Other generations have had their moments of triumph and the election of Barack Obama is ours. Early and conservative estimates from exit polls indicate that there was a 19% increase in the youth vote (18-29) this year from the previous election—over 2.2 million more than 2004. Not only did young people turn out in record numbers, but they also favored Obama 2 to 1. There is also speculation that the youth vote may have been the key to the wins in several key swing states. So why did our generation vote overwhelmingly for Obama and turn out in record numbers to do so? It isn’t just because Obama utilized technology to gain access to young voters (although did love that) but because Obama is the first presidential candidate that embraces the worldview of Gen Y. I think this is an important moment for our country to realize that we are not only forcing changes in the workplace but also leaving our mark on the politics on this country and the world.

1.       We want to be a part of a movement

Obama lead a movement not a political campaign. The Obama campaign was not only able to inspire us, but to involve us and make us feel like we are part of a movement. Because of this, we believed in his mission and felt compelled to help him succeed in any way that we could—through volunteerism, donations, activism and even voting.  Similar to our behavior in the workplace, when we feel our work is contributing to something beyond ourselves, we will go to amazing lengths to succeed.  

2.       We value leadership over experience

Gen Y does not defer to authority simply due to rank or seniority but seeks true leaders and follows them faithfully. We rebel against the typical hierarchy existent in corporations and now we have also rejected it in our politics. Obama carried the youth vote because of his intellect, his ability to be a visionary and his willingness to listen to the rest of the world and be a team player. Not because of a long resume of past experience or a successful track-record—sound familiar?

3.       We rebel against the status quo

Gen Y is known for challenging the status quo in the workplace and we carry this into politics. Obama challenged the status quo not only with his message of change but also by his mere candidacy as a Black American and the manner in which he ran his campaign. Gen Y recognized that Obama was not attempting to win the presidency by any means possible but on the value of his ideas and the integrity of his leadership.

This is an epic moment in our history and I am proud that my generation played such a critical role in this election. While it goes without saying that this moment belongs to Black America and the sacrifices that they have had to face in order to achieve this moment. But I think this moment also belongs to the youth whose optimism and determination to change the world is no longer marginalized but is at the center of the paradigm shift that has just occurred in American politics.

We are witnessing an amazing moment in our country’s struggle against the tyranny of racism, demonstrating to the entire world that we will continue to lead the world in the quest for opportunity and equality for all people. This is beyond a doubt one of the most historic moments of my generation and will be celebrated as the day the US took a huge step in tearing down the racial divide. More importantly, this election has restored this country’s idealism and will forever change the way that we view ourselves as a nation and as a people. While I supported Obama and his platform, every American, regardless of politics, should feel an amazing sense of pride that our country has exceeded even our own expectations. Obama!

A new start-up, Spinspotter.com, is attempting to build a community around identifying bias in the news. The site offers a widget, called “Spinoculars”, which users can download to see biased “spin” while reading articles, create their own spin mark-ups and edit the mark-ups of other users. The community features are limited to sharing articles with your friends, seeing which articles have the most mark-ups and the top “spotters”. The “Spinoculars” are still only available for those browsing with Firefox (IE is apparently coming) and is only compatible with 5 major news sites while in beta. While I like the premise of the site, I can see some major obstacles to achieving their mission of building an army of spin-detectors.

First, before you can become an active spinspotter, you need to learn and understand the 7 principles (cleverly named the Seven Deadly Spins) that the site has identified. In order to identify something as spin, you must select a journalistic principle that it violates. For those who have experience in journalism this may be intuitive but for regular readers this may be too high a barrier of entry. I have never studied journalism, and the rules are slightly confusing and to the novice, seemingly arbitrary. I can see people losing interest quickly if they don’t grasp the rules of the game.

For those who can master the journalistic principles, there is the issue of spinspotters actually remaining neutral. Let’s not forget that Bill O’Reilly considers his show to be the “No Spin Zone”. It is unavoidable that people will have different opinions about what constitutes spin. Ideological warfare could very easily ensue over language in an article, becoming frustrating to those dedicated to the cause of creating transparency in the media. I also wonder if they have any checks in place that would prevent a right-wing fanatic from highlighting all content in the New York Times or vice versa with liberals on Fox News (I would actually be tempted to do the latter). The biggest question for SpinSpotter will be whether they can build a community of users who are dedicated to eradicating spin while keeping out ideologues who would use it as an opportunity to trash their least favorite news source.

I am a horrible story-teller. My husband can and will verify this statement about myself. My stories tend to give play-by-play reenactments of exactly what happened. You’ve most likely heard or seen on TV a conversation between teenagers: “And then he said, and then I said, and then he looked at me, and I was like whoa”. Yeah, while I try not to go word for word, the result is still the same. My stories are usually filled with details that don’t pertain to the story, cause people to lose interest and sometimes I get so wrapped up in my story that I forget why I started it.

This is a great source of embarrassment for me. Since I realized it (thanks to my husband) I have become extremely self-conscious in social situations. I lie in bed sometimes and think: “Why did I say that? I should have said this?” What makes it even more difficult, is that social skills can be very hard to redirect. Becoming a better writer or becoming more knowledgeable in a certain area seems fairly straight forward but learning how to tell stories not only seems ambiguous but hard to accept. However, what I have realized that story-telling is like any other skill necessary to thrive personally or professionally and if I expect to improve, then I need to take steps to improve.

This is particularly relevant as I am in the process of interviewing for jobs and storytelling is a critical asset in the job interview. While I do think that I am slightly better in a job interview since it is a much more formal setting, I am still working on what my great story will be. Penelope Trunk, great story teller and blogger writes that “storytelling takes practice, but everyone who is making a big change in their life has everything a good story needs”. Well, let’s hope so because I need to kill my upcoming interview with a great story—my story.

While inter-generational bashing is far from new, a recent Wall Street Journal article, “The ‘Trophy Kids’ Go To Work” by Ron Alsop seemed to reach an almost feverish pitch of anticipation that the current financial crisis will finally ‘teach us kids a lesson’. The article is a regurgitation of the numerous generalizations about Generation Y, or Echo Boomers, Millennials, Trophy Kids or however you prefer to categorize the generation born between 1981 and 2000 (roughly). While I recognize stereotypes for what they are, an exaggerated generalization of a group which inevitably contains many exceptions, I have to take issue with some of the arguments waged against my generation. Gen Y is different, but I think it is time to separate the myth from the reality.

First, the myth that we are the spoiled ‘trophy kids’ who have been coddled and incessantly received unwarranted praise by our parents is a gross generalization of the truth. We are the most praised generation and we were educated in the PC era of social promotion and gold stars. However, we are also the most stressed out generation, expected to do it all—get straight A’s, have a part-time job, volunteer, and fill any remaining time with numerous extra-curricular activities. While it is true that we seek praise and affirmation, the reality is that we also expect to earn that praise. Plain and simple, we want to be the best and we want to be recognized for it.

Second, I take issue with the myth that we have an aggrandized sense of entitlement compared with older generations. This is a fundamentally weak argument supported by little evidence outside of the biased opinions of older generations ( the article includes several examples). We may feel entitled—but so does everyone else. On Millennial Money, Cliff Mason responds:

If anything, older workers feel a greater sense of entitlement, telling young people like us to patiently pay our dues and wait our turn, and implicitly saying merit doesn’t matter nearly as much as time served, the number of years you’ve worked in a given industry.

We want to be rewarded based on our merit and hard work and don’t defer to older generations simply because of their seniority. Instead, we respect them for their achievements and knowledge and we only feel entitled to the respect we deserve.

The third myth, and the most dazzlingly ironic one given today’s economic crisis, is that Millennials are disloyal. Pensions are nearly extinct, employee benefits are being reduced or cut, entry level incomes for recent grads are flat and there is an almost constant stream of news detailing the prolific corruption, executive greed and overnight failures of many major corporations. Yet my generation’s skepticism for the corporate ladder is interpreted as nothing more than a contemptuous lack of loyalty. The reality is that we have a realistic understanding of today’s economy and are pragmatic enough to realize that we cannot surrender our futures to corporations. If you want loyalty, you will have to earn it. Otherwise, we are playing it smart because our survival depends on it.

What I find most disheartening and disturbing in these generational massacre pieces is that they fail to appreciate or want to harness the opportunities that our generation brings to the table. We are labeled as ‘trophy kids’ when I see a generation of over-achievers (think Facebook). Our ambition and optimism is mischaracterized as a misplaced sense of entitlement. We want to be heard and make a difference in the world and in our jobs but we are seen as only being excessively opinionated and borderline whiny. It is necessary to start seeing these attacks for what they actually are: a generational backlash of narrow-minded middle managers who are threatened by the talent and enthusiasm that we bring to the workforce and lack the creativity to leverage those abilities. We aren’t perfect but we are extremely talented and motivated and our economy (including the funding of the Baby Boomer social security coffers) depends on our success. The companies and leaders who work to find solutions and adapt with us, will be the ones who succeed.

First posts are so daunting. I feel as if I am supposed to be writing about something utterly profound and deeply moving. The reality is that nobody will likely read this post (except my grandma). First posts rarely matter–it is what I do after this post that is important.

I have tried this blog thing several times before and it has never really worked for more than a short period of time. I am hoping that this will last a little longer than that but you’ll know if you read this and it is one of five total articles that I have failed and you can laugh at me. If I become fabulously popular and successful this post will seem ironic. I guess only time will tell!