Courtesy Hartford Courant,
Josiah H. Brown
All content is copyrighted and may
not be republished or distributed without permission.
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Sunday, April 24, 1994 |
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STATEWIDE |
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C1 |
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OPINION |
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COMMENTARY |
Source: |
JOSIAH
BROWN |
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A
COMING OF AGE IN THE 1990s As a 24-year-old Connecticut native
living in New York City, I challenge the perception that my contemporaries
and I are part of a lost or especially nondescript generation. Indeed, while
generalizations about particular eras - the turbulent '60s, the sexually
liberated '70s, the ``me generation'' of the '80s - may be possible, such
categorizations tend to obscure as much as enlighten. In the current case, teenagers and
so-called twentysomethings are said to be notably directionless, dispirited,
self- and video-oriented. The characters in the movie ``Reality Bites''
supposedly typifying these characteristics. The MTV Generation or Generation X are
often invoked as names to describe us. Undoubtedly, we do, on the whole,
watch a lot of television, and we are studying and seeking work in a time of
fundamental, anxiety- inducing global economic change. But sweeping
statements about us are prone to error and often unfair. We are not without ideals. I have
worked on several political and environmental-protection campaigns, and my
first job out of college was on the staff of U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3rd
District, whose strong convictions I share. Dozens of my former high school
classmates have followed career paths in human services, academia,
philanthropy, youth education and medical research. Many of my contemporaries
are also active as volunteer tutors and mentors and welcome President
Clinton's ambitious national- service initiative. In fact, an established
publication, ``The American Freshman: Twenty-Five Year Trends,'' documents a
significant increase in social consciousness and activism among first-year
college students since the mid-1980s. Like their counterparts in previous
decades, these young adults are grappling with difficult questions of
identity, lifestyle and employment. But don't let superficial factors indict
an entire generation. Take MTV. I have a friend who, during rare vacation
periods, treasures the opportunity to spend countless hours relaxing before a
screen of music videos. This friend also happens to be a doctoral candidate
in clinical psychology. So let's abandon the misleading term
Generation X, which, while appropriately suggesting the ambiguities of our
age, has assumed the unjustified connotation of vacuity. Rather than glibly
categorizing millions of Americans, let's wait a few years before reaching
judgment. There certainly are plenty of social and environmental problems
that my generation can help our society confront. Who knows? We might fulfill the
historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr.'s 30-year cycle theory about generational
involvement in public affairs and realize our dreams as the Clinton-Gore
Generation. For now, we're the Generation To Be
Determined or To Be Announced. |