Generation Next

As I was coming back from lunch yesterday, I heard part of a discussion on NPR about the political habits of young adults and caught that one of the guests was from the Pew organization - the source of many excellent studies of the views and habits of our current crop o' kids. So I did a bit of digging and found this recent Pew report from January 9, 2007, How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics: A PORTRAIT OF “GENERATION NEXT” (Generation Next includes those Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 years old.)

From the "overview. The bold is mine.

• They (Generation Next) use technology and the internet to connect with people in new and distinctive ways. Text messaging, instant messaging and email keep them in constant contact with friends. About half say they sent or received a text message over the phone in the past day, approximately double the proportion of those ages 26-40.
• They are the “Look at Me” generation. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and MyYearbook allow individuals to post a personal profile complete with photos and descriptions of interests and hobbies. A majority of Gen Nexters have used one of these social networking sites, and more than four-in-ten have created a personal profile.
• Their embrace of new technology has made them uniquely aware of its advantages and disadvantages. They are more likely than older adults to say these cyber-tools make it easier for them to make new friends and help them to stay close to old friends and family. But more than eight-in-ten also acknowledge that these tools “make people lazier.”
• About half of Gen Nexters say the growing number of immigrants to the U.S. strengthens the country – more than any generation. And they also lead the way in their support for gay marriage and acceptance of interracial dating.
• Beyond these social issues, their views defy easy categorization. For example, Generation Next is less critical of government regulation of business but also less critical of business itself. And they are the most likely of any generation to support privatization of the Social Security system.
• They maintain close contact with parents and family. Roughly eight-in-ten say they talked to their parents in the past day. Nearly three-in-four see their parents at least once a week, and half say they see their parents daily. One reason: money. About three-quarters of Gen Nexters say their parents have helped them financially in the past year.
• Their parents may not always be pleased by what they see on those visits home: About half of Gen Nexters say they have either gotten a tattoo, dyed their hair an untraditional color, or had a body piercing in a place other than their ear lobe. The most popular are tattoos, which decorate the bodies of more than a third of these young adults.
• One-in-five members of Generation Next say they have no religious affiliation or are atheist or agnostic, nearly double the proportion of young people who said that in the late 1980s. And just 4% of Gen Nexters say people in their generation view becoming more spiritual as their most important goal in life.
• They are somewhat more interested in keeping up with politics and national affairs than were young people a generation ago. Still, only a third say they follow what’s going on in government and public affairs “most of the time.”
• In Pew surveys in 2006, nearly half of young people (48%) identified more with the Democratic Party, while just 35% affiliated more with the GOP. This makes Generation Next the least Republican generation.
• Voter turnout among young people increased significantly between 2000 and 2004, interrupting a decades-long decline in turnout among the young. Nonetheless, most members of Generation Next feel removed from the political process. Only about four-in-ten agree with the statement: “It’s my duty as a citizen to always vote.”
• They are significantly less cynical about government and political leaders than are other Americans or the previous generation of young people. A majority of Americans agree with the statement: “When something is run by the government, it is usually inefficient and wasteful,” but most Generation Nexters reject this idea.
• Their heroes are close and familiar. When asked to name someone they admire, they are twice as likely as older Americans to name a family member, teacher, or mentor. Moreover, roughly twice as many young people say they most admire an entertainer rather than a political leader.
• They are more comfortable with globalization and new ways of doing work. They are the most likely of any age group to say that automation, the outsourcing of jobs, and the growing number of immigrants have helped and not hurt American workers.
• Asked about the life goals of those in their age group, most Gen Nexters say their generation’s top goals are fortune and fame. Roughly eight-in-ten say people in their generation think getting rich is either the most important, or second most important, goal in their lives. About half say that becoming famous also is valued highly by fellow Gen
  Nexters.

I miss my "Gen Next-er" son who is off at college. While he doesn't yet sport a tatoo of which I am aware, he does stay in contact - especially as the report says - when finances are part of the conversation.

I like this group coming up. They give me hope for the future.

Homage to Travis McGee

One of my more literate buddies and I were having supper a few weeks ago when the discussion veered from “lies about women” to “books we like.” Come to think about it, those may be the only things we ever talk about. Anyway, we tried to remember what specific book got us hooked on a particular genre. Kiddie books don’t count.

I can safely say that Robert Heinlein’s Have Space Suit, Will Travel started my infatuation with science fiction. Tolkien’s hobbits lead to a brief flirtation with fantasy novels. I remember Kenneth Roberts’ Northwest Passage and Mary Renault’s The King Must Die as my first dalliances with historical fiction – an affair that continues to this day. And of course, Fleming’s Bond stories created this fan of international espionage.

But I read two detective novels for every one book of another genre. And it was John D. McDonald’s Travis McGee who set me down this path. No pantywaist Hardy Boy or tea-sipping Marple or cerebral Holmes, this McGee. He describes himself as:

I was an artifact, genus boat bum, a pale-eyed, shambling, gangling, knuckly man, without enough unscarred hide left to make a decent lampshade. Watchful appraiser of the sandy-rumped beach ladies. Creaking knight errant, yawning at the thought of the next dragon.  They don't make grails the way they used to. The Green Ripper, p 46.

McGee set the mold for my favorite detectives. Smart, absolutely, but also unafraid of violence when needed and unafraid to buck the establishment when necessary. And always adhering to a personal moral code that detests bullies and protects the innocent. Knight errant, indeed.

I re-read a couple McGee mysteries just recently and McDonald’s writing has held up. McGee’s relationship with women won’t pass any political correctness tests today, but I love how the women he encounters can speak in complete, compound, even complex sentences that add up to whole paragraphs:

She wrenched around to face me, her mouth stretched into ugliness. "And what the hell do you know about relationships? Symbiotic! Limited contact with reality! How could you even pretend to recognize the intellectual position? Oh, you have your lousy little vanity, Mr. McGee. You have a shrewd, quick mind, and little tag ends of wry attitudes, and a short of deliberate irony, served up as if you were holding it on a tray. And you have the nerve to patronize me! You have all your snappy little answers to everything, but when they ask the wrong questions, you always have fists or kicking or fake superior laughter. You are a physical man, but in the best sense of being a man, you are not one-tenth the man my brother was. " Her eyes went wild and dazed. "Was," she repeated softly/ She had sunk the barb herself, and chunked it deep, and she writhed on it. A Purple Place for Dying, p. 71

McGee’s life was one I’ve always envied. Life onboard the houseboat The Busted Flush. Working only enough to take his retirement a small piece at a time. Beautiful women going in and out of his life. A true friend and Watson in next door neighbor Meyers. The life, I suppose, we all dream about but would probably detest were we actually in it. No children or grandchildren in McGee’s world as I remember.

I am always searching for other detectives of the McGee school – smart, violent and principled. As Bill Ott suggests in his February "Rousing Reads" column in American Libraries, Lee Child’s hero Jack Reacher comes close. Earl Swagger (Stephen Hunter), Dave Robicheaux (James Lee Burke), Harry Bosch (Michael Connelly), and even Gabriel Allon (Daniel Silva) honor the type.

It’s my hope that authors keep cranking out these tough guys that can use brains, bullets and fists. Any suggestions to expand my list? What book hooked you on a genre?

Odds and Ends, Snow Edition

The snow and wind that came in last night has kept my two Sunday newspapers from being delivered - upsetting this creature of habit.

Another habit is posting a few odds and ends now and then that come across my radar...

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"Everyone has a purpose in life. Perhaps yours is watching television." - David Letterman

I am a big fan of clever quotes, so one of my favorite RSS feeds is "Quotes of the Day" from The Quotations Page.
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Mary J. Johnson, author, respected colleague and friend, has begun a new blog, The Primary Source Librarian that focuses on primary source research. Since I have always promoted this as means of both combating plagiarism and building engagement in school research assignment, I'm really looking forward to reading Mary's comments.
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Miguel over at Around the Corner has a list of changes happening in the newspaper business, arranged by 'The way it is" and "The way it will be" and asks if there is a similar list for education. This is a list I use in one of my talks, mashed up from a bunch of sources...

The way it is: Teachers lecture - students listen

The way it will be: Teachers guide - students do

The way it is: Students work alone    

The way it will be: Students work in groups

The way it is: Subjects are departmentalized

The way it will be: Subjects are integrated

The way it is: Curriculum fact centered  

The way it will be: Curriculum problem centered

The way it is: Teacher primary source   

The way it will be: Rich resource environment

The way it is: Primary print medium    

The way it will be: Variety of media

The way it is: Success = tradition

The way it will be: Success = accountability

The way it is: Schools are insular    

The way it will be: Schools are connected

The way it is: 3 R’s (Rote, Restraint, Regurgitation)

The way it will be: 5 C’s  (Children, Computers, Communication, Creativity, Collaboration)

Before NCLB hit us, I thought our schools here in Minnesota were really moving toward the "way it will be" model. But we seem to be going backward now. Sigh... 

Add your own comparisons! 

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Chris Smith at Shambles has posted a podcast interview we did together a few weeks back.  (Look for LIBcasts toward the bottom of the page.)

Chris is an British expat educator who heads the Education Project Asia (TEPA) and lives in Chang Mai, Thailand. He has made Shambles a great resource for teachers, librarians and techs in SouthEast Asia. Spend some time on his site - it's a bit like an Asian bazaar in that you can find nearly anything if you are willing to dig a bit.  I always learn something of value from his newsletter he publishes three times a year. 

BTW, Skype was used to do this interview once again. I am getting to be a huge fan. I've even purchased some minutes so when I am in Bangkok late in March I can call the LWW directly on the home phone or her cell  using Skype for about $.03 per minute. Way cool.

But Chris, if you are reading this, I still don't believe the elephant I rode through the jungle near Chang Mai still remembers me.
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I think I heard the rumble of the snow plow go by. I off to check for the papers. Stay warm.