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The term has been widely used to define\s a generation of Teenagers and Young Adults influenced by fashion trends, music, and slang terms shown in Music Video s on the newly created cable channel MTV . MTV Generation has often been associated as a Neologism for Generation X . In the or sub-generation that includes the end of the Generation X (a generation following the post-World War II Baby Boom , and the elders of Generation Y (a generation considered to follow Generation X from 1980 onwards). OVERVIEW OF THE CULTURAL IMPACT OF THE MEDIA UPON THE MTV GENERATION The teens of the MTV Generation who grew up in the 1990s have also been referred to as the Doom Generation, picked up from Gregg Araki 's '' The Doom Generation '' ( 1995 ) and due to the popularity of the 1993 computer game '' Doom ''. The meaning also represents the overall feeling of the generation, having been children through most of the revolutionary changes that occurred to Generation X, not to mention living their childhood through the 1980s they had no sense of direction or sentiment of belonging, thus encapsulating an entire generation within a "doomed" atmosphere - giving the re-birth into the Goth , Gangsta Rap and Grunge Music and lifestyle. A notable quote of the Simpsons in regards to the generation that defined itself through TV and music:
AN AMBITIOUS GENERATION OF DRIFTING DREAMERS Barbara Schneider and David Stevenson, in their book, ''The Ambitious Generation: America's Teenagers, Motivated but Directionless'' acknowledged that popular media had portrayed 90s teens as " Slacker s, drug users, and perpetrators of violent crimes." However, after conducting extensive research on the subject, and analyzing data from national longitudinal studies from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s using the Alfred P. Sloan Study of Youth and Social Development, they discovered that media's portrayal was far from the truth. They found instead, "The overwhelming majority of (1990s) teenagers, however, graduate from highschool, do not use hard drugs, are not criminals, and do not father or have babies while still in their teens. Many of them are willing to work hard to get good grades and assume this will make them eligible for scholarships at the college they plan to attend. Most young people are worried about their futures and believe attaining a college degree is critical for finding a first real job. The bachelor's degree is seen as the necessary first step in moving up the economic and social ladder. Many consider graduate and professional degrees essential." "Although very ambitious, many adolescents find it very difficult to fulfill their dreams. They are unaware of steps they can take that may help them achieve their ambitions. Often their ambitions are dreamlike and not realistically connected to specific educational and career paths. Regardless of how hard they try, they may find themselves "running in place and unsure where to go."" The authors described 1990s teens as "Drifting Dreamers." More importantly, they found that "large numbers of them expect to become physicians, lawyers, and business managers (white collar workers); few want to work as machinists, secretaries, or plumbers. Such high ambitions are held by teenagers from all families — rich, poor, Asian, black, Hispanic, and white. More adolescents than ever expect to graduate from college, earn graduate degrees, and work in the whitecollar world of professionals. They are America's most ambitious teenage generation ever." Hence, they coined the name "Ambitious generation." Another important finding was the comparison of social structure between 1950s teens and 1990s teens. Teenage social groups of the 90s were in contrast to 1950s "very fluid in their membership (not permanent or definable) and, as a result, (were) often un-stable." This fluidity, in turn, "weakened their ability to sustain strong norms that can influence and direct the behavior of (teens)." In addition, he stressed that even though parents and the school helped students get good grades and stay in college, they were unsure on how to give advice in realistically planning ones career, leaving many teens to guess on what to do or to be lost in their dreams of achieving success. All of these compounded and contributed more to the XYer "Drifting Dreamer" problem. {Link without Title} IMPACT OF THE SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 ATTACKS Shortly after the in 1941 and with the Protests Against The Vietnam War of 1966. Their findings led them to name young adults of the time "Generation 9/11" due to their civic involvement and political awareness, leading many to believe that this group of people were less like the Vietnam protesters and more like the pro-war patriotic GI Generation [http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/news/opeds/2003/king_boomer_wsj_033103.htm . This reasoning, however, found many critics. Thomas Reissmann stated that "the tone of the times" was such that "any criticism of the government was outright unpatriotic." Fear from hate groups or punishment directly from the government was so real that those people opposed to war silenced themselves, and any survey done during this time would have been biased towards pro-war feelings. As a result, the anti-war sentiment was still very much alive, but they went about expressing it differently than the Vietnam protesters of 1966. Instead of applying themselves towards the war, anti-war advocates chose careers or activities which "improve(d) the lives of others." [http://www.generation9-11.co.uk/2.html] This does not negate the fact that other people were supportive of the war, but only proves that anti-war sentiment was also existent at the time, though not as vocal. Outside America, however, the opposition was much more visible and stronger. Thomas Reissmann also criticized the Newsweek's use of term "Generation 9/11" because it was suspected that the term was used to support an "us" (a Pro-war Generation) versus "them" (a common enemy) mentality. Any young adult who did not believe in or forever commit to the traits of Generation 9/11 would be made to feel guilty and counterproductive towards or undermining society. {Link without Title} {Link without Title} A study was done throughout several colleges in the Midwestern United States by Patricia Somers and her research colleagues on people born from 1978 to 1987 also shortly after the attacks. The survey was conducted in order to research views of "Generation 9/11" towards the "us" versus "them" mentality, also known as Terror Management Theory . The results were somewhat mixed, but showed that the mentality had not fully taken hold. Those surveyed chose to mute their expression of patriotism because they viewed the act with skepticism (as they thought it would lead to blind hate and racial discrimination). They placed importance on global awareness, community discussions of diversity, and peace marches. "Students were also more likely to be critical of government action. Perhaps some of the criticism hid fear of how young men and women might be drafted to serve in a messy and prolonged conflict in the Middle East. Yet and still, the students questioned military and political reactions following 9/11." {Link without Title} However, despite all the research, Somers still believes that the term Generation 9/11 is still a prediction at best and that only time will tell whether 9/11 has had any lasting effect on this group of people. It may not be for decades to determine whether or not they are a "civic" or "lost" group. However, Somers does predict stronger political divisions in the future based on differing opinions about the meaning of "patriotism." [http://www.utexas.edu/features/2005/generation/ Others believe that the effects of 9/11 would only be temporary as many were already young adults then, and that they would eventually return to their regular ways of life they were accustomed to. [http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=17249 [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FXS/is_3_81/ai_84148622 SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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