Something Other Than the SOTU

This morning on NPR I was surprised to hear a commentator say it was a shame the Red Lake school shooter was a coward & killed himself… hello? Why is that a shame – because we can't get an eye for an eye? We want to get him back, and can’t do that because he already took care of it for us?

I was thinking that, if God is a just God, murderers will spend eternity as servants of their victims. How cool would that be?

Great bumper sticker from www.gaialovegraffiti.com: "Any Fool can Start a War… Peace takes Leadership" This is more true in middle school than anywhere! :)

What Do Gen X Workers Want?

Fortune mag asks the question & comes up with some interesting info – including some from a book called The NeXt Revolution. Check out the article: http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/17/news/companies/bestcos_genx/index.htm?cnn=yes

I found the stats on workplace turnover & priorities interesting…
* 77% of Gen X poll respondents say they'd quit in a minute if offered "increased intellectual stimulation" at a different company
* 51% would quit for the chance to telecommute
* 61% of Gen X women would leave their current jobs if they were offered more flexible hours elsewhere
* The average employee in his or her late twenties has already switched jobs five or six times.

So one stereotype of us that seems to bear out is that we’re not “company men” in the traditionalist sense – whereas my dad worked for one firm (through three mergers) for over 20 years. Not too common these days!

The poll also said that the top three things Gen X respondents want in a job are:
- positive relationships with colleagues,
- interesting work,
- continuous opportunities for learning.

True?

Controversy

“Generation X” turns out to be a controversial term! Apparently, some people think of “Gen X” as the equivalent of “slacker” – which few of us are, so I admit that is annoying.

And it may or may not coincide with the “baby bust” years, which according to some sources are not ’64-77, as is commonly cited, but closer to ’58-68. Hmmm. (You’d think that was just a matter of statistics… why the disagreement?) To be honest, I always thought that “Gen X” and “Baby Bust” were different labels for the same thing – but not so! (Amazing what you can learn on the Internet…)

I agree with a friend who commented – because she doesn’t like the Gen X label – that you just can’t lump her in a group w/ other people by age, because who we have things in common with is not always age-related! True.

Maybe we just have to acknowledge that all the labels & generalizations are for the media, and not for us!

More on X

I am teaching the work of Malcolm X for the first time – and I’m intrigued. The real man is quite different from the image I’ve had. For some reason, it seems that Martin Luther King has always been presented as the good guy and Malcolm X as the bad guy, (did you have that idea, too?) even though X was the one who was faithful to his wife and religion, didn’t drink, modeled a positive lifestyle, and really tried to do the right thing. (After he got out of prison, of course.) His thinking also evolved a lot during his years as an activist, and many of his positions changed as he traveled and learned.

What do we, commonly called Generation X, have in common with him?

Malcolm was born Malcolm Little, but abandoned his last name when he learned that most slaves had their master’s last names. I bring him up because our generation shares a name with him – a somewhat random, but still interesting, connection….

Generation XIII

I used to think that Gen X referred to us being the tenth generation in America, but it turns out we are really the 13th. Who knew?

MLK Day

As we pause to remember the man who changed America… oh wait, most people are working today. Other than teachers & postal workers, who gets MLK Day off anymore?

Bigger question: who will be our generation's MLK?

A Better Way to Change the World?

Fast Company's "Social Capitalist Awards 2006" identifies 25 Entrepreneurs Who Are Changing the World - a nod to companies & groups who are not just trying to make a difference, but succeeding. Interesting list! The magazine lauds them for: " a better way to do good... using the disciplines of the corporate world to tackle daunting social problems."

Check it out: http://www.fastcompany.com/social/

Question Your Work

I have read that Gen X is more likely than its predecessors to work just for the income rather than insisting on finding joy (or at least satisfaction) at work. I don’t believe it. I would agree that we expect a well-rounded life and are more likely to leave at 5pm for friends or family, but I don’t see the “it’s just a job” mind-set in people I know. My Gen X friends are proud of their professional accomplishments!

I remember my dad (a traditionalist – not a boomer) explaining that he didn’t expect to love his work, because work was what he did so that he could do what he loved outside of work. (And he had a great, successful career!) I didn’t buy it. I still think if you’re going to put that many hours into something, you had better love it.

Check out Suzy Welch’s questions (thanks Oprah mag 9-05) for determining the best job for you:

1. Does this job allow me to work with “my people” – individuals who share my sensibilities about life – or do I have to put on a persona to get through the day?
2. Does this job challenge, stretch, change, and otherwise make me smarter – or does it leave my brain in neutral?
3. Does this job, because of the company’s brand or my level of responsibility, open the door to future opportunities?
4. Does this job represent a considerable compromise for the sake of my family, and if so, do I sincerely accept that deal with all of its consequences?
5. Does this job – the stuff I actually do day-to-day – touch my heart and feed my soul in meaningful ways?

For me, these questions are affirming that although my job is really frustrating at times, I do love it and it’s perfect for me. ¿Y tu?

Who’s Afraid of Illegal Immigrants?

Does it occur to anyone that the reason people enter the US illegally is because we make legal entrance so darn difficult? And why is that, anyway? This country has not only survived many massive waves of immigration, but thrived precisely because of it – and yet the zenophobes howl that we should keep more people out. Why?

So now the state of Minnesota (of all places) is in a tizzy about how much illegal immigrants are costing us. And Congress is considering making it a crime to give aid at the border. Imagine: a group of conservative Christians making the Good Samaritan a criminal.

Lord have mercy on us all.

Not Thinking about Poverty

I just figured out that one reason my winter break (from teaching) has been so relaxing is that I have not had to deal with poverty in almost two weeks. I – and pretty much everyone around me – have been comfortable. My daily work life is immersed in trying to mitigate the effects of poverty on my students, (and in figuring out the extent to which the schools can even do that,) punctuated by dealing with the crises that arise, often linked to poverty and the cultures of generational poverty.

It’s exhausting. I believe in fighting the good fight, but it’s been pretty great to have a break.

We're Sick of Talking about Abortion...

You see "abortion" in the title and want to scroll right on by. We all know what we believe, what we want to see happen in this country, and what we are personally willing to do about it. (If Alito is confirmed, this apathy will be part of the reason!) But here's a twist to consider:

From Andrew Sullivan (http://www.andrewsullivan.com/index.php 1-5-06)
"We do well to remember that banning something doesn't stop people from doing it, it just allows the government to punish those who do... If zygotes or blastulae or embryoes become 14th Amendment persons, entitled to all the protections thereof, how do we go about ensuring their protection against say, negligent acts by the mother? Could we start refusing to sell alcohol to breeding-age women? Refuse to let them ski, ride horseback, or cycle? All those activities can cause miscarriages, and 14th Amendment persons have the right to be protected from other 14th Amendment persons' harm, intentional or otherwise..."

Of course, we say, we would never let that happen. But are we paying enough attention to where abortion laws are going in this country? There are no doctors in the state of South Dakota performing abortions anymore. If not for four doctors flying in once in awhile from Minnesota, there would be no abortions available there at all.

Unlike G Bush senior - who wanted abortion to be illegal but said he would support his own granddaughters having one - I suspect most Gen X members are the opposite: would not choose it for themselves, but want it to be legal for other people.

Makes sense to me. Wish it made sense to the Bushes...

Windows

Where does our generation find hope?

We are not known as an optimistic group - why not?

What nurtures our optimism? (What kills it? Ooh, that's an easy list...)

Windows symbolize hope - possibility - opportunity - make me smile.

A New Gender Gap?

In yesterday’s NY Times, columnist John Tierney points out that 57% of today’s college graduates are female, and as the trend continues, we will very soon see three female college graduates for every two males. So he asks: Who will the third woman marry?

According to Tierney, research says that while men don’t mind a spouse who makes more money than they do, women DO mind a spouse who makes less. This seems to create a conundrum for both high-school educated men and college-educated women.

Feels to me like more of the: “Oh no, if you’re not married by 30 you never will be!” alarmism that rears its ugly head to scare women in new variations every decade or so.

I’m 37 and single. Divorced, even. With two college degrees. Looks like my marriage prospects are pretty slim.

Oh no, oh no!

A Good Heart

Friday night I was out with some friends for drinks, and as we encouraged one guy to move on to new relationships, we asked him what his criteria was for a woman he’d date (in case we had one to set him up with, of course). His first response: a good heart. This provoked a lively discussion about how exactly that’s defined: what constitutes a good heart? What does that mean?

Later, it got me thinking – as this time of year always does – about the extent to which I can believe with confidence that I have a “good heart”. On the surface, I seem to have the credentials: foster mother, urban teacher, faithful Christian…

However, since my divorce I have suspected that I may be a rather selfish person – I really didn’t want to “stay & work it out” – I wanted to run my own life. I was never able to make my life revolve around my husband, or even to make him feel like he was the center of my universe. What does that say about my heart?

I come from a Scandinavian Methodist tradition: faith = good works. We don’t talk much about it, we just do the right thing. Integrity is everything. It is very important to me not only to be perceived to be doing the right thing, but actually to be doing the right thing, and so… when what’s right for me is not the same as what’s right for someone else, (hence, my divorce,) I struggle. Who am I to put myself first? Though it feels necessary, it doesn’t always feel right.

I wonder why not.

The X Perspective

So is there such a thing as the Gen X perspective? It is certainly not well represented in the mainstream media – if we believe that entertainers do not necessarily represent the rest of us. So what I know about “us” comes from my friends, colleagues and acquaintances, not from any research I’ve come across so far.

I suppose it should be perspectives, plural… but I find it interesting to think about what the common threads are through our generation. We are an interesting group!

Much of what has been written about us does not really resonate with me. Although I may have been a partier, (I admit nothing!) I never considered myself – or anyone I knew – a “slacker”. I knew a few burn-outs & bums, sure, but every generation has those. As the research now shows, we have always been a very hardworking group.

I also don’t relate so much to those who are pessimistic about America or about our leadership. I don’t think Gen X is particularly "tuned out" or apathetic. We do care, and when we eventually take the reins – we’re already beginning, in many ways – and I think we’ll do better job than our predecessors. There is every reason to be optimistic about America with Gen X running things! One stereotype that I suspect IS true about us is that, comparatively, we don’t tolerate bullshit the way others seem to, which may help in Washington…

So what do we have in common? How do we tend to see the world, and our place in it? And who cares?