Hayim Herring - Connecting Generations: Bridging the Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial Divide

Connecting Generations

Connecting Generations

Bridging the Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial Divide

Hayim Herring, PhD

Rowman & Littlefield

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

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Copyright 2019 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Herring, Hayim, author.

Title: Connecting generations : bridging the boomer, Gen X, and millennial divide / Hayim Herring, PhD.

Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019005454 (print) | LCCN 2019007689 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538112175 (electronic) | ISBN 9781538112168 (cloth : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Intergenerational relations. | Intergenerational communication. | Social isolationPrevention.

Classification: LCC HM726 (ebook) | LCC HM726 .H47 2019 (print) | DDC 305.2dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019005454

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

Foreword

Jonah: Dad, why did we agree to write a foreword for a book when no one reads forewords?

David: Jonah! What are you talking about? Its an honor to be asked to write someones foreword.

Jonah: Oh, I dont doubt that at all. I think its a huge honor. But I still dont think its worth it when no one reads a foreword.

David: Who says that no one reads a foreword?

Jonah: Cmon! Its like an introduction or prologue.... blah, blah, blah... Just get to it with chapter 1!

David: But Jonah, a good book needs setup, explanations, introductions to the main characters. Of course, people read forewords.

Jonah: Nah. Thats what a book flap is for.

Ah... a generational difference at its finest! To David, a Gen Xer, it makes all the sense in the world to have a linear setup that prepares the reader for what they are about to dive in to. However, to Jonah, a Gen Zer, hes used to all of his media and entertainment being streamlined, or to having the ability to fast forward through a commercial. So naturally, anything other than starting with chapter 1 feels like a waste. Maybe ask a Millennial and the conversation could be all about whether or not the book comes in an e-version. Ask a Boomer and, who knows, the conversation could be all about the authors credentials.

For years people have analyzed factors like gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, educational background, thinking styles, Myers-Briggs profiles, even signs of the zodiac, to find ways to understand each other better. Yet somehow most have failed to recognize the form of diversity that affects every human being on a daily basis generational differences .

When many think of a generation, they immediately think of a persons age. Oh, he is sixty-five, he must be a Baby Boomer! Contrary to popular belief, connections or conflicts between generations are not simply the result of differences in age. Generational differences go much deeper. The key to understanding generations and why connections and conflicts arise is to adopt an ageless attitude. You do this by looking at how each generation shares a common history. Certain events and conditions have determined a lot about who we are and how we see the world. As a result of these events and conditions, each generation has adopted its own and unique generational personality.

Events and conditions can include all kinds of things. For example, they can be day-to-day icons like our heroes, sports stars, slogans, favorite products, or songs. (What Boomer wouldnt identify on some level with the slogan, Turn on, tune in, drop out? And what Xer doesnt remember, Just say no?) Or they can be actual events , such as Richard Nixons impeachment, the civil rights and womens rights movements, the Gulf War, or 9/11.

Conditions are the forces at work in the environment as each generation comes of age. The Cold War was a condition that permeated the youth of many Boomers, while Millennials born after 1989 will never know a world in which there were two different cities called East and West Berlin. Economic upheavals are conditions that profoundly affect the wealth and health of our citizens and permanently affect our way of looking at the world. Those who lived through the Great Depression or who were raised by parents who did were changed forever by the fear of not having a job and being able to put food on the table. Other large-scale upheavals in ones upbringing, such as major changes in the divorce rate, the marriage rate, or the number of single-parent families, can all play a role in shaping the generations.

Take something like space exploration. Ask a Boomer who witnessed a man landing on the moon as a youth and he/she will say it is very exciting. Compare that to a Gen Xer who witnessed the Challenger and he/she is likely a lot more skeptical. What about a Millennial or Gen Zer? Who needs NASA when we have Elon Musk!

The generations influences play out during their formative years. This results in a set of different attitudes, values, and work styles that each generation wakes up with every day.

The problem is that we definitely know the lens through which our own generation sees the world. However, we so rarely put on the lens of a different generation to understand how they see the world. We simply assume that everyone sees the world the same way. We do not take the time to understand the events and conditions that shape another generation. When is the last time you went out to lunch with someone from a different generation and said, Say, I would really love to hear about a big event that took place during your formative years that shaped your view of the world. Again, we just assume everyone is looking through the same lens. Then, when we encounter someone who thinks a different way, we immediately judge and go into the mode of trying to figure out who is right, wrong, better, or worse.

When it comes to generations, no one is right, wrong, better, or worse. The generations are just different.

Unfortunately, too many shy away from differences and see them as obstacles rather than what they really are... opportunities. This book helps readers see those opportunities. It breaks down the stereotypes that we have about the different generations so that we can not only embrace what makes each generation unique but can leverage each others strengths.

Right now, there are so many strengths to be leveraged, as never in history have we had so many living generations trying to work together and communicate with one another on a daily basis. Who do we have?

• The Traditionalists, born between the turn of the century and the end of World War II (19001945), are a combination of two generations who tend to believe and behave very similarly. This population is comprised of about seventy-five million people.