Well, guys, the Gen Y story may finally be legit: 60 Minutes finally did their version last night. Friends of The Gig — author Jason Dorsey, blogger Ryan Healy, and Wall Street Journal Gen Y-criticizer Jeffrey Zaslow — all weighed in. And while the usual hateration was in full effect — “So who’s to blame for the narcissistic praise hounds now taking over the office?” the write-up asks tactfully — the piece did end on a high note, with Dorsey and Healy predicting big things for Gen Y and stressing the need for praise.
(Although I have to say that when Morley Safer asked Zaslow, “Could this be that everything is being delayed so that adolescence ends at 30, say, and middle age starts at 60, say?” I had a funny little revelation: Magazines did this! Because if, as so many a style editor has told us, 50 is the new 40 and 30 is the new 20, doesn’t it stand to reason that 25 is the new 15? Our schoolchild flip-flops and messenger bags aren’t all that different from the youthful tank-tops and tight jeans sported by every reality-TV mom from here to Orange County. But that’s neither here nor there…)
All that to say, check out the 60 Minutes piece, and give the comments a look if you can; looks like the Gen Y conversation is only just beginning. And while I’d love to hear what you think of 60 Minutes‘ piece, I’d also be curious to hear what you all think is next in the Gen Y story. The “praise-hound” angle might officially be done to death — and our UPS story was an attempt to advance the dialogue a bit — but I know there’s got to be a whole lot more to talk about. Who better to tell us than you?