There seems to have been a recent influx in the amount of stories addressing the attitudes that the old and new generations have toward one another. Older generations tend to view millennials as entitled, narcissistic, and lazy. In turn, millennials think of their older counterparts as outdated, bigoted, and irrelevant. This is not a new development as older generations tend to have lofty expectations for the younger as they see them as having far more opportunities and resources than they had at the same age. A 1993 article in Newsweek is a good example of how generational conflict is a recurring issue.
This divide between the age groups is exemplified in current events such as Brexit and the US presidential elections. Conflicting ideologies between the predominantly conservative boomers and liberal millennials factor largely into this. Some millennials seem to believe that members of the older generations should not have the right to vote based on the fact that they are deciding the future for the next generation. An older British citizen who voted leave in Brexit expressed his frustration at this view in a Guardian article. “Just because I am older, my opinion is to be ignored or seen as being of less worth. You could say that as I have worked for over 40 years, paid more into society than any young person I, therefore, have more at stake to lose. My opinion is far more valid.”
This kind of resentment is prevalent in both age brackets. Millennials on Brexit’s remain side took to social media to vent their frustration at the older generation voting to leave the European Union. One individual took to Facebook saying, “Where did it all go so wrong baby boomers? You were handed by your parents: peace in Europe, education for all, a welfare state worthy of the name, the NHS [National Health Service], bomb-proof pensions, early retirement, the Rolling Stones. But it was never enough was it?”
Similar instances are common in the United States as millennials tended to support different presidential candidates than those selected by respective party officials.
While the friction between the age groups can be found easily, we should be able to carry on a conversation with an older individual without generalizing him or her based on age. From personal experience, what members of the older generations want, is respect for their experiences and a willingness to learn. Millennials do not have to agree with what their elders say, but should have enough respect to listen.
Another issue that dominates communication between age groups is a lack of understanding of the state of progress in their time frames. Boomers usually do not understand what millennials find so fascinating about technology or why we always seem to be on our phones. We also do not understand the way boomers view the world as we have no frame of reference for it and we do not know how we would view the world with more years of experience.
So perhaps rather than making vast generalizing comments about an entire generation, both older and younger individuals should attempt to understand the mindset of those in a different age group.
