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Home » Transcript: Scott Hess – Millennials: Who They Are & Why We Hate Them

Transcript: Scott Hess – Millennials: Who They Are & Why We Hate Them

Read the full transcript of Scott Hess’s talk titled “Millennials: Who They Are & Why We Hate Them” at TEDxSF 2011 conference.

TRANSCRIPT:

Introduction

Scott Hess: TED Talk, pretty low bar, these talks are never very good, right? I’m delighted to be here today. My talk today is called Millennials, the Millennial Generation, who they are and why we hate them. Bear with me, Millennials.

Before I start, I wanted to celebrate the three big components that go into TEDxSF. The first is quite obviously TED. Let’s hear it for TED, the new. I grew up in the Motor City, so that’s my TED, but I realized, thank you very much Motor City represent, I realized that I’m in the Bay Area, and so I prepared an alternative TED for you guys as well. Let’s hear it for TED. Let’s hear it for X, these are my Gen X brethren, right, X, Z, and the boys. And let’s hear it for SF. I’m a Cubs fan, so I really, really hate you guys right about now.

My Journey into Generational Studies

I want to spend a second and just talk about how come I’m here, how I got here. Believe it or not, that’s me. I was existing on a steady diet of, I think, beer and pizza and a lot of sleep. I went to college and I majored in poetry and I minored in immaturity. Some would say I actually double majored. And I ended up in Chicago somehow with a job in an accounting firm that had become a consulting practice, Anderson Consulting. And apparently I thought it was appropriate to show up there on my first day to get my ID picture taken looking like I was a refugee from the Thompson twins.

Nevertheless, I was doing pretty well actually. I had a lot of energy and zeal for the job and I marched into one of my early performance reviews and I was told that my performance was strong but that my appearance was a problem. My boss actually told me that my haircut looked as if an animal had crawled on top of my head and died. My mom had been telling me pretty much the same thing for a long time, was delighted with that performance review, but I was upset. I thought I looked awesome. And I didn’t understand why this older boss of mine was making such a big deal about my haircut.

And so at the end of my performance review, I went home and I got online because I was kind of getting excited about what was going on in the computer and there was like a kind of bulletin board early social network called The Well that I had discovered because I was an insomniac and a little bit crazy looking for trouble. Turns out it was based in this place, Sausalito, California, and there were a lot of nutso people on it, right? So I marched into the Gen X conference, which is where I hung out, in text, in Picospan, and I typed in how mad I was about my boss commenting on my hair.

At this time, The Well was crawling with people like David Crosby and Mitch Kapoor, and it was also crawling with all these reporters that were sniffing around for stories, and I somehow became a story. Before I knew it, telling the story of my problematic haircut, I was interviewed by Time magazine, by USA Today, and by Forbes and Fortune. And I was quoted and even called a leading voice of Gen X. As a Gen Xer, I was like, whatever. But really, I was excited and I figured I’d better find out what it meant to be part of Gen X.

The reporters told me that what was happening, unbeknownst to me, was there was a generational clash and my boss was a boomer, whatever that meant, and I was a Gen Xer and we were destined to have problems because I was part of an entitled, lazy, goof-off generation, right? So that’s what really launched me into thinking about generational dynamics and youth.

And so my career evolved, I ended up at True about a decade ago, spending my time thinking about teens and 20-somethings and helping companies and organizations connect with them more effectively. And I really think, I’ve noticed of late, that millennials are the new target. Millennials, you are entitled and lazy and just not fit to live, right? Why does this keep happening? Why are you guys getting labeled the same way that Gen X did? I think there are three big reasons that I want to share them with you today.

Why We “Hate” Millennials

And the first reason is because millennials are different from us, Gen Xers, aren’t they? And in fact, every generation is different from the preceding generations. They teach you all about generational theory, but part of it is just defining the differences between the generations. Let’s look at how they’re different from us, if we can.

Gen Xers in the house, born 1960 to 1980, please represent millennials, 1980 to 2000. Wow. All right, and baby boomers and like silent and that stuff, just pick a side, okay? This is about us.

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Gen X vs. Millennials: The Differences

Look at the differences between these two generations. My clients that I go and speak with, quite often the management and the people developing the products are all these Gen Xers trying to figure out how to manage the millennials.

But the millennials, on the other hand, so leaning back slacker, Spicoli types in Gen X are counterbalanced by leaning forward engaged types. Down front, millennials smiling, you’re with me, right? Gen X, even though you’re my brothers, you think I’m a big goofball and you’re cynical, right?

Gen X, cliquish and judgmental, giving rise to brands like Abercrombie and Fitch, which sort of tell you there’s four or five kids that know how to dress. They’re going to build a secret clubhouse in the mall.