Musings on the generational attitudes
Gen Z is where it's at!
Image courtesy of Sira Anamwong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
It's interesting to discuss a "better future" with members of the various generations. Boomers don't even acknowledge that there is such a thing! Gen X has been ignored for their entire lives; the response is along the lines of "screw you, I don't care". The Millennials have learned to happily live within their pessimism about the future; they say "sounds great!" and then return to Instagram and Fortnite and wearing RBG t-shirts. Thank goodness for Gen Z! They know that life sucks and they're coming up with Utopian visions of how things ought to be. How to get there is unfortunately beyond their experience.
I wonder how everyone will react when the impending economic collapse comes along? As long as the Boomers collect their Social Security until they die they'll ignore it as best they can. Gen X has scraped along for this long; will they finally take their anger out on the world? The Millennials, ever the indulged optimists, will continue with their "digital nomad" approach until priced out of the rental market; then what? Thank goodness for Gen Z! My guess is that they'll burn the place to the ground and accept the consequences, being either the inspiration for a new beginning or buried six feet under!
One of our favorite books is The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy - What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny, written in 1995. The authors (William Strauss and Neil Howe) prophesy that Gen X will be the ones to lead us out of the coming cataclysm. Will they step up? Can they step up??