The Transgenerational Problem

                I was part of the first ‘generation gap’ back in the 60’s.  We were a generation that was sure it was destined to save the world and overturn the stodgy cultural values and practices that were still entrenched after the war.  We fought for civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights and against the war, at least some of us did.  The generation that ushered in the Free Speech Movement and the antiwar movement was always just a fraction of that generation.  “Boomers” were never demographically what they were made out to be in the media.  The majority of us didn’t go to college, didn’t protest the war, believe in sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll and weren’t particularly liberal.  But those of us who were got all the attention and all the credit for the change that was created.  We’ve apparently morphed from a generation who didn’t “trust anyone over 30,” to one that doesn’t think anyone under 70 should be president.

                We’ve gone from filial piety and elder respect to “Ok Boomer.”  As a society, we’ve balkanized the age differences between us and retreated into the comfortable stereotypes of Boomers, Slackers, Xers and Millennials.  Each generation has faced an accelerated and unique rate of change.  There is little that translates from generation to generation as a positive and enduring cultural anchor.  When the rate of cultural and technological change accelerates, the social connections between generations becomes weaker.  There is less and less that the new generation can relate to or depend on in forming their own necessary adaptations to the environment around them.  When the corrosive effect of market capitalism intent on branding and exploiting every possible difference is added to the mix, it is little wonder that we have the cultural and political rifts we see between generations.  Any healthy democracy has to find a way to facilitate a transgenerational exchange based on goals and values that may manifest themselves differently to each generation but are still recognizable to all generations.

                That problem used to be solved by social institutions that promoted political and educational programs that were designed to increase prosperity and inclusion.  That isn’t happening anymore.  Economic and social mobility is almost at a standstill in this country.  Education has been under a 40 year assault from conservative and right-wing political movements that has hollowed out and degraded what was once a source of pride and equality.  Political institutions have crumbled under the constant debasement of basic democratic principles resulting in the highest level of partisan division and outright cynicism in our history.  In short, we’ve lost the narrative that used to unite us.  To be fair that narrative was often a fiction, they almost always are, that needed to be exposed and debunked.  The problem is not the old narrative of white male privilege and its antipathy to women, people of color, LGBTQ people or immigrants has unraveled, the problem is that we haven’t found a way to replace it.

                The short-term outlook isn’t that rosy.  Trump is going to be impeached and the Republicans are going to respond with an all-out assault of lies and distractions, further weakening our political institutions. The 2020 election will be infested with an unprecedented number of foreign and domestic bots spreading conspiracies and misinformation, and the environment will continue to edge toward the cliff.  There will not be a kumbaya moment any time soon.  One thing that is possible is for Boomers to wake up and read the date on their drivers licenses.  Even with the unparalleled breakthroughs in medical science, no one over 70 should run for president.  The issue is not their health, the issue is the relevance of their frame of reference.  As Boomers, we have had our run, and the results aren’t pretty.  Some of us thought there was a path forward to a better and more equal society that was grounded in respect for each other and the environment, but we were wrong.  It is time to let our children drive.  If we don’t respect what they know and what they can do, we have no one but ourselves to blame.  On the other hand, it is time for the generations that follow us to learn from our example.  Good intentions and hubris are a recipe for tragedy and little else.  Democracies evolve.  They are nurtured and handed across generations.  We fumbled the hand off.