My Generation is.....

Many sociologists wonder what cultural legacies define the generation of the children of baby boomers. After all, these people have no recollection of the Cold War, yet many of them can recall a time without the internet or mobile phones. They don’t remember the rise of Reagonomics and Margaret Thatcher, but they remember the years of exponential economic growth followed by the financial crisis of 2008. The definition of their generation can stump even the greatest ethnologist. But as a child of baby boomers myself, I would define my generation as a time marked with globalization followed by xenophobic isolation and technological advances that continue to cause both pleasure and pain.

Simply put, I would define my generation as a time of major political and cultural changes that brought more than what was expected. Increased technological advances brought new cultural symbols. Mobile phones, which were first made available to the mass market in 1998, connected friends within a matter of seconds; the internet linked every computer in the world together. Old friends separated by oceans could truly keep in contact with each other through Facebook; ideas could easily be shared online. Quality of life improved as medical advances helped people lead longer and healthier lives. But this new technology has possibly made my generation feel disconnected from their geographic community. Some even lament the death of face-to-face communities, as the internet draws people into communities based on interest rather than geography. Londoners interested in Japanese fashion communicate with other girls in Japan and call some Americans their good friends. While this contributes to positive dialogues that help bridge cultures, these Brits may barely know their own schoolmates and neighbors. With the fall of the Iron and Bamboo Curtain came global unity; now that most countries rallied under the banner of capitalism and viewed each other without antagonism, they allowed their citizens greater freedom to travel anywhere and to communicate with anyone. And thus, ideas and people were spread to all corners of the earth; a Bosnian could easily live in Brazil, sipping tea from Bhutan, while chatting online with a friend in Bangladesh. Unfortunately, this era of global interconnectedness came to an end with the terrorist attacks on America and Europe. The reaction to these attacks, carried out by mostly foreigners from Saudi Arabia who had easy access to any country due to this new age of globalism, was one of xenophobia; a distrust in foreigners, especially ones that hailed from the Middle East, prompted many to declare war on all things Islamic. Those who didn’t agree with the war were quickly antagonized and labeled “terrorist”. And immigrants have been blamed for socially fragmenting societies throughout Britain; globalization has made it easier for anyone to live anywhere, and people who know they will be shuffled all over the country see no point in making friends with temporary neighbors. My generation is a generation marked with interesting effects. Globalization has brought interconnectedness but has also contributed to disconnections. Technology created both happier lives and loneliness. My generation is the generation of the ironic outcome.

-Paul Leung

For more information, please visit:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/haveyoursay/2009/06/090625_yourstorymanba.shtml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7755641.stm