Big Sunday, Big Gratitude

Sarah Barker
Thu, 28 Nov 2013 12:41:00 -0800

I teach television and radio production to a slew of young men and women at a local community college. The typical “traditional” student in the community college culture is 18-24, or what has been circumspectly coined the “millennial generation” by authors and historians William Strauss and Neil Howe. Last week, when processing a radio talk show my students produced, one of my more earnest students reflected that the assigned topic of “gratitude” had been a difficult one to create content around. I looked around the room, uncertainly. Two heads nodded, three more joined in. I was baffled. Gratitude? Really?

Jean Twenge, author of the book Generation Me, believes that the primary character traits that largely set “Millennials” apart from their “Boomer” parents is that of inherent narcissism and a sense of “entitlement”. But, the creators of the “Millennial Generation” concept, Strauss and Howe celebrate the premise that this fledgling generation of young and slightly bewildered youth are actually ... more civic minded then ever.