The Millenials - Too soon to tell?

It goes on and on
I've been procrastinating in writing this last of the generation series. Partly because I've been so busy that I haven't had time to sit down and write, but mostly because this particular generation puzzles me most. Not because they are really hard to understand - they are just continuing to evolve. The millenials span from 1982 until sometime now or in the future. There hasn't been an end date yet. That means that those who are 28 years old have the same core values as those born, well, today. That's how it is with generations - there's no absolute clear ending from one generation to the next until somebody smarter than me comes up with a new generation name and thing start anew for them. A new generation starts when there is a substantial change in the world's teachings or political stature or something that young children absorb during their formative years. The millenials formative years are in the late 80s, 90s and 00s.

Some say the change happened at 9/11/2001. Kids in their formative years - really young - 5-9 years old won't have a clear picture of what happened on that day, so their formative years will be vastly different than the post 9/11 kids. End of a generation, right? Then, Hurricane Katrina hit and many of the same values that 9/11 kids faced - philanthropy, fear, community, etc. were again prevalent in the world. Then, the Tsunami hit soon afterward - same values.

My humble opinion is that a new generation started on 9/11/2001. Some experts are calling them the first wave millenials - kind of like we had first and second wave boomers. Maybe. Nothing was the same after 2001. I think that is the split. For argument's sake, we'll keep them as first and second wave. I'm going to focus mostly on first wave because second wave are too young to predict.

The Millenials have some interesting characteristics. In contrast to their preceding generation, this group was the most supervised group of kids who ever walked the earth (read back to helicopter parents in my last post and you'll understand) As a result, these kids are the first ones who enjoy hanging out with their parents. Don't know about you, but I only hung out with my parents when I had to and when I was old enough to drink. Today's kids love going to the mall, the beach, whatever with mom and dad. Honor their parents and Millenials will honor you.

The Yes We CAN! (if you are a girl) Generation
Millenials are very optimistic and enthusiastic about their own futures. They've lived during the boom years of the 80s and 90s where money was flowing like a river. They trust authority - because their parents have been around them so much that they HAVE to trust authority. Their parents have told them for 20 years that they can do anything they want to and set their minds to doing - and they CAN! Girls are treated pretty equally to boys. In fact, girls are getting treated better than boys in school. Classrooms are much more geared toward compliant and well-behaved little girls than raucous little boys. Barbies became marine biologists and lawyers when these girls were growing up.

Boys will be boys - or not - if you're a Millenial
Boys in this generation have taken a bit of a hit. They are losing their masculinity at an alarming rate. Boys are being raised primarily by women. They are being stripped of their manhood because they are being taught that it's "OK TO CRY" - They help choose furniture and fabrics and notice a new shirt and shoes. They have no idea how to change their oil or how to handle a hammer or nails. Even electric power tools are being altered to fit the more petite hands of women. It's becoming a softer and gentler world...well, except for the war raging on the other side of the ocean. But even that is softer. When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the patriotic sentiment in the U.S. was so high you could taste it. After 9/11 - the same feeling prevailed, but it soon dissipated. Now the patriotism in this country is very low and people want those soldiers back and safe whether we "win" the war or not. That's not a very masculine viewpoint, now is it? Budweiser tried to fix this problem and ran a series of commercials that were quite demeaning to women. The Man Show was a popular show with men swilling beer and ogling women. It is truly a tough time to be a man these days. These stupid ideas didn't last very long. Men want to be defined as men with valor - not idiots.

Stick with it boys. The good news is that girls like to be treated like girls again. No worries about holding a door for a woman or carrying heavy objects for them. We're not our Boomer mothers who would be offended by a man opening a door for us. We like to be princesses and we're not afraid to admit it. Advertising to men must address this. Make a man feel like a man without beating up their women. Edge Shaving Gel with the scantily clad, but tasteful women dancing around in their nose hairs is down right erotic for these guys. And the one with the razors that throws water in their faces instead of punches are pretty good.

Over paced. Over scheduled.
With a cell phone in one hand, a laptop in the other, a stereo blaring and a pile of paperwork in front of them - the Millenials are extremely over scheduled. This started when they were forming, remember? School, then soccer, then piano lessons, then basketball practice. McDonalds in the car, homework, kiss the parents goodnight, wake up at the crack of dawn and start all over again. That's what they grew up with. That's what they know.

Anyone who can offer a real solution - not another techy device - will win big. Don't get me wrong, Millenials LOVE techy devices. They are the first real technological generation. Give them another thing that bleeps and whirs and even if it was meant to save time, it will find a way to suck even more time out of their busy schedules.

Social networking is not only the wave of the future, it is their lifeline. They don't have time to actually meet with their friends, but if they can share everything they need to in a 160 word sound byte, that will work.

Philanthropic Cause of the Day
Every time a millenial turns around, there's another reason to help people. I believe it will be difficult though to have them become loyal to one cause. Today, it's an earthquake. Tomorrow, it's an oil spill. Mills with money share it. They love to help others. It's in their blood. Here's a comparison with the Xrs that will knock your socks off. In 1984, as the first Xrs were graduating from high school, 900,000 students participated in volunteer work. In 2003, 6,200,000 high school students volunteered. Wow. This is one group of motivated, enthusiastic humans!

But can they solve any problems?
That's an important question. Millenials love their parents, right? We've already established that. In fact, they have such a close bond with their parents that they've come to rely on them for everything. And those overactive parents are more than willing to help. They will bring forgotten homework to school, fight their battles for them, take care of those pesky bullies, monitor everything they do and make their lives much easier than when they themselves were kids. Millenials have absolutely no idea how to really solve their own problems. Their parents have always done it for them. In college, if they receive an unfair grade, their parents come to their aid. When it comes time for job hunting, parents will go on their interviews - the ones they set up for them - with them. They'll stick up for irresponsible kids and bail them out at every juncture. I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm afraid I'm not. A Millenial who can solve problems is an absolute jewel. Hire them! However, for a vast majority of your Millenials, you'll find that they know everything, (even though they don't) they don't need help (even though they do), they screw something up (even though they say they didn't) and they didn't do it (even though they did.) It's a blame shifting society because afterall, MY child wouldn't ever do that. At some point, they are certain that mom or dad will save the day (because they will.)

It's all still evolving
It's hard to classify a group of people in a generation. As I wrote the above words, the little voice inside my head said, "You know lots of Millenials who can solve problems and are real men and now they're all going to be pissed off at you." Then, that same voice says, "But you don't match all the characteristics of the Xrs either and you weren't offended by what you wrote about yourself, were you?" The point is that generations are defined by the group. Individuals within that group are still unique. The key is looking for those factors that are similar. They are team players (unlike the Xrs). They are active in their communities and with world-wide causes. One other thing that is very important to Millenials is that spirituality is becoming much more evident with this generation. I believe it's because as this generation evolves, there are a lot more things to pray about. When there is no way to look at a problem like 9/11, Katrina, the Tsunami, the Earthquake, whatever and figure out a solution, a realization dawns that a higher power must be invoked in order to stay sane. Thank God for our freedom of religion. Our Millenials thank you too, God.