Generation Y is turning Left

[WilliamPitt]

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061126/4young.htm

Generation Y takes a whirl with the left
But can Dems hold its allegiance down the road?
By Will Sullivan

Posted Sunday, November 26, 2006

Will Selph's family has known defeated Montana Sen. Conrad Burns for years, and Selph, a University of Montana sophomore and chair of the state's college Republicans, did everything he could to turn out the vote for the senator. Selph supported Burns's stands on national security and gay marriage, and he calls Burns "youthful" and "spry"-never mind his age, which is 71. The way Selph sees it, Burns shouldn't have been a difficult sell for younger voters.

But to hear Bryce Bennett, a senior and chair of the state's college Democrats, describe him, Conrad Burns might as well have been Mr. Burns, the scheming, century-old billionaire from the television show The Simpsons. Burns's votes to cut student loans angered Bennett, who has also seen a friend come home injured from Iraq and worries about getting health insurance after he graduates.

Judging from the recent election, there may be a lot more young people like Bennett than like Selph. In surveys and exit polls, generation Y is increasingly turning left. And with voters' earliest choices thought to be key to their future party identification, the GOP could be running out of chances to win back a generation.

Young people aren't just voting more Democratic; they're voting more in general. Over 2 million more people ages 18 to 29 voted in this election than in 2002, and their 24 percent turnout was the highest for a midterm election since 1994. Much of this turnout increase and the greater support for Democrats can be traced to the war in Iraq, but that doesn't mean either trend will disappear once the war is over, since early voting is a strong predictor of future behavior.

Leading indicators. Republicans "are looking down the barrel of a long gun because this is a demographic that will be around for a long time," says Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, who conducted an analysis of exit polls with Republican Ed Goeas. The polls show voters ages 18 to 30 favored Democrats by 50 percent to 35 percent in House races. Young voters' top concerns-including Iraq, the cost of college, and healthcare-bode well for Democrats, while issues that tend to favor Republicans, including moral values, taxes, and terrorism, scored low. Other studies tell a similar story. Results from a survey of incoming college freshmen, conducted annually by the University of California-Los Angeles and compiled last week, shows falling support for military spending and growing acceptance of homosexuality and abortion, a reversal from the conservatism seen in the years following 9/11.

...more...

[Warpy]

1. They're turning left? They've always been there

It's Dean's 50 State Initiative that's making it count, getting out the vote among kids who see voting as becoming all responsible and stodgy, no thanks, they'd rather march.

Plus, they're getting the point that most of the nanny state laws are aimed at THEM and where's that draft coming from?

[hsher]

8. Agreed: they've always been there

I love the subtle nuance of this: they're turning left, so by implication they must have once briefly flirted with the right. Bullshit. Gen Y came out of the womb liberal. In many ways they're braver and more outspoken than we are.

[Reverend_Smitty]

9. See I think the thing about my generation (Gen Y)...

and I think you have it right is that we were born more forward thinking than the previous generations. Just like X was more liberal than the Boomers and the Boomers more liberal than the Greatest generation. We had no preconceived notions about race since the Civil Rights era happened before we were born. It was never "cool" for a Gen Y'er to be racist and the same thing about homosexuality. We grew up seeing gays being out and proud of it and not really different from straight people. I'm sure the next generation will be even more liberal than us. It's really the nature of progress which is why I could never understand why people fight change so much...you can't win so just roll with it.

[stepnw1f]

2. The Generation After "Y" is Turning Left as Well

In around Bangor most kids out right hate Bush.... I know because both my neices and their friends actually said so. They dislike Bush in particular because they see him for the spoiled arrogant ass he is when answering questions. Not that these kids really understand what is being discussed, they just dislike the man's personality/demeanor and the war he started.

[AX10]

3. People born between 1975-1985 could be considered to be...

"Generation Y". This group has always been considered to be "left", or at least center-left.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Not my BIL. He's a Michael Savage fan fundagelical. There's plenty

of those in Gen Y too. :(

[Odin2005]

10. It depends on which expert you talk to.

1978 is considered the start of Gen-Y/the Millenial Generation based on pure demographics. If you go by pop-culture and general midset my generation begins in 1982.

[fhqwhgads]

17. start year of gen y is murky

i've seen just about every year from 1975 through 1982 identified as the beginning of generation y. i was born in 1977, and i definitely think of myself as gen y.

[Odin2005]

19. The people born between 1975-1980 are very Xer, IMO.

My sister, born in 1976 is sterotypically Xer.

The people born between 1980 and 1984 sem to have elements of both the Xer and Millenial mindset.

[fhqwhgads]

26. maybe people born in those cusp years...

...should have the option of which generation to join.

as i said, i was born in 1977 and definitely consider myself gen y. i have nothing in common with those gen x fools. ;)

[AX10]

38. I agree with the second part.

But my experience tells me that people born from the mid-seventies to the early mid 1980's have traits of both the Xer's and the Millenials.

As a whole, though, they tend to be Gen Y.

[annabanana]

42. the "millennials"?. . . .

(I think I like that better than "Y")

[Odin2005]

45. Yep, I hate the term "Gen-Y," call us Millenials, damnit.

[bullimiami]

4. jesus im almost 50 so does that mean ill get to spend the flower of my

adult years in a more decent world? i sure hope so. im so sick of republicanism i could just puke gravel.

[vi5]

6. This means nothing. Nada. Zilch...

My generation (Generation X as we are called) was far more aware and political and all of that. One would have thought that as people my age got more power and influence as we started to see in the early 90's when Clinton was elected, that the country would have turned permanently left.

However, as with the baby boomers, enough of the people from my generation either sold out or bought in and became apathetic. They started to believe that the PC left was more of a threat to their day to day existence than the religious right. And they started not giving a shit.

The same thing will happen with generation Y.

[heidler1]

7. I agree. If Democrats push self denial over self gratification

they burn. Any self denial ideas better have some early on hook to believable gratification. The rewards of dying for patriotism don't cut it for long. If Bush wasn't such an idiot he would have known this.

[Odin2005]

11. Wrong.

I suggest you read the books Generations, The Fourth Turning, and Millenials Rising by historians William Strauss and Neil Howe. back in thr early 90's they predicted that Gen-Yer (or "Millenials" as they call us) would be optimistic and community-minded, and economically left-wing, as opposed the the generally pessimistic, cynical, and libertarian mindset of the Gen-Xers.

[Leopolds Ghost]

39. Didn't he also say they were basically conformists

Who want to take us back to a regimented big-government capitalism "progressivism" of the 1920's or 1950's. No smoking, don't question your boss, don't interfere with my consumerism, and make sure the government spend lotsa money on MY family.

I for one hope that most so called "Gen Y" do not feel that way.

I suspect every generation is pretty similar, though, accounting for culture in which they were raised.

[Odin2005]

43. Yes and No.

But it is a simplification to think we will be a carbon copy of the GI generation in mindset. What Hero generations, like the GI generation, do is to revolt against the economic inequalities and social disintergation they grew up in by taking an ideology created by thier Prophet generation parents or grandparents and using it to build a new civic order and conception of community. The GI's got thier inspiriation from the "Social Gospel" of the Missionary generation of FDR, who grew up during the 3rd Great Awakening; Us Millenials get our inspiration from the ideas of Participatory Democracy and other ideals expoused by the Boomers back in the 60's and 70's.

[vi5]

47. Someone can write anything they want...

But the fact is that Generation X was the one that grew up with some semblance of idealism and Generation X is the on that helped bring out Clinton's election in the early 90's. Generation X was one of "cause chic". We grew up with Live Aid, and U2, and were the target audience for liberal minded bands like Nirvana and such. But the fact is that we got lazy and comfortable and figured that stuff didn't matter any more and took things for granted. Generation Y is going to do the same thing.

[warrens]

12. I voted when I turned 21

(you had to be 21 back then) and have never missed an election since then. Hopefully, my daughter's generation will do the same. She gets to vote in 08.

[proudmoddemo]

13. I think we're libertarian

I disagree. I think my generation is more libertarian than anything else. They may have voted Democrat the last few times because they're uncomfortable with big-government neoconservatism. I hope I'm wrong, as there is a real need for some economically liberal policies in the near future.

[Odin2005]

20. It's the Gen-Xers that tend towards libertarianism.

According to what I've read my generation is far more supporting of what the Pukes deride as "big government liberalism," in other words, expect a new New Deal soon.

[Tony Soprano]

14. Hope you are correct

alot of those X'ers veered right. In my opinion.

[Odin2005]

23. Late Boomers and early Xers are the most Republican-voting living demographic.

They were the folks disapointed by Carter and loved Ronnie.

[THUNDER HANDS]

15. I'm 28, I guess the oldest of the Gen. Yers

I think a lot of the left-ward turn has to do with Bush. In a lot of ways he's the best thing that could have happened to an apathetic generation. He woke a lot of kids up to how important politics is.

[Tony Soprano]

16. My Generation needs a name

I sure as hell don't consider myslef a "Boomer" (although I fall into the vary last years of that demographic) and I am always the oldest "X-er" in a room. I think anyone born from 1960-1975 should be a "Joneser" Mascot would be the Smiley Face :)

[Quantess]

18. I thought the age bracket for gen-X ended about 1965

and generation Y begins around 1980, according to pundits who aren't concerned about having a catchy name for every single age group.

[Tony Soprano]

29. Look at the top of the page

where you read posts. Hell, there is even an ad for Baby Boomers. Good Lord....

[Odin2005]

21. People born in the early 60's are Xers

The are part of the Baby boom demographically, but not in mindset.

The term Generation X was originally coined by people born in the early 60's that wanted to distance themselves from Boomers.

[Tony Soprano]

24. I was born in '64

I'm just trying to create a new demographic group that more accurately reflects my "age group"

[Quantess]

31. 1964 is post-"baby-boomer"

64 is "generation X". But who really cares? The whole concept of labeling "generations" is too fuzzy anyway.

Humans aren't like baby chickens that pop out of the incubator all at the same time, in batches.
So trying to classify a "generation" is pointless, IMO.

[Tony Soprano]

28. Bomers 1946-1964

I want OUT!, hehe

[Odin2005]

32. Demographics isn't everything.

people born from 1943-1945 were to young to rember the war, and thus grew up as boomers worldview-wise instead of members of the "Silent" or "Beatnik" Generation, people who were born between 1926 and 1942. People born between the ages of 1961 and 1964 were part of the demographic boom but had an alienating teen-age and early adulthood experience, and are thus Xers.

[Tony Soprano]

35. Good stuff and....

I love your Wellstone photo. May he never be forgotten!

[Odin2005]

41. Amen!

[Odin2005]

25. It has nothing to do with Bush, it has to do with cyclical changes in mindset

Bush just reinforced the Gen-Y/Millenial mindset.

[CalebHayes]

22. If I have anything to do with it they are!

[NewJeffCT]

27. A few reasons, I think

1) The Daily Show & Colbert Report are huge among the college-aged to mid 20s crowd. When I was in college in the mid to late 80s, people stayed up to watch Letterman. He was more cynical, and less political. Now, they stay up to watch left-leaning political shows like TDS and Colbert.

2) This generation is far more integrated than previous generations. Again, back in the old days of the late 80s, it was still fairly rare to see an inter-racial couple, and seeing "out of the closet" gay people. I think I remember a few white male/Asian female couples, but other couples were very rare. Nowadays, it's fairly common to see inter-racial couples, and we have gay men on TV helping fix up straight men. To have that speaks of a more open mind.

[Ignacio Upton]

30. I think things work in cycles

The GI Generation became Democrat during the height of the New Deal, but periodically voted Republican during the '60s and '70s as part of the "Law and Order" backlash. Generation Xers grew up with Reagan, and the later Xers grew up in a climate of cynicism known as the early '90s (think grunge.) Gen Xers' parents were either the "Silent Generation" of people born in the 1930's/early 1940's, or early boomers (late '40 and maybe early '50s if those people had kids in their 20's.) Their parents came of age under cynicism as well. As a result, you had an apathetic generation that leans libertarian (the creators of South Park of the perfect examples of Xers in this sense.)

With Gen Y, my generation, our parents were boomers, and our grandparents either served in WWII or participated in something directly relating to it. Demographically, my generation is also a second baby boom, although not as big as our parents. I think that Gen Y has some Gen X traits, such as an anti-PC attitude, and I should point out that College Republicans are now stronger on campus than they were in the early '90s (ask college students what they think about abortion and the percentage of pro-choicers is smaller than it was back then, and I think it's trending that way in terms of taxes as well.) However, my generation is the most likely to accept gay marriage and not cave in to the Falwell types.

Unfortunately, I don't have much hope for people born after about 1993-1994, because they and people after them will spend the majority of their childhood in the "post-9/11" enviroment that stresses conservatism and be taught to think conservatively. Also, the libertarian-conservative Gen Xers who get derided here are now starting to have kids of their own. In all honesty, I would assume that someone born in 1997 will be more likely to grow up as a conservative than someone born in 1987 for this reason.

[Odin2005]

33. You like the cyclical idea too? You'll like this forum I cam across a few months ago.

http://www.fourthturning.com/forum/

I post there as "Odin"

I disagree that the latter Millenials (the one born during and after the mid '90s) will grow up to be conservative. They might be somewhat more socially conservative then early Millenials, but they will be extremely left-wing economically.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generations_%28book%29
http://www.fourthturning.com/

According to what I've read there is a cyclical pattern in mindset that takes 4 generations to complete, cycling through mindsets called "artist/adaptive," "prophet/idealist," "nomad/reactive," and "hero/civic" and the interations this midsets have creat a 4-part historical cycle lating about 70-90 years.



the historical eras:

As history molds generations, so do generations mold history. Modern Anglo-American history runs on a two-stroke rhythm. The two strokes are an Awakening and a Crisis.

Awakening
During an Awakening, rising adults are driven by inner zeal to become philosophers, religious pundits, and hippies, alienating children (who see the adult world becoming more chaotic each day) and older generations alike. Civil order comes under attack from a new values regime. Examples of Awakening eras include the Protestant Reformation (1517-1542), the Puritan Awakening (1621-1649), the Great Awakening (1727-1746), the Second Great Awakening (1822-1844), the Third Great Awakening (1886-1908), and the Consciousness Revolution (1964-1984).

Unraveling
An Unraveling is an era between and Awakening and a Crisis. The most recent Unraveling was seen between The Consciousness Revolution and the present, a time of paradigm shifting.

Crisis
A Crisis is a decisive era of secular upheaval. The values regime propels the replacement of the old civic order with a new one. Wars are waged with apocalyptic finality. Examples of Crisis eras include the Wars of the Roses (1459-1487), the Spanish Armada Crisis (1569-1594), the colonial Glorious Revolution (1675-1704), the War for American Independence (1773-1794), the American Civil War (1860-1865),and the twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945).

High
A High is an era between a Crisis and an Awakening. The most recent High was seen between World War II and The Consciousness Revolution.

And the generational pattern:

Prophet/Idealist
A Prophet (or Idealist) generation is born during a High, spends its rising adult years during an Awakening, spends midlife during an Unraveling, and spends old age in a Crisis. Prophetic leaders have been cerebral and principled, summoners of human sacrifice, wagers of righteous wars. Early in life, few saw combat in uniform; late in life, most come to be revered as much for their words as for their deeds.

Nomad/Reactive

A Nomad (or Reactive) generation is born during an Awakening, spends its rising adult years during an Unraveling, spends midlife during a Crisis, and spends old age in a new High. Nomadic leaders have been cunning, hard-to-fool realists, taciturn warriors who prefer to meet problems and adversaries one-on-one.

Hero/Civic

A Hero (or Civic) generation is born during an Unraveling, spends its rising adult years during a Crisis, spends midlife during a High, and spends old age in an Awakening. Heroic leaders have been vigorous and rational institution-builders, busy and competent in old age. All of them entering midlife were aggressive advocates of technological progress, economic prosperity, social harmony, and public optimism.

Artist/Adaptive
An Artist (or Adaptive) generation is born during a Crisis, spends its rising adult years in a new High, spends midlife in an Awakening, and spends old age in an Unraveling. Artistic leaders have been advocates of fairness and the politics of inclusion, irrepressible in the wake of failure.


The living generations are:

Lost: Nomad
GI: Hero
Silent: Artist
Boom: Prophet
X: Nomad
Millenial: Hero

[Ignacio Upton]

40. The Lost Generation (WWI generation) is almost dead

While, in all honestly, I think that people born after 1994 or 1995 could be considered as part of a separate generation from the milenials, precisely because they will become more familiar with the "post 9/11 world" than the pre-9/11 world of the '90s that dominated the lives of most milenials.

[Odin2005]

44. No, they'll reject the "9-ll changed everything" when the real shit hits the fan.

The US is on the brink of on economic catastrophe and Global Warming and Peak Oil arn't going to be kind, either

[MoseyWalker]

34. It's too bad the bastards

have sealed the fate of the Supreme Court for the next 20 years.

[Tony Soprano]

36. Yes but,

Bushler won't stack the Judiciary anymore. Some other bastard might but his court stacking is over!

[Radical Activist]

37. They're turning left, but not to the Democratic Party.

I barely now a person under 30 who will call themselves a Democrat that isn't trying to get a job as a campaign staffer. They're liberal, but they don't hear the Democratic Party speaking to them and their issues. They are Daily Show Liberals: critical of Republicans but not entirely impressed by the Democrats.

Almost all of my politically aware friends under 30 are liberals who identify themselves as Independent, Green, Anarchist, Libertarian, anything but a Democrat. It shouldn't be a surprise considering how little time we spend talking to young people and standing for anything at all. Hey, how about another commercial on Social Security and Medicare? Meanwhile, anyone who suggests a student loan forgiveness program is laughed at. If this generation is an indicator for the future, it will mean the days of the two-party system are numbered.

[MoseyWalker]

46. One can only hope, at times

as you wrote:

"the days of the two-party system are numbered."

I'm a dem to the death, but I can see some writings on the walls.....