KEY WORDS: TRADITION, GREATEST GENERATION, SEGREGATION, 1960s, BABY BOOMERS, HIPPIES, GENERATION X, GENERATION Y, MILLENNIALS, GENERATION Z, HIP-HOP, CIVIL RIGHTS, GAY RIGHTS, GRETA THUNBERG , CLIMATE CHANGE

Blessed is the society in which the older generation learns from the younger generation. Double blessed is the society in which the younger generation learns from the older generation. – old proverb

All throughout history the older generation has complained about the younger generation. During ancient Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, the older people were complaining that the younger people were disrespectful, and that morality was in decline. In North America, during the days of the Puritans, older people complained that the youth were headed for disaster. They complained about young people’s slang – they used “good bye” instead of “God bless you,” for example.

In more recent times, parents complained about their children’s rock and roll music, arguing that it was corrupting youth and ruining society. In the 1960s, major media constantly reported on the generation gap. Hippies and others said “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” Generation X (born between 1965-1980) was the object of much criticism and ridicule from the mainstream media. They were described as lost, aimless, clueless, apathetic slackers. Today, however, they are described as hard-working, well-adjusted, joyful activists engaged in many worthwhile endeavors. (And some of them, not surprisingly, are critics of Generation Z.)

Those from Generation Y are known as Millennials (born between 1981-1996.) They are also known as the Internet generation and are supposedly obsessed with their smart phones and other devices that distract their attention from important matters.

Enter Generation Z, born after 1996. This generation is supposedly furious and angry with Baby Boomers (1946-1964) for screwing up the planet and their collective future in numerous ways. Perhaps nothing better demonstrates the supposed war between the generations than Time’s Person of the Year for 2019, Greta Thunberg. The European teen famously lectured world leaders for their failure to address climate change.

Even before Time deemed her Person of the Year, conservative Baby Boomers and others attacked her on social media and elsewhere. Conservative pundit Dinesh D’Souza went so far as to compare her to a Nazi on Twitter.

Baby Boomers used to be known as the Me Generation for their alleged selfishness. On the other hand, they have always seen themselves as having contributed greatly to the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, the anti-war movement, the gay rights movement, and many other worthwhile progressive causes.

These generational categories are not so neat and easy. For example, some pundits have said that younger Boomers who grew up in the 1970s should be known as Generation Jones. Most of them supposedly cannot relate to older Boomers for several reasons.

Pundits chose the term “Jones” because that was a popular slang word during the early 1970s. It meant being anxious for a drug fix. There was a popular song called “Love Jones” by the R&B group the Brighter Side of Darkness. There was a song called “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul. There was even a parody of “Love Jones” by the comedy duo Cheech and Chong called “Basketball Jones.”

Some of these categories overlap and do not make much sense. For example, members of the Hip-Hop generation were born between 1965 and 1984. That would make most of them members of Generation X. Some people of this age object to being categorized based on a musical genre.

Then there is the post-Hip-Hop generation born after 1984. That would include Generation Y and Generation Z. Will it also include everyone else born after 1984 for “generations” to come?

Newsman Tom Brokaw wrote a book titled The Greatest Generation. He was referring to Americans born between 1901-1927. They are also known as the G.I. Generation and the World War II Generation. According to Brokaw, they stood out for their humility, sense of honor and duty, responsibility and so forth. They courageously endured and survived the Great Depression. Who better to make the world safe for democracy by defeating fascism?

But is it really that simple? This is the same generation that forced Black men to fight in segregated units and that fired millions of women from their jobs in the “defense” industry after the war, to replace them with men.

This generation also produced powerful racist politicians like Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. In the world of crime, the Greatest Generation gave the world Bugsy Siegel, Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, George “Baby Face” Nelson, Alvin Francis Karpis (nicknamed “Creepy”), a member of Ma Barker’s gang, and numerous other infamous and not- so-infamous scoundrels. Moreover, many members of the Greatest Generation warmly embraced these thugs as popular cult figures who bucked the establishment.

Between 1915-1930 about six million African Americans fled the White supremacist South to the North in search of better jobs and housing, and to escape White supremacist violence from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. This, too, is a legacy of the Greatest Generation. Categorizing people by generations is tricky business – it seems to force some people to take sides on an issue based on when they were born. However, this planet and its future should be everyone’s concern. Why should Generation Z be more concerned about climate change than members of any other generation? And if it is true that they are more concerned about the most pressing issue in the world, then good for them. They should be thanked for doing so much to call attention to the problem, rather than vilified as Nazis.

It might be true that Generation Z is more concerned about the increasing likelihood that Social Security will not be around by the time they retire. But again, if they are more concerned about this than members of other generations, their concern should be welcomed by everyone.

Someone once said that every generation thinks it is superior to the one that comes after it, especially in terms of morality. However, what is needed is more self-critique and more moral imagination. It is wise to learn from the best that everyone has to offer and to reject outdated ideas that simply retard moral progress.