Delete comment from: Captain Capitalism
The real problem with many in Gen Y is they are the first generation to come along with a greater sense of entitlement than the worst of the Boomers.
I had this Gen Y law clerk. Smart, but utterly convinced in the rightness of all of her thoughts and self-righteous to an extent that would make a Straight Edge kid seem epistomologically modest. Law clerk - then finishing her third year of law school - starts lecturing me one day on a point of law, gets really pedantic and snotty on me, then smiles and walks off.
Oddly enough I've been practicing in that area of law for over ten years. Drafted a white paper on the particular point she was going on about. Read a couple scholarly articles on it. I knew she was wrong and told her as much but she insisted I just didn't know. So I went back and double checked. As it happens she was *dead* wrong on a major point of law. I was right. And based on past experience, if I put the materials in front of her to prove her wrong, it would induce tears, and protestations that I am singling her out, picking on her, and it's not fair on my part. So I let it go. She's working for somebody else now - thank God. That Entitlement Shell that she lives inside is impenetrable and a serious barrier to performing good legal work. If you want to be a good lawyer, it's not just about arguing convincingly; you need to keep an open mind and consider at all times the possibility that you may in fact be wrong. Tears won't bail your ass out when the three judges on the 2nd Circuit decided three years ago to kick your ass this morning.
This is pretty much typical of my experiences with the Gen Y's. There are a lot of good folks in that generation, but a lot of disgustingly entitled, self righteous little prigs and you can't tell them a damn thing. I think I kinda prefer the hard working alleged slackers of Gen X.
Jan 24, 2012, 3:56:01 PM
Posted to How Gen Y Will Undermine Asset Prices