Comment by poulsbohemian
3 years ago
>I don’t think the younger generations will just roll over if you offer them cheap TVs, iPhones, or cheaper Big Macs.
That's actually why I think @caprock has it right. The younger generations are building on doors that Gen X opened for them in the workplace. They are the ones demanding climate solutions. They are making it clear they aren't going to limp along until retirement when they can finally get Medicare. The political left is likely going to go through a moment sometime in the next decade where we have a political crossroads much like what conservatives have undergone, but my guess is that we will be better for it politically and as a nation. I'm expecting a reinvigoration of American industry unlike anything in my lifetime, and we'll see real movement on the major political issues.
Can you elaborate more on Gen X opening doors for younger generations? Amidst all the anti-Boomer/anti-Millennial rhetoric I tend to see bandied about online, I rarely hear anything about what good or bad Gen X has done, at least in the US. In my head, they seem like they're just along for the ride with no real effort put into major social or economic change. I am likely wrong.
Open to different perspectives since the public conversation seems to shift toward generational differences, whereas I tend to stand firmly in the "eat the rich" camp and ignore any commentary on generations. I may need to start paying more attention to that.
Something to consider: Gen X is the smallest of the generations currently living. When people say things like "Why won't younger people run for president?" you've got to realize that there are simply statistically fewer people in the age cohort that would be expected to be stepping into leadership. So that's part of why Gen X is less visible. Also, as a generation we are less likely to toot our horn, so to speak.
But - that doesn't mean that behind the scenes there haven't been plenty of Gen X that demanded remote work, demanded better pay, wanted more women in tech, etc. From my perspective, I see Millenials et al capturing the benefits that we started pushing for when we entered the workforce in the 1990s and early 2000s.