CHAPTER 22 Social Consciousness
Charlie Caruso
Gen Ys are accustomed to having choices — and are acutely aware of their influence and power as consumers. They've come to expect customisation and instantaneous feedback. They've also gotten used to hearing how negatively the world views them. It's likely that most, raised with the encouragement and support of Boomers who told them they were special, might not be fazed by the criticism. And we certainly have admirable qualities as a cohort. Countless research cites Gen Y as the most tolerant of diversity, open-minded and least judgemental generation to date; perhaps the need to ridicule and point fingers at younger generations might just stop with us.
We have been raised in an environment that has encouraged us to ask questions and seek answers in a non-linear fashion. We think outside the box and like to challenge the norm. Not necessarily because we think we can do things better, but because that's the way we're wired. We take nothing on face value, and question everything. In our lifetime, nothing has lasted forever. We have witnessed the continual increase of marital separation and divorce, and have come to accept that, for the vast majority of individuals, marriage is unlikely to last forever. Even our planet — our environment, the seasons and weather ...
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