for a time that isn’t relevant to our present moment.

After all, today our kids have classes, work, and a packed schedule.  Parents arrive late from work, and microwaves really facilitate our day-to-day.

Family dinners weren’t always fun.  That’s for sure.  As a kid, I hated vegetables!   Dinner was especially painful when I got bad grades or a bad report card.  Today, most grades are viewed through the Internet.   I know very few parents who actually get angry when their kids get bad grades.  I know even fewer parents who bring it up at the dinner table!

Fighting is hard work.  Life is so rushed.  We feel we’ve got so little time together, so we might as well make the most of it.  Of course, “making the most of it” doesn’t include fighting.

We always had dinner, when daddy got back from work.

Of course, he would return from work much earlier than parents today.  Work hours were more reasonable back then.  My father never got home much later than 7 PM.

I remember that the news would come on, promptly at 8 PM, because that’s when families would be done with dinner.

We had a rigid seating chart at the dinner table, and everybody would sit at their designated seat.  Difficult to imagine today, right?

My mother always sat to my right.  My older brother, to my left.  When my cousin, came to stay with us, he got the spot next to my mom.

Still, this rigid seating arrangement taught us about priorities and values.

We engaged in a lot of political discussion at dinner.  At that time, Brazil was going through huge problems with the dictatorship, and protestors were fighting against the regime.   I learned a lot from those discussions.

Sure, I was very young, but I benefited from hearing and participating in the debates that took place.   Politics, Economics, everyday life, and art.  It seemed that our conversation knew no limits, and it was often extremely enriching.

Our dinner table provided the best “news program” because everything we didn’t understand could be translated into our “language” by our parents.

Several studies show the importance of having dinner as a family, and link this to better grades in school.

http://www.tribunadoplanalto.com.br/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5886 .

But besides better grades, did family dinners give us more?  I truly believe so.  It definitely gave us a tangible concept and definition of family, which seems so scarce these days.

The dinner table connected parents and their children.  Dinner was a ritual for those living together, and made us understand what it was to be a family.  I believe it also fed our soul, as it brought us closer together, and graced us with a true sense of belonging.

As each dish was served, we felt love, pride, indignation, and teamwork.   Without a doubt, there was a strong sense of authority exercised mostly by my father, but we still benefited from an open dialogue between parents and children.

Desert sweetened our conversation, and softened our glances.  Desert was the moment in which we digested all the new information absorbed.  We sat in silence, licking our lips, quietly devouring everything we had gained from each other.

Time was clearly defined.  There was a time to eat.  There was a time to speak.  There was a time to listen.  A time to savor, and a time to distance ourselves again, and focus in on everyday life.

Today, when I tell my granddaughter that it’s desert time, I think about those dinners in which we “summed up” the dialogue, exchanges, and found union as a family.

For the most part, I remember the sweetness.  It didn’t matter if there had been fights, disagreements, or sour arguments.  In that moment, everything turned sweet.  The sweetness, not the sourness, is what has remained, as a permanent imprint in my memory.

What about you?  Do you have family dinners?  What are they like?  Is this moment valued?

Eline Kullock

This week I gave a lecture in Cuiabá, Brazil. I have a business partner there. Lorena Lacerda, is the director of Grupo Valure Shealso organizes “Officina do Conhecimento,” an event that takes place every two months.

The trip was great. First off, I had never been toCuiabá, and I discovered a really unique place, which is so much more evolved than I imagined.

It’s not easy to get there. There aren’t many planes flying into the city. But now that Cuiabá has been chosen to host a game for the World Cup in 2014, I’m sure there will be greater investment in the city.

It’s really interesting that there isn’t a “typical look” in Cuiabá. I can honestly say that there is a huge amount of cultural diversity. The blend between those who were born there, and those who decide to live there, makes for a truly diverse people.
They are the biggest producers of soy in the country, and are considered a center for agribusiness in general.

In the morning, I was featured on a television program called “BomDiaMatoGrosso” which aired on TV globo. I also gave a live interview before going on the television show.

And guess what? During that day I met so many people who had watched the interview!

I guess I had my five minutes of fame!

Watch: Geração Y ganha espaço no mercado

The people who came tothe lecture were incredibly interested in the theme of generations.

There were more than 100 people there. I didn’t hear a single cell phone ring during the lecture. Actually my phone was the only one that rang. I had forgotten to turn it off!

The audience was composed of individuals from different generations. There were businessmen and businesswomen, HR managers, as well as managers from other areas.

The film thatcaused the most laughter was one that spoke about the constant evolution and changes in technology. The video speaks about the evolution from parchment to books.

It’s a parody in regards to the constant learning we exercise to keep up with computer technology. As the film played, I think the audience,realized how generation Y feels when we ask them to teach us things which seem so basic and intuitive to them, regarding new technologies.

It makes me think of our own Help Desk guy.Kleber takes care of all our computer worries at GrupoFoco. He always comes in with a huge smile and great attitude, when we need help. He resolves everything in less than a minute.

The dialogue between us usually goes something like this:

Me: “No Kleber! I swear I pressed the exact same buttons as you, and the computer didn’t do that before! It’s not possible, tell me how you did that!”

Kleber just smiles, a wide grin, and responds, “Is that it?”

I’m pretty sure that at that moment he must think, “I can’t believe they pay me for this!”

So watch the film about the evolution from parchment to books, and see what character you identify with!

Our generation lived for Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jackson 5, and Michael Jackson.

Our Brazilian idols were Leila Diniz, Elis Regina, Tom Jobim, and Chico Buarque.

We listened to all thismusic. Religiously.

In 1968, the “Reboucas Tunnel,” was inaugurated in my hometown of Rio.

The tunnel connected the south area of Rio with the rest of the city. Ipanema beach, which had always been an oasis of calm and tranquility, became jam packed and chaotic.

Dictatorship hit right before our eyes. But we still managed to be happy. At that moment, young students, all over the world, broken down rigid paradigms. Questioning morals and ancient customs and traditions. Paris was literally in flames.

At that moment speed picked up, and our lives accelerated.Our generation, the Baby Boomers, started getting married and having our own kids.Between all the rules, norms, and laws, of the time, we raised our children. We changed, we changed the world, and we created a generation. We changed what it meant to raise kids. Perhaps the greatest evidence of our new child raising philosophy came in the ever present sentence,

“Mommy said I could!”

The little boys and girls who were born in 1980 and in the years that followed, are now starting to lead the world. We coexist with them in our businesses and outside of them. I wonder where they will be 15 or 20 years from now?

I wonder who their heroes and idols will be? Who will they remember? Who will they be proud of?

I miss, Tom Jobin, Leila Diniz, Elvis, Lennon, SydBarret, David Gilmour, and Michael Jackson. I miss Michael in Black and White. I miss Belle de Jour by Sartre. I miss the beautiful “make love not war” attitude. Our generation laid the grounding for where we are today.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of all this, is that we still question ourselves.

How do we deal with the new generations? Who are they? What do they want?

No rules and no family dinners. The television blares in our living rooms, and computers are almost as vital as blood, their sound interfering with the voices from the TV.

Our children don’t even have time to listen to us anymore.

So now what?

I look around, and realize how much new technologies are slowly but surely, invading schools and Universities.

My son studies “Engineering and Production” at the University “UFRJ.” His Economics Professor Maura Montella, asked her class to complete a project, in which the finished product would be a video about the black market.

Her class divided into small groups and every group created a video. That was their group project. It took them a whole Sunday to complete, and it looked very different and cool. More than just Economics, their Professor challenged them in the realm of creativity.

My son’s project was very creative. His group really wanted to do something different. They used digital photography, MP3s, and Legos (which I had given my son as a gift many years ago).

The other class videos can be seen by searching for Maura Montella on youtube.

New technologies give us new tools for creativity. In my generation, we worked on our group projects at somebody’s house. We used books. The material we presentedwould end up being more or less pieces of construction paper, with images and texts (either hand written or printed), glued on to the pages.

The final product was pretty, with a little flower glued at the right hand of the construction paper. Who remembers construction paper? Does it still exist? Yeah it does! I’ve seen a school, with my own eyes, which still uses it! Though I must admit, it does seem they are clinging on to it, and resisting change.

During Bernard’s project, the groupbrainstormed,via social networks, instant message chats, and cellphones.

Their idea was created through all this “virtual speak.”They came up with the general idea of their project this way. When they got together, I saw how much fun they had, while filming.

In the end, although decades separate us, both generations (Baby Boomers and Gen Y) are doing the same thing. We talk, glue images, and get creative. The only thing that’s really changed is the construction paper…

The song “comonossospais” (“Like our Parents”), written by Belchoir, and sung by Elis Regina, holds great significance, when it comes to thinking about generations. The lyrics reveal the immense gap between the singer and her parents. Even more interestingly, the song also expresses the huge gap between young people today and their parents.

I don’t want to talk to you
About the things I’ve learned
From my records…
(The new generations are barely familiar with the “records,” which had such huge impact on previous generations. This is the generation of CDs, chips, and pen drives.)

I want to tell you how I’ve lived
And everything that’s happened to me
Living is better than dreaming
I know that love is such a beautiful thing
But I also know
That its charm is so much smaller
Than any one of our lives…
(Love? Well, that’s a frequent theme for generation Y. But their perception of love is much more about having fun, and living in the “now,” with a carpe diem attitude.)

So be careful my darling
The street corner is dangerous
Their light turns green
And is constantly red for us
For we are young…
(For young people today, there are no red lights. Everything is allowed. Everything is OK. There are no obstacles. Nothing is too difficult. They can do anything.)

To hug your brother
And kiss your girl in the middle of the street
That’s what your arms,
Lips, and voice, were made for…
(Because of the violent environment in Brazil these days, it’s a bit dangerous to kiss in the street. So people kiss in shopping malls, in school, and wherever other safe public spots they can find.)

You ask me about my passion
I say that I’m under your spell
Like a new creation
I want to stay in this city
I’m not going back home
Through the wind
I smell a new season coming
I know everything inside my wounded heart

It’s been a while
I saw you on that street
Your wild wind blown hair
All the young people standing there
Against this wall of memories
The memories hurt the most…
(Again, this shows the sense of real life community youth had back then, these days that doesn’t exist, and youth get together virtually, and are usually much more individualistic.)
My pain is inknowing
That despite everything we’ve done
We are still the same
We live
And we are still the same
Just like our parents…
(This verse is the one that seems most out of tune today. Nobody belonging to this generation lives like their parents! What’s worse is that they don’t do anything to be different from them. Previous generations made a real effort not to be like their parents. It’s normal to want to be different. But this generation is different from their parents, effortlessly. It’s as if the generation gap develops naturally.)
Our idols
Are still the same
You say that after them, there was nobody else… “Today I know where my ideas come from.” “A new conscious is youth.”
(Idols? What? This generation has very few)
But you
Love the past
And you don’t see
That newness constantly flows…
(Even in Elis’ time, older people didn’t like the new)
Today I know where my ideas come from
A new conscious is youth
(The new conscious that Elis sings about comes from parents. Even this has changed. Youth today doesn’t learn as much from their parents. Rather, they learn with their friends. That is a fact. Of course this is greatly due to the fact that parents today, aren’t at home constantly keeping an eye on their kids. Most of them are out working hard. Much to their kids’despair….

How much power do kids have today?

Are you one of those people, who think kids are all pure, innocent and truthful? Or maybe you just believe that kids are all angels and gifts from God?

OK, maybe it could happen until a certain age, or maybe they do were like that for a while. However, with all the access to information and with all the freedom we face nowadays (freedom in schools, and freedom given by parents), kids (and Generation Y) are becoming more and more adult-like.

Generation Y gets really involved in relationships subjects and has a great practical mindset that makes them confident decision makers. Their flexibility and “think on your feet” attitude gives them the power to conduce situations the way they want to, usually that ones that sneak up behind us, in which we have to ponder and reflect about ourselves (what is really hard to do). These issues are, in general, traumatic, obscure, and full of psychological dimensions. To me, they’re the hardest to deal with.

But you know what’s funny? I’m part of generation Y, I’m 24, and I can totally relate. I’ve had my decisions, and insecurities exposed, scrutinized and questioned by my 10 and 12 year old cousins!!!! And I’d been criticized because I was not setting a good example.

But true to generation Y, I was mixed up in other people’s business from the very start. I was the kid, who proposed that my parents just get divorced while they argued in front of me, and also I was becoming my Aunt’s therapist while she could look for better things to do instead of not occupying herself with what she ought to care about.

Perhaps we’ve grown up restricting our ideas, molding ourselves to the square standard of society. Does this make all our creativity and our ability to argument evaporate into thin air?

Wow. Now I’m getting a bit philosophical on you. Pretty soon I’m going to start questioning if the egg or chicken came first (for the record, I think it was the egg, but that’s a whole other post). =)

What I’m really trying to say is that we should pay attention to the intellectual evolution of Generation Y. It’s a fact that the “connected world” is both a wonder and a hell.

In my opinion, it’s great to have access to everything. It’s important to be able to discuss diverse topics with all different types of people. It’s healthy to have a wide-open mind. It’s great to know things and to be curious. This stimulates creativity, although many businesses and industries haven’t yet picked up on this (look at how many companies block MSN at work!). What’s more is that we can’t escape the speed. It’s impossible to stop the intense velocity of information flow. Nobody can slow the connectivity down, and it’ll probably just keep getting faster and faster.

For those who have already grown up, learn with Generation Y. Solutions to our difficulties and challenges will only be found with an open mind and curious as little children, constantly chasing information. Because in the end, it’s the “information” that makes us.

As children, we learn that fear is a perfectly acceptable and normal emotion. As we watch young kids, it’s rather funny that they sometimes fear the most harmless things. As adults, we are able to ease their fears, and calm them down.

But what about when we grow up? Who helps us overcome our adult fears?

Last Thursday, I was a guest on a TV show called “Sem Censura” (Uncensored), with Leda Nagle. The show featured a round table on the topic of “fear.”

The show featured five guests. Claudia Naylor, the director of the National Cancer Institute, known as INCA, spoke about the fear of death. Cecilia Bellina talked about the fear of driving. Captain Luiz Bassani, focused on the fear of flying a plane. The criminologist Jorge Lordello, talked about the fear of violence. I spoke about the fear of layoffs.

Leda did a great job leading a stimulating discussion. She aided us in clarifying our points of view, and brought questions from various audience members. This encouraged us to use examples and dig deep into the topic of fear.

I discussed an article, which reveals that painkillers are the number 1 selling medication in Brazil, followed by anti-anxiety medication. We are all stressed, insecure, anxious, growing more and more fearful of everything each day.

I tried to explain how we should deal with the fear of layoffs. Of course, considering all the fears discussed, mine was probably the one, which causes the least fear. Yet, it is real, and it’s part of many people’s day-to-day life, especially during an economic crisis.

What I tried to express, is that almost everybody feels this fear. Everybody is in the same situation. However, people deal with the same pressure in different ways. I also talked about how many businesses are forced to cutback on their workforce, so that they can manage to stay afloat. This makes it hard to maintain a healthy work environment.

HR departments and HR managers need to try and keep the workplace from turning into a cutthroat atmosphere, where it’s “every man for himself.”

There’s a relevant joke about two friends who went hunting together. One saw a tiger, which looked like it might attack them. Quickly, he started putting on his sneakers. The other friend told him:

“- You won’t be able to run faster than the tiger.”

To this he replied,

“- I don’t need to run faster than the tiger, I just need to run faster than you!”

This is exactly what happens when the crisis hits. Core values fly out the window. There’s no internal communication explaining the motives for the cutbacks. There’s no effort to show employees that if the company doesn’t cutback, it will probably shut down entirely.

People say that during these moments, HR’s role is crucial. HR becomes the “thermometer” for the business, as it measures what “medication” should be “taken.”

HR is expected to keep a professional stance during team evaluations, and deal with those who are to be laid off, by explaining that the company does in fact care about its employees and will do everything it can to help them.

Regarding an employee’s desire to avoid the fear of getting laid off, and the layoff itself, I believe that he or she must show the business how indispensable they are as an individual.

Everyone is overworked. Everyone is stressed especially as work teams start to shrink before our eyes. It’s more important than ever to maintain high performance levels, so that we can overcome these moments of crisis. It’s important not to get discouraged or to start feeling unmotivated. Business teams must also stay motivated, since a positive attitude is essential to confronting difficult situations.

I believe that during these times, it’s essential to ask for feedback.

I only give feedback to those who ask for it. I feel that if an employee doesn’t ask for it, then he or she, may not react well to hearing about “areas for improvement.”

During this economic crisis, I recommend that everyone ask bosses, coworkers, and subordinates for honest feedback. It’s fundamental to hear the feedback. It’s important to open up and listen. It’s not easy. Once we start hearing negative feedback, our immediate reaction is usually to reply, “No but I…”

But we shouldn’t justify ourselves. Rather we should listen and digest these comments. It’s important to reflect on the feedback we receive. Although it’s not easy, there’s always something to learn from it.

On that note, I start thinking about how difficult it is for Generation Y to hear negative feedback. They’ve been hearing positive feedback their whole lives. That’s what they were raised on.

When I was young, and I got a 9/10 at school, my parents asked why I didn’t get a perfect score. These days, if our kids obtain a passing grade, we already feel satisfied.

This new generation doesn’t hear a lot of criticism in general. They’ve been sheltered and overprotected. They’ve been showered with positive feedback and compliments, by their parents, who were sick of their own rigid education.

We’ve all heard psychology theories, which link positive child development to high self-esteem, stimulating creativity, and focusing on the child’s strengths. If we consider this, it’s no wonder that this generation has trouble hearing criticism.

It’s up to each individual to reflect on his or her openness to receiving feedback. Those who know how to listen to constructive criticism, and adapt their behavior accordingly, will have a much greater chance of surviving within businesses. Of course, there’s never a guarantee that this will keep you safe from layoffs. In other words, the capacity to adapt according to criticism isn’t enough per se, to hold on to your job.

However, I do believe that this behavior is fundamental. I also think that Generation Y may have trouble dealing with this.

Anyways, having the opportunity to be on the show “Sem Censura” is always rewarding. It’ s a pleasure to be able to speak with such intelligent people, and it’s always a great learning experience. This was my third time on the show, and yet each time, I feel that it’s an enriching and pleasurable experience.

I want to recommend this video to you.   As a very young child, I used to watch this television series.

This “TV family” illustrates what a typical real life family used to look like.

At that time, daddy knew everything.  Daddy knew best.  When we wanted something, we always turned to Daddy.

He knew about everything from musical instruments to careers to technology.  Our father was also our teacher.

It’s important that all generations fully comprehend how Baby Boomers were raised.

How strange.  We didn’t spend hours in front of the computer screen (obviously we didn’t have computers at that time.)   But we found other ways to annoy our parents.

Notice that in the video, there is no TV in the living room.

Needless to say, there are no computers.

Notice how the kids tell their parents everything…

The telephone is a black dial disc, and it’s always in a public space.   There’s one in the kitchen, and maybe one in the living room.  There are absolutely no phones in the bedrooms.

Daddy always solves everybody’s problems.

How could we even begin to imagine that families wouldn’t always look like this?

As Baby Boomers, we were raised this way.  Our own parents were raised this way.

Black and white.  Everything was black and white.  Right or wrong.Girls were serious and proper.  Or they were easy and vulgar.  There was no middle ground, no gray area, and no space between. Boys were troublemakers or good students.  A man was simply the “marrying type” or he wasn’t.

From the very beginning, fairy tales taught us about the good and the bad.   We heard about the mean witch and the innocent little princess.  The hero fought against the bad guy.   We became quite skilled in recognizing these “characters” and “types” from miles away.

My generation was preoccupied with this fantasyland.   Obviously this harmonious fairytale just wasn’t realistic.  Slowly but surely, we found the courage to break out from this over idealistic picture of life.

And so divorces started happening.  All “Jeannies” (from “I dream of Jeannie) and “Samanthas” (“Bewitched”) broke out from the molds which society had trapped them into.   They went back to their “witchery” (the same witchery that was prohibited in Bewitched by the husband).    They started working outside the home and became “self sufficient.” Between 1965-1968 the TV series “Lost in Space” brought us a taste of a new reality.

Today daddy doesn’t know everything.  He’s had to learn that there aren’t just good guys and bad guys. Daddy doesn’t understand why his children are in such a hurry.  He doesn’t understand the “hook up” and “friends with benefits” culture.  In the end, does “hooking up” mean dating, friendship, or a bit of everything?  He doesn’t understand that the definition of “respect” has changed.

Each generation’s reality must exist with different realities.  Generations can be understood and explained through their “realities.”  It’s through this reality, that customs, values, and norms are defined.

If these different histories and realities aren’t openly discussed between generations (starting within the family) there’s no chance for mutual understanding between generations.

Daddy knew best, because that’s the way he was raised.  Generation Y thinks he barely knows anything.   Do you think we could we find a middle ground?   If so, perhaps we could use this to build a peaceful coexistence and innovative, successful, businesses.

http://thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/as-the-generations-change-so-must-their-cultural-icons/18143
This article suggests that idols change and evolve right along with generations, adapting to each generation’s expectations and life experiences.

Our movie was “The Graduate. Released in 1967, the film launched Dustin Hoffman’s career, as well as new Simon and Garfunkel songs like “The Sound of Silence.” We lived to the rhythm of Bossa Nova and Woodstock. That was our music. That was our generation’s soundtrack.

What film defines the new generation? What music illustrates Generation Y’s mindset?