The force awakens - the millenials are now in power
December 26, 2019I sincerely hope
this will be the last post about the "generations" topic,
which has really riddled me the past months.
And after this,
we can move to some kind of new obsession.
( don't worry I will always have some kind of obsession,
but this one has gone on for so long already )
When I started applying for jobs last Autumn,
I realised something had changed.
I listed to the employers "these are my terms, take it or leave it" ,
including a lot of "I am also a carer" and "is part time work a possibility",
"I need to travel a lot", and "I don't want to go down in salary" etc.
The only thing missing from my list was "and I want avocado toast every day to my vegan beans,
as I groom my beard biking to the hipster cafe" (naturally, for gender reasons, I don't have a beard).
They were like "OK, that all sounds fine".
I was like "whaaaat????"
Who did teach you all that ? That job seekers are NOT insane, if they mention "family" - and such things ?
And also - when did I become "force to be reckoned with" - so that I can state any kind of terms in any negotiations ?
And, then I realised that suddenly EVERYONE loved "creative lifestyles" and "crafting" and "meditation" and "recycling". And everyone loved "fake news" and "hated immigrants" and supported "animal rights" and "health and safety". And everyone was getting screwed by "flexible working" and "life-long learning". These all sound like problems of MY generation.
OK - the old ones are retiring now, so maybe that's what.
But wait - it is the Baby Boomers, who are retiring.
We are not the oldest generation - genX was supposed to take over !
The kids of the cold war should be now showing us what to believe.
Not the millenials.
And the aswer to all this is : yes, indeed the genX has taken over.
And as the central belief of genX is "practicality" - this is what we get !
They really don't mind "what do we believe in" - they are the "generation sceptical".
They never believed what their parents said, and the boomers were downright neurotic and hysterical to their opinion. And so are the millenials.
GenX has always been the one to "keep the world rolling" when someone else is trying to blow it up. Now they just have started to protect the Millenials, instead of Boomer generation.
This is why we now have "far right" versus "green" as the main dilemma,
instead of "labor" versus "conservatives". GenX doesn't care, as long as it makes sense.
If you think about the "charismatic figures" older than 40 (but not yet retired). Gordon Ramsay and Angela Merkel - sceptical and down-to-earth. As - genX doesn't care if they have the "crazy cool ideas".
They just want to keep the world working.
Thanks to them, we now have avocado toasts. And not grilled sausages.
We have men staying home to be dads - as their genX bosses "give in" and let us have them (as "there is no harm in this").
The whole axis turned, as the genX switched loyalty.
They are now pampering us - instead of the old ones.
This is why I feel weird - as all of a sudden nobody says to me
"ah, little girl, what do you mean I stole your code and broke it, and distributed it under my name,
and you needed to clear all that mess up, as people were getting their data broken".
You don't even need to mention "meToo" - the genX bosses have fully adopted.
The same people who still a couple of years ago said "oh, boys will be boys" will now be like "would you like to suggest some kind of disciplinary measures", while they fully welcome the True Rivalry between their male and female workers (as that brings more efficiency to the work place). The only thing which still goes undetected by some genX managers, are MEN who flirt as shamelessly as women used to (yes these exist nowadays - millenials are a cunning generation in all their "search of individuality"). Of course this is enhanced by the "natural transition" happening in coding at the moment - if most of your senior staff is women, there is not much you can do about "little girls taking over".
So - I say genX made it possible : for millenials to take over 30 years before they were supposed to.
As GenX is not a generation of "believers". They are a generation of RATIONALISTS - born between two generations of Self-Important believers (boomers and millenials). The voice of sanity, between two bunches of total nutcases and hysterical neurotics.
If you say "avocado is good for you" - genX will believe if you show them the science. Boomers wouldn't believe - they are a generation of believers "I have always eaten a sausage, try and tell me otherwise".
If you say "and this is how you fix a combustion engine" - genX will believe, and be able to fix the engine. Millenials would say "I don't see the health and safety agreement in this" and refuse to listen. Then panic and take a selfie, if the car breaks down.
GenX changed loyalties.
They are OURS now - and this is why everything changed
so suddenly.
Why it was "ok whatever" when I was applying for jobs
with my "very millenial" wish list of all things magical and if I could get unicorns as well.
They were like "oh, whatever" - and how shocking is that.
In the back of their minds they were thinking "but, I know you are happy with flexible working, let's see how far you can flex" and "you don't really believe in worker's unions do you", and "you don't believe in retirement, do you" - and that is how I will get the silver lining only.
But with avocado toast - and stay-at-home dads.
Thank you generation X - this will be an INSANE ride.
I don't think we are ready for this.
Better check my airbag (and take a selfie - while I am still intact).