We Need to Talk About the Cultural Gap
By: Adrienne Grimes
Tags: Society, Schools, Current, News, Age

This video came across my Instagram feed and it got me thinking.

What is really causing the cultural gap between Gen Z/Millenials and Gen X/Boomers?

Is the answer to that question simply the number of years passed between births? Or, is it a cumulation of a system that ignores less and less with each passing generation?

I think it’s a mixture of both. A perfect storm that just keeps brewing.

Exposing the Ulterior Motives of the School System

Boomers are made up of individuals who were born between the years of 1946 and 1964. Can you imagine going to school at that time?

Based on the fight that was happening during that time period to simply allow Black people the bare basics of required education, I can imagine that there was an enlarged amount of blissful ignorance that went on amongst those attending school in that time period.

But I also imagine that they were the tipping point towards a higher level of questioning towards school systems.

I think that the Boomer generation started the fight against the school system with instances like Brown V. Board of Education and the Berkeley Protests during the Free Speach Movement. An overall lack of trust for the system grew from there with each passing generation.

Something to consider is how the importance of schooling changed within our nation. For instance, My grandfather (a boomer) had a very prosperous government job that he got on an associate's degree and work experience. I struggle to think that would be possible now.

A Failing Economy

As someone born on the tail end of the Millenials, I was told frequently what a failing economy meant for me once I was out of school.

I was told often and with gusto that I should just focus on going to college if I wanted even a hope of any sort of career. I was taught never to expect social security when I’m ready to retire or even the ability to ever buy a house. I was even told on multiple occasions that it might not even be realistic for me to expect a job.

Some of this might be regional. I grew up in Nevada and the entire country knows that real estate on the west coast is a beast of another color.

Regardless, the education system that I grew up with was not filled with the same hope that it was in past generations, and I can only imagine that’s gotten worse for Gen Z. Can you imagine being in high school and being encouraged to fill out college applications while also being consistently told that it might not matter? Our economy is failing and you’ll always be a renter, might not have a career, and have zero hope for social security.

What a way to start out adulthood, right?

Widespread Media

When I think about the biggest defining feature of the last 20–40 years, the media is it.

The popularity of household computers, the internet, and smartphones is no doubt to blame for the widespread growth of news channels. It’s also made news more accessible.

The news is no longer something that children are used to hearing as background news in the evenings. It’s no longer the gibberish they ignore to get to the comics section of the Sunday newspaper. It’s upfront and personal and there’s no ignoring it at almost any age.

I was nine years old when 9/11 happened. For me, that’s the first experience I can remember really paying attention to the media. Is this the case for older generations? That’s something I genuinely want to know.

Did Boomers have the radio playing in their classroom when something large happened with the Vietnam War or when JFK died?

On 9/11 I can clearly remember my teacher keeping the news on all day, trying to teach a room full of little kids while also paying attention to one of our countries most devastating instances. Trying to distract us with business as usual while people were shown jumping out of windows.

The growth of media has definitely sped along the major differences between current younger and older generations.

I wonder if everyone considered this conversation if it would help this us vs. them mentality? If it would excuse the need for phrases like “Ok, Boomer” and “Karen” and “Snowflakes”.