NYC SlutWalk, October 1, 2011

Around noon on a chilly Saturday afternoon on the first of October, Union Square suddenly erupted with police who escorted thousands of chanting men and women: Many were under 30 and wearing nothing but underwear. These underdressed marchers  were not making a provocative statement – they were protesting  rape and sexual harassment in the New York City SlutWalk,

Sexual harassment protests have been around since the 1960’s. But often the victims were blamed for their “slut” like behavior. More recently, many activists have argued that has emerged that victims of sexual assault should not be held accountable based how they dress or act.

Molly Sternin, a junior at Hofstra University carried a sign with bright pink lettering stating “punish rapists, not victims.”  “I have always taken issue with society’s tendency to blame the victim in a rape, whether it be questioning what the victim was wearing, how they acted, where they were, or trivializing their experiences because they didn’t act the way a victim is “supposed” to act in their situation,” said Sternin.

The first SlutWalk was held  in Toronto in April 2011. The media reported that the first walk began when a Toronto police officer suggested that women should dress more conservatively  to prevent being sexually assaulted. The main message of  SlutWalk is that “no one can touch you without their consent” and the specific goals are to “challenging rape culture, victim-blaming and slut-shaming, and working to end sexual and domestic violence.”

While Sternin was dressed much more conventionally than many of her fellow participants in jeans and a flannel button-down, she was fully supportive of everyone.

“I think it more or less served as an outlet for anyone who has had to experience any sort of sexual violence or harassment, to give them a chance to speak out and let society know that we are not willing to be blamed for crimes that someone else committed,” said Sternin.

However, while some watching from the sidelines found it moving that people were willing to strip to the bare essentials, many were offended. Mothers turned their children’s heads as moving stripper pole sporting a barely dressed exotic dancer was pulled by a bike down the street. Others were offended by the use of the word “slut.”

Meredith Villano, Cco-Founder and director of Paradigm Shift NYC, a large NYC feminist community group, believes that the idea behind the walk is powerful, but the word “slut” skews the message.

“The controversies surrounding the term “slut” are distracting from the point of working together to fight sexual violence,” said Villano in a blog post concerning the SlutWalk.  “Attempting to reclaim the word “slut” as an empowering term is not translating into an inclusive feminist message with respect to race, class, identity and more.”

However, some experts think that using the word “slut” supports the idea that “you don’t have permission to touch me, regardless of what I am wearing.” Need to explain this more Dr. Kristi Steinmetz, a professor at New York University and expert on Gender Studies, has participated in many feminist protests and observed that the walk was searching to call attention to this issue.

“The timing of the recent Slut Walk coincides with a recent string of sexual assaults in Queens and Brooklyn,” said Stenimetz. “Authorities wonder if sexual assault is indeed increasing or is it finally being reported more frequently.”

Steinmetz believes that the SlutWalk empowers men and women to defend their rights to dress how they want without the fear of being victimized. “I think the SlutWalk is a good thing and I support any march that teaches any male or female that No Means No or No is a Complete Sentence  or Don’t Touch My Body Without My Permission or If It’s Not Consensual Forget About It [which are books about sexual harassment],” said Steinmetz.

According to the SlutWalk website, there were over 3,000 people at the NYC march and the organizers intend for there to be a second one. The idea has spread to foreign countries like India where a SlutWalk was held this summer and London is planning a SlutWalk later this year.

Pacing the sidewalks of Zuccotti Park as part of the ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests, Dorman, 28, has  one demand scrawled on his simple cardboard sign: “dissolve all student debt.”

“People are always saying we don’t have a single demand, well here it is,” said Dorman, who failed to find a job after receiving his  environmental engineering major from Rutgers and works instead as a Fedex delivery man to help pay back $30,000 in student loans. “The system is structured so that you enter the workforce already a slave to debt.”

With record tuitions and a fluctuating economy, the risk of investing thousands of dollars into a college education for a guaranteed payoff is greater than ever.

Two weeks ago, President Obama unveiled a loan forgiveness plan limit to 10 percent as the maximum percentage of income that students will have to pay on their loan bills. But some experts believe that the real crisis begins long before graduates start the uphill battle to pay back the loans.

“Every investment is a risk, and the risk is getting a little bit greater today than it was ten years ago,” said Barbara Ray, author of “Not Quite Adults.” “Is college worth it? The answer is ‘yes, but’ and it’s the ‘but’ we have to start thinking about.”

Ray points to the 14 percent unemployment rate among recent graduates as evidence of the increasing risk of investing in college. “What a lot of people forget to add to those unemployment numbers is how many people are ‘underemployed,’” said Ray.

In interviews for her upcoming book about the future of Gen Y in the recession, Ray met many “underemployed,” citing a computer science graduate working as a taxi driver as one poignant example.

Her anecdotal findings were borne out by a study done by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers. It found that recent graduates working in a field unrelated to their degree earned roughly a third less income than fellow graduates who found a job in an area related to their major.

Nevertheless, college graduates still earn almost twice the amount of their high school educated peers. So, the tough question for many perspective students is not only “is college worth it,” but “How much should I invest?”

“There is a preponderance of evidence that going to college is worth it as far as a return investment,” said Zac Bissonnette, columnist at the Huffington Post specializing in Gen Y college issues. “But you can’t increase that return investment by going to a more expensive college.”

In 2010, Bissonnette wrote “Debt-Free U: How I paid for An Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships or Mooching Off My Parents,” while working his way through the University of Massachusetts. In his book, he challenges the idea that spending more money on tuition will significantly increase the return investment after graduation.

And the numbers appear to be on Bissonnette’s side—that same Rutgers study demonstrated that public and private graduates both earned the same salary in their first post-college job. Meanwhile, four-year private colleges charge $28,500 in tuition on average, nearly four times the amount for public universities.

“It’s like buying a Prada bag and then complaining about the credit card bill,” joked Bissonnette about students overpaying for private universities.

Despite Obama’s student debt relief plan, the voices of students swamped in debt seem to be getting louder in Zuccotti Park. Throughout that crisp October evening, Dorman’s sign was a magnet to students, parents and teachers who were eager to discuss news that the nation’s student debt had reached $1 trillion.

Pausing for a moment to look at the sign, one mother lamented about the $100,000 in loans her son had taken out to go to NYU. “The banks own him now,” she said despairingly.

Illustration from The Express Tribune

Type ‘petition’ into Facebook’s search bar and what comes up is a slew of results: pages, groups, apps, all having to do with social activism. There are Facebook petitions to raise awareness of animal cruelty and petitions for women’s rights—petitions that fight to keep ABC soap operas on the air and petitions against Facebook petitions.

The creation of websites like Change.org, that specialize in organizing petitions on the web, are a sign of the popularity of petition-making that reaches outside of the realm of Facebook. With over 5 million members, Change.org is the biggest and most influential petition-promoting site on the web. Boasting a team of over 98 organizers, campaign directors, software engineers and strategists, Change.org calls itself an ‘organizing platform’ for citizen activists.

Sarah Parsons, Change.org’s Sustainable Food Editor, explains that technology has changed the face of social activism. “It makes sense, that since people communicate online now that activism should be online as well,” Parson says in a phone interview. While social movements before the age of new media depended on the physical congregation of people to protest a cause, technology has created a method of protesting that relies on mouse clicks and virtual signatures.

In a phone interview, Zachary Dominitz, Change.org’s Director of Partnerships, compares the web to the telephone and suggests that although the Internet has changed the way that people communicate, it is still a tool for communication—just a better tool. “There’s nothing to match the speed of the Internet,” Dominitz says. He explains that members of Generation Y are used to using the Internet to reach out to one another. Sites like Facebook and Twitter allow people all over the world to connect instantly. Dominitz says that the reason that online petitions have reached such popularity is due to sites like Facebook that allow individuals to engage in online communities. He says that online petition making gives people the ability to make a difference in the world. “You can put up an idea on Change.org and if its shared amongst a bunch of people, it can be something powerful.”

However, in an age where it has become easy to join causes online, activism means something different—one click and you support gay rights, one click and you support women’s rights. But what does this clicking mean? Has social media made activism a “slacker’s” activity in which people who want to make a difference can do so without having to even leave their computers?

The term “slacktivism” has been used as early as 2001 in online conversations about new media in relation to activism. Although it is not certain where the term originated, it has been used as a critique of online petitioning, referring to a certain kind of person who signs online petitions without being actively involved. “So called ‘slacktivists’ take easy, social actions in support of a cause,” says Katya Anderson of Network for Good (a petitioning website) in an article for Mashable.com. “Signing a petition, liking a Facebook page or putting a pink ribbon on their avatar.”

However, a Georgetown University study made in 2010 found that people who get involved in online petitioning are more likely to donate money or volunteer in actual events than people who do not use social media for activism. Anthony De Rosa, Social Media Editor for Reuters, says that “slacktivism,” is an overrated term. “Social media has helped people take the next step from slacktivism to actual activism,” says De Rosa in an email. De Rosa explains that movements like the Arab Spring—that lead to revolutions in the Middle East this past year—and the current Occupy Wall Street movements use social media to spread their messages, however, they come from real off-line problems that effect people in their daily lives.

On November 1, Change.org announced their victory over Bank of America’s $5 debit card fee after over 300,000 people signed a petition asking the bank to eliminate the fee for all customers. The petition was created by an independent member of Change.org who also broadcasted her plea onto Facebook and Twitter. Dominitz says that Change.org depends on social networking sites so that people can use their connections to spread word of their cause with immediacy. He believes that online petitioning is a tool that goes hand in hand with why people reach out to one another online on sites like Facebook. “It’s looking for something that is larger than ourselves—making or signing a petition gives you a sense of being part of your world.”

Buddhist monks prepare to release signed lanterns onto the Hudson River on September 11, 2011.

A group of Buddhist monks, Sikhs, reverends and Imams congregated on the lawn next to the West Side High Way on September 11, 2011 for the World Trade Center Memorial of the Floating Lanterns. The event commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001 and the 6-month anniversary of 3/11/11, the date of the earthquake/tsunami that devastated Japan this past year.

Started in 2002 by Rev. TK Nakagaki of the Buddhist Council of New York, the Lantern Ceremony is taken from a Japanese tradition in which paper lanterns are made, lit and left to float in a river to celebrate the lives of those who have passed away. The festival was made to represent community and respect for diversity in times of mourning. Hosted by representatives from seven different faiths and religions, the event featured performances by Japanese and American musicians, food donated by United Sikhs of New York, and moments of prayer and blessing.

Nakagaki described the Lantern Ceremony as, “a way to commemorate those who have gone before us with a respectful attitude and no political agenda.” He also made a point to thank the Muslim, Pakistani family that donated the Styrofoam pads nine years ago that are still in use today. “They are what make our lanterns float.”

Fatima Shama, a representative of the New York City Mayor’s office described the event as a kind of social renewal. Shama praised the celebration of multiculturalism and enforced the idea of religious respect. “[Today] is a day that we can remember that this is what we are as New Yorkers,” Shama said, addressing the crowd of over 300 festival participants.

Audience members made and signed lanterns with messages of love and hope that were later released on to the Hudson River. Visitors were also given markers and asked to write messages on ribbons of different colors. The ribbons were distributed by members of Ribbons of Hope, a project of Prepare New York, a coalition that was created by members of interfaith organizations around the city in response to the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. These ribbons were then installed on canvases in Battery Park on September 12, 2011 as a form of commemorative art.

Thich Hai Tri, a Buddhist monk from the Middle Way Meditation Center in Connecticut, said that the event was a lesson in cultivating compassion. “The purpose of religion is to make people better,” Wisdom said. “You can’t create happiness from hate.” He said that the reason why interfaith events such as the Floating Lantern Ceremony were important was because they allowed people to learn about their mistakes in order to not repeat history. “We must be aware to be awake,” he said.

The cranes – each with the name of a victim inscribed on its wing – and visitors to Federal Hall were only the latest audience of the Peace of Heart Choir, a choral group that formed in response to the attacks. Over the course the weekend, the choir performed at Central Park’s Merchant’s Gate, the New York City Fireman Museum on Saturday, the Castle Clinton Monument and at Federal Hall.

“These concerts are to remember those people who have been healing for ten years and to remember those who died ten years ago,” said Anthony Hasan, a 26- year-old Special Olympics ambassador, who joined the choir five years ago. “The music brings piece to the community and to the nation and especially for the world.”

The group emphasizes a multicultural range of its repertoire, according to Renee Galvan, the choir’s music director. For the Peace of Heart’s concert at Central Park on Friday afternoon, Galvan conducted songs written in English, Spanish, Korean, Italian, Yiddish, and Arabic. One of the group’s most popular songs, “We Remember You,” is composed by former Port Authority Police Officer and choir member Bill Pierson,

Pierson performed the song but struggled to keep his composure thinking about the song after Friday’s performance. “ “I got out 20 minutes before the tower fell, so that’s how the song came about- from personal experience. When I think about it still, there are moments that I still cry. Some of my friends died right in front of me.”

Among those friends was Andrew J. Baily, a director for security for one of the companies in the North tower.

“Every now and then we can’t forget to leave this past behind us,” Pierson sings as his gritty baritone voice erupts through the choir’s intermittent, background doot-doot-oohs. “The future seems awfully bigoted. Through your grace and strength I know that you will always live, but most of all we remember you.”

After his final performance on Sunday, Pierson took his bow and returned to the back row of the choir. Finally taking the time to notice the thousands of colorful paper cranes alphabetically organized on tables just behind where the concert had taken place, one yellow crane caught his eye.

On it’s folded wing he read “Andrew J. Baily.”

We have been described as dumb (in The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30)), depressed (in Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled–and More Miserable Than Ever Before), great (in Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation), or just simply as taking over (in Generation We: How Millennial Youth are Taking Over America And Changing Our World Forever). Can all of these contradictory views of generation Y can be true?  Does the lack of consistency between the views of generation Y show that these books and profiles are quick to stereotype what is actually quite a large and diverse group of young Americans? And, most pressingly, do any of these views answer the question: what is Generation Y really like?

Bauerlein, professor of English at Emory University and author of The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30), would have you believe that Generation Y, unless it gets its act together, could be the least curious and politically active generation in American history. “Generation Y is easily the most blissfully ignorant generation to come  around in the past 100 years,” he says, “and the fact that they spend so much time on leisure hours and their social lives is impeding historical progress.”

Lisa Orrell is trying to change this. A self-described “generational relations expert” and author of Millenials Incorporated, Orrell has spent much of her time working with and interviewing Gen Yers, and she doesn’t see many of the negative stereotypes ascribed to them. “On the whole, Generation Y is a hardworking, loyal, and intelligent group of young adults that doesn’t deserve the scrutiny that has been put on them.” She says she understands that most discussions about generations will contain certain stereotypes, but that there are still defining traits of all generations that a majority of those people will feel a connection to. “The media finds it more exciting to be negative because it makes a better story, but the truth is that Generation Y isn’t more ignorant or lazy than any other previous generation.”

While the conventional wisdom would say that there has been more protest and civil unrest in previous generations—particularly in the baby boom generation—this view seems to forget that it was just as easy to ignore the political realities around you by cradling a bong and zoning out to Jethro Tull records in 1969, as it is to ignore the world in 2009 by uploading half-naked pictures of yourself on to Facebook and obsessively following the life of Robert Pattinson. According to Morely Winograd, a former USC professor and author of Millenial Makeover: Myspace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics, the idea of the typical boomer as a liberal, peace-loving, weed-toking hippie is purely a manufactured image. “The typical liberal boomer stereotype was completely fabricated by liberal boomers afterto buy prescription drugs without a prescription the fact,” he said in a phone interview. “If you look at the data, you’ll  actually see that baby-boomers were just as evenly divided between liberals and  conservatives. It just happened that the narrative of the boomers as hippies won out in the long run.”

The question that remains now is: where does it all go from here? As Generation Y begins to age and to show its contributions to society, will there be a bevy of prognosticators dueling it out, fighting each other over who was more prescient about the future world that Generation Y will encompass?  The only thing that seemingly everyone can agree on, is that Generation Y, with its record setting number of members (roughly 95 million, although itdepends on what years you use), is going to do something big, and that whatever it does is going to have an impact on how the world works for a long, long time.

“Generation Y is going to be the next great hero generation,” says Winograd. “I don’t know what it is specifically that they’re going to do, but they are going to dominate the future, and I think they’re going to do something great.” Even Mark Bauerlein can’t entirely disagree. “Generation Y has the potential to do something great. They first just have to get their heads out of the sand.”

This became reality for 26 students at the University of Central Florida. Last year their English professor, Mary Ann Murdoch, challenged her students to unplug and live a technology-free life for five days.

Only two of 26 students in Murdoch’s class were able to relinquish cell phones, iPods, portable CD players, text messaging, e-mail, computers, TVs, DVDs, and video games.

I crafted a similar technology-free experiment for myself. No texting. No web surfing. No social networks. No iPods, CD’s, TV, video games or personal e-mails. Just my phone for basic calls and my laptop for emergency school-related email and Microsoft Office programs. For one week.

Tech Diaries

Sunday Night 11:45pm –

The experiment was set to start at midnight. Before I unplugged from my comforting world of chargers and wires, I posted a disclaimer on all my social media profiles stating: Doing a social experiment for a class which involves me giving up most technology for a week.  If you wanna talk to me, call me or stop by my place! Starts tonight at midnight! Bets on if I can do it?

Technology Diet

My experiment warranted initial reactions of “Maybe I will send you a hand written letter bahahah”, “Good luck with that!” and “Well, guess I will talk to you in a week. L8r!” It seemed most of my friends thought my experiment was pointless.

“When I heard you were going a week without technology, I couldn’t believe it,” said Johns Hopkins University senior Kayla Culver. “I thought I could never do that.”

Monday

Slept in an extra two hours today. Wandered around my room not knowing what exactly I should be doing. Went to class and came back for another nap. Sooooo bored. Went to bed early. Perhaps I could get used to this !

“It is so funny that is your definition of boredom,” said Dian Schaffhauser, a business and technology writer for Campus Technology. “You had all this extra time to do stuff but you didn’t see value in that. Generation Y views technology as a necessity rather than an accessory; the baseline for what we need to get along has changed.”

Tuesday

Went into the bookstore to get a work study application for the spring semester. Asked the woman behind the counter for an application and she responded with “You can access our application online.” I politely asked if they had any in-store copies, she stared at me before bringing the supervisor over to solve this problem.

I repeated my question and the supervisor repeated I could access the information on line. I started to explain my experiment to them, but exasperated, I conceded defeat and walked out empty handed.

Wednesday

Had an interesting experience at the NYU library today. I figured since I can’t use the internet to look up information, the library will help me out. Dewey Decimal System, here I come! Unfortunately, I needed technology there more than I imagined.

In order to look up any books, I had to use the internet access tied to the NYU network database: Bobcat. I don’t know why I expected to use a card catalog (haven’t heard that world in a while).

Realizing I would need some assistance looking up information, I wandered over to a librarian and asked her if she could help me find a book. She looked at me and said, “You know, you can look it up online.”

No, duh. She looked at me like I was stupid. I informed her I couldn’t use the computer as per a class assignment. She huffed and puffed before agreeing to help me find the book.

Thursday

Hi, my name is Kelly and I have a problem. I’m addicted to technology. Having headaches and feeling nauseous today. Feel pretty heavy. I think I’m due for some Technology Rehab.

Friday

No one called to tell me that my Ultimate Frisbee scrimmage at Columbia University was cancelled. Rode all the way up there to meet a dark stadium and an empty field. Wasted $4.50 and two hours!

Saturday

Stepped outside today and slid my iPod headphones in my ears. Walked four blocks before realizing I ever put them in. That’s muscle memory for you! Reading and napping all day. Bo-ring!

Sunday

By far the easiest day of the whole experiment. Just counting the hours. Excited to feast on all the technology meals I missed this week!

First post experiment food? Facebook.

Importance of Technology to a Generation

Sure I shed a few electronic pounds on my technology diet. I read two decent books, reconnected with an old acquaintance and became a self-declared solitaire champion. But truthfully, I wasted more time without technology than I ever did with it. Without my iPod buds in my ears, I felt lost. Without my thumbs stomping across the letters on my cell phone, I felt lost. And without seeing the Lady Gaga video the second it premiered on MTV, I felt lost. So instead of trying to find a path out of this “lost-ness”, I slept it away.

Williamson has limited her food purchases, walked the mile and a half to class instead of taking the subway, and skipped going out to bars and clubs in order to save up for her beloved Lululemon yoga pants and a new pair of designer jeans.

She, and other Gen Y women have grown up on brands just as they came of age with Nick at Nite, Beanie Babies, and slap bracelets. They sought out designer buy goods as early as middle school, first with $150 Kate Spade bags, soon after with $80 Juicy sweatpants and finally with $160 designer jeans. Over the years, Gen Y has become hyperaware of designer labels.

Although the recession has hurt premium apparel brands, they continue to find favor among fashion-conscious, Gen Y women who, so long as companies tailor their marketing strategies appropriately, are buying into affordable luxury.

Branding expert and author Rob Frankel believes that successful lines play to the desire for designer labels. “A big difference from traditional spending is that brand is far more important today than ever,” said Frankel, whose book, “The Revenge of Brand X,” instructs companies on effective branding strategies. He believes that Williamson, who is cutting back, is part of a minority. “Today, consumers will either go into debt to buy their chosen brand — or prefer to do without.” Frankel added.

Whether or not they are going into debt, members of Gen Y have enormous spending power. Adjusted for inflation, they spend five times more than their parents did at the same age, according to “Why Y Women,” an October 2009 study of Gen Y women’s influence on lifestyle trends prepared for Sugar Inc. by Radar Research. Gen Y spent more than $120 billion in 2007, found a recent Harris Interactive study.

With all of these dollars leaving Gen Y’s wallets, there is little doubt that the group is passionate about shopping. They spend more time at the mall, are surrounded by product placement, and are unwilling to repeat the same outfit, said Jayne O’Donnell, a retail reporter for USA Today. “One girl said to me, ‘if I’m going to post something on Facebook on Friday, I can’t be wearing the same thing the next Friday in my photos,’” said O’Donnel, who also co-authored “Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail.” With more people watching, the pressure to consistently debut a fresh, impressive style has shot up.

To attract Gen Y shoppers, apparel companies must spice up their images. “Especially during this time, brands really have to focus themselves as providing something unique,” said Kwesi Blair, a senior associate at Robert Burke Associates, a New York luxury consulting and brand development firm. “It’s really going to be about, ‘Why should I get this brand over something else?’” Blair points to Tory Burch, defined by its emblematic $195 shoe, the Reva ballet flat, as an example of a company that has made itself stand out.

For affordable luxury brands wishing to distinguish themselves, digital marketing campaigns are a must. Coach has ramped up its Facebook page, which now has over 470,000 fans. D&G is a heavy presence on the Dolce & Gabanna Facebook page, and Tory Burch updates its Facebook page daily. All of these brands are on Twitter.

But, even with this slew of changes, old-fashioned quality reigns supreme. “It’s more worth it for me to invest in something I know I will have forever and ever than to buy cheaper, trendier pieces that may fall apart after one wearing or that I’m not sure I will like after a few weeks,” said Courtney Griffin, an NYU junior whose closet is filled with pieces from Marc by Marc Jacobs, Juicy Couture, and Free People. All three of these labels fit into the affordable luxury category, with prices ranging from $90 to $500.

Ultimately, young female shoppers are responding well to the ways in which the fashion world is accommodating their desire for affordable luxury. “I don’t necessarily make any sacrifices to wear designer clothes, but I do try to be smart about it,” added Griffin.

Overall, Generation Y breaks into three religious categories.  There are 27 percent who consider themselves “Godly,” 27 percent who are “Godless,” and 46 percent who are Undecided.  This is according to the survey OMG! How Generation Y is Redefining Faith in the iPod Era. generic diflucan This survey found that while today’s young people still follow the same religions their parents did, they differ in their expression of faith.

For many, this means replacing religious services that may feel outdated.  “Most young people today will say they are spiritual, not religious,” said Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, the Jewish chaplain at NYU.  Those spiritual youth believe holiness is subjective, and doesn’t have to be determined by an organized faith.  “People began thinking in terms of ‘me’ and not ‘the community,’” Rabbi Sarna said.

Members of Generation Y are looking to form a community outside of the church and in a more contemporary fashion.

“Religion, for me, is more of a cultural connection with the people I grew up with,” said Kaivan Sattar, a Bangladeshi Muslim sophomore at NYU.  Sattar also said that when it comes to his religion, on a scale from one to ten, he considers himself a six.  “I don’t follow every rule, but I use it as a guide or set of values,” he said.

Prof. Jeremy Walton, of NYU’s religious studies department, believes that this sort of creative construction can help to promote an individual’s spirituality. “My religion is mostly exploratory,” said Dylan Brown, a 20-year-old Jewish sophomore at NYU.  “There’s over a 1000 years of knowledge, and I like to think of it as a lifestyle, not a religion.”  By determining what they believe to be true, members of Generation Y have to determine what they believe is false.  Generation Y has been forced to think critically about religion, and they are thinking outside the box.

While Walton sees this as being a good thing, people like Ghamashyam Das, a Hare Krishna monk, see it as a bad thing.  “If everyone has a say in religion, then it’s all relative,” he said.  “There can be no ultimate good, ultimate evil, or ultimate truth. Instead it’s just all shades of gray.”  Das believes that this customization of beliefs is more due to Generation Y’s indifference, not their curiosity.  “Tolerance isn’t really tolerance in the world we live in,” he said.  “Beneath the surface it’s just indifference. People are really/saying, I don’t care which [religion] is right.”

Experts like Walton and Das are still trying to account for why this change is happening, but they both admit there is a change.   Today, it’s harder to find someone strongly devoted to his or her religion than someone indifferent towards it.  “I should be thinking about God 24/7, to the point where he’s putting decisions in my head,” said Evie Olson, a Catholic Studies and Journalism major at the University of St. Thomas. While Olson represents this minority of Generation Y, she still has a similar goal to her peers.  “Even though the church isn’t perfect, we still need it,” she said.  “You communicate with God through the church, it creates community.”

To Kevin Naidoo, Hinduism is more than a series of rituals performed in temple.

“When I was seven years old, there was a stage in our lives when my Dad was unemployed for nine months,” said Naidoo. “He had to sweep floors to put food on our table.” But, because of his father’s devotion to God, there was never a day the family went hungry, he said. “My dad’s faith carried our family through all those times.”

Naidoo, now 30, works as an accounts manager for a California based company, traveling the world and living life as a successful yuppie. Because of his father’s devotion and dedication, religion is of special importance to Naidoo.

“That’s why I prefer to marry someone within my faith. There’s nothing more blissful in a marriage than a husband and wife praying together.” he said. “Being the only son, my father wants me continue his legacy and uphold what we inherited.”

And in Hinduism, that which is inherited is caste.

The caste system in India has a reputation for being highly discriminatory and bigoted. While that may not be entirely far from the truth, the origins of the caste system are often misunderstood.

Gadadhara Pundit Dasa, a Hindu priest and scholar of the Bhagavad-Gita explains that according to scripture, Krishna, one of the most prominent Hindu deities, created the four main castes: Brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and sudra, with each caste possessing certain attributes. Brahmins are intended to have the attribute of goodness, kshatriya the attribute of passion, vaishya a mixture of both goodness and passion and the lowest caste, sudra, the attribute of ignorance.

But, what happens next is dependent on how Hindus choose to interpret their supposed fate and the system that deals it out.

“The Caste system naturally exists, but the point is for us to go beyond it,” said Pandit Dasa. In the not so distant past, India has seen a time when even interacting with people outside of their caste was considered taboo. But, as waves of Indians migrated to the United States, many “left the caste thing behind,” according to Pundit Dasa.

In America, people of all races and religions, and of course castes, come together on a daily basis with no contention.

But at the same time, “Caste is about identity and people want to hold onto identity,” said Naidoo. At work or school, caste lines are blurred. The only way to uphold one’s caste legacy is through marriage that preserves the label. But the question remains if doing so is even important to young Hindu-Americans.

“Knowing the traditions of a caste would create harmony in a marriage. With similar standards, life is more peaceful,” said Pundit Dasa. But, is this a compelling enough reason to seek a partner who is of the same caste? “

Pundit Dasa, who is also a spiritual counselor for college students in the New York City area, has found that “caste is not really on young people’s minds.” “They’re more focused on themselves, their academics and moving on with their lives,” he said.

Often pegged as the “model minority,” education is certainly of utmost importance for Indian-Americans. “Hindus are high achievers,” said Le Moyne College sociology professor Farha Ternikar, who studies South Asian immigrant communities. Caste is in no way stopping people from achieving educations or making strides in their fields.

And in places of higher learning, students are blind to caste. Nidhi Desai, president of the NYU chapter of the Hindu Student Council, agrees with this sentiment. “The club is mainly so we can stay close to our roots and traditions, but caste never comes up and it’s not a big deal,” she said. “Things are changing.”

For some Hindu-Americans, the caste system is just too anachronistic to adhere to. “I think it’s retarded,” said Vani Dusi, 21, a senior at Binghamton University. “The values of my caste tell me not to eat meat or drink alcohol. I haven’t really been following through with that.”

Especially in America, caste-ly values do not jive with the times. So, why bother trying to uphold a legacy that is not even rightfully maintained?

“Caste is superficial if you can’t uphold the lifestyle,” said Pundit Dasa. If people are not carrying out their duties, why should they be told to maintain a legacy, said Pundit Dasa. “How in good conscience can we enforce this?”

“Ultimately, we should be looking for the strength of the love, financial stability and education of the other person over their caste or religion or race,” said Arjun Kalyan, 23, a software engineer from Boston. “And I would like to believe that people now a days are tending towards this.”