I'm only a Gen-X er, so my opinion may not count, but the participation trophy jealousy is the only thing I raise an eyebrow at in this whole piece (which I love, and I also love Heartburn, and I think what Carly Simon meant with the "good morning, dear" is the dry white toast eating man who stares with dead eyes out the window as he says the obligatory "good morning dear" without even seeing who he's talking to because he's in a boring, cul-de-sac marriage).

I hate those trophies, hate the idea of them, think they reduce the impact of the trophies that are earned from hard work, practice, and skill. (This is coming from someone who always got last place in ski competitions as a kid, who never won anything, and who always wanted a trophy, by the way - but for having won, not for having showed up.)

One of the valuable lessons learned from not always being "seen," not always being told "You are Special," is the awareness as one walks through the world that each person is NOT special to the rest of the world, and people WON'T see you, and hurt feelings or losing or tripping and not being coddled are part of life (which, maybe contrary to today's expectations, isn't necessarily a bad thing).

I think participation trophies (and the like) helped create an inward-looking perspective as well as less of an ability to accept that you won't always be a winner, you won't always be noticed, you won't always be rewarded simply for existing. Nor, IMO, should we be. (It's exhausting to give the required amount of attention to a whole world of people who need it. What if, instead, they explore and embrace their intrinsic value?)