I'm So Vain

[MaggieMae]

Is this phenomenon now the accepted norm? This was a disturbing piece, which needs no confirmation because it's all around us every waking moment, not just in music.

A generation's favorite tune: "I'm So Vain"

Young people "love themselves more than ever before," says University of Kentucky psychologist Nathan DeWall, and the proof is in their music. He and his colleagues analyzed the lyrics of Billboard Hot 100 songs from the past three decades and found a steady increase in self-centeredness and hostility toward others.

"In the early 80's lyrics, love was easy and and positive, and about two people," study co-author Jean Twenge tells The New York Times. "The recent songs are about what the individual wants, and how she or he has been disappointed or wronged."

The study found a marked increase in the prevalence of the words "I" and "me" in song lyrics, and fewer instances of "we" and "us." It also registered a jump in angry lyrics about hating and killing, and a drop in songs containing positive words like "love" or "sweet."

The researchers suggest that rampant narcissism may be making it harder for people to connect with one another. They point to other surveys that show that more people are apt to feel sad and lonely now than in previous decades.

www.theweek.com [05.13.11]

With a younger (under 50?) generation believing the world owes them a living, how do they expect to survive when the going gets tough? When they finally mature in physical appearance only and can't deal with rejection in the job market, or are forced to move from Mom & Dad's basement and start paying their own way? What happens to society when this generation realizes that cruising the Internet with anonymous friends isn't the same as actually having friends? What happens when THEY become parents? Is this an unbreakable cycle?