Play Book Tag discussion

Yesterday, while running errands, I was listening to this interview on NPR

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/01/...

The book, Uncanny Valley: A Memoir is a memoir of the author's time working in the Silicon Valley.

She said something, during the interview, that struck me- It was an atmosphere of people who where still learning how to be adults, also learning how to be CEO's and business people. I did not put that in quotes, because it could be off a bit-but the message was the same.

It made me wonder what the younger worker thinks of this statement.

In my own career, I was always the older one, as it took me longer to finish school than your average student due to financial woes. However, I had real world experience behind me. I always felt that was important. It always burned my biscuits when some upstart, fresh from graduation would walk in the office and unseat an older employee with no degree, having no idea what the real world of business was like.

Any one else have an opinion?

We were just talking about this at dinner last night with another couple that we are becoming friends with! He is in the business field, and he was saying that young people today have no sense of work ethic, but don’t even have people skills in terms of knowing how to interview and to ask questions about the process, to dress smartly and do research and prep. To wear nice clothes and to remember the pleasantries. Resumes and thank you notes. They don’t have any ambition, or defined dreams or loyalty to a business or product or cause. He’s not wrong. It’s interesting to see some of the levels of entitlement of this generation Z. I wouldn’t say everybody is like that. There are still plenty of young people who are raised right and who have their values and heads in the right place. I would never say it is an entire generation. But I would say that lack of knowledge and experience is just so much more prevalent than it used to be.

I don't know. It seems every generation thinks these things about the generation that follows them. I also think that some of the criticisms Amy raises is not due to a flaw in the morals or values of the next generation, but more due to a flaw in our society right now. It is hard to have defined dreams and loyalty to a business/product/cause when kids today are one of the first generations that are not better off than their parents financially and businesses are very quick to lay off workers to make their numbers for their shareholders every year.

Good point Cora!

I see what your friend says Amy and I think they are definitely different but not necessary worse.

What Cora says is very true
And in addition - there were very rigid rules of behaviour for the last few generations - and just the same way young people broke from them in the 60s, young people are breaking from them today. So to Amy’s friend it looks like they are lacking in the social arts that he was trained at the beginning of his adulthood, but I feel like they just chucked those away but haven’t found yet a new set to replace them.
So it looks awkward at best or indulgent and lazy (and that exists too) but I feel like it’s more like breaking the rules of the game and trying to find a new game.

There’s no doubt it’s not working.
In Australia - salaries don’t grow, not much hiring, at my work place they seem to cancel jobs just to rehire the same people as casuals (that’s illegal - but who cares. Not Murdoch that’s for sure)
All the improvements to work rights from the 70s(?) are weakening / disappearing

Add to that the fact we are trying to teach for other values but the world still goes by bottom line competitive society...
And add all the tv shows that show easy ways to be rich and all the new opportunities to be influencers (or other professions that are being invented now)...

And internet and tv (reality shows, Facebook and Instagram giving us a constant window to fake lives of others - it gives people false ideas about what adulthood is

But I think they are just like (wealthier?) young people have been for many decades now. Since we stopped marrying at 12 and had time to try and find ourselves instead of being sent to a coal mine.

Since middle class basically