What’s the big deal about Generation Y?

For all the fuss, Generation Y is in many ways unremarkable. So unremarkable, in fact, that some have claimed it’s really just the second half of Generation X, dubbing the two “Generation XY”. Indeed, the results of a recent study by global recruitment firm Hudson found that despite the stereotypes, Generations X and Y had a lot in common when it came to what they wanted in the workplace.

And when it comes to politics, most of us vote in the same general direction as our parents. So much for boomer equals radical and Y equals conservative.

Of course, there are some generational differences, but even most of those are grounded in generalisation and personal experience. I could comment on Generation Y’s embrace of computers and boomers’ bafflement at our willingness to broadcast our opinions and even the intimate details of our lives online, but some of the older members of Gen Y feel the same way - and many a boomer has started their own blog.

I could tell you with some certainty that I’m more cynical and less inclined to be shocked by the behaviour of political leaders than my parents - perhaps a reaction to growing up alongside Monicagate, children overboard and WMDs - but then most of the people around me don’t seem all that fazed either.

It might make for a good story - the first time at least, if not the 20th - to talk up the gasp-worthy directions the young’uns are headed in, but the reality is much more complex than the sensationalism or the clichés. And it’s all getting kind of boring, really.

Let’s find something new to talk about.