There are a lot of snide comments about people who, because of their age, don\u2019t know things, or can\u2019t do things. Older people natter on about \u201ckids these days,\u201d while younger people often dismiss elders as being technologically clueless. It\u2019s all bullshit, and it\u2019s just mean-spirited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
There was a video of someone who gave a young person a rotary phone, to see what he\u2019d do with it \u2013 how he could make it work. The person couldn\u2019t do it. He couldn\u2019t figure out how to dial a number. This was evidently proof somehow that the younger generations are stupid or spoiled or something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are other videos and images of older people who have difficulty with computers or phones. Again, they\u2019re portrayed as stupid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, it\u2019s no shame for younger people to not know how to do things that we Boomers grew up knowing. Why should they know how to dial a rotary phone, when you\u2019d be hard-pressed to even find one anywhere. Why should they learn cursive writing, when it is no longer used for much of anything?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I ask the Boomers \u2013 do you know how to knap an arrowhead from flint, or to cut a goose feather into a quill? Not very likely. These skills are no longer useful. Some may find these things interesting and learn them for enjoyment, but we no longer need to rely on these technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And to the people \u2013 usually younger \u2013 who think Boomers are ignorant of technology \u2013 most do well enough. Keep in mind that the Boomers are the ones who started development of these technologies. We\u2019re not really as clueless as you might think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even more irritating are the ones who point to a generation of people who are so \u201chelpless\u201d that they have to take classes in cooking and cleaning. They\u2019re not helpless. They weren\u2019t properly taught, and that\u2019s not their fault. They\u2019re doing what\u2019s needed to rectify the mistake made by their elders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think the elders may have forgotten their younger days, when they were the target of \u201ckids these days\u201d comments. In my generation, wearing long hair or a beard (as a man) was deemed unacceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The point is, no one is good or bad because of his generation. No generation is better than any other. We\u2019re just people who were born at different times. And if we can set aside the bullshit, we can all profit from treating each other with respect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are a lot of snide comments about people who, because of their age, don\u2019t know things, or can\u2019t do things. Older people natter on about \u201ckids these days,\u201d while younger people often dismiss elders as being technologically clueless. It\u2019s … Continue reading