Real Indentity of twentysomethings

The readings for the week have been about Reality TV and racial and stereotypical identities. The essay I'd like to focus on is Twentysomethings.

Walter Kirn must think he is the greatest thing since, as cliche as it sounds, sliced bread. It must be nice to have lived and have an established career especially in the '80's during the Reagen Era, where everyone was prospering economically. So, I guess this gives him a license to rip on the generation right after. It's great that he had it pretty easy in a time of economic wealth and then can turn around deem the next generation as slackers because the economy of their time isn't doing so great.

He starts his article by listing qualities that describe the "slacker" generation. One of these traits was "a distrust of authority." The authorities of the "slacker" generation basically suck, to put it mildly, at their jobs. The authorities were set up to help people, not to screw them over. Is it any wonder that the "slacker" generation distrusts authorities?

Another ridiculous statement his makes is: "A generation whose defining collective experience is its lack of defining collective experiences, whose Woodstock was watching The Partridge Family with a couple of friends and whose great moral dilemma is "paper or plastic?" is unlikely to produce a crop of quick-witted passionate radicals."

(Argh, this comments just makes my nerves on edge).

First of all, the twentysomething generation he wrote about was fighting for issues of their time. Their Woodstock wasn't one of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. There Woodstock was fighting the Gulf War, dealing with President Clinton, the Oklahoma City bombing, the shootings of Columbine, and Grunge music. So, don't sit here and say that twentysomethings didn't have enough on their plate and call them "slackers."

Also, as a result of these things I would have to say twentysomethings are quick-witted passionate radicals. They have done a lot things to fix the problems of the generation before them in hopes of a better future than their parents had. It's just that when the generation before you messes things up so badly that your generation has to fix the problems and even hand over the work to the generation after them, then it's going to take a while to fix these problems. Also, since it takes so long, the results aren't going to be immediate, therefore, it may look like you are "slacking."

He then goes on to rip on the movie Singles. He says, "...the world having shrunk to the cramped dimensions of one's wacky, sad, starter apartment, with its sardonic, cheap, recycled furnishings."

What is he thinking? Did he have a wonderfully, brand-new furnished, home or apartment at twentysomething? Um, seriously, it takes a while for people to have things like that. My friends are all in their mid or late twenties, and only two of them, because they are married, have their own house. Everyone else lives in dumpy apartments with three other people. That's just what you do until you are more financially stable.

Kirn needs to stop blaming pop culture on the twentysomethings and attitude, and start blaming his own neglectful generation.