There has recently been a rise in tension between the millennial (people born in the 1980s to mid-1990s) and baby boomer (people born from 1946 to 1964) generations that is causing unnecessary conflict.
The term “OK boomer” has been floating around on social media these past few months and has been used as a witty response to comments made by baby boomers speaking about issues in our world. Many of the people that this comment is being directed towards are becoming offended, which is only continuing to divide our society.
When we start to criticize one another for being a part of a generation that we had no control over, I think it’s easy for us to lose sight of real issues. Then we just get caught in an endless cycle of blaming each other instead of trying to figure out a way to solve difficult problems.
Baby boomers and millennials need to both understand that projecting our anger and frustration onto each other isn’t solving any problems, it just makes things worse. I understand that it’s easier to blame others, but that is not helpful at all.
Most of this tension comes from the fact that these are two distinct generations of people that think differently, usually disagreeing on issues or topics that are brought before them.
I think that both baby boomers and millennials believe that if something differs from what they think, then it probably isn’t a good idea and they automatically disagree with it.
One thing that people tend to forget is that each generation has gone through different experiences growing up and it certainly affects them as they get older.
The idea that each generation is fighting against each other to be the greatest generation is senseless and I honestly think it should be stopped.
I understand why the term “OK boomer” is popular. Many of us growing up as millennials have been put down by older adults who think that they need to comment on everything we do whether it’s good or bad.
I know that it can be extremely frustrating to disagree with people on important issues in our world, but that’s just a part of life. We are never going to fully agree with each other on any topic.
We all have the right to be angry, but what we choose to do with that anger and how we respond to others is also a choice.
