I think one of the biggest differences between Gen X and Gen Y is that X was a very DIY generation. We made our own music and fashion. We dictated what the next big thing was. The Gap just co-opted our angst and turned it into a fashion statement. X influenced the mainstream, not the other way around. Gen X got “it”.
Today, Gen Y has everything shoved down their throats. The media tells them what is cool and when it’s cool. The music and fashion are force fed. The major record companies dictate what music they listen to and Forever 21 tells them what’s in fashion. They have been manipulated by the media into thinking they must have the next big thing or they won’t be trendy. The mainstream never had to catch on to Y, it always was the mainstream. There isn’t even an “it” for Gen Y to get.
I listened to Pearl Jam today on my commute in case you can’t tell.
apsychobabbles.com 
So true, Adam.
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Nicely put. This dictation spreads far from music though (X-Factorism imbues many of our choices): The tragedy is that Gen Y, as you put it, are being de-idelogised (word?) out of even being able to create, as more and more products are created for one specific reason only… First our TV’s became cheaper to replace than to fix, then other household objects, then cars became an impenetrable black box – rather than something we could break down and play with. Even Lego is now designed so kids have one option and it comes with instructions… How sad and worth fighting against.
Thanks for the post!
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