The Age of Entitlement

In 1967 the 5th Dimension released the “Age of Aquarius” which quickly became one of the 60’s most popular songs.

According to Wikipedia, “The lyrics of this song were based on the astrological belief that the world would soon be entering the "Age of Aquarius", an age of love, light, and humanity.” Current global trends make it clear we haven’t arrived yet, and may not for some time to come, so astrologically we are still in the “Age of Pisces”.

However if the 5th Dimension were to release a song in 2012 that was to become an anthem for today’s generation like “Age of Aquarius” was for the baby boomers then entering their prime during the 60’s I would suggest “Age of Entitlement” would be a more appropriate title and theme.

This was brought to mind by a number of recent personal experiences and confirmed by others in similar situations. It seems that today’s generation (gross generalisation here admittedly) have forgotten the most basic of manners – the ability, indeed the responsibility, to say “Thank you”.

Whether it’s wedding gifts that go unrecognised, other gifts of a personal nature for which no thank you is received, or the acknowledgement of an act of kindness as simple as holding a door, today’s 20-somethings are rarely heard to utter those two magic words (as dear old Mom used to say, along with “please”).  And with e-mail, Facebook, and instant messaging you don’t even need to pay for a stamp any more.

Have we Boomers and Gen X’ers so totally spoiled the Generation Y cohort that they believe they are owed, and so no thanks is required? Or is it the result of a life lived online where meaningful personal interactions are so rare? I don’t know, and frankly don’t really care. But one thing is for sure, one gift or good deed unrecognised is the last they’ll get from me and from many of my generation because we might be getting older but we can still sure hold a grudge.

Be forewarned.