Have you ever been generalized as a result of your gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation? Of course, you have. It’s impossible to exist in this world without experiencing some sort of stereotyping. Generalization across generations is another form of categorizing large groups of people. An article from Reutuers titled, “The millennial on your cellphone plan is ruining retirement,” explains how millennials are the worst generation. “Baby boomers are what’s wrong with America’s economy,” from The Washington Post describes how baby boomers represent everything that is wrong with America. Thousands of editorials, op-eds, and BuzzFeed lists tell different versions of the same story. An increasingly apparent divide exists between the nonconsecutive
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This clash between generations can be expounded by a variety of explanations: the circumstances of their historical influences, profoundly distinct values, and the power of nostalgia are all possible answers. The generational divide increases as millennials, born 1982 to 2004 have overtaken baby boomers, born 1946 to 1964 (Pew Research Center) as baby boomers continue to die out. As millennials replace baby boomers as the dominant generation, social change is inevitable. The comparative analysis of baby boomers and millennials reveals, as millennials overtake baby boomers as the largest generation, that society will adapt to the influx of new culture and become more progressive.
Baby boomers’ historical influences have created a conservative, traditionalist generation that values strength of conviction and a strong work ethic. Born within the state post-WWII economic expansion, baby boomers witnessed a boom in technology and infrastructure in their childhood due to the war industrial state. Dr. David Mindell from The National Museum of World War II discusses the war’s new industry of plastics and its effect on 1950s America. “A ‘modern’ world of molded plywood furniture, fiberglass, …show more content…
Interestingly, when I reached out to my mom and asked about her perception of millennials, she said, “I don’t know. I have a hard time with stereotypes of any kind. I think people are just people, regardless of when they were born.” This was challenging to hear because it significantly detracted from the majority of my research. With this in mind, I want to be careful with the argument I make in my research. Although prescribing specific values to an 83.1 million large generation is not an exact science, broad data trends point toward a more liberal generation. While on the surface, millennials and baby boomers appear to hold staunchly different values, many parallels can be drawn between the two generations. The patterns of history repeat themselves, and millennials follow the same cultural, political, and social trends set by baby boomers. As baby boomers die out and millennials begin to overtake them as the largest generation, cultural and social trends indicate that the political pendulum will swing again and society, as a whole, will grow more progressive. Political and social analysis demonstrate a majority of millennials’ leaning toward progressivism. I foresee, as millennials adapt to being the largest generation, they fully embrace the 1960s counterculture values of freedom of expression and tolerance. As
This clash between generations can be expounded by a variety of explanations: the circumstances of their historical influences, profoundly distinct values, and the power of nostalgia are all possible answers. The generational divide increases as millennials, born 1982 to 2004 have overtaken baby boomers, born 1946 to 1964 (Pew Research Center) as baby boomers continue to die out. As millennials replace baby boomers as the dominant generation, social change is inevitable. The comparative analysis of baby boomers and millennials reveals, as millennials overtake baby boomers as the largest generation, that society will adapt to the influx of new culture and become more progressive.
Baby boomers’ historical influences have created a conservative, traditionalist generation that values strength of conviction and a strong work ethic. Born within the state post-WWII economic expansion, baby boomers witnessed a boom in technology and infrastructure in their childhood due to the war industrial state. Dr. David Mindell from The National Museum of World War II discusses the war’s new industry of plastics and its effect on 1950s America. “A ‘modern’ world of molded plywood furniture, fiberglass, …show more content…
Interestingly, when I reached out to my mom and asked about her perception of millennials, she said, “I don’t know. I have a hard time with stereotypes of any kind. I think people are just people, regardless of when they were born.” This was challenging to hear because it significantly detracted from the majority of my research. With this in mind, I want to be careful with the argument I make in my research. Although prescribing specific values to an 83.1 million large generation is not an exact science, broad data trends point toward a more liberal generation. While on the surface, millennials and baby boomers appear to hold staunchly different values, many parallels can be drawn between the two generations. The patterns of history repeat themselves, and millennials follow the same cultural, political, and social trends set by baby boomers. As baby boomers die out and millennials begin to overtake them as the largest generation, cultural and social trends indicate that the political pendulum will swing again and society, as a whole, will grow more progressive. Political and social analysis demonstrate a majority of millennials’ leaning toward progressivism. I foresee, as millennials adapt to being the largest generation, they fully embrace the 1960s counterculture values of freedom of expression and tolerance. As