Humans tend to unconsciously do what we do best in response to the imminence of change and diversity among us: we chunk, categorize and label. We do this to just about anything. This way, our brains have an easier time processing information.
One way we do this is between generations of people.
We take a major division of people who were born around a certain time, give them a name and then, develop a range of stereotypes that negatively reflect that generation in order to make other generations feel implicitly superior.
I started looking into the history of generation shaming after becoming exasperated with the negative rhetoric towards millennials.
Generation shaming dates all the way back to a Greek poet named, Hesiod.
He states, “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today.”
Sound familiar? Baby boomers are spoiled hippies, Generation X are a bunch of lazy slobs and of course, Millennials are whiny snowflakes.
Why do we always have to pick on the newbies? Especially when the generation who is doing the picking, is the one who raised that so-called failing generation.
I believe that generation shaming is an excellent way to get a bunch of independent free-thinkers to shut up.
When I reflect on my generation as a whole, I don’t experience what the media is talking about.
I feel that millennials are following a similar pattern to what many generations have done before them. Taking advantage of the latest technology, learning to educate ourselves more proficiently and making the world a more loving, accepting place.
When millennials advocate for equality, LGBT rights and cultural acceptance, people use this as fuel to say we are just creating ‘problems that don’t exist,’ but I believe that we are simply addressing the problem that got swept under the rug.
We can’t expect our parents’ generation to fix everything and what doesn’t get fixed usually becomes tradition, and we know how people become attached to tradition.
As developing generations grow up with a fresh pair of eyes, we identify things that we see unfit to continue on and guess what us young and lazy generations do… we fight it.
Our fight for change is not always an easy request for a lot of adults. They try to shut millennials down by claiming we are over dramatic crybabies, which has worked for them a few times.
I see some millennials even turning on their own generation, so they might have the chance to escape the stereotype.
Another thing millennials have fought for is empathy. I am proud to say my generation has been on the frontline fighting to end the stigma around mental illness. Opening the doors, so those who are not okay can get help.
Millennials have been fighting for the right to help transgender people feel safe, to end slut-shaming and to abolish the norms around rape culture, but we are not usually met with support.
It’s easier to not have to take our arguments seriously, when you can just call us ‘snowflakes’, right?
One day it’s going to be us millennials in charge and we have a lot to learn. So instead of fighting with baby boomers over who is more valuable to society, I would see great worth in communication that acknowledges the others competence and opinions with respect.
Every generation has important knowledge and skill that deserves to be taken seriously, whether that’s from a traditionalist baby boomer or a liberal millennial.
Hannah Hamlin
Reporter