Each year in June, my family takes a trip to the beach with my extended family of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. And every year I take notice of the different attitudes each generation possesses.
Regardless of their political views and religious backgrounds—which are varied—each generation’s members have a similar perspective on the world. Those who grew up labeled Gen X like my father and his older siblings see the world in completely different ways from their younger Millennial siblings.
On the beaches of Pensacola while the waves crashed around us, I recall my father and his younger brother discussing how their generations are different from one another.
“You Millennials are soft,” my Gen X father would say. “Not like us; we’re the greatest generation.”
“We grew up with the best of both worlds,” my Millennial uncle would retort. “My generation was the last one to grow up with analog and the first to use digital.”
This generational warfare that defined that day on the beach is fascinating. Each of them viewed their worldview as superior to their brother’s. Why was there such a gap between the two of their perspectives about the world?
It got me thinking about how two men who shared the same house growing up and grew up in the same town in central Mississippi were so different just because they were born 11 years apart. Instead of focusing on the multitudes that unified them, the conversation was—playful as it may be—about how different they were.
Every generation sees the one that succeeds them as lazy and too sensitive, the same way every generation sees the one that preceded them as backwards and stuck in their ways. It’s how the world has always been, especially since the advent of sociology drew attention to generational differences.
I noticed that Gen X has this edge to them. They’re more preferential to tough love and masking emotions. Unlike their predecessors, Millennials are more understanding. They acknowledge that sometimes the world is hard, and you can’t always lift yourself up by your bootstraps.
Neither of these things is a net-positive or a negative, however.
The world’s the two generations were raised in are completely different. Gen X grew up in a world reeling from cultural changes and mistrust in government, thus the ‘do-it-yourself’ mentality, whereas Millennials were born into a world where society was changing at a rapid rate and the way the world was perceived shifted into the digital age.
The Gen X perception of Millennial’s as too sensitive or lazy is simply a reaction to seeing someone raised in a way you were not. It’s the same for Millennial’s complaining about antiquated world views or perspectives on mental health in previous generations. The world changes and so do the people that live in it, for better or worse.
Again, neither are good, neither are bad. Just different
Why should it matter whether Millennials aren’t as tough as Gen X or what styles Gen Z prefers over their older Millennial counterparts? Generational arguments like this, in my opinion, are just another way to divide people, masquerading as a unifier.
Let’s take the recent debate on social media over the differences between Millennials and Gen Z ‘Zoomers.’ My Twitter and TikTok feeds were full of observations about how Zoomers were superior because they didn’t wear the skinny jeans that Millennials wore, or who was more tolerant, whose childhood movies were better. The banter went on and on.
Instead of creating solidarity between Millennials or Zoomers that think their version of Spider-Man is the greatest adaptation of the character, the debate created hatred for the opposing ‘team.’ In reality, the aesthetic differences between the 90s and the 2000s weren’t that different.
A lot of the differences this generational ‘war’ was fought over are for naught.
Both Millennials and Zoomers grew up with their own versions of Nintendo, Disney, style and culture. The existence of one does not invalidate or discredit the other. The reason people are so defensive of the culture they grew up with, at least in a consumer, capital driven society, is nostalgia.
In the end, it’s nostalgia for the ‘good old times’ that makes every generation so adamantly defend what they grew up watching or doing. For each generation, however, these good times are different.
And now the people that grew up watching things in the late 90s and early 2000s are the ones determining what’s popular. That’s the reason why we are seeing a revival of shows like “iCarly.” You will always look back fondly on what you grew up with, and you’ll always defend it.
Generational nostalgia is a powerful thing. That’s why Gen X, Millennials and Zoomers will all fight tooth and nail to defend their favorite movie or defend the way they were raised.
It’s not about whether your generation is right or wrong. It’s about what each generation feels is right.
Domenic Purdy is a 20-year-old journalism junior from Prairieville.