Millennials, Change And History
by Miki SaxonImage credit: PorcelainB
Ryan Healy starts his post by saying, “There’s no doubt that Generation Y will fundamentally change corporate America.”
It’s an interesting post, filled with the brashness, dreams and optimism I’ve come to expect as each new generation enters adulthood—whether I read about or lived through them.
Still more interesting are the comments, whether they agree or not.
I can’t help siding with Carlos who says, “Every generation thinks that their generation is unique. The truly gifted on each generation is and will affect change, but this notion that today’s 20-somethings are any more intelligent or capable than those from 10-40 years ago is naive,” although I would change his 40 years to 4000.
Each generation going back to Year One BC sets out to change the world and in doing so lays the groundwork for the next generation to change it and the process repeats itself through all history.
Some of the changes are good and some not; some seek to address errors previously made, while some target good changes gone bad as a result of social or technical progress. Changes can be revolutionary or evolutionary; they fuel both society’s progression and its regression.
But is it change itself or it’s instigator that history will remember?
What do you think?
June 5th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I imagine it will be the instigator that causes change that will be remembered. WWI, Great Depression, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Television, 1970’s gas lines, the net, blanket cell coverage – Those are the types of things that get mentioned in history and remembered by the masses not the work or cause-effect change that allowed those events to happen.
Change itself is too common to get mentioned.
June 5th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I forgot to click the “notify me” link so I’m making this comment so I can see any follow up.
June 5th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Hi Luke, Good point, but some work changes, such as Ford’s production line, are remembered. Do you think anything we’re seeing will have that kind of historic impact?