5 Responses to “Millennial Surprise”

1. M.Z. Forrest, on July 30th, 2008 at 2:45 pm Said:

   Other than hating being lumped with Millenials, I think the kids just aren’t answering honestly. I would speculate that many wouldn’t consider it a serious question and give an unserious response. Obviously I can’t prove that.

2. JBraunstein, on July 30th, 2008 at 3:12 pm Said:

   It might be a combination of some segments of my generation reacting negatively to having PC muticulturalist attitudes foisted on them without their input, as well as broader distaste for political correctness in general. But I have no doubt that the tolerant majority is genuine in their open-mindedness.

   My generation has had much less cultural pressure to censor themselves, and are less likely to feel personal guilt over the plight of minorities, making them less susceptable to the extortive power of PC. The socio-political context that compelled the older generations to rationalize away their discomfort with “others” exists to a lesser extent. Also, Millennials have grown up along side the rise of Gangsta culture, which many of us find disgusting, and may unfairly draw stereotypes of minority groups from a distasteful pop-culture phenomenon ,leading to a unfortunate general dislike.

3. Grumpy Old Man, on July 30th, 2008 at 4:49 pm Said:

   Did more of them go to school with blacks?

   Bad experiences there, plus the “who sits where to have lunch?” side of high school and college life, might be an explanation.

4. Howard J. Harrison, on July 30th, 2008 at 7:47 pm Said:

   Very interesting, Daniel. Very interesting, indeed. If more details in the matter should reach your attention, one way or the other, please keep us apprised.

   Howard

5. Planetary Eulogy, on July 31st, 2008 at 12:00 pm Said:

   There are probably several factors at work: less self-censorship, a certain open brashness that almost needs to take an unacceptable stand for validation’s sake, and the impact of growing up entirely under the multicultural aegis (with both the pushback that implies and the tendency to value personal identity above all else) all come to mind.

   That said, I suspect that the main factor driving this is the vastly higher representation of Latinos in this particular age demographic.

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