If only I had this Gen Y rebuttle four years ago....

As a member of Generation Y, I am sick of being branded with the 'flighty, promiscuous, self-centered, unstable, egotistical, over-expecting' brush.

I will never forget the first true 'Gen Y' argument that I had with my Generation X friend as he openly slated the 'kids' from my generation. Whilst reassured that the discussion was not personal, many of the above adjectives were thrown around. Given that this debate occurred almost four years ago, and I am raising it today, it would be fair to conclude that it had a significant impact on me. Why? Because I felt that it lacked perspective and I felt that it lacked context.

Four years later, someone has raised a few very valid points that I desperately wish I had as ammunition four years ago. That person is Hugh Mackay. Yes, I experienced one of those 'damn it, I wish I had thought to say that' moments. If I could re-wind four years and have the same debate with my friend, these are just some of the points that I would have raised:

1. The very fact that Generation Y are the offspring of the most divorced generation in history might explain why many are:

a) commitment adverse - why would we commit when we have seen first hand the pain it has caused our parents?

b) tribally driven - why wouldn't we seek new connections and surrogate families (which are generally facilitated through online communities) to compensate for the highly fragmented world that we have been raised in?

2. Generation Y were raised to be 'wonder children'. We were taught to seize the moment, to never shy away from self-expression, that everyone has the right to voice their opinion and that the world is our oyster. Given this, is there any wonder that we have become more expecting, more demanding and more outspoken than previous generations?

3. I'm sure we have all heard the expression 'Generation Y don't understand money, they don't understand the implications of debt'. Hold up. We are the first generation to go through university knowing that when we graduate, we not only get to wear an over-sized Harry Potter cap, but are the proud owners of a big fat HECS debt. Unlike other generations, we are in debt before we even start working. This has made us more accepting of debt - it's just part of getting educated. And to further this point, I would like to add that society was living on borrowed money long before us Gen Yers got our first credit card. So, it would be fair to say that we have simply learnt from the credit card pros - our parents and Gen X siblings/relatives.

4. The world in which we live in is evolving at a rapid pace. Think social change, think technology change and think economic change. It's all happening and it's happening at a pace that makes our grandparents kiddy. Given this rapidly evolving environment, how would you expect someone to respond? The logical answer is to mirror the environment in which you live in - to stay as agile and dynamic as possible. And this is exactly what Generation Y are doing - we keep our options open in order to adapt when adaption is required. Be it study, career, travel plans, relationships, preferred music genre or religious beliefs, its all about keeping our options open. How can you expect Generation Y to commit when the world in which we live in refuses to?

Just as my friend's attack on Generation Y was not personal, I have not made my above re-buttle points personal. If I could re-wind four years, I would use the above points (thanks Hugh Mackay for the inspiration) to speak on behalf of my generation. I would provide some perspective and context. And as a result of my re-buttle, I would hope that my friend would think twice before he tarnished me or fellow Generation Y members with the 'flighty, promiscuous, self-centered, unstable, egotistical and over-expecting' brush.