I believe that Jean Twenge made some valid and some invalid points in her book, Generation Me. One of her valid points was when she noted that today's youth is more accepting towards people of different races, cultures, and sexual orientation, but this positive aspect only took up a small portion of the book. In my opinion, she focused most of her writing on a cliché look at our generation. With all of this said, I think she could have focused less on repeating herself and more on other topics, such as religion.
Twenge believes this generation is more accepting of differences, which seems to be one of the few positive things going for it. She discusses how today’s youth doesn’t judge homosexuals nearly as much as adolescents have in the past. Homosexuality is not looked too highly upon by some religions, such as Catholicism. Personally, I think it would have been interesting to see her elaborate on her view of gay marriage and what today’s generation is doing in order to legalize it or keep it illegalized.
There are a few instances in the book in which Twenge mentions aspects of religion. For instance, she writes, “In case you haven’t heard, ‘hooking up’ has replaced dating among many young people…” “…hookups can range from ‘making out to full-on sex’ but are most distinguished by being ‘between two people who don’t necessarily have any foreseeable future or even a hint of commitment”(p.159) It seems in this quotation that she believes sex should only be for married couples, which is a religious belief. She then uses a quote on premarital sex from a nineteen-year-old girl Felicita: “I strongly disagree with people who say it is not morally correct to have sex before marriage. Marriage is a promise, but all promises can be broken. Marriage should not be the reason why someone chooses to have sex—love should be” (p. 164). In this way she discreetly mentions religion because marriage is a religious sacrament and premarital sex is considered a sin.
Another point that Twenge makes that could have been related to religion is when she talks about how this generation is a great deal more self-reliant than previous generations and how parents don’t have as much control over today’s youth. With this point noted, it is easier for kids to proclaim their religion, whether it is the same religion as their parents or not.
Lastly, I would have liked to see Twenge relate depression to spirituality. She often notes that today’s youth is more depressed than previous generations. Prayer, going to church, meditation, or any other spiritual practice might not cure depression, but it could be a good reflection time for a depressed adolescent. This reflection time could be crucial in helping a person discovering himself or herself, which could pull that person gradually out of the depressive state.
If I were to discuss religion in this book, I would have related some of the core subjects with religion.