It’s time to stop the senior discounts and the disrespecting of teenage workers. And baby boomers are the prime suspects in the perpetual war between old people and my generation. Empathy sometimes seems to missing from the classic boomer when it comes to generational teamwork, and more times than not, it is undeservedly aimed at younger generations. It is common knowledge that the economy has plummeted several times as a result of reckless spending by boomers. In the past, banks used to face the possible punishment of bankruptcy for lousy business practices, but no longer, and it isn’t millennials or zoomers who are at the root of that particular problem.

The generation gap seems larger than ever today. For instance, some members of older generations struggle with the prevalence of technology in today’s society. Pairing their impatience with the every-expanding, ever-changing world of technology seems to only push us further and further apart.

My generation’s adeptness with technology has created an explosion of “meme culture.” No longer do we have to wait for the Sunday newspaper for yet another Garfield comic strip complaining about Mondays. Our deep rooted connection with the internet has changed our humor, and as a result, the most common images we might find hysterical often confuses
boomers entirely.   

As a result of social media and my peers’ connection through memes, slang has become common in today’s society. But hearing old people use terms like “radical,” “whippersnapper,” and “back in my day” evokes physical and emotional discomfort in people my age. Using words like that can change the way my generation views anyone born before the invention of the smartphone. Old people get infuriated hearing phrases like “Okay boomer,” but it doesn’t matter if you have gray hair or a single wrinkle on your face, if you have a single complaint about someone younger than you, you’re automatically going to be called a “boomer,” no questions asked.

So why all the hate? Why do younger generations make such sweeping assumptions about our elders and vice versa? It’s a phenomenon that’s been around forever. There’s a story about an artifact discovered from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur that bashed young people, saying that “If the unheard-of actions of today’s youth are allowed to continue, we are all doomed.” Generational warfare is so historically deep-rooted that, thousands of years later, we’re still blaming one another for our alleged shortcomings.

One thing that hopefully every generation can agree on is that all are responsible for one important task: we all, young and old alike, have a responsibility to set the standards for our society and to pay them forward for the future. We need to set each other up for success. Sure, we may get on each other’s nerves and we may push each other’s buttons, but we are all in this together and the sooner we put our differences aside, the sooner the world will be a much happier place.