I will begin by saying, (sigh) this post is not about judging anyone — certainly not poor Paris and Britney. It is simply an observation about our society and the direction that young women today seem to be taking.

I don’t know about you, but when I think of a story on the The cover Of Newsweek, often what comes to mind is: Pulitzer Prize, Person of the Year…Cure for Cancer…something life changing and remarkable.

NOT Paris and Britney holding hands.

Yet here they are, above the headline: Girls Gone Wild!, followed by this supporting inside text:

Paris, Britney, Lindsay & Nicole: They seem to be everywhere and they may not be wearing underwear. Tweens adore them and teens envy them. But are we raising a generation of ‘prosti-tots’?

My first thought was, “What must these girls’ parents think?” My second thought was: Geez Newsweek, what the heck is up with you?”

Until I saw the Cover of this week’s New York Magazine featuring a shot of of a beautiful young naked woman, along with this caption:

“I am not interested in privacy. Online, I reveal everything — my breakups, my bank balance, my breakfast cereal, my body. My parents call it shameless. I call it freedom –Understanding the Greatest Generation Gap Since Rock and Roll.”

Interestingly, the piece doesn’t really talk about what the heck these people ARE interested in.

Is this behavior among our young women the ultimate in freedom, or is it simply pure vanity…fueled by certain celebrities, the internet, our ever-blurring social mores? Or is everybody just turning into spoiled brats? And whatever happened to class?

What I desperately wish would happen is for some Sr. National Women’s Association representative to stand up and LOUDLY talk about this subject. Is this what we meant by women’s rights?

The right to do anything you want, as in ANYTHING?

Never mind “generation gap” this is a generation meltdown. And I think we need to grab our future away from their little manicured fingers. (And their little dogs too!)

Post from: Blisstree

Paris and Britney On The Cover of Newsweek

As Baby Boomers and generations X and Y continue to inhabit and compete for the same positions, promotions and benefits in the work force — we now have a diversity stew that is becoming very difficult to manage. The grumbling about salaries, flex time, dress codes, parents’ rights and a whole myriad of ideologies is loud and getting louder:

The authors of Generations At Work cite some real doozies:

• “A hiring bonus! Wet behind the ears and he wants a hiring bonus! At his age, I was just grateful I had a job.” Or “So I told my boss, ‘If you’re looking for loyalty, buy a dog.”‘ Or “He asks me,” ‘Do you have an e-mail address?’ I felt like telling him, ’since you were in diapers, buddy!”‘

Sound familiar? As if human resouces specialists don’t have enough on their plate, now through education and communication, they must address the fact that at no other time in our history have we had so many and such different generations working together.

I, for one, am so glad I never had to work for someone younger than myself. Why? Because as a boomer, I subscribe to the “Xers as greedy and lazy” school of biased thought. And they probably see me as obsessive and single-minded.

What should be done? According to the authors of Generations At Work, we should “get a portrait” of each generation: learn their values, assets, abilities and work ethics. Get curious about the events that shaped Baby Boomers’ lives: Woodstock, the Cold War, the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation movements…and for Xers it was Watergate, PCs, the Challenger disaster and the Internet.

And keep in mind there is another group about to enter your space: NeXters (1980-2000). As web builders, touch-typists, critics of older generations’ computer skills, and boasters of having brought the word “whatever” into our everyday lexicon…there is a lot we must learn about them so that we are not tempted to give them a big old slap when they come to work.

Post from: Blisstree

Generation Flap At Work.