I don't think so. Let $T$ be an $F$-stable torus. A character of $T^F$ is in general position if its stabiliser under $N_G(T')/T'$ N_G(T)/T$is trivial. I assume by generic you mean "obtained by Deligne-Lusztig induction from a character in general position". (These are exactly the characters which appear in MacDonald's conjecture, and are therefore "generic".) In this setting the Steinberg character is the opposite of generic. It appears, for example, when one induces the trivial character from a split torus (and I think it occurs in the Deligne-Lusztig induction from any$F$-stable torus, but am not sure). For example, in$SL_2$the (Harish-Chandra = Deligne-Lusztig) induction of the trivial character yields$1 + St$and Deligne-Ludztig induction of the trivial character from the non-split torus yields$1 - St$. 3 added 11 characters in body I don't think so. Let$T$be an$F$-stable torus. A character of$T^F$is in general position if its stabiliser under$N_G(T')/T'$is trivial. I assume by generic you mean "obtained by Deligne-Lusztig induction from a character in general position". (These are exactly the characters which appear in MacDonald's conjecture, and are therefore "generic".) In this setting the Steinberg character is the opposite of generic. It appears, for example, when one induces the trivial character from a split torus (and I think it occurs in the Deligne-Lusztig induction from any$F$-stable torus, but am not sure). For example, in$SL_2$the (Harish-Chandra = Deligne-Lusztig) induction of the trivial character yields$1 + St$and Deligne-Ludztig induction of the trivial character from the non-split torus yields$1 - St$. 2 added 18 characters in body; added 25 characters in body I don't think so. Let$T$be an$F$-stable torus. A character of$T^F$is in general position if its stabiliser under$N_G(T')/T'$is trivial. I assume by generic you mean "obtained by Deligne-Lusztig induction from a character in general position". (These are exactly the characters which appear in MacDonald's conjecture, and are therefore "generic".) In this setting the Steinberg character is the opposite of generic. It appears, for example, when one induces the trivial character from a split torus (and I think it occurs in the Deligne-Lusztig induction from any torus, but am not sure). For example, in$SL_2$the (Harish-Chandra) Harish-Chandra = Deligne-Lusztig) induction of the trivial character yields$1 + St$and Deligne-Ludztig induction of the trivial character from the non-split torus yields$1 - St\$.