What's with the massive increase in this idea (an actual meme?) that people in their twenties are the "deceived generation"? I'm willing to accept that since I'm in my twenties I just notice it more since it's my friends and acquaintances making these noises- older members, did you guys experience something similar? It really seems to be an underlying thread to a whole series complaints. In the UK and the US (the only two countries I know about) there's a litany of complaints about how a degree doesn't lead to a job anymore, how the rich[=old] have crafted a system where they profit massively, and now how being told "you're special" has led to people being shit.
I think what it comes down to is entitlement. Every generation seems to think that the next generation feels entitled. I'm guessing my grandfather thought that my father's generation had a problem with this, my father likely thinks that my generation does too. Most people when they are younger have large ambitions that can often stretch beyond the realm of possibilities. This is a good thing IMO as it can push us closer to the plausible. When we get older, we see the confines of possibility and work within that. I don't think it's a lie when people tell children that they are "special" or have potential. The lie is selling them the notion that they are guaranteed to stay that way.