Generational warfare: Another pointless theatre in the pointless culture war

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Generational warfare is a sham. And no, I am not talking about the legitimate concept of intergenerational struggle wherein individuals with differing social, cultural, and economic values and norms via significant age difference clash. 

What I am talking about is the low-effort online trash-talk that Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and now Alpha sling at one another because the dopamine rush they get from social media engagement incentivizes posting every stupid, half-baked thought they conceive without hesitation. 

Ranging from the now internet-ancient “OK boomer” reply to more recent call of “Gen X rise,” online platforms have made the conflicts and contradictions between generations all the more visible.

There are fundamental value dissonances between older and younger generations. Having been raised by the generation before, being socialized alongside peers of their own age range, the transformation and/or replacement of old norms and values, and the widespread material conditions of the era, all work together to formulate the zeitgeist of the new generation. It is a cycle of nurturing that happens to us all, escapable only if you live in complete isolation from society.

As we grow older, we generally become less aware of what the “new” type of normal is. As Grampa Abe Simpson so eloquently detailed, “I used to be with ‘it,’ but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’ anymore and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary to me. It’ll happen to you!”

The difference between today and 30 years ago is two-fold — the ability to see people getting “it” is easier than ever via social media, and “it” is changing faster than ever. Fads and trends come and go quickly, and the multitude of niche demographics is such that there is no unifying “mainstream” anymore, which means no “counter-culture” since there is nothing to counter. 

The ability to tailor our preferences is so vast that it loops back around to meaninglessness in the wider social space. For older generations who are used to a few outlets disseminating what (counter-)culture is, this amorphous system of short-lived “ins” or “outs” divided amongst an abundance of online niches necessitates a heuristic. All these niches become melded together as whatever derogatory term is needed to lament the supposed social degradations.

Boomers are not the only ones doing this. Other generations are just as capable of viewing the younger ones — or even their own generational cohorts — as being the vanguards of a wretched, unknowable “modernity” supplanting a safer “tradition.” 

This way of thinking seems far more inflammatory today because the future looks bleak, so meaning has to be desperately derived from the present and its heralds who come off as inadequate inheritors — failures who could not grasp the reigns, thus allowing the world to spiral out of control and “common sense.”

In turn, younger generations call the older ones greedy and stupid, often denouncing them for having plundered all the spoils, leaving little for those next in line, and then getting mad when the youth cannot do what their elders did.

In truth, the issue is that there are other forces at play — politicians, businesses, and mainstream media. They need the distraction of whatever kind of social warfare is available to keep people from realizing that they are the real reason why there is seemingly no viable future left for anybody. 

To undo the unimaginable damage, we all must buck the “my generation is/was better” topic and direct attention to what matters. Ditch the finger pointing and recognize who the real enemies are before there is nothing left to argue over.