Is Kanye Our Kurt?
by Alex Steed on Tue, 11/18/2008 - 18:54
In their book Millennial Makeover, Morley Winograd and Michael Hais look at the pictures of Generations X and Y painted by popular media. They suggest that the work ethic of the former is represented by the entrepreneurial “Joel Goodson” (Tom Cruise's character in Risky Business) while that of the latter is represented by the androgynously named, ideals-driven “Andy Sachs” (Anne Hathaway's character in The Devil Wears Prada).
I posed a similarly themed question on Facebook and Twitter: “If Kurt Cobain is the [overarching] voice of Gen-X, then who/what best represents the voice of Gen-Y?”
Two of the seven responses came from Millennials:
- Michael Franti [came as the suggestion of a 25-year-old, Rhode Island-based teacher]
- Kanye West [came from a 16-year-old, Massachusetts-based high school student]
Of the remaining responses, five were from Gen-X’ers (from Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, and Illinois):
- "It would be funny if it were John Stamos."
- Bono [as a joke, and then] ... American Idol
- Eminem
- Amy Winehouse
- K'naan (a Somali refugee performing artist who grew up in Kenya)
So, based on my exceedingly unscientific poll (the number of respondents of which make up a margin of error +3), one in five Gen-X’ers vote for irony; three for narcissism, self-destruction, or both (unrepresentative of our near-fetish for voting/community engagement); and one for globalism (backing up John Zogby's suggestion that we be known as "First Globalists"). One-hundred percent of Millennials suggest our collective voice belongs to varying levels of socially conscious hip-hop musicians.
I’m curious about your response. What voices best represent this generation and why? Are you speaking from the inside, or out? Is it silly to think that we're even spoken for? Is our voice crowd-sourced and on Twitter? Are we narcissists? Drug-addled Brits with sultry voices? What do you think?
Comments
Gen Y is its own voice. We don't need a spokesperson; we are doing it very well on our own.
I certainly hope it ISN'T Kanye. THAT would be embarrassing. In fact, to breathe his name in the same sentence as Cobain is an insult to Kurt's memory. If there is anyone that speaks for our generation it is Barack Obama. That’s it. No one less. Certainly not some popped-collar, second rate rap star.
I think it is silly for us to say we have a voice speak for our generation. WE speak for our generation. I couldn't agree with Tiara more.
Hold on a second here. I actually think Kanye is quite an appropriate candidate for voice of the Millennials -- he's very intelligent and very outspoken, and he has a raging sense of self-entitlement.
But seriously, Gen Y. Unlike Nicole, I think Kanye is extremely talented. His music reflects an appreciation and embracing of diverse styles and cultures; his lyrics reflect the themes of self-determination, self-expression, and the contradictions of youth culture; and his activism and philanthropic commitment reveal an individual who understands that there are much more important issues than what clothes to wear.
And let me just say that as someone who came of age during the "slacker years," I wouldn't necessarily cite Kurt Cobain as the voice of MY generation. I think Nirvana was a great band, Kurt's rise coincided with a cultural shift in which the alternative became the mainstream, and his death made him an undesired martyr for teen angst. But he was just one of many talented songwriters and performers who have touched a nerve with their audience over the years.
The whole concept of the "voice of a generation" is one meant for greeting cards, not textbooks. So, if I accept Kurt, you should accept Kanye. You could do a lot worse.
I remember when Kurt famously wore a t-shirt on the cover of Rolling Stone that said "Corporate Magazines Still Suck." It was an ironic statement. One that reflected his understanding of operating within the machine while struggling to remain committed to your ideals. In fact, it's a theme recently echoed in Kanye's lyrics to "All Falls Down":
"We buy our way out of jail, but we can't buy freedom
We'll buy a lot of clothes, but we don't really need ‘em...
But I ain't even gonna act holier than thou...
I got a problem with spending before I get it
We all self conscious, I'm just the first to admit it."
As a 22 year old, I feel that MY generation (whichever that may be) is crying out for a voice. Barack Obama may come close but I think we yearn for strong, positive, and empowered role models in the mainstream. What does the "average" teenager look up to anymore? You hope they get role models from history through school, but even that may be too much to expect from our public school systems.
In terms of a "representative," I don't think we have one yet.
We're commonly referred to as an "apathetic" generation...do you think this is true? I still haven't come to grips with my answer.
This guy? As my spokesperson?
http://www.mamapop.com/mamapop/2008/11/the-top-ten-rea.html?cid=1
Please. There are hundreds of other Gen Y people doing amazing worthwhile things for the world, for our generation, and for everyone else. And they don't ask for attention. Those people make far better spokespeople than Kanye ever will.
I believe that everybody's voice should be heard.
http://www.fridaymash.com/us/
Yeah,freedom of speech should also be implemented.
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http://2ndskiesforex.com/education/
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship.
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http://www.nationwidefieldservices.com/
People are getting more selfish and self-centered these days.
http://www.afgocounseling.com/
New to this but
It's a really informative post.
And may be useful to me in near feature.
Thanks for the post
Exam Papers
The voice for this generation? I really don't know. It could be something related to Social networking?
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