The Triangle

Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: Ed-Op

Media Credit: Sarah Michaelson

One of my favorite scenes from Pixar's "Wall-E" is when Wall-E accidentally bumps into a woman, turning off all of her electronic devices. Seeing what is three feet in front of her for the first time in her life, the woman looks out at a broad window and marvels at the stars cape outside of the spaceship. In some ways, this reflects the wired generation we are now. We can now get in contact with our friends from wherever we are, even if we're in the middle of class or at work. But, along with this new generation comes new etiquette - and some have accused us of being a rude generation.

Personally, I cannot blame the older generation for thinking our generation is rude. There was once a time, long ago (some like to call it the '90s) when you couldn't text anyone when you were at the movies with your friends because you were bored. Then again, we are also seasoned veterans of the information era, ready to grasp new knowledge though our iPhones, BlackBerries, podcasts, laptops. And yet, when we get to class, we are told to shut all of these potentially "learning enrichment" technologies off so we can stare at a slate for an hour - the same teaching medium Benjamin Franklin used when he was in grammar school. Or, if your professor is feeling particularly "techy," you may get a PowerPoint presentation, which is really just like staring at a chalkboard but without the powdery mess.

In many ways I don't feel that our generation is any ruder than any other generation. However, with the recent technological boom, trying to communicate efficiently with those who aren't in the "main stream" of our generation is like trying to converse with someone who's outside of the culture. When the ways of communication change, the communication itself is changed as well.

I'm not saying that we live in a completely different culture from our parent's college era. In the 1960's they booed Nixon, we bashed Bush. They protested against Vietnam, we protested against the war on terror. They "fought the man," we ... probably started a Facebook group saying some very nasty things about "the man."

One thing that has changed since the 1960's is chivalry. Although many of us may think of the Austin Powers' "free love" version of the sixties, the truth is some very traditional gender roles still remained. Men opened doors for women and bought them dinner and were expected to be the one to pop the question. At the same time, men were usually the breadwinners of the family unit and women were seen holding jobs such as a secretary, teacher, or stewardess. Since the 1990's, the change I've noticed for our generation is what I like to call "female chivalry."

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools