Generation X and Twixter Philosophy
You see, twenty to thirty years ago it was relatively easy to go to college, get a degree, and land a career like it was the thousandth time a pilot landed a 747. College graduates had credibility, and they were set. But the increasing number of college graduates within the last thirty years is up and over fifty percent greater than what it used to be, and that led to a saturated market of credible workers. It was inevitable that credible workers would be turned away, and combined with corporate policies that work to diminish labor and maximize efficiency to cut costs, the number of available jobs dwindled like a South American rain forest. There are no jobs and therefore no money, so those who can’t afford to live on their own live with family (logically, this would mean that the stigma of living with parents has much less of a negative connotation than it once did).
Being with the family relaxes responsibilities, because they’re spread out among the workers within that group. “Twiksters,” free from worry about house payments and insurance, have time on their hands to develop a meaningful life philosophy (something listed as a top priority to college students polled in the sixties, but within thirty years “being well off financially” became top priority). Yet, since twiksters are not independent, they have nowhere to go with that philosophy and remain patient.
This situation may be a huge factor in the booms in gaming, literacy, and art. Not only that, but the notorious Generation X hallmark of apathy has probably been overstated or downright misinterpreted. When 9/11 happened, the majority of relief effort volunteers were “young people” (quoted from President Bush himself, shortly after the attacks), or in other words, the generation that was branded as slouching, indifferent, uncaring, and lazy for years suddenly, to the surprise of the cowboys that branded them, showed more compassion, determination, and effort in a crisis situation than anyone ever thought to expect. A lot of young people were turned away because the sheer amount of willing volunteers was so overflowing.
So this generation of twiksters is definitely not the uncaring slackers they’re made out to be. It’s a suspicion, like those turned away from helping with the 9/11 relief effort, that twiksters just don’t have the opportunity to show the world at large what they’re capable of. Instead they’re confined by job and wage crunches, and reduced to dreaming of the possible uses for their education. It’s not surprising to see indifference or apathy, because it’s understandable to see those generalizations as merely a response to very specific factors that shouldn’t be immediately attributed to personality. What does one do with intellect if there’s no outlet to use it?
The value of education, then, is fast becoming a reward in itself- the credit becomes secondary. Jobs are no longer safety nets, but band-aids over a deep gash that would do better to heal on its own. Family and social lives, possibly evident through the boom of popular eastern entertainment, are becoming increasingly interdependent. It’s a massive shift in a positive direction, but, unfortunately, the trend seems to be under everyone’s radar. Here’s hoping the next twenty years gives way to a true North American Renaissance, because only such a large-scale wave of talent and philosophy will be able to live up to the hopes and dreams of the twiksters.
