<p>Countless articles and countless comments have been made on this topic. It’s always one against the other. The Boomer vs Generation X and Y. Generation X vs Generation Y. Or more simply put: Older People vs Younger People. But my question is what drives this? </p>
<p>Do older people really froth about how younger people don’t work hard enough and have entitlement issues? </p>
<p>Or is it true? Are they right? </p>
<p>Or do the adults simply forget what it’s like to be young? To have to world as their oyster. </p>
<p>This simple musing has come up due to recent events. Adults throwing comments such as…</p>
<p>*“You’re young.” </p>
<p>“You’re only 19. You have no experience.” </p>
<p>“You have a lot to learn, kiddo.”*</p>
<p>And of course:</p>
<p>* “Things were different when I was growing up. We looked up to our elders. We held the doors for them. We stood up when they walked in. We got out of our seats for them.”*</p>
<p>Yes. I have heard this. My English teacher went on a rant one morning. </p>
<p>I have various testimonies from teenagers and young adults just like me. All along the same lines. </p>
<p>*“Don’t they understand that we grew up in 9/11? Things are different now. We’re different from them.”</p>
<p>“We’re a digital generations in which they’ll never understand.”*</p>
<p>But at the same time do we youngins forget that some of you guys grew up in the Vietnam War? That the majority of your time was spent “outside” where there was no need the lock the doors?</p>
<p>Are we really that different? Or is it ye ol’ generation gap and fantasized memories getting in the way? </p>
<p>If anyone wants to point out the major differences between your generation and the current generation, please do.</p>
<p>Actually, none of us grew up in WWII. That was generally our parents or much older siblings. To have grown up then, one needs to be over 70 years old now.</p>
<p>I just think there will always be a them versus us when it comes to generations. I think all the comments you made could have applied to my parents’ generation versus my generation as well as my generation versus your generation. And so on and so on . . .</p>
<p>I make a special effort never to do this–it’s a sure sign that one is becoming a geezer. I hate it when people make comparisons between old and young. Sure, there are probably differences, but so what? Events like wars/terrorism that occur when one is growing up shape the world view of each generation. Nothing earth shattering about that.</p>
<p>It’s nice to see what events shaped the different generations. Like a couple of you said, the world is changing. Let’s ruminate of how these changes changed our generations.</p>
<p>The world is NOT changing for better, it is changing for worse. Very few in all generations across see it though, it is not a generation, it is certain experiences that some people have vs people who do not have experiences but rather listen to others without much of the analysis / thinking. Taking words at face value is very dangerous in the era of liers…</p>
<p>“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”</p>
<p>This needs to be posted over on the kid got caught with pot thread.</p>
<p>Approaching codgerhood myself, I think I have observed some behaviour by older people that falls into the category of being quite upset about the possibility that someone else might be having a good time…at anything. That part of things is too bad.</p>
<p>As an oldie - I don’t see much difference myself. Sure we didn’t have cell phones and computers but I still don’t see a lot of differences. All generations yearn for love and acceptance, for money and romance, to do better than their parents or at least no worse, to be healthy and happy. Isn’t that true for everone?</p>
<p>There are some differences - there are always differences, of course, between generations driven by popular culture, technology, etc…but human nature is pretty much the same.</p>
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