Hey, you ok? Yeah, I am so sick of this Generation debate too, and it’s been ongoing like FOREVER! I am getting so tired of the “Generation Z are like this”, “Millennials don’t do that”, “Boomers destroyed the world”, etc, etc, etc. Negativity gets clicks, people! Have you learnt nothing? The online hate generator is hungry for your clicks.

As a dedicated member of Generation X, I can confirm that irrespective of the generation you birthed into, your needs, wants, ideas etc are different to the generation that preceeded you and will be different to the generation that followed you. You will be dismissive of the previous generations music (but you will come around to the best bits of it. Eventually.) You will be dismissive of the next generations music (you might not come around to it at all – and that’s fine, it’s their music, let them have it). You will think your era spawned the best fashion, music, art, movies, culture, food, the whole nine yards. And you’re right! And every generation has the right to that thought, because it was the thought of their time.

These generational messages pervade the media, they pervade LinkedIn, they are everywhere and it is just a load of nonsense. Every generation has it’s own set of challenges. My parents generation were post-war and knew real poverty. My generation lived with the threat of nuclear armegeddon every few weeks, so when there was a recent threat of nuclear escalation (Russia Vs Ukraine) we were like ‘Yeah, whatever, man. We’ve seen this show before’. Millennials and Gen Z are facing some of the toughest times financially and socially. Every generation has its challenges and every generation finds its own solutions. Plus, they will do it without the click-bait articles bemoaning or supporting a particular generational advantage or disadvantage. Just leave them get on with it. It’s a false culture war.

The Romans and the Greeks denounced their youth and their wayward ways. It’s been going on forever. So let’s just drop the generational tropes. We’re better than that. Because ultimately, there is no way to win in this life. We’re all going to die. No-one makes it out alive. To quote Doug Stanhope “Let’s get out there and brutalize ourselves and laugh at those certain pricks who take it seriously. Like there is any way to win at this”.

Exactly.