And while I would argue that humans are the not the dominant species on the planet (in terms of long-term survivability) I have no doubt we’ll get through Al Gore’s global warming and all the other negative things that will occur as part of a global rebalancing.

Unfortunately, I don’t think unrealistic, overcoddled Gen Yers who haven’t been given all the tools they need to fend for themselves are going to find the process very likable and I think quite a few of them are going to struggle greatly.

Half the battle is being prepared for what’s going to hit you and right now, I see a lot of deer in headlights.

Every single generation goes through some sort of social change and/or traumatic events, but they always get over it. Humans are very adaptable and resilient creatures, it’s why we’re the dominant species in every environment on the planet (except underwater), and it takes a lot more than a bit of misguided parenting to take that out of us.

And contrary to what’s implied in your comment, I don’t believe that Generation Y is going to ruin society. It’s not capable of that; most of its members are simply not well-equipped to deal with the society that they find themselves in.

Generation Y has its disadvantages, but frankly, given the choice between:

a) being a member of Generation Y, having been told that I am special and that I can do anything I put my mind to; having been denied a normal childhood, instead minibused from music practice to football practice to extra tuition; and consequently having entitlement issues, an inflated ego and no social skills, or;

b) being a member of the post-WW1 generation, having joined the army at 15, spent four years crawling through mud, getting trench foot, watching friends die, trying to kill fellow human beings, living under the constant fear of death from artillery and snipers, suffering mental illness in silence because if I tell anyone I’ll be shot for cowardice, and finally coming home (still mentally ill) to find that women have at a stroke doubled the competition for the civilian job I was looking forward to.

I’ll choose a), thanks very much. Generations with much bigger problems than Y have managed to grow up and not ruin society plenty of times before, and this one won’t be any different.

The earth cannot sustain the present level of consumption of natural resources, let alone the consumption fueled by billions more who will join the ranks of the Chinese and Indian middle classes.

In short, the math just doesn’t work. Unfortunately, I think the vast majority of my fellow Gen Yers are unprepared for this brave new world.

There will be adjustments to new demand, measured in years, not generations. And in the end, when India and China have economies more like ours, there will be 10x the potential buyers we currently have in just the US and EU. I, and I would venture most entrepreneurs or businesses are looking forward to the increase in consumers and capital investment in the future.

It’s not a static pie, it never has been, and it never will be. I wouldn’t trade my Gen X life for that of my over-romanticized parents’ lives for a second. Even more so 20 years from now. It’s always getting better and better, with obvious starts and stops, and the Malthusians have never been right, nor even close.

In any case, anything called ‘Gen X’ or ‘Gen Y’ is annoying, but being too soft from the ease of our lives is the kind of problem I like to see.