Sunday, October 12, 2008

unChristian excerpt

i'm finally taking up reading again... thus continuing where i left off in unChristian. this is a research project trying to get to the root of the negative perceptions of the Christian faith. they interviewed and gathered data from thousands of people.

here's an interesting excerpt about the young people of today:

"Young adults enjoy challenging the rules. They are extremely - you might say innately - skeptical. Today's young people are the target of more advertising, media, and marketing than any generation before. And their mindset is both incredibly savvy and unusually jaded.
...Yet I would caution you not to underestimate the widening gap between young people and their predecessors. Those who think that in due time Mosaics and Busters [terms used to describe the younger generations, much like 'baby boomers'.] will "grow up" and look like everyone else should prepare to have unfulfilled expectations.
...Rather than looking for an end to the generation gap, it is important to recognize its existence."

as a teacher, i can totally see this... these kids want answers. they have a feeling of entitlement, because the world revolves around them right now... like the author says, pop culture/advertising/etc. targets them in everything they do, because they are probably the most influential group of people there is when it comes to setting trends and norms.

something to consider for those of us working with these young people, no matter the context.

3 comments:

NP said...

The millenial generation is in full swing. These are kids who want the answers given to them and dont want to have to work for anything. Our definition of laziness is becoming their way of life because they dont know how to figure anything out on their own. The problem solving skills and common sense of this upcoming generation is almost non-existent.

bh said...

well put.

emily and kyle said...

I can't ever decide if I should be excited about the shift or decide to never have kids! haha

I bought the book this summer after seeing a little about it from your blog. Thanks for the motivation to try to find some time to begin reading it! Keep it coming