My initial plan was to title this blog the Lost Generation but after some research, I discovered that this label already applies to a previous generation in history. Around 1920, the term “Lost Generation” was made well known by popular author Ernest Hemingway. The term applies in particular to young men in their 20’s and 30’s who survived the end of World War I. It’s somewhat debated whether the label is meant to imply a lack of direction or an ideology that this group was left battered with substantial loss. During my research I experienced a realization comparable to the gravity associated with loss. I believe our generation is experiencing a profoundly historic feeling of emptiness.
Emptiness is defined by dictionary.com as the state of containing nothing. This definition shares similarities with the definition of bleak which is defined by dictionary.com as without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary. In essence, emptiness can be described as being bleak. Therefore, its appropriate to define Millennials or Generation Y as Generation Bleak.
Our Generation exudes emptiness for a number of reasons. Our parents (the Baby Boomers) were on the cusp of retiring prior to the Recession. When the economy collapsed, so did our parent’s ability to retire. Society was left with a group of seniors scrambling to regain financial security and independence. The consequence of this is that Baby Boomers are retiring much later and jobs are not opening up for Generation Bleak. Five or ten years from now when Baby Boomers finally end up retiring, who will replace their jobs? Will employers want depressed and deprived Generation Bleak who still remembers the high wages and benefits which existed prior to the recession? Or will they opt for a younger, fresher, more educationally advanced generation? Our generation is doomed to experience an emptiness of security and opportunity.
We’ve been told education is our weapon in this repressive war. So many of us bought into it. We spent money we didn’t have returning to school. Out of desperation, we begged our parents for the last of their excess money. Many of us couldn’t finish. Banks still aren’t loaning money. Those of us that do finish, graduate with huge debt and a disheartening reality. With every decision, employers consider profits. When competing for a new job, will a potential employer consider a degree as being relevant? It’s my belief that an employer would prefer to hire an individual who doesn’t have advanced education because they can pay them less than someone who does. So essentially, high paying, fulfilling jobs are always going to be a carrot dangling in front of Generation Bleak.
These feelings of emptiness are inevitable. Our generation was raised with the promise of entitlement and instant gratification. When things got ugly, these cushions were abruptly removed from underneath us. The very generation that nurtured us was forced to nurture themselves. Without a promise of financial security or fulfilling jobs and with our parent’s generation firming holding on to the flickering, dying torch of prosperity, we are left with unsettling feelings that are overwhelmingly bleak. This makes us Generation Bleak.
Generation Bleak 