Archive for July, 2008
Earlier today I published an article in Personal Branding Magazine about that cadre of millions of Americans born between 1980 and 1993, known as the Millennial Generation. These more than 80 million citizens have been derided by many as coddled from birth, impatient for excitement, arrogant with confidence and full of a sense of entitlement. As usual, generalizations have led to a lack of understanding of the nuances of a diverse group. But even if we were to make broad statements about these 15 – 28 year olds (which I will do here), acknowledging the fallacy of over generalizing, these pervasive critiques seem to be a little off the mark.
There is no doubt the Millennials were beneficiaries of relatively strong economic times during there childhoods and parents took extra care to shield their kids from hardship. But lets not forget this generation has seen some of the most visible examples of terror and human unity during the 21st century. As impressionable children and teenagers they saw on the television the bombing of the Oklahoma Federal Building in 1993, genocide in Kosovo and Africa and of course the events of 9/11. They also were shaped by the hope and optimism that the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War represented.
Together, these events have left Millennials as driven to ensure atrocity does not happen at the individual or community wide level. They are also idealistic and
In the end, Millennials want to build and tell a unique narrative story that shows how they are changing the world for the better.
In my article, “Story Time for the Millennials,” I compare this generation with others by saying
The Greatest Generation sat down near the radio to hear fireside chat stories from FDR. The Baby Boomers heard their collective angst played back to them by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors and the like. This generation, the Millennials, do not want to hear a story told to them; they want to tell their own story – each and every one of them.
To read the entire article please go to the following link, download the issue and turn to page 19.
http://personalbrandingsample.com/
And please be kind to Millennials, they don’t mean any harm, they just want to be heard.
It is no surprise to me that a break out musical hit this year is called “Apologizes.” OneRepublic made the subject of this power ballad a verb that most Americans do not fully understand. And yet I suspect most of us want to hear more apologies. Unfortunately, due to deep seeded psychological behavior like confirmation bias, the trend to search for evidence that validates a preconceived belief or opinion and to look over evidence that contradicts that belief or opinion, we often choose stubborn retrenchment over a simple and mutually beneficial apology.
Let me pose some hypothetical situations to help us test whether an apology is generally a sign of weakness or a responsible reaction to new facts or conclusions.
- What if Bill Clinton just apologized to the American people for having an extramarital affair instead of starting a semantic debate about the definition of “is”? I believe Slick Willy would have saved a lot of flack from late night comedians if he had just owned up to his mistakes and declared he would devote the rest of his presidency to helping Americans deal with addictions of all sorts - drugs, alcohol, sex, fatty foods, shopping, oil, etc.
- What if Roger Clemens just apologized for using steroids? (I recognize he has not been prosecuted yet for steroids, but take this leap of faith with me). He could have become part of a new movement to clean up sports. Instead we are bogging ourselves down in scandal after scandal - including his wife admitting to taking steroids for a Sports Illustrated shoot.
- What if I apologized to my sister when I was 10 and rolled out a rubber ball in her running path, causing her to need stitches, instead of vigorously blaming her for running in the house? Well, sis, I am sorry. And you have always been smarter than me (despite my five years on you), so maybe this accident gave you accelerated brain activity.
Most of us believe we need to be right, otherwise we are dumb and gullible. I wholeheartedly disagree. A sincere apology can go a long way in showing others our capacity to swallow our pride and do what is right.
The classic tale of romance, Love Story, tells us that love is never having to say you are sorry. Oh contrare, love is having the courage to admit mistakes and say you are sorry.
I won’t apologize for this point of view that recognizes our fallibility and emphasizes the power of forgiveness. But if you prove me wrong, I will apologize.
If you haven’t heard the praise heaped on Pixar’s new animated film, Wall-E, by professional critics you have been stuck in outer space for the last few weeks. This movie took in $65 million in its first weekend, coming in at number one at the box office. However, the moolah is nothing compared to the love being shown for the little robot that could. Wall-E went into the stratosphere on Rotten Tomatoes, garnering a 97% positive rating. Here is a smattering of some of the reviews of this cartoon space odyssey.
- Wall Street Journal - “I must drop my inhibitions about dropping the M word — especially since I’ve already used magnificent — and call WALL-E the masterpiece that it is.”
So does this film even come near the hype being built for it? Not only does Wall-E meet the hype, this movie surpasses it. There are so few words spoken in the film itself and there are also few words to describe the cinematic beauty, story depth and humanism of this cartoon about two robots. Wall-E better receive the Oscar for best film of the year - at the very least. I suspect this film will go down as a classic and as a new archetype for future films.
The movie reminded me of what is really important and how much time I waste on other activities. For example, I have not posted for a while because I am having technical problems and can not post images or video. After a lot of time spent scowering Wordpress help forums, and still with no luck - I realize my words are enough. No technical issues are going to stop me from declaring this one of my favorite movies of all time.
