We're the worst

Every generation says the generation after them is the worst.

But we actually are the worst.

Our generation was named the “Me, Me, Me generation” by Time magazine, and nothing has ever suited us better.

We’re a generation based solely on consumption. We set out to consume as much as we can, which has led to everything from an unhealthy obsession with the Internet to more obesity.

The major thing we consume is our parents’ money.

In a piece for the Huffington Post, Wait But Why said, “Cal Newport points out that ‘follow your passion’ is a catchphrase that has only gotten going in the last 20 years, according to Google’s Ngram viewer, a tool that shows how prominently a given phrase appears in English print over any period of time.”

It’s a very touching sentiment, but the catchphrase is undoubtedly making us lazy and unable to perceive how to live a real life.

Our generation is the life source for “American Idol” and the culture those shows have spawned.

Suddenly, we all think we can be stars, make it big — have a mental breakdown and then get a Vegas act because we can sing decent covers of songs.

We’re also the first generation projected to not live as long as our parents will.

Despite our obsession with the Internet, we’ve somehow avoided media about healthy lifestyles, and we’ve continued obesity trends to a trophy-winning degree.

The University of Michigan found “20 percent of people born between 1966 and 1985 were obese in their 20s, an obesity prevalence milestone not reached by their parents until their 30s or by their grandparents until their 40s or 50s.”

AKA we’re getting fatter sooner.

And we’re not reversing those statistics.

So, to play Will McAvoy and civilize all of you: We’re not the greatest generation, but we can be. Let’s work at it.

— sjostrow@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Sam Ostrowski on Twitter @ostrowski_s_j.