I haven't properly introduced myself yet, so let me start off by suggesting that John and other readers of this site might find this article interesting:
In Japan, Young Face Generational Road Blocks
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/world ... ted=1&_r=1
It's about how, in Japan's rigidly conformist culture, young people who don't want to fit into the Corporate Drone lifestyle are finding it ever-increasingly hard just to make ends meet and survive, and those who do want to fit in are finding that the system is increasingly closed off from them and decreasingly tolerant of any suggestions of unfitness or nonconformity. Generational dynamics predicts, correctly I think, and Japan's Hero generation, now reaching adulthood, should be more interested in collaborating with each other to make society a better place and create their own environments, rather than being good wage-slaves in the rigid environment their elders have created for them. This creates a conflict with Japan's extremely entrenched older generations, who correctly perceive any changes as threats to their crumbling, anemic social system. Right now, the older generations appear to have decisively won the conflict, and they have entirely retained control of the State, almost all corporations, and the associated social control apparatuses. The response of Japan's younger generation appears to be meek resignation and withdrawal from public social arenas, at least for now.
What the article doesn't mention, which I think is incredibly important, is that this conflict isn't just isolated to Japan. The US's culture is more publicly tolerant of some kinds of nonconformity, but in general our social/political/economic system is no less anemic and rigid than theirs, especially as the recession drags inevitably into a depression. The same situation of incompetent, short-sighted older generations maintaining their social dominance and superior economic positions by hanging on to corporate and state power at the obvious expense of the populations they are supposed to be leading is no less severe here in the United States. The level of economic disenfranchisement among Millennials is extremely high in the US, though not quite as high as in Japan - *yet*. The big question, however, is whether we will put up with being shat upon by our foolish elders as patiently and as long as Japan's young people have - which is, in my opinion, extremely unlikely.
Given that all the onrushing current crises largely reduce to generational conflict as the previous postcrisis arrogant, nihilistic generations horrifyingly mismanage society, those of us seriously concerned about the possible consequences should consider that the solution, if there is to be one at all, will have to come from actors who are as yet mostly off-stage - Gen-Y. We're mostly poor and without position or status, but we're kind of weirdly brilliant, work together excellently, and aren't easily mislead by self-serving politicians. More importantly, it's us or nothing - regular readers to this site probably already see that the Silents, Boomers, and Gen-Xers have absolutely no chance whatsoever of figuring out a solution to all the problems they've caused and permitted.
Anyway, that's probably enough from me for now. Ta-ta all.