Re: this*
I think what highlights the hatred is the singling out of "generations" and setting them against each other like opposing teams when analyzing them, just like this article does. Once you stop doing that, the hatred disappears.
As a "millenial" myself I think if there is any real "hatred" towards baby boomers, it is misguided and has more to do with resentment that bubbles up when comparing the job markets that recent college grads face now coming out of college, versus the job markets that earlier generations apparently found themselves in. The fact is that we're all in the same job market NOW, we all have to deal with it.
In fact, I've heard from some friends of mine that are closer to retirement age that although they keep their jobs for a long time, they face a steep uphill battle if they happen to get laid off, because in most places, especially in the tech industry, recruiters are much more likely to hire one of the thousands of applicants in their 20's and 30's than someone in their 50's or 60's. This isn't necessarily because the young people are better at the jobs, but simply that the companies don't want to invest too much in human resources that may retire very soon. I guess. I dunno about the reasons, but the fact is that "baby boomers" do face them these difficulties.
Articles like this are held together by trying to highlight a trend. The trends they come up with are supported by studies, but of course only the studies that support the trend/thesis of the article are included, because that strengthens the thesis. They must imply a generational war in that sense, even if one doesn't exist, if they want people to click on the article. This is narrative-driven news, and it is the norm, not the exception.
It's not necessarily a bad thing, because at least it gets people talking. But it also has a tendency towards highlighting things that sell papers/get site visits, which sometimes are less than productive. Especially when articles reinforce or even create societal conflicts or "fights" in the minds of readers, fights that may not even exist. With people constantly inundated with this kind of news, they start to lose the ability to debate in terms of facts, and only are able to have fighting narratives. Suddenly each political issue, be it climate change, abortion, or economics, is exacerbated almost to the extent that it's more like "Team Jacob vs Team Edward" than it is about public policy and problem solving.
As long as "us vs. them" is more interesting than "we're in this together," that's what media companies have the most incentive to publish. Personally I think "us vs. them" is best left to baseball and fictional TV shows. Still, I confess that I have the luxury of not being in dire straits financially, so I don't have a lot of hatred for older generations, I have the space to look at this one from a distance. I know not everybody has that luxury and I'm not trying to diminish their feelings of hatred, nor the feelings of hatred in response to perceived injury by other parties. I'm just stating my view of things.
So enough understanding and diplomacy. Let's move on to something that really pisses me off... (next post.)
*Once the link is dead, here's what it went to: Yahoo.com article "How Baby Boomers Take Jobs From Younger Workers" by Rick Newman, Posted May 20 2013.
