Yes, I believe we are more selfish and less centered on the common good now. It is a message that has bombarded us more and more with each passing generation. We are no longer shaped by the Great Depression and World War II, with their hardships, rather by the subsequent largely deprivation-free eras running from "I've gotta be me" to "greed is good" to "get yours above all else," with more intensity and less tolerance for dissenting viewpoints from others. The proliferation of affordable technology and social media in particular have done a great deal to enhance that, and in a short amount of time.
I tend to agree with your assessment of the upcoming generation, that they are wired somewhat differently in their priorities. But I suspect that it is a reaction more than an action, as they become aware of how much the previous two to three generations have effed up our society and ecology in the name of indulging themselves. What remains to be seen is whether their version of the "I don't want to be like my parents" mindset is truly a sea change or if it lasts only until they have enough to lose that they see things differently. I truly hope that their anti-materialism bend continues rather than yields to economic realities. They seem more aware than many of us that there is much more to life than getting and holding money.
It is less about the toys and more intangible (at least with the youth). More centered upon emotions/feelings. This is, I think, a phenomenon of the internet/social media age.
That's the lament of every generation.
Are we truly more self-centered and narcissistic and materialistic than we were during the Gilded Age? The sixties or the eighties?
I look at the kids and I see the usual angst and turmoil, but I don't see the "He who dies with the most toys wins" ethos we had in the eighties.
Yes, I believe we are more selfish and less centered on the common good now. It is a message that has bombarded us more and more with each passing generation. We are no longer shaped by the Great Depression and World War II, with their hardships, rather by the subsequent largely deprivation-free eras running from "I've gotta be me" to "greed is good" to "get yours above all else," with more intensity and less tolerance for dissenting viewpoints from others. The proliferation of affordable technology and social media in particular have done a great deal to enhance that, and in a short amount of time.
I tend to agree with your assessment of the upcoming generation, that they are wired somewhat differently in their priorities. But I suspect that it is a reaction more than an action, as they become aware of how much the previous two to three generations have effed up our society and ecology in the name of indulging themselves. What remains to be seen is whether their version of the "I don't want to be like my parents" mindset is truly a sea change or if it lasts only until they have enough to lose that they see things differently. I truly hope that their anti-materialism bend continues rather than yields to economic realities. They seem more aware than many of us that there is much more to life than getting and holding money.
We have to hope they do act better, as saving the planet will be in their hands.
I hear ya and hope too that they become leaders far more than followers.
That's kind of my point, that we've seen cycles of engagement and disengagement rather than a steady descent, just the regular pulse of society.
Though really we're measuring our personal vibes without data at this point.
It is less about the toys and more intangible (at least with the youth). More centered upon emotions/feelings. This is, I think, a phenomenon of the internet/social media age.