Generation Y

There's a blog about Millennials in the workforce that I usually enjoy reading. It's called Employee Evolution. Normally they've got really smart things to say about the economy and good advice for businesses and Millennials on how to navigate the new workforce/ build a career. They also have a lot of good advice about blogging, building a personal brand, etc.

However, occasionally they dip their toes into political waters. When they do, I usually find their analysis to be off the mark. Such was the case earlier this week when blogger Ryan Paugh decided that Millennials were too conservative, trendy, and complacent to accomplish real change. Obviously, I've got some bones to pick here.

There’s no doubt that we’re less radical than the Boomers of the 60’s and 70’s. We don’t even protest. And sure, we can band together on the web to support a cause, but what tangible goal do we accomplish?

Gen Y is an internet culture. We go to freerice.com and think we’re really making a difference.

I think Mr. Paugh's theory of change needs some updating. Ryan appears to be locked in the Boomer mentality that the only way to accomplish change is to protest. Well, we tried that. We protested against the war. It didn't work. Lots of kids continue to protest against the opening of coal-fired and gas-powered plants. That doesn't accomplish a whole lot either. Nicholas Handler wrote an excellent essay about this that was published in the New York Times. Those old tools just straight-up don't work anymore in a lot of situations and are unappealing to Millennials for a variety of very valid reasons.

But protest isn't the only way to accomplish change. Change can happen at the ballot box. Protesting the Iraq war didn't stop it, but electing a Democratic Congress in 2006 moved us closer, and electing a Democratic President in 2008 will probably do the trick. Change can happen through representative democracy and that is a vehicle embraced by Millennials to a degree not seen in young people in many years.

Political action by Millennials may not look like Paugh expects it to, but that does not mean it isn't there or that it isn't effective. Change doesn't need to come from radicalized, outsider activism that rails against institutions. It can happen within existing institutions or through the creation of new institutions. This is the theory of change that we most see among Millennials.

While the environment is one of the top concerns of my generation, there is no real authority figure within our ranks on the topic.

The closest thing we have is Al Gore, who stops by the MTV Music Video Awards to plug The Inconvenient Truth. And while it’s nice to have a Boomer, ex-Vice President who’s trying to reach the next generation of leaders, it’s not earning any points for Gen-Y leadership.

The real movement leaders for most of today’s environmental and social initiatives are Generation X and the Baby Boomers. But they’re marketing to Generation Y. So while many of us are getting involved, nobody has stepped up and led. And that makes me wonder when somebody finally will.

A few responses here because there are multiple causes behind each of Paugh's complaints.

With regard to leadership, perhaps it has occurred to Paugh that Millennials aren't in leadership positions precisely because there are existing groups started by Boomers and Xers working on these issues. Does he expect Millennials to just show up and take on leadership roles, displacing those who created these institutions? That strikes me as a bit unrealistic.

That aside, this viewpoint makes clear that Paugh is only looking at a few examples that are most prominent in the media coverage of the climate movement. Al Gore is not the only game in town - just the most recognizable because of his PR work. There are in fact a number of organizations run by and for Millennials that do work on climate change. I recommend that Paugh go take a look at them and their work. It's Getting Hot in Here is an excellent blog that covers the youth climate movement.

He might also want to take a look at this video. I'm not sure if Billy Parish is an older Millennial or younger Gen Xer - but he's definitely on the cusp and a new leader in the movement:

Third, Paugh's complaint is that there is no leader to this movement (at least of which he is aware), yet the very essence of Millennial activism is that it is decentralized. It doesn't require "leaders" in the same way that the broadcast -media influenced, protest activism of the Boomers did.

One example that disproves all of Paugh's claims is the pro-immigrant marches of 2006. Not only were they radical protests by anyone's standard, but they were decentrally organized by young people using technology. They also helped defeat the horrific Sensenbrenner Immigration bill in the hHouse.

I enjoy reading Employee Evolution. It's a great blog if you want to follow the entry of Millennials/Gen Y into the workforce. But when it comes to politics, the authors seem woefully out of step with their own generation.