This is probably obvious to everyone else, but it suddenly dawned on me yesterday.
You know those surveys that show the difference between the attitudes of different generations?
Like, for instance, I was reading one the other day that said that when a Baby Boomer says he's going to look something up, he says, "I'm going to Google that..." or "I'm going to Wiki that..." or "I'm going to go online and look that up."
Whereas a Millennial will simply say, "I'm going to look that up." Because, you know, where the hell else would you look something up?
Anyway, yesterday I was reading a really interesting poll (ECONOMIX) that asked how important money and how important a prestigious job was to different generations.
"Wealth" was important to Millennials, at 56%.
Whereas for Baby Boomers, we came in at a surprisingly low 16% range.
Exactly the same for "Prestigious Career."
"Wow!" I thought. "What could account for such a difference?"
Then it occurred to me. Age.
It's apples and oranges.
Sure we are different generations, but we are also different ages. Yeah, yeah. Utterly blindingly stupidly obvious. But we're comparing apples and oranges. We're also comparing apples that someday will turn into oranges.
You get to be my age, and a 'prestigious' job just doesn't seem as important. 'Money' doesn't seem as important. When Millennials get to my age, they'll probably feel the same way.
In other words, there isn't really a difference between generations, but a difference in age.
Which is both exactly the same thing and completely different. Well, duh.
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- Duncan McGeary
- I'm Duncan McGeary, owner and/or operator for the last 39 years of Pegasus Books in Downtown Bend, Oregon. These days I'm writing books as well as selling them. I'm the comic book guy. But even more so, I'm a book book guy. Books of all kinds. Big books and little books, children's and adult, fiction and non-fiction, hardback and paperback and trade paperback and graphic novels. Books with more words than pictures and books with more pictures than words. They are all part of the book world to me, and I love being surrounded by them every day.
6 comments:
I want to know more. And why you think that is the case.
Not sure what you're asking.
The money thing kind of surprises me, but the "prestige" job thing -- I think you get to my age and you realize no one gives a damn.
At least, I don't.
I went back and looked up the poll.
Both generations wanted "Financial Security" in the 90%.
But "Being Wealthy" was 56% for Millennials, and 16% for Baby Boomers.
"Prestigious Career" was 56% for Millennials, and 16% for Baby Boomers.
I went back and changed the numbers in the original post to match those.
Media has a lot to do with it.
When Boomers were growing up TV shows were largely about middle class people with middle class problems. Even the sit coms were shows like My Three Sons, Leave it to Beaver, etc. Now the Millennials have grown up where a lot of the media focus is on the Rich such as Paris Hilton and the Kardashians. Even the shows about middle class are shot is million dollar houses where the life style or the occupation is anything but middle class.
Then it was middle class work ethic and values, today it is all about glitz.
No wonder the millennials what the wealth and prestige.
Also the Boomers grer up in a time when middle class incomes where growing. The US was the dominant manufacturing power, and quality of life was improving.
The Millennials have gone through a long period of financial uncertainy.
"You get to be my age, and a 'prestigious' job just doesn't seem as important. 'Money' doesn't seem as important."
By that point in life you've either achieved money and prestige or you haven't. If you have, they don't matter much to you anymore. If you haven't, you convince yourself they don't.
"Then it was middle class work ethic and values, today it is all about glitz."
I think the entertainment is just reflecting the prevailing values of the larger culture and the economy. Back in Leave It to Beaver days, CEOs and bankers didn't have multimillion-dollar incomes. We've evolved a society in which you're either in the top 0.001% or you're nobody. And of course nobody wants to self-identify with the nobodies, so the entertainment focuses on the somebodies.
It's reminiscent of the movies during the Great Depression, which were all escapist fare about the lifestyles of the rich and glitzy.
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