Postkiwi Duncan Macleod

Rebecca Huntley is another Australian who has published on Gen Y this year. “The World According To Y” was published by Allen & Unwin in March 2005.

Rebecca develops a connection between the field of gender studies and generational research.

Rebecca begins with a clear sense of her own identity. She’s a member of Generation X considering the world and lives of a younger emerging generation. She’s not anxious about the weight of labels. But neither is she quick to make broad generalisations about any generation. She’s developed the style of examining broad trends, the experiences of subcultures, and the stories of students and others she has encountered along the way. The result is a very readable walk through the journey of young adults in the early twenty first century.

I found a number of valuable conversation starters here. The phrase “Chicks before Dicks, Bros before Hos” was used to preface one of the early chapters on friendship being valued before sexual companionship. I tested the vocab out at the dinner table and found my two older teenage children knew exactly what I was talking about. And they were able to inform me that ‘hos’ refers to the adaptation of the word ‘whores’.

There’s a strong emphasis by Huntley on gender and sexuality. That’s a helpful contribution considering that many studies of generational values overlook the distinctives found in each generation. Huntley manages to highlight diversity without discounting common experience.

The chapter on spirituality was interesting. Rebecca starts by telling the story of attending Hillsong’s ‘Powerhouse’, a rock-concert/praise and prayer session catering specifically for ages 18 to 25. She talks about the way in which Hillsong have developed a positive message undergirded by a selfish, materialistic approach. She helpfully points out that despite the ’success’ of churches like Hillsong, Australian young adults are overwhelmingly agnostic and unlikely to attend any church. She explores possible factors – leadership marred by scandal, parents who have rejected church, and experiences of worship that are as insipid as overcooked vegetables – enough to put people off for life.

Rebecca points out that young adults, despite their materialism, do recognise a need for meaning and will explore ‘things spiritual’ in many ways. Consumption, the pursuit of material things, is clearly not enough to provide Yers with a reason to live, Huntley says.

Huntley concludes her book with her personal observations on the inter-generational relationships that will need to be developed over the coming years. Like Ryan Heath, she is concerned that Baby Boomers have and will write off the valuable contributions of the emerging generation.

Check out Rebecca Huntley’s interview with Richard Fidler online at ABC Brisbane Radio Conversation Hour: Windows Media Version

Online articles in 2005 by Rebecca Huntley

A consumer’s perspective on abortion 22/12/2005

Generation Y ripe for union picking 20/10/2005

Captain Wacky or ‘The Latham Lessons’ 6/10/2005

Barbie for president! 22/09/2005

Manhole or a personhole? A study of political correctness 30/08/2005

Political parties ignore Generation Y at their own peril 18/08/2005