This is interesting to me as I was born in 1950 and considered a “Boomer”, I guess. My upbringing in the early fifties and sixties in the rural Midwest was the traditional conservative, patriotic mentality. Sergeant York, Audie Murphie and John Wayne were the heroes of the age. When I became a teenager in the later sixties things seemed to change, even in our remote location. Television was prominent in this influence I assume. We had Elvis and his outlandish behavior on the Ed Sullivan show, and many other rock music icons that followed. The so called, “British Invasion ” also had an impact, especially with the Beatles and many to follow. All of this created a culture that rejected the mores and values we were brought up with in early life. As a teenager in the mid to late sixties the really “cool” thing to do was pick up a guitar, learn a few bar cords and blast our creations out to all those who craved the sound and the beat. At the age of 14 I bought my first guitar. I was influenced by my parents to pursue the instrument, they thinking I would follow in the footsteps of Tex Ritter or Hank Williams. To their dismay I was most interested in the rock scene of the day though I would occasionally play “Wildwood Flower to keep them in agreement. It wasn’t long until I Formed a band to play at weekly dances that were popular at the time. My parents heard the practice sessions as we performed them in our upstairs and they were not pleased, to say the least. We soldiered on, however, and became a premier band in our area. We never made much money but we sure did have fun!!! Fast forward a couple of years. I had graduated high school, gotten married shortly after and was looking for a job. This was 1969 and the draft for military service was in full effect. There were jobs available but not to individuals who were deemed eligible for the draft. Try as I might no one would hire me. I was considered 1-A draft status and no employer would take a chance of hiring someone who would very likely be drafted into the military in just a few months. Finally a local farmer took pity on my plight and offered me a job of building fence through his pasture. Hard work but I was grateful for the income to help support my family and pay the bills. It wasn’t long until the “Greetings” letter came from the president and I found myself in the Army. Vietnam service followed after a few months of training.! I won’t go into how that had affected my life fifty years hence but I can say the sixties had a most definitive influence on my life and how I view things today.
The older generation told us that we have to go to college in order to be successful. Sure, in their time that might have been so. However, such is not the case anymore. Despite glaring facts that prove this point, they are in denial about this, obstinate to change. This is one of the biggest gaps I can think of, the other being comprehension of technology.
I agree 100%. Baby Boomers resent change (whether that change is in themselves or in society) more than any other generation. It's like they don't understand that there's more to life than their egos. Maybe it was the whole "teenager culture" of the 50's and 60's that created their obstinate narcissism.
I’m a baby boomer and I’m the first to admit that college isn’t for everyone and that going to college has been pushed so much that we now have a shortage of skilled tradesmen. Maybe I understand that because my father was a bricklayer and I have a soft spot for tradesmen. I can go to many places in Charlottesville Virgina and see buildings that he helped lay the brick on. I take a lot of pride in that. As far as technology goes, I don’t know nearly as much as I’d like to. But I’m always wanting to learn. And I don’t think my generation is narcissistic. We grew up with parents who were part of the Greatest Generation and a lot of their values rubbed off into us. There is something too to be said about wisdom that comes with age. You’ll find out if you’re blessed to live to reach 60 and beyond. Which is why we have a generation gap.
I meant boomers were narcissistic in the sense that they wanted their children to go to school so they can put the school's official bumper sticker on their minivans and brag about how their child is going to school. The college experience is being misused to the nth degree and my generation is suffering for it. I didn't mean to paint the entire generation in a broad brush.
Dichroic Sounds sad to say that for many, their child going to college is a status symbol. I’m fortunate that in my Boomer circle, we don’t care about status symbols. It’s interesting because my sister is a Gen X’er (born in 1965) and she is much more into the whole status symbol thing. My son let me know from an early age that he had no interest in college and I didn’t push him. He now works with his father in law at a job he loves. Where he helps maintain apartments for college students, who have more book smarts than common sense.
People forget that the MEDIA, (television, Hollywood, movies, magazines) were very powerfully influencial back then, even moreso than today, because back then people trusted the media. They didn't think the media COULD lie, because of laws or something. HA, ha...we were SO wrong. They did lie, and were influencing the young boomers to rebel, be sexually free, love promiscuity of any kind, "free love, free sex" sort of thing, and no consequences from it. Also in high school, a college education was pushed on everyone, but there was also Vietnam going on. The schools kept pushing for kids to go to college, not the trades. Young people ARE more easily influenced by the media, music, tv, because they're young, and embrace "newer" more seemingly progressive and different things. That is good AND bad. We now see the result of the power the media has HAD, and those who are corupt in this system, which joined with the political system, and the education system. Now, they're pretty much one and the same, with a few exceptions. I rememer in the 80s, the media, papers, magazines, were daily bombarding us with "YOU MUST GO TO COLLEGE" or else you can NOT have any future without that. My kids were young then, but I didn't believe ALL kids needed to go to college. I was made fun of by many people for believing that. I married young and had children, and again was made fun of and ridiculed, by peers. I don't regret it though, at all. But, today, all these "institutions" are fostering a divide between the generations, and it's sad to watch. My husband is a college professor, and we've been in the education system for over 35 years. I wish I could say things are progressing, but there is a lot of regression in education and in basic knowledge. (The purposeful dumbing down of America, which is REAL) There are many things that are BETTER today than years ago, and other things that are worse. But, watching this constant division generated by several sources isn't good for anyone.
W H except that your picture of the past is sifted through a thick filter, deciding for you what is acceptable or important. Add to that the inexact relation between pop culture and daily life, your lens is like stained glass, only letting certain colors through and obscuring the view of the other side. That is why I subscribed. There is much in these documentaries that may not be relevant. We get to decide. Excellent example was the last impression from this video: what does the last married couple have to do with the generation gap topic? I do not imply it does not relate at all, but it is up to us to decide how if it does.
After watching and listening to this video I do think the Gap still exists today.The circumstances have changed, but the communication and points of view still brings disagreement and conflict Thank you,enjoyed the other video about Generation Gap in the sixties too.God help us to Close the Gap,we need to communicate with each other now more than ever!
Gen-Xer here. Remember us? The people no one talks about anymore? Well, I think the gap is still there, and we are stuck in the middle of it (the green patch between the two roads heading in very different directions). I think it will only get worse and that we will have to tightrope walk between them. Thank you, Mr. H!
K August My parents are Gen X (‘65), they definitely have their own ways but it’s hard to relate to this video since they grew up in Korea. Quite traditional in ideals but a little more open (gotta do some convincing), unlike the previous generation which were more strictly traditional in either ideals, ways, or both. My (American Caucasian) stepdad is a boomer so I can relate his behavior and ideals in this video though
Harmony Alexandria We really felt like we had the Boomers on our necks. Remember, this was the age of both 60s and 70s nostalgia. Apart from maybe grunge and hip-hop, we did not achieve much except surf the waves around us.
@@BJ-mb2ug actually it was the other way around. The boomers did not care about Gen x. We were latchkey kids. Had to raise ourselves because the boomers were, and still are, self absorbed in the 1970’s and ‘80s.
@@jerryc5743 yeah- you hated your parents- cuz they weren’t there for you. Lots of gen X parents aren’t very good to their kids now, either. Some are trying to do better, some aren’t. :(
I was a teenager in the 1960’s and yes there was definitely a generation gap! But I also believe every generation has a generation gap, my parents were definitely different from their parents who were born in the Victorian era, they enjoyed cinema, and modern dance of the 1939’s and 40’s which were abhorrent to their parents. I’m 70 now and don’t look at all like 70 year olds of previous generations, but equally although I have an iPad and Alexa etc, I haven’t kept up with all the latest musicians and hits, and technology eg don’t play games on my iPad etc, and use my iPad more than my phone which I strictly used for calls to people I can’t communicate or FaceTime on my iPad. The modern generation doesn’t have , en mass, respect for authority that we had but things are always changing and every generations problem is that their children are different and don’t necessarily hold dear their parents ethics.
Hoffman, i am a 15 year old bluegrass enthusiast from the UK and found your channel from the mountian fiddler video. I do bellive that the gap is nearly as big as it was then and its a shame my generation doesnt have respect for music that requires musical talents! All the best
Thank you for watching my posts and for commenting. I was once a 15-year-old bluegrass enthusiast from Long Island and that is what got me to make my first documentary at 22 in the bluegrass Mountains. David Hoffman - filmmaker
My Boomer coworker recently retired. He made a point of saying he's getting social security but I won't be getting any. My retirement age has been bumped up to 72. I might not live that long. My co-worker lived through the boom times of hiring and promotions. In my building there hasn't been a promotion in nearly 20 years. Coworker retiring from his senior position didnt open up any slots for promotion either.
The most important thing I learn from studying other generations is to not be bitter when I get older. Also, people who excessively brag about what generation they're from while dogging on others seem like they're trying to overcompensate for something. It's like giving yourself a participation trophy.
Stevie Exactly. I don’t see it as a token of pride that I didn’t grow up with a smartphone (my first one was when I entered college). Rather, it’s an amazement at how far we currently are when I see a younger generation being introduced with tech that I didn’t get to use growing up. Am I happy I grew up in my generation? Of course, and most of us are since there is such a cultural richness to each era. But to say one is better than the other is fallacious
WOW! That last scene was heavy! They were interestingly polite with regard to tone of voice__but, to be honest, sounded like the guy had some secretive stuff going on outside of this relationship. 😳🙌🙌🙌😺
There is a generation gap - there will always be a generation gap. The youth of a given era view their parents with dismisiveness at best and contempt at worst. Parents view their children with cautious if not fearful apprehension . I think this is to be expected in a wealthy, consumerist culture. Perhaps also in cultures that are not so wealthy and comfortable - I wouldn't know about that. The boomers (of course it must be noted that these things almost exclusively apply to those who lived in the middle/upper middle class) were rash, resentful, rebellious but only because they didn't know what they did NOT know. They could never conceive of an existence where there was "pressure" on them to find a way to house themselves and to eat every day. I scoff when I hear them complain how their parents "pressured" them to think about college. I think to myself - "oh poor little rich kids". Too bad - so sad. Believe me - there were plenty of "boomers" for whom getting a job was priority one and for whom college was NOT anywhere on their radar and I am one of that "boomer" subset. They talk about hiding or "not telling" their parents about things they might have done at parties or at the beach or whatever. This is not new. The recklessness of youth is not new. What they do not realize is that their parents are not being mean and controlling so much as they are acting out on a very natural and necessary impulse to protect their offspring. The parents naturally try to give their offspring the best opportunity for long life and success. Idle time and selfish preoccupation creates a false sense of entitlement which leads to resentment which leads to contempt. In a convoluted way the luxurious, idle existence the boomers experienced was a hinderence to their mental and emotional development. Many of them never outgrew it.
I’m 19 and my dad is 56 I can relate a bit. There definitely is a generation gap in the caregiving workforce. Many Baby boomers are retiring and there is a huge demand for caregivers!
I think that technology has separated our generations in the fact that my generation uses it because it has become necessary in ORDER to navigate in this world (like second language). In this generation, technology is their WAY of navigating through this world (like their first language).
@Haha Porter V Good point! I was just saying that we see technology in a different way. Being seen as "separate" is not always a bad thing, just a different way of seeing things between generations. My son grew up with technology, I didn't, but I learn from him and he appreciates my past.
Haha Porter V your confidence in knowledge based on this medium is a mistake. I remember well the experience of dispelling myths about USA life while visiting other countries. Their mistakes were primarily based on our movies and sitcoms. There are musical influences you'll never know about by videos alone. Boomer or not, the more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know.
Julie A. While there have been advantages to the advancements, there have also been problems created by over reliance on tech. The recognition of this is the reason for resistance much more than ignorance or fear of it.
Haha Porter V stimulating discussion is so much more fun than heated debate to me. There are two points you put me in mind to make. My most recent YT searches have been for pockets of regional, traditional, unique styles of music, all over the globe, not blended with others yet. Too many have disappeared already in our shrinking world. The style my home region is most known for, thumb picking guitar, is kept alive with Summer gatherings and competitions. David has videos of this style. In my grandfather's time, it was much more common. My own son got into hip hop when it was big. Second, in my time at college among ferinners and time in other countries, I learned more than I taught, even about myself and my country. I know I said just two points. That's part of the danger of getting the older ones started. That's my third point. There is not enough time or space, even on seemingly endless Internet, to get all of even one of our stories. For example, the short list of groups you named were known personally by many who could give you a unique perspective. I won't brag, but those I have known have no hint on YT showing things I know about them. My only name drop will be the one I enjoyed working with most. Weird Al Yankovic probably won't remember me if I get the chance to meet him again. Still, I can tell you that I found nothing at all fake about him. He really is that off the wall.
There are 2 civilizations today. The Digitals and the Analogs. Some Analogs have upgraded themselves to Digitals but they are few and far between. This is probably the biggest generational gap in history and the next gap will probably make this one look small. Good luck to everyone and I recommend you keep learning!
If you believe your knowledge and skill with the digital verse or cyber vers or whatever you call it is all you need I fear for you if and when the power grid goes down - even if it only goes down for merely 1 week you will quickly learn that you don't know enough about real life as opposed to digital IQ in order to survive. There is so much more to life than learning and becoming dependent upon the most advanced and sophisticated technologies available.
51Dss You say “depend on”, which may be true, but you don’t realize that having this kind of knowledge (tech and programming) leads to normalization of skills taught such as programming and machine learning, which there are free and open sources for such knowledge. Not only that, people use tech to learn other skills (how to cook a recipe, learn a different language, or how to solve a physics problem), efficiently relay information, or even just as a placeholder for television which boomers adore. I don’t understand how it’s a bad thing over learning how to farm? And I’m not talking about basic life skills like cooking, cleaning, maintaining a car/home/etc. But I do wish our schools emphasized more on that kind of skills as well
Looking forward to watching this later tonight. Having a Grandfather who came to USA in late 1800s from England a Great grandmother from Ireland a Father who was in WWII ,a oldest brother in Nam in 1967 {when I was only age 4 + 5} a brother between us in age + myself graduating in 1981. My whole life has been a battle of different generations ideas + values all taught to me . For me : I've taken parts of all of them with me that I believe has created a lifelong battle within myself of the generations as I loved them all .
The biggest gap between the boomers and younger generations has mostly to do with money and cost of living. Boomers cannot relate to their kids and grandkids (financially speaking) because of the of this chasm. Let's not kid ourselves, money is a big deal and effects all aspects of life.
My Dad was in WWII his generation destroyed the industrial capacity of the world. No Globalization. We didn't have much in the 50's but the feeling was we were programmed for success. America was #1 and was prosperous and more homogeneous, 160m people. We were more connected to our parents and shared the new technology,TV. We were rebellious but grew with old value roots. This generation is not connected to the past, has no clue of what came before, no foundation just fast forwarded ahead. They know the answer but don't know to solve the problem to get the answer. Look it up on that stupid phone, or ask a machine.
Robert Um, you sound just as bad as how we younger people would joke typical boomer mentality: “ok boomer”. Do you seriously think technology is the problem? The complaint you have with the younger generation is probably the same with the previous generation before yours, except they’d complain about how television and radios are ruining society
@@Laura-Yu Your wrong, of course, you know how a previous generation responded, because you were there. We were more connected to our parents past. Radios were my grand parents generation. T.V. was our parents and boomers generation. You assumptions are ill founded and reflect,with all due respect, your lack of knowledge. I respect your opinion,your premise is that expotential technological change has no effect is incorrect. My dad's people lived in Pennsylvania for 200 years, did not move 20 miles from where there were born. No interstate, jet travel, polio was still around in 50's, half the people in U.S. 160m. Technology changed more in 30 years than previous 2000 years.
J. M. you sound like a narcissist who can seem to put himself into the shoes of what a young persons life is like today. You just assume we’re stupid because you’re a 60’s kid and everyone knows how great you are. Look at the countless documentaries made about you! No wonder you sound like that much of an asshole, without one bit of understanding. Because you don’t want to understand, you want to shut off anything that might be different than what you’re used to. We want a tax increase on the wealth to pay for social programs, you call that communism. You idiots could literally never survive a day as a young person. You think everything is still how it used to be. Wake the fuck up! Talk to your youth and instead of being an asshole to them, try and understand what they’re going through. We’re human too, ya know. We just have different ideas. Seems to freak and piss you and this Robert idiot off, then you dismiss us as inexperienced, uneducated, spoiled punks. Just the consequences of a world moving to fast for you idiots to keep up.
Good afternoon David, This is an excellent question. I believe there certainly is a generation gap. However, I must admit that I do not necessarily feel as if I am in the middle of it. My parents were older when I was born, both were in their mid forties. My mom came of age in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, which has proven to be an illuminating influence on my own life. I’m 25 and I’ve learned a lot, especially from my mom thanks to her perspective and the experiences of her youth. When I’ve made mistakes, she has provided me with exceptional insight and has reminded me that life goes on. She is now 70 years of age. I feel that our age difference has actually helped to bring us closer together when compared to my “co-generationists” who have younger parents. I feel that much of this is due to the social and cultural similarities between my mother’s years of youth and my own. I feel as if the generation born in the ‘70s and ‘80s turned out to be much more conservative in their outlook. This is a generalization of course, but this is my own experience. Either way, I really enjoy your channel and I hope that you have a fantastic new year. All the best.
Almost your age, that dependends very much on who and what you where when you grew up. I started with computers at a very young age in the mid 80's and followed technology trough the golden age of the 90's and up to today. I relate with the younger generations much more than the previous ones.
@@Cpt.Zer0 I can relate to them with technology but that's about it.. how many millennials have you actually hung out with on a personal level? (That's not meant to sound sarcastic, I'm being serious) Personally, I'm talking about everything but mostly personality, interests, music, art, entertainment, what they consider to be rude or offensive, etc.. my nieces and nephews are that age plus I worked with a few people in that age group and it blows my mind how different they think and act (and it's not just about maturity level issue) I know every individual is different but I notice a major gap between a lot of things.. I don't even want to get into the narcissistic and entitlement topic with many of them, or lack of empathy, especially towards elderly people. again each individual is going to be different based on their own personality, experiences and how they were raised but in general, that's how I feel.
@@kidgreenhorn Yes, I agree I am very lucky that I grew up with the music I did, plus I absolutely loved music from previous generations so my taste goes across a broad spectrum of genres but I just cannot get into the talentless garbage that is popular today. that's not to say there isn't good music out there but what has become popular or mainstream is just ridiculous to me.
😱 Its SO weird. I was thinking about the Generation Gap the other day! Wondering the same thing. Does it exist? We don't hear anything about it since it was so prevalent back then. SO prevalent. I was the generation after you David and I completely agreed that there was one in my world. Parents didn't have a clue how to relate to their kids. I could talk and think about this for hours. But I will say that I think parenting has evolved. By that I mean that the saying, "kids should be seen and not heard" which was very true back then isn't as prevalent today. Parents take a more active role in their kids lives. Sometimes to an unhealthy degree. "Helicopter parents" comes to mind. I'm resisting the enormous rabbit hole I'm peering into. ☺ It blows me away that you brought this up. 😲
Absolutely there is a generation gap. They have so much more now and are exposed to much more in both good and bad ways through the internet. In some ways I envy that and in other ways not at all. Young people today say things to older people and their parents that I never would. There is a lack of respect.
When I was 13 years old in Catholic school 8th grade 1966, I would go over to my girlfriends house, ride my bike, we would sit on the couch in living room her mother in the kitchen watching T.V. or listening to records. She french kissed me and that was a Mortal sin. When I went home I said The Act of Contrition.
This is from my experience has a high schooler in an elite neighborhood in Seattle with liberal parents: no other cohort has consumed more drugs than the youth born from 1999-2005 has and will consume. Our party culture has reached new levels never seen before: some kids drink 5-7 times a week, most everyone that is involved socially smokes weed, many kids already take psychedelics. I’m talking about 16 year olds dropping acid, I think we are making history. This involves your channel because the end result of the 1960s has raised us. My parents were born 63-64 and had me considerably later than previous generation would. They are oblivious to our party culture and just pass us off as “kids being kids”. The biggest factors into our phenomenal party culture are: -Liberal and oblivious parents -abundance of wealth -we are spoiled shitless -we grew up in a virtual world created by smartphones -previous party culture influence -easy access to weed, psychedelics, and alcohol Our parents should have seen the warning signs when we were little, like how it’s not normal for elementary kids to listen to songs about drinking, obsessing over our social images, and early experimentation with drugs. I’m sure the party culture is not as strong outside of rich Seattle, but I’m sure it’s everywhere. If our parents saw what we did on our smartphones for one day, we would live in a world where it would be illegal for teenagers to own a smartphone. If you are also around the age of 14-20 please let me know your experience and background regarding drugs and partying.
Yes there was. Big difference in opinions. But then I didn't appreciate my parent's and grandparent's generation. I respected them but no sense of how darn hard they had to work and go without much of the time. I think I wised up around 24. After doing things "my way" and I was not as smart as I thought. Saw many of my friends ending up in drug rehab several times. Doing "it" their way. Live and learn.
When I was growing up it took days for news to go around the world, and I recall feeling that we were living in the heady days of scientific advancement! I was aware, for example, that the generation before mine might have had to wait weeks for the same news, and might have to go to a movie theater to see that news, squeezed between some errant comedy or adventure tale. "News Of The World" or "The March Of Progress", and that's how they learned of Amelia Earhart or some Olympic competition on the other side of the world. Nowadays people might conjecture "...if Earhart would have had GPS location, she would not have got lost." Nowadays the government in China (among others) is increasingly facing a world where the population is informed and can inform, instantly, so how you gonna keep them down on the farm anymore? As your video feature demonstrates, a lot of the unrest of the 1960s came from that generation's understanding that the old answers ("Go to college! Get a good job! Buy a house in a good neighborhood! Repeat!") felt limiting. They recognized that the generations before were manipulated, often against their own benefit ("9 out of 10 doctors smoke Chesterfield's!"), and quite correctly didn't want that for their children. Technology indeed brings changes, and faster and faster. History teaches that holding on to some imaginary past (like the old Europeans held onto the monarchies) is a fool's paradise (ask the Romanovs). And the future is coming up fast, right around the next bend.
I honestly don't think there is as much of a cultural revolution now as there was back then. We take for granted the way society opened up back then, how insanely different things became between 1960 and 1970, I don't see such radical shifts between let's say 2010 and 2020.
I'm not sure how many Gen Zs there are watching this (would love a comment from any other Gen Zs here) but I just wanted to drop in and say how fascinating I find your videos and the lively discussions others have had on them as well. Outside a digital space and in my everyday life, it's hard for me to come across primary source material from decades as old as your videos document--especially that concerning the lives of ordinary, everyday people. I feel that by watching your videos, I am given a glimpse of what it must've been like to live in those days. Thank you for sharing your work online. It's something that has clearly brought many people together no matter what their reaction or takeaways may be.
I feel there is a generation gap between kids and teenagers. Just a few years between the two really made the difference. I’m 17 and many other 17 year olds didn’t experience the instant gratification digital age through their childhood. Many of us hadn’t even had a cellphone till at lest 12years old. On the contrary young kids these days are I introduced to technology at the first few years of their life’s.
Hunter Roudenis I’m in my mid 20s, I entered high school over ten years ago so I feel that even with the teens now (like 17 year olds). I grew up with a flip phone that I’d only use for emergencies. My first smartphone was when I was entering college. I remember when RUclips was relatively new: shitty quality videos compared to now, but there was no concept of making money off on videos so it was more random, but nevertheless fun. Social media wasn’t as prevalent compared to now and the world was less PC- it’s strange how tech defines so much of our culture
Im 24 and I believe there is a new generation gap. I don't value the same things and my friends and I have great distain for the position the previous generation has put us in
"Never trust anyone over thirty" wasn't a Bob Dylan line. There's a press conference he did in 65 you can find on RUclips where they ask him what he thinks about that catchphrase. His response was "I consider myself well under 30 and hope to remain here as long as possible":)
Something that I, a 15 year old girl from Ohio, think is interesting about my generation is that such intimate details about people’s lives are posted on social media for everyone from school to see. For example, the humor that is used is mostly supposed to be “relatable” so in a way I think it’s brought people closer together. But when someone is insecure and wants others to feel like they’re left out of something, they can use it to manipulate other people’s feelings about how they’re living their own life. It’s complicated, but it’s so different than anything before the early 2000s. It’s definitely something that my parents can’t relate to, let alone my grandparents or great grandparents.
Of course there's a generational gap. The issue, however, is that in the past, people were less malicious about it. There was a mutual curiosity, I think, and people were interested to see where things were going and how they could relate to one another despite their differences. Nowadays we are at each other's throats, not just because of age difference, but because of political differences, even sometimes religious and racial differences. It makes me sad, I always want to hear about other people, what they think, how they feel, etc. I think a lot of these gaps would lessen or even disappear if we just took the time to listen to one another. Sometimes I watch your clips from the 50s and 60s and i feel a little disappointed in the times I live in. There was so much potential for society to grow and change with us still respecting one another and keeping an open dialogue about our differences, but instead we live in a messy, complicated future where everyone is atomized and too quick to jump to conclusions or hostility. (of course I am speaking in broad strokes here... no offense intended to anybody :) ) Thanks for this video, as always, and happy 2020 to you sir.
Alyssa V I don’t know if there’s more or less malice, rather due to tech allowing ideas to be spread more easily, we see more of the malice. There will always be a political, religious, and a racial divide, but tech allows us to see more of that. And there a definitely some semblance of mutual curiosity, as I’ve seen many open minded boomers here and I myself being subscribed to this channel.
It exists. I think it has always been there even before the 1960's but in the 1960's people started question things a lot more such as Vietnam etc. and started an explosion of expression.
David, I highly recommend you read the book "Generations" by Strauss-Howe if you haven't already. I think you would find their generational theory fascinating, especially because it predicted accurately -- in 1991! -- so many aspects of Millennials and our present-day political environment. They claimed that the Millennial generation would be very similar to the parents of the Boomers, the GI Generation -- conformist, collectivist, well-behaved, team-oriented, secular, and capable of tackling big civic problems, but with a striking lack of individualism or spiritual introspection. As a Millennial it amazes me how close to the mark they've struck. It's also frightening because they prognosticated the current historical period we're in now will involve an outer-world crisis, the likes of which only occur every 80 or so years. (The Great Depression and WW2, the Civil War, and the Revolutionary War being the preceding three crises.) Supposedly Millennials will have to serve as "foot soldiers" combating this crisis, and will rally behind an old hardline ideological Boomer to lead them. (Trump? Sanders? Preceding leaders being FDR and Lincoln, for example.) These civic crises alternate with so-called "spiritual awakenings," the last being the '60s Consciousness Revolution, led by generations of the Idealist/Prophet archetype (in this case, Boomers). But those are just a few elements; there's much more to their theory and it makes a fascinating sociological analysis: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory
David I am a boomer and my experience is as follows. There was a huge generation gap between my parents and I, on the other hand the generation gap between my Daughter and I is not nearly as large..
I was born too close in time to my parents and my aunts and uncles to feel much of a gap. That often is the case of families with Utah background, where folks marry and reproduce when still quite young. My mother was 19 y.o. when I was born, my great-aunt Mabel was only 7 when my mother was born, my uncle Tommy (my mother's younger brother) was still a frisky teenager when I was a kid, and so it goes. The age differences in a family like that just do not amount to much!
Born in 1954. Yes very much a generation gap while I was growing up. I ran inbetween the two. I always tried to do the right thing , yet found myself "influenced" by others as to smoke pot or drink a few beers. But I stopped all that at age 19... So I felt I had been around the block a few times or so. Glad I did as when I had my daughter I wasn't a "stick in the mud" parent. I tried to keep up with this latest generation. Or especially the 90s kids. My daughter is a good person, which I really loved that my influences must have been ok. Because when she was 18 I told her , you need to get out more, go to parties ect , which she avoided like the plague! She then got married at age 21 , and now has a son. My grandson. But there is a huge generation gap now between us. Not that it's a bad thing exactly , it's just less conversation than we used to have. More texting and communication on the phone , rather than in person. Plus both she and her husband work. So I think that is understandable. But I'm not exactly liking what I hear , from this generation also. Seems to be a lack of respect for anyone they don't like. Or mouthing off to strangers , for instance in a grocery store...things of this nature. They have no fear, or respect is what I'm guessing. But that's my two cents into today's world. Plus I loved this video! And I miss Ed Sullivan!!!
As I watch these videos, I start to realize that all older generations try to pressure younger generations into joining the corporate workforce, most of the time succeeding. Younger generations will try to rebel, but by the time they reach their late twenties or early thirties, most of them will conform to society, sometimes even turning on their own in the process.
Human beings between ages 15 and 27 are in their reproductive prime. Getting an education or some kind of vocational training is a very good and necessary thing for that very reason. I don't know what the statistics say but I would be willing to bet that the vast majority (maybe above 60%?) of live births are from people in the age demographic of 15 to 28. If that is true then by all means parents would be negligent if they did NOT encourage their sons and daughters to get an education and to get a job. You seem to disdain "corporate" culture but for better or for worse corporations and manufacturing are absolutely necessary to greater society on too many levels to mention here. Complain about "corporate" america all you like but then come back in 20 years or so and tell us how well you did living without a job. One of the biggest fallacies of being young is that they tend to believe that wishing, wanting, hoping and free love will sustain them forever. It won't Sooner than later you'll make a baby and if you are a sane human you will do everything in your power to provide safety and sustenance and above all a future for your new baby. These things are simply the realities of human life and culture. Good luck to you.
@@51Dss I don't know what the actual statistics are but I do know that in the past decade more and more people are waiting until their thirties to start having children.
@@51Dss There are now two "peaks" for births - teen pregnancies and 20s like you say, but there's another spike for people in their mid-30s giving birth. Usually they wait for financial reasons or difficulty finding a partner.
Bearded Kingface Yes, I didn’t grow up with a smartphone and now it’s strange to see children having them. My first smartphone was when I entered college (I used to have the iPod Touch in high school though, but social media wasn’t really present in my life). The first computer I do remember using was a Windows 95
Well I was born in 1955 and all I can say is this video was not typical of what was happening in our home. I grew up in a multigenerational home of my grandparents who were from Bari, Italy, with my Mom and brother. My Dad was an absent father. Although my parents never divorced my Dad went on to have 4 or 5 wives and 7 other children. Although I wished with all my heart to go to college, that would not be realized until I was in my thirties. Yes, there were generational differences, Grandpa was a tyrant, we did our best as a family. My Dad had several masters degrees. He was a cross between a conservative genius and a hippy. The issues that were presented seen so inconsequential and trivial compared to the world of the sixties. The documentary was excellent.
David Hoffman it was. But today I am thankful because I learnt about compassion for others and never to assume what’s going on behind closed doors. I am grateful that I had truly good people around me. Your documentary brought up so many memories. It was beautifully done.
In 1971, one class's assigned reading included The Strawberry Statement. One observation I particularly remember went something like, "Some of us say not to trust anyone over 30. I agree in principle, but I think they should drop the zero."
This generation is realizing that we don’t need to conform. We have the internet, which has given us access to information and knowledge. We know how to capitalize on it. This notion that there is one way to live is ridiculous and is exactly why most members of my generation don’t take anything people much older than them say personally, because we understand the times in which we live in. We know what needs to change for the betterment of society, but older generations and their views keep many things from happening. Stuck in the damn 60’s when everything was cheap and wages actually matched that of living standards.
You blame a generation for the situational change. Your admittance that wages met living is the crux of the problem. Your realization that you are stuck behind the 8 ball , and will not easily achieve in mass what the boomers have, is generational jealously. What do you realize needs to change? How do boomers get in your way? Your mouthing off and whining, get your ass to work, educate yourself, and suck it up like every generation.
You're right about most of that but you're wrong about thinking you're the only ones that have all the answers. That thinking is going to get you into trouble.
@@jiveturkey9993 Your assumption is incorrect, I don't know anything ,and am still learning, but I realize my defiencies. Don't extrapolate your though process to others.
@@jiveturkey9993 I'm sorry I can't figure out the who replied sometimes. I hope I didn't offend you, that was not my intention. Thank you for being patient.
Our world has changed so rapidly over the past 120 years - every generation is bound to have a larger gap than the one before it. It is kind of amazing actually... My great grandmother was born in 1911. We are only a couple generations apart but when she was born WWI had not even started yet! For further context, the first iPhone came out when I was 17...when she was 17 the great depression was still a year off.
I always love to follow the philosophy of the group of 60's Pittsburgh filmmakers that included Fred Rogers and George Romero, and their frustration with how older generations (including their own!) had such an aversion to change and progress and how much they wanted to emphasize embracing change and learning to accept and emphasize individuality over stereotypes and labels. They transcended their own generations.
@@Laura-Yu You inserted the word "positive". Your right, no one cares if you look stupid. People are grasping for a unique identity and their is no accounting for taste. I find people only respect your opinion when it agrees with their own.
@@BatOfTheDead Sorry, I must have responded to the wrong posting the replies flip around. I hope I didn't offend you, it was not intentional. My inadequacy with this machine is self evident.
We absolutely have a generation gap, a natural and an unnatural gap. Having watched the great documentary series, "Century of Self" and having read the book "Born to Buy" (among other books), I've come to understand marketers who wish to invoke consumptive behavior in young children and adults, work to psychological draw them away from their parents; everything from music, to television shows, to styles, are generationally tuned to separate one 15-20 year span from another 15-20 year span (business cycles usually last about a third of this time while cultural trends typically fluctuate according to this time table). This separation creates isolation (Soul Asylum spoke of this process in their song "Misery", they called the industry created to push Misery "Frustrated Incorporated") and isolation stimulates loneliness which results in a need to fill the void - this impulse to connect is channeled into consumption and the need to create a "Lifestyle" habit. That Lifestyle becomes the persons cultural identity, and that cultural identity - when enough people adhere to it - becomes the generations identifying trait. In the 60s, Counterculture become your generations identifying trait. Millennials Identifying trait was, up till recently, seen as shiftless, aimless and without purpose; that though may be changing. The gap between the group rests in the question - "why"; why were we aimless, shiftless and without purpose? For that answer look up John Meyers Song "Waiting On the World to Change". Love your work, keep posting.
I Never knew of the generation gap when I was growing up I had the Best Family in the World Even my Grand Ma was what every us kids liked it was ok as long it did not kill us 1954 What A great time !
Generation gaps are real. Knowing that is why I love your work, David; you were not only paying attention but even *documenting* this stuff before I was even born! People give the Zs a hard time, but truthfully I think they have their values set pretty well, even if they don't have the experience to rely upon
Yes, there is a generation gap. Was there ever not one? The world in which people grew up in the 1950s and 1960s (and even the 1970s) does not resemble the world of the 2000s to today.
Nor did the 50's resemble the 30's and the great depression, nor did that resemble the roaring 20's. Shall we keep going? Do you think the generation which saw cars and lights in every home and telephones was the same as the one which saw the US connected by rail or torn apart by civil war? Were they the same as the one which saw a budding nation expand westward? Was that the same generation which saw the birth of a new nation and threw off the shakles of a tyrant king? The generation which wrote and read Common Sense is not the same as the ones before it which set out to the new world, nor were they like those who came before.
@@PaulGaither Sounds like you're just echoing the point I'm trying to make, but you phrase it in such a defensive way, as if my comment is in opposition to yours.
Millennial here (not from the US I should add). I do feel there's a generation gap, but I feel the biggest one is not with the previous generation, but with the next. I find the Gen Z/zoomers' ways of communicating, entertaining themselves and at times even their facial expressions incomprehensible.
Born in 2005, I feel as though there are multiple generation gaps between people my age/millennials and boomers-which is definitely most prominent of them all. This is subjective of course, depending on the age of parents (mine are both boomers lol, but both my parents are very open minded and progressive). One major factor in the generation gap between gen z/millennials and boomers/gen x is the absence of the need to get married and reproduce. Before it was completely necessary to find a marriage partner and have children, but now you can deviate from that and be considered successful. Without the need to marry, dating changes, how you view your future changes, etc etc. Along with that, families are different; rather than the husband-wife with a few kids unit there’s tons of possibilities, which I think is something some older or more set-in-their-ways people haven’t quite grasped. That’s an aspect of the current generation gap I rarely see discussed. Every generation has a gap with the younger and older, just some more prominent differences come about with such drastic changes as we have seen in the past 20 odd years.
I remember hearing about the generation gap in the 1970s. I also remember being taught to respect elders. (Sometimes unreservedly). I don't know if this is taught anymore. For some time I have thought technology has changed young people in particular. Like many changes there is good and bad. The gap seems to me to be wider because of instant technology.
It would be interesting if you could trace some of the people who were interviewed and ask them what they think now about the results of the rejection of traditional values - teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, drug addiction and dropping out leading to low skilled jobs, no savings and now large scale homelessness. That does not compare favourably with the work ethic and drive for prosperity of previous generations.
I was as wild as they get in the 60's, went to college in 70's, Went to the club's in the 80's, always worked, married 41years to H.S. sweetheart. Have a daughter. Retired. Trump 2020.
There never was a generation gap in my family. My parents were my best friends and worthy of my love and respect. I never wanted to rebel because I viewed things the same way they did. I resented the idea that a child HAD TO rebel. My personal opinion is that kids were pressured by their peers or brainwashed by media into rebellion.
NewEarthWellness Not necessarily. My sibling and I grew up in the same household. They were more rebellious than me, while I mostly stuck to my parents ideals. By the way, we’re both doing fine, not every parent knows what’s best for their child- sometimes a child will pave their own way. But they do feel some bitterness to our parents not being open and supportive, since our parents were on a more rigid side when to came to their ideals. No brainwashing at all
I don't resent change but I do resent people that think they are entitled to everything others worked for. I use and enjoy technology but I also know how to get along without it. The younger generations today, for the most part, do not. As always your video is very good.
Gen-Xer here...Tale as old as time...every generation thinks the next one isn’t as great as they were and is doomed to fail because of it. The younger generation thinks the older ones failed them. History keeps repeating itself. I do feel sorry for the Millennials though. They were dealt a tough financial hand what with the cost of college, stagnant wages and the high price of housing, etc.
Yes David - I have had this theory re: generation gap. I was born in 1980 and have no generation gap with my elders (in their 70s, 60s, 50s) and parents at all. I’ve always listened to their music (40’s,50s,60’s,70’s and 80’s). We know the same movies, actors and all references in the past. Yet - the GAP my dad born in 1952 experienced between his parents born in 1911, was enormous and alien. I feel like that same gap that his parents and he experienced is what I’m experiencing. There is nothing I can relate to re: the pop culture, music, actors, slang, behaviour with people younger than me (in their 20s and teens) today. I think I’m in the same situation of a generation gap that my grandparents felt vis a vis their kids born in the 50s & 60s. I will be most sad to lose our elders and my parents generation as I will miss our connections. ⭐️
I feel it big time. My own offspring have abandoned me years ago because of my way of thinking. I am alone. I never did this to my grandparents or parents.
@Ghost Rage each other. I am 56, they are between the ages of 18 and 38. 6 of them were step kids. Their father left me in September for a woman 16 years younger than me.
LorrieAnne Silvey Lets be real, you may be the cause of that? But I don’t know you to make that judgment, but it’s a food for thought. I still contact my family but I know others who don’t for a good reason. I know a person who is in the adult entertainment business and they feel that they can’t talk to their parents due to the possibility of rejection and scorn. Be open and understanding, and always question yourself- unless it is hurting anyone else (the golden rule), nothing is inherently good or bad. And don’t expect them to take care of you- if they truly love you and were capable, they would do it, but pushing them into it only brings bad vibes
@@Laura-Yu I appreciate your view. Since you do not know the details of it though I must say your view is a bit harsh. I just wanted contact, not money, not to be "taken care of", and not to make their lives harder. I wonder how your views will change when you are over 55 years old and the younger people act like you do not exist.
The struggle is over culture and ultimately, power. In the late 60's, the older generation COMPROMISED and allowed the younger generation to take control of the culture. In exchange, the older people got to keep their power. Now that the young people are old, and we have the same struggle, the old people are unwilling to give up culture. And we can't touch their power because of the systems they put in place. Same struggle as before (and really, all time), but for once the older generation is not outnumbered & can cram their culture down the younger generation's throat. FOR NOW.
As a Millennial (born in '93), I feel that the most obvious generational difference from the parents is the technological savviness; we knew how to fix game systems with a puff of air, and are spoiled by choice. My school years were a combination of folded note-passing, and flip phone texting. I feel like the generation behind me is all too brave for acting extraordinary on social media and their fashion sense. The negative aspect about them is that they don't want to take most things seriously. The only seriousness they hold onto is the 'social justice' themed propaganda that they try to imitate, and I suspect they latch onto that because someone else has done all the thinking for them. If I had to pinpoint why us younger generations act this way, I'd point to the overexposure via social media, and the lack of freedom to watch over ourselves. If we experience another terrible World War, you would be able to see people sit up a little straighter, and a sense of work ethic is reborn. (Hopping off my soap box now)
One difference between the 60's generation gap and today's gap is that the 60's youth (now devolved into Boomers) largely rejected their parent's music and pop culture. As a kid in the 60's, I knew next to nothing about 50's music (barring rock pioneers) and thought "crooners" with their suits and narrow ties were lame. Today's youth culture (thanks to RUclips) is much more knowledgeable about pop culture (especially music) from the past, and they borrow from it freely for memes and fashion and other style choices. I admire that about them--they are actual far more open than we were back in the day.
@@kidgreenhorn Of course Millennial and Gen Z can create their own culture--every generation has done so. And it seems like every generation has individuals who annoyingly complain about those who follow them . . .
@@davidsprenkle2641 Ok let's see it, I think they are rudderless. I feel sorry for them, they will never live in a boomer America,one of the greatest times in American history.
@@kidgreenhorn I'm tempted to point out that Boomer America gave us the splendors of streaking and orange shag carpeting and disco and yacht rock. And Boomers voted in the current guy in the White House (the only generation where a majority voted for him). So we Boomers have a lot to answer for. I wonder if history will be kind to us? :)
I’m a boomer and my mom told me to graduate from college because once you have that diploma you can do anything. This of course ended up being far from true but in her time it probably was true. I am glad however that I did graduate and always felt it was an accomplishment that I could be proud of.
My parents were born first year for boomers, my dad was actually born last year for silent gen. I was born last year for boomers, all my grandparents had kids young. There was a big generation gap. I felt caught in the middle of it. There's another huge generation gap now. But I don't feel it as much personally cause I don't have kids. I get along fine with all different ages for the most part. My mom's dad was German and his parents only taught their kids English then spoke German around them when they didn't want them to know what they were saying. Thing is now we can go online any time of night or day and speak to people anywhere on earth. I like that.
Michelle Lambert Honestly, it’s hard to feel a huge gap as long as you’re open to changing with the times- of course we can compare how we grew up but we are all experiencing the same present
Without a generation gap it seems to me that there would be no change, or at the very least significant change..either positive or negative. We try to relate to our children...but at times I think it is impossible to do so if you haven’t grown and learned in the same time and at the same age as them. I was born in 1966 and had children between 1990 and 93. I really think that I was able to relate to what they were going through or believing in, a bit better than my parents related to me...the gap seemed to become a little closer 😊
I'm a 73 year old Boomer. Four kids age 28 to 42. Yes there is definitely an Age Gap. I worked very hard to have a close relationship with my children. Most work in tech today and keep me up to date, technically. Yes, I believe technology is exsaserbating the Generation Gap. Mom was an antique collector. We had an Edison thick disc player and a good assortment of records. I'm one if very few that can sing from memory WWI Doughboy songs. The world changes drastically in one generation. My grandfather went from the horse and buggy to man on the moon in his lifetime. The rate of change is accelerating! Hang on, Boomers.....
I just wanted to add that the generation aspect of it has very little to do with it I think it has more to do with where you were raised. What your day to day routine is as opposed to the year you were born.
Younger millennials here - there's a bit of gap on the exact same things discussed in this video - materialism, teens hiding their social life from their parents (that was particularly contentious when I was a teenager). College wasn't a big issue - my parents wanted both me and my brother to go where we thought was best, not simply whatever is the most "prestigious." (In fact, I sometimes wonder if my brother went to UVA simply because it was the most prestigious place he was accepted and my parents wanted him to go elsewhere.) The clip about products for young people reminds me of the cringey "marketing to millennials" thing among companies for the past decade and change. I do notice a big big big gap in religion. Most of my friends either aren't religious at all or very devout, conservative, anti-Vatican II types who think the church is losing credibility by 'adapting as society changes' and whatnot. My friends in minority religions are more 50/50 between devout and passive. I've always perceived religion as much more universal among people born before 1970, where a vast majority are religious but not as devout/conservative as Catholic millennials and zoomers. This makes a situation where the devout older folks fear for the future because of the secular youth and post-Vatican II education teaching a "weaker" version of Christianity that's not as fulfilling. Simultaneously, the devout subset of young people are both kinda allied with the devout boomers and perceived as nutjobs by the passively religious boomers. Finally, there's a big political gap, especially between liberal millennials and conservative boomers. The latter think the country will go off the cliffs in 2030 or sooner because the former don't understand why our governments are structured the way they are and are willing to throw said structure away to achieve "progress." Most millennials, especially the liberal ones, think boomers are out of touch and don't understand how much harder it is to start out in 2015 compared to starting out in 1972. Housing, healthcare, college, and so many other things are much more expensive today than they were in the 60s & 70s, so "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" seems like beyond a fairy tale.
Zoomer here and while I feel that there is a generational gap between my parents and I (one is a boomer and the other is an X-er) more Americans my age are also having to deal with immigrant parents who don’t completely integrate with American culture. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it sometimes leads to friction.
Anna Che I’m a Millennial, both of my parents being Gen X. It is definitely different for immigrants since my parents ideals stem from Korea rather than the US. Luckily my parents are pretty open so I didn’t feel much of a friction between Korean and American values, though I do feel like it’s hard to relate with others sometimes because of this mixture
Hi David I'm a millennial and I find the generation gap between me and my parents isn't too big. My mother picked up and understands modern technology better than I ever have and I was born into it. I also have a respect and interest in old pop culture, so me and my parents have a common interest in movies and music. There is a slight gap when I comes to some technology like video games,as I my dad thinks it's stupid and a waste of time while he spends watching a 5 hour Clint Eastwood marathon. Anyway I hope this input was helpful from a perspective of a 15 year old millennial, although I'm sure every family is very different. We millennials live in a very strange generation.
Not sure if I would call it a generation gap. In the 1960's there was a growing schism between those who supported the Vietnam War (Americans who trusted their govt and were hawkish against communism, Soviet Union, cold war, etc) and those who protested against it (McGovern Democrats, peace-nicks, draft dodgers, hippies, etc). Add to that the new music from the U.K. (Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc), and recreational drug use, and the fault line starts to look like young vs old, liberal vs conservative, those who trust govt vs those who don't. Today the political rift, along party lines and news/social media, is more intense than ever. So I think it's a political gap rather than a generation gap. IMO many of the millennials are looking to govt for answers, much more so than in previous generations.
I look back now on the disrespect we showed to the previous generation of our parents. But we were shown disrespect by our government through the Vietnam draft, which killed so many in an unprecedented “conflict”. It still doesn’t make sense!
I do nit see there being any more or less of a generational gap than there has been for the last 100+ years. Technology plays a huge role in both connecting humaity while seprating us generationally in other aspects. We can commincat with almost anybody almost anywhere in the world in an instant from a slim device in my pocket almost anywhere I go. On the other hand, much of what defines a generational gap is explained more through the process of aging, experience, and persepctive. Older generation complaining about the youth dates back almost as far as the written word, and I am sure before recorded history. That has never changed, nor does it look like it will any time soon, if ever.
The generational differences, the gaps, are in themselves generational. The times, events, continually evolving social and cultural meanderings ... All influence the generation du jour. So, in looking back, with the Hindsight of 2020 🧐 ... each generation seems to face a separation, a gap, that brings the currents of relative transformational evolutions to the fore, and their affects will reflect the nature of the times.
Born in 1962 and don't really identify with Boomers...their youth in the 60s is odd to me. Even their speech patterns seem strange. I always thought the Boomer Generation should have cut off earlier. I grew up in the 70s and graduated high school in 81...a completely different era. I suppose that's why they invented "Generation Jones."
Doomer here. You don't know how good you had it Boomers. We now live in a world where our labor has no value. Goods have little value. Except food and housing, those will cost you a fortune. Kind of the opposite of your world growing up!
Yes we certainly do have generation gap between baby boomers and younger Gens and I think it also has to do with their population since there were so many of them. I’m a Gen Z (2002) and both of my parents are baby boomers (1961 & 1963) I would love for you to do a video with baby boomers being interviewed about their millennial and Gen Z kids or even grandkids about their societal upbringing (mid 1980s to mid 2020s) and the struggles they know their kids and grandkids will face due to the mistakes the baby boomers have made. I also feel since baby boomers like to be so opinionated it’s the reason why America has become so polarized. We also have had a stubborn gridlock government since the early 1990s when the baby boomers become the majority of ones being elected
As a 25 year old, I'm not sure I can agree there is a gap as such. I'm absolutely a digital native by older standards, but I also remember a time before the ubiquity of electronics as they are today. I find I'm equally as distant from my parents generation as I am from the teenagers today. It seems less of a gap and more a set of stepped increments, it does not compare to the vast changes that happened during the wars and their recovery. I think electronic technology has too much weight on society today, in time people will learn that its a wonderful tool, but just a tool, not a way of life.
Same here. I'm 24 and remember VHS tapes being sold at walmart at full price. When home computers and Internet was still a luxury me and many of my classmates diddnt have.
Sure there's a gap now. Especially with tech. But we have gaps stacked up on each other. Age gap, tech gap, wealth gap, political gap. It creates a society with no cohesion, which allows corruption to go unchallenged.
There's even a huge gap between Millenials that you have yet to explore Mr. Hoffman. '84 Millenials were 18 in 2002; so, we had very little internet access, no social media, no cell phones (unless you were "that kid"), no youtube. Do you know its abnormal to NOT get a 4.0 gpa now??? Kids have free teachers and tutors on youtube. Theres more people to discuss your desires with now, more ppl to bounce ideas off and find YOURE way... However, I was raised by baby boomer bone heads that never listened to my ideas and goals and ambitions...my parents had ZERO capability to help me...In fact, I cant even tell you how many times I was told to Shhhhh when TV was on... BABY BOOMERS LOVE THEIR TV. A lot more than raising their kids.
There's been a real barrier between myself and my grandparents, we have a very different understanding of the world. Still I see the gap more as being between those who are bought into cultural norms and those who are not; it's easier for my generation to see the flaws in a system that doesn't benefit us. I don't entirely agree with the idea that it's technology that separates us. Technology is only a reflection of its makers, and right now (as always) it's holding a big mirror up to a lot of our inherited toxic cultural values.
On the topic of going to parties: This is no different than reading aboyt flappers and speak easies and all the trouble each generation gets up to. If there is trouble to be had, the youth will find it... and if there isn't, then they will create it. Welcome to human nature.
Oh there is definitely a generation gap but I think it's even worse today to the point where we hate someone base on the year they were born. At least that's what I think anyway David.
This is interesting to me as I was born in 1950 and considered a “Boomer”, I guess. My upbringing in the early fifties and sixties in the rural Midwest was the traditional conservative, patriotic mentality. Sergeant York, Audie Murphie and John Wayne were the heroes of the age.
When I became a teenager in the later sixties things seemed to change, even in our remote location. Television was prominent in this influence I assume. We had Elvis and his outlandish behavior on the Ed Sullivan show, and many other rock music icons that followed. The so called, “British Invasion ” also had an impact, especially with the Beatles and many to follow.
All of this created a culture that rejected the mores and values we were brought up with in early life.
As a teenager in the mid to late sixties the really “cool” thing to do was pick up a guitar, learn a few bar cords and blast our creations out to all those who craved the sound and the beat.
At the age of 14 I bought my first guitar. I was influenced by my parents to pursue the instrument, they thinking I would follow in the footsteps of Tex Ritter or Hank Williams. To their dismay I was most interested in the rock scene of the day though I would occasionally play “Wildwood Flower to keep them in agreement.
It wasn’t long until I Formed a band to play at weekly dances that were popular at the time. My parents heard the practice sessions as we performed them in our upstairs and they were not pleased, to say the least. We soldiered on, however, and became a premier band in our area. We never made much money but we sure did have fun!!!
Fast forward a couple of years. I had graduated high school, gotten married shortly after and was looking for a job. This was 1969 and the draft for military service was in full effect. There were jobs available but not to individuals who were deemed eligible for the draft. Try as I might no one would hire me. I was considered 1-A draft status and no employer would take a chance of hiring someone who would very likely be drafted into the military in just a few months. Finally a local farmer took pity on my plight and offered me a job of building fence through his pasture. Hard work but I was grateful for the income to help support my family and pay the bills.
It wasn’t long until the “Greetings” letter came from the president and I found myself in the Army. Vietnam service followed after a few months of training.! I won’t go into how that had affected my life fifty years hence but I can say the sixties had a most definitive influence on my life and how I view things today.
Great story Dale.
The older generation told us that we have to go to college in order to be successful. Sure, in their time that might have been so. However, such is not the case anymore. Despite glaring facts that prove this point, they are in denial about this, obstinate to change. This is one of the biggest gaps I can think of, the other being comprehension of technology.
I agree 100%. Baby Boomers resent change (whether that change is in themselves or in society) more than any other generation. It's like they don't understand that there's more to life than their egos. Maybe it was the whole "teenager culture" of the 50's and 60's that created their obstinate narcissism.
I’m a baby boomer and I’m the first to admit that college isn’t for everyone and that going to college has been pushed so much that we now have a shortage of skilled tradesmen. Maybe I understand that because my father was a bricklayer and I have a soft spot for tradesmen. I can go to many places in Charlottesville Virgina and see buildings that he helped lay the brick on. I take a lot of pride in that. As far as technology goes, I don’t know nearly as much as I’d like to. But I’m always wanting to learn. And I don’t think my generation is narcissistic. We grew up with parents who were part of the Greatest Generation and a lot of their values rubbed off into us.
There is something too to be said about wisdom that comes with age. You’ll find out if you’re blessed to live to reach 60 and beyond. Which is why we have a generation gap.
I meant boomers were narcissistic in the sense that they wanted their children to go to school so they can put the school's official bumper sticker on their minivans and brag about how their child is going to school. The college experience is being misused to the nth degree and my generation is suffering for it. I didn't mean to paint the entire generation in a broad brush.
Dichroic Sounds sad to say that for many, their child going to college is a status symbol. I’m fortunate that in my Boomer circle, we don’t care about status symbols. It’s interesting because my sister is a Gen X’er (born in 1965) and she is much more into the whole status symbol thing.
My son let me know from an early age that he had no interest in college and I didn’t push him. He now works with his father in law at a job he loves. Where he helps maintain apartments for college students, who have more book smarts than common sense.
People forget that the MEDIA, (television, Hollywood, movies, magazines) were very powerfully influencial back then, even moreso than today, because back then people trusted the media. They didn't think the media COULD lie, because of laws or something. HA, ha...we were SO wrong. They did lie, and were influencing the young boomers to rebel, be sexually free, love promiscuity of any kind, "free love, free sex" sort of thing, and no consequences from it. Also in high school, a college education was pushed on everyone, but there was also Vietnam going on. The schools kept pushing for kids to go to college, not the trades.
Young people ARE more easily influenced by the media, music, tv, because they're young, and embrace "newer" more seemingly progressive and different things. That is good AND bad.
We now see the result of the power the media has HAD, and those who are corupt in this system, which joined with the political system, and the education system. Now, they're pretty much one and the same, with a few exceptions.
I rememer in the 80s, the media, papers, magazines, were daily bombarding us with "YOU MUST GO TO COLLEGE" or else you can NOT have any future without that. My kids were young then, but I didn't believe ALL kids needed to go to college. I was made fun of by many people for believing that. I married young and had children, and again was made fun of and ridiculed, by peers.
I don't regret it though, at all.
But, today, all these "institutions" are fostering a divide between the generations, and it's sad to watch. My husband is a college professor, and we've been in the education system for over 35 years. I wish I could say things are progressing, but there is a lot of regression in education and in basic knowledge. (The purposeful dumbing down of America, which is REAL)
There are many things that are BETTER today than years ago, and other things that are worse.
But, watching this constant division generated by several sources isn't good for anyone.
I’m a millennial that enjoys the pop culture of the past through the technology we have today. It’s the best of both worlds. 👍🏼
W H except that your picture of the past is sifted through a thick filter, deciding for you what is acceptable or important. Add to that the inexact relation between pop culture and daily life, your lens is like stained glass, only letting certain colors through and obscuring the view of the other side. That is why I subscribed. There is much in these documentaries that may not be relevant. We get to decide. Excellent example was the last impression from this video: what does the last married couple have to do with the generation gap topic? I do not imply it does not relate at all, but it is up to us to decide how if it does.
After watching and listening to this video I do think the Gap still exists today.The circumstances have changed, but the communication and points of view still brings disagreement and conflict Thank you,enjoyed the other video about Generation Gap in the sixties too.God help us to Close the Gap,we need to communicate with each other now more than ever!
Gen-Xer here. Remember us? The people no one talks about anymore?
Well, I think the gap is still there, and we are stuck in the middle of it (the green patch between the two roads heading in very different directions).
I think it will only get worse and that we will have to tightrope walk between them.
Thank you, Mr. H!
K August My parents are Gen X (‘65), they definitely have their own ways but it’s hard to relate to this video since they grew up in Korea. Quite traditional in ideals but a little more open (gotta do some convincing), unlike the previous generation which were more strictly traditional in either ideals, ways, or both. My (American Caucasian) stepdad is a boomer so I can relate his behavior and ideals in this video though
Harmony Alexandria We really felt like we had the Boomers on our necks. Remember, this was the age of both 60s and 70s nostalgia. Apart from maybe grunge and hip-hop, we did not achieve much except surf the waves around us.
I figured the Gen X’ers Just raved, did hard drugs, and were kinda distant parents because they hated their parents.
@@BJ-mb2ug actually it was the other way around. The boomers did not care about Gen x. We were latchkey kids. Had to raise ourselves because the boomers were, and still are, self absorbed in the 1970’s and ‘80s.
@@jerryc5743 yeah- you hated your parents- cuz they weren’t there for you. Lots of gen X parents aren’t very good to their kids now, either. Some are trying to do better, some aren’t. :(
I was a teenager in the 1960’s and yes there was definitely a generation gap!
But I also believe every generation has a generation gap, my parents were definitely different from their parents who were born in the Victorian era, they enjoyed cinema, and modern dance of the 1939’s and 40’s which were abhorrent to their parents. I’m 70 now and don’t look at all like 70 year olds of previous generations, but equally although I have an iPad and Alexa etc, I haven’t kept up with all the latest musicians and hits, and technology eg don’t play games on my iPad etc, and use my iPad more than my phone which I strictly used for calls to people I can’t communicate or FaceTime on my iPad.
The modern generation doesn’t have , en mass, respect for authority that we had but things are always changing and every generations problem is that their children are different and don’t necessarily hold dear their parents ethics.
Hoffman, i am a 15 year old bluegrass enthusiast from the UK and found your channel from the mountian fiddler video. I do bellive that the gap is nearly as big as it was then and its a shame my generation doesnt have respect for music that requires musical talents!
All the best
Thank you for watching my posts and for commenting. I was once a 15-year-old bluegrass enthusiast from Long Island and that is what got me to make my first documentary at 22 in the bluegrass Mountains.
David Hoffman - filmmaker
Love all your Videos! Thanks for making and sharing them with all of us! ♥️
My Boomer coworker recently retired. He made a point of saying he's getting social security but I won't be getting any. My retirement age has been bumped up to 72. I might not live that long. My co-worker lived through the boom times of hiring and promotions. In my building there hasn't been a promotion in nearly 20 years. Coworker retiring from his senior position didnt open up any slots for promotion either.
The most important thing I learn from studying other generations is to not be bitter when I get older. Also, people who excessively brag about what generation they're from while dogging on others seem like they're trying to overcompensate for something. It's like giving yourself a participation trophy.
Stevie Exactly. I don’t see it as a token of pride that I didn’t grow up with a smartphone (my first one was when I entered college). Rather, it’s an amazement at how far we currently are when I see a younger generation being introduced with tech that I didn’t get to use growing up. Am I happy I grew up in my generation? Of course, and most of us are since there is such a cultural richness to each era. But to say one is better than the other is fallacious
WOW! That last scene was heavy! They were interestingly polite with regard to tone of voice__but, to be honest, sounded like the guy had some secretive stuff going on outside of this relationship. 😳🙌🙌🙌😺
There is a generation gap - there will always be a generation gap. The youth of a given era view their parents with dismisiveness at best and contempt at worst. Parents view their children with cautious if not fearful apprehension . I think this is to be expected in a wealthy, consumerist culture. Perhaps also in cultures that are not so wealthy and comfortable - I wouldn't know about that.
The boomers (of course it must be noted that these things almost exclusively apply to those who lived in the middle/upper middle class) were rash, resentful, rebellious but only because they didn't know what they did NOT know. They could never conceive of an existence where there was "pressure" on them to find a way to house themselves and to eat every day. I scoff when I hear them complain how their parents "pressured" them to think about college. I think to myself - "oh poor little rich kids". Too bad - so sad. Believe me - there were plenty of "boomers" for whom getting a job was priority one and for whom college was NOT anywhere on their radar and I am one of that "boomer" subset.
They talk about hiding or "not telling" their parents about things they might have done at parties or at the beach or whatever. This is not new. The recklessness of youth is not new. What they do not realize is that their parents are not being mean and controlling so much as they are acting out on a very natural and necessary impulse to protect their offspring. The parents naturally try to give their offspring the best opportunity for long life and success.
Idle time and selfish preoccupation creates a false sense of entitlement which leads to resentment which leads to contempt. In a convoluted way the luxurious, idle existence the boomers experienced was a hinderence to their mental and emotional development. Many of them never outgrew it.
Definitely a generation gap now
I’m 19 and my dad is 56 I can relate a bit.
There definitely is a generation gap in the caregiving workforce. Many Baby boomers are retiring and there is a huge demand for caregivers!
I think that technology has separated our generations in the fact that my generation uses it because it has become necessary in ORDER to navigate in this world (like second language). In this generation, technology is their WAY of navigating through this world (like their first language).
@Haha Porter V Good point! I was just saying that we see technology in a different way. Being seen as "separate" is not always a bad thing, just a different way of seeing things between generations. My son grew up with technology, I didn't, but I learn from him and he appreciates my past.
@@dasteelerfan1 Thanks joe! 😊
Haha Porter V your confidence in knowledge based on this medium is a mistake. I remember well the experience of dispelling myths about USA life while visiting other countries. Their mistakes were primarily based on our movies and sitcoms. There are musical influences you'll never know about by videos alone.
Boomer or not, the more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know.
Julie A. While there have been advantages to the advancements, there have also been problems created by over reliance on tech. The recognition of this is the reason for resistance much more than ignorance or fear of it.
Haha Porter V stimulating discussion is so much more fun than heated debate to me. There are two points you put me in mind to make. My most recent YT searches have been for pockets of regional, traditional, unique styles of music, all over the globe, not blended with others yet. Too many have disappeared already in our shrinking world. The style my home region is most known for, thumb picking guitar, is kept alive with Summer gatherings and competitions. David has videos of this style. In my grandfather's time, it was much more common. My own son got into hip hop when it was big.
Second, in my time at college among ferinners and time in other countries, I learned more than I taught, even about myself and my country.
I know I said just two points. That's part of the danger of getting the older ones started. That's my third point. There is not enough time or space, even on seemingly endless Internet, to get all of even one of our stories. For example, the short list of groups you named were known personally by many who could give you a unique perspective. I won't brag, but those I have known have no hint on YT showing things I know about them. My only name drop will be the one I enjoyed working with most. Weird Al Yankovic probably won't remember me if I get the chance to meet him again. Still, I can tell you that I found nothing at all fake about him. He really is that off the wall.
There are 2 civilizations today. The Digitals and the Analogs. Some Analogs have upgraded themselves to Digitals but they are few and far between. This is probably the biggest generational gap in history and the next gap will probably make this one look small. Good luck to everyone and I recommend you keep learning!
Always learning and always catching up. Often needing young people's help .
If you believe your knowledge and skill with the digital verse or cyber vers or whatever you call it is all you need I fear for you if and when the power grid goes down - even if it only goes down for merely 1 week you will quickly learn that you don't know enough about real life as opposed to digital IQ in order to survive.
There is so much more to life than learning and becoming dependent upon the most advanced and sophisticated technologies available.
@@51Dss Hear hear. Every year I try to learn more useful, non-digital skills.
Brad B It may have started in the 40s but definitely not widely in use
51Dss You say “depend on”, which may be true, but you don’t realize that having this kind of knowledge (tech and programming) leads to normalization of skills taught such as programming and machine learning, which there are free and open sources for such knowledge. Not only that, people use tech to learn other skills (how to cook a recipe, learn a different language, or how to solve a physics problem), efficiently relay information, or even just as a placeholder for television which boomers adore. I don’t understand how it’s a bad thing over learning how to farm? And I’m not talking about basic life skills like cooking, cleaning, maintaining a car/home/etc. But I do wish our schools emphasized more on that kind of skills as well
Looking forward to watching this later tonight. Having a Grandfather who came to USA in late 1800s from England a Great grandmother from Ireland a Father who was in WWII ,a oldest brother in Nam in 1967 {when I was only age 4 + 5} a brother between us in age + myself graduating in 1981. My whole life has been a battle of different generations ideas + values all taught to me . For me : I've taken parts of all of them with me that I believe has created a lifelong battle within myself of the generations as I loved them all .
Good roots.
The biggest gap between the boomers and younger generations has mostly to do with money and cost of living. Boomers cannot relate to their kids and grandkids (financially speaking) because of the of this chasm. Let's not kid ourselves, money is a big deal and effects all aspects of life.
My Dad was in WWII his generation destroyed the industrial capacity of the world. No Globalization. We didn't have much in the 50's but the feeling was we were programmed for success. America was #1 and was prosperous and more homogeneous, 160m people. We were more connected to our parents and shared the new technology,TV. We were rebellious but grew with old value roots. This generation is not connected to the past, has no clue of what came before, no foundation just fast forwarded ahead. They know the answer but don't know to solve the problem to get the answer. Look it up on that stupid phone, or ask a machine.
Robert Um, you sound just as bad as how we younger people would joke typical boomer mentality: “ok boomer”. Do you seriously think technology is the problem? The complaint you have with the younger generation is probably the same with the previous generation before yours, except they’d complain about how television and radios are ruining society
@@Laura-Yu Your wrong, of course, you know how a previous generation responded, because you were there. We were more connected to our parents past. Radios were my grand parents generation. T.V. was our parents and boomers generation. You assumptions are ill founded and reflect,with all due respect, your lack of knowledge. I respect your opinion,your premise is that expotential technological change has no effect is incorrect. My dad's people lived in Pennsylvania for 200 years, did not move 20 miles from where there were born. No interstate, jet travel, polio was still around in 50's, half the people in U.S. 160m. Technology changed more in 30 years than previous 2000 years.
@J. M. Thank you, did I sit beside you in third grade.
J. M. you sound like a narcissist who can seem to put himself into the shoes of what a young persons life is like today. You just assume we’re stupid because you’re a 60’s kid and everyone knows how great you are. Look at the countless documentaries made about you! No wonder you sound like that much of an asshole, without one bit of understanding. Because you don’t want to understand, you want to shut off anything that might be different than what you’re used to. We want a tax increase on the wealth to pay for social programs, you call that communism. You idiots could literally never survive a day as a young person. You think everything is still how it used to be. Wake the fuck up! Talk to your youth and instead of being an asshole to them, try and understand what they’re going through. We’re human too, ya know. We just have different ideas. Seems to freak and piss you and this Robert idiot off, then you dismiss us as inexperienced, uneducated, spoiled punks. Just the consequences of a world moving to fast for you idiots to keep up.
Good afternoon David,
This is an excellent question. I believe there certainly is a generation gap. However, I must admit that I do not necessarily feel as if I am in the middle of it.
My parents were older when I was born, both were in their mid forties. My mom came of age in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, which has proven to be an illuminating influence on my own life. I’m 25 and I’ve learned a lot, especially from my mom thanks to her perspective and the experiences of her youth. When I’ve made mistakes, she has provided me with exceptional insight and has reminded me that life goes on. She is now 70 years of age. I feel that our age difference has actually helped to bring us closer together when compared to my “co-generationists” who have younger parents. I feel that much of this is due to the social and cultural similarities between my mother’s years of youth and my own. I feel as if the generation born in the ‘70s and ‘80s turned out to be much more conservative in their outlook. This is a generalization of course, but this is my own experience.
Either way, I really enjoy your channel and I hope that you have a fantastic new year.
All the best.
I am 44 years old and I have been noticing a major gap between both generations after mine.
Almost your age, that dependends very much on who and what you where when you grew up. I started with computers at a very young age in the mid 80's and followed technology trough the golden age of the 90's and up to today.
I relate with the younger generations much more than the previous ones.
Your lucky you had the boomer music. My daughter is 40.
@@Cpt.Zer0 I can relate to them with technology but that's about it.. how many millennials have you actually hung out with on a personal level? (That's not meant to sound sarcastic, I'm being serious)
Personally, I'm talking about everything but mostly personality, interests, music, art, entertainment, what they consider to be rude or offensive, etc.. my nieces and nephews are that age plus I worked with a few people in that age group and it blows my mind how different they think and act (and it's not just about maturity level issue)
I know every individual is different but I notice a major gap between a lot of things.. I don't even want to get into the narcissistic and entitlement topic with many of them, or lack of empathy, especially towards elderly people.
again each individual is going to be different based on their own personality, experiences and how they were raised but in general, that's how I feel.
@@kidgreenhorn Yes, I agree I am very lucky that I grew up with the music I did, plus I absolutely loved music from previous generations so my taste goes across a broad spectrum of genres but I just cannot get into the talentless garbage that is popular today.
that's not to say there isn't good music out there but what has become popular or mainstream is just ridiculous to me.
😱
Its SO weird. I was thinking about the Generation Gap the other day! Wondering the same thing. Does it exist? We don't hear anything about it since it was so prevalent back then. SO prevalent.
I was the generation after you David and I completely agreed that there was one in my world. Parents didn't have a clue how to relate to their kids. I could talk and think about this for hours. But I will say that I think parenting has evolved. By that I mean that the saying, "kids should be seen and not heard" which was very true back then isn't as prevalent today. Parents take a more active role in their kids lives. Sometimes to an unhealthy degree. "Helicopter parents" comes to mind.
I'm resisting the enormous rabbit hole I'm peering into. ☺
It blows me away that you brought this up. 😲
Absolutely there is a generation gap. They have so much more now and are exposed to much more in both good and bad ways through the internet. In some ways I envy that and in other ways not at all. Young people today say things to older people and their parents that I never would. There is a lack of respect.
When I was 13 years old in Catholic school 8th grade 1966, I would go over to my girlfriends house, ride my bike, we would sit on the couch in living room her mother in the kitchen watching T.V. or listening to records. She french kissed me and that was a Mortal sin. When I went home I said The Act of Contrition.
Thought-provoking as always, David. I really enjoy your commentary. Thanks and Happy New Year. 🥳🎊🌟
This is from my experience has a high schooler in an elite neighborhood in Seattle with liberal parents: no other cohort has consumed more drugs than the youth born from 1999-2005 has and will consume. Our party culture has reached new levels never seen before: some kids drink 5-7 times a week, most everyone that is involved socially smokes weed, many kids already take psychedelics. I’m talking about 16 year olds dropping acid, I think we are making history.
This involves your channel because the end result of the 1960s has raised us. My parents were born 63-64 and had me considerably later than previous generation would. They are oblivious to our party culture and just pass us off as “kids being kids”.
The biggest factors into our phenomenal party culture are:
-Liberal and oblivious parents
-abundance of wealth
-we are spoiled shitless
-we grew up in a virtual world created by smartphones
-previous party culture influence
-easy access to weed, psychedelics, and alcohol
Our parents should have seen the warning signs when we were little, like how it’s not normal for elementary kids to listen to songs about drinking, obsessing over our social images, and early experimentation with drugs.
I’m sure the party culture is not as strong outside of rich Seattle, but I’m sure it’s everywhere. If our parents saw what we did on our smartphones for one day, we would live in a world where it would be illegal for teenagers to own a smartphone.
If you are also around the age of 14-20 please let me know your experience and background regarding drugs and partying.
Yes there was. Big difference in opinions. But then I didn't appreciate my parent's and grandparent's generation. I respected them but no sense of how darn hard they had to work and go without much of the time. I think I wised up around 24. After doing things "my way" and I was not as smart as I thought. Saw many of my friends ending up in drug rehab several times. Doing "it" their way. Live and learn.
When I was growing up it took days for news to go around the world, and I recall feeling that we were living in the heady days of scientific advancement! I was aware, for example, that the generation before mine might have had to wait weeks for the same news, and might have to go to a movie theater to see that news, squeezed between some errant comedy or adventure tale. "News Of The World" or "The March Of Progress", and that's how they learned of Amelia Earhart or some Olympic competition on the other side of the world. Nowadays people might conjecture "...if Earhart would have had GPS location, she would not have got lost." Nowadays the government in China (among others) is increasingly facing a world where the population is informed and can inform, instantly, so how you gonna keep them down on the farm anymore? As your video feature demonstrates, a lot of the unrest of the 1960s came from that generation's understanding that the old answers ("Go to college! Get a good job! Buy a house in a good neighborhood! Repeat!") felt limiting. They recognized that the generations before were manipulated, often against their own benefit ("9 out of 10 doctors smoke Chesterfield's!"), and quite correctly didn't want that for their children. Technology indeed brings changes, and faster and faster. History teaches that holding on to some imaginary past (like the old Europeans held onto the monarchies) is a fool's paradise (ask the Romanovs). And the future is coming up fast, right around the next bend.
I honestly don't think there is as much of a cultural revolution now as there was back then. We take for granted the way society opened up back then, how insanely different things became between 1960 and 1970, I don't see such radical shifts between let's say 2010 and 2020.
I'm not sure how many Gen Zs there are watching this (would love a comment from any other Gen Zs here) but I just wanted to drop in and say how fascinating I find your videos and the lively discussions others have had on them as well. Outside a digital space and in my everyday life, it's hard for me to come across primary source material from decades as old as your videos document--especially that concerning the lives of ordinary, everyday people. I feel that by watching your videos, I am given a glimpse of what it must've been like to live in those days. Thank you for sharing your work online. It's something that has clearly brought many people together no matter what their reaction or takeaways may be.
Thank you for your comment.
David Hoffman-filmmaker
I feel there is a generation gap between kids and teenagers. Just a few years between the two really made the difference. I’m 17 and many other 17 year olds didn’t experience the instant gratification digital age through their childhood. Many of us hadn’t even had a cellphone till at lest 12years old. On the contrary young kids these days are I introduced to technology at the first few years of their life’s.
I'm 66 and still don't have a cellphone.
As another 17 year old I totally agree
Hunter Roudenis I’m in my mid 20s, I entered high school over ten years ago so I feel that even with the teens now (like 17 year olds). I grew up with a flip phone that I’d only use for emergencies. My first smartphone was when I was entering college. I remember when RUclips was relatively new: shitty quality videos compared to now, but there was no concept of making money off on videos so it was more random, but nevertheless fun. Social media wasn’t as prevalent compared to now and the world was less PC- it’s strange how tech defines so much of our culture
I'm afraid I feel it man. It hurts 💔
Im 24 and I believe there is a new generation gap. I don't value the same things and my friends and I have great distain for the position the previous generation has put us in
"Never trust anyone over thirty" wasn't a Bob Dylan line. There's a press conference he did in 65 you can find on RUclips where they ask him what he thinks about that catchphrase. His response was "I consider myself well under 30 and hope to remain here as long as possible":)
@david Hoffman I remember so much of this by tv. Analog tv lol. Thank you
Something that I, a 15 year old girl from Ohio, think is interesting about my generation is that such intimate details about people’s lives are posted on social media for everyone from school to see. For example, the humor that is used is mostly supposed to be “relatable” so in a way I think it’s brought people closer together. But when someone is insecure and wants others to feel like they’re left out of something, they can use it to manipulate other people’s feelings about how they’re living their own life. It’s complicated, but it’s so different than anything before the early 2000s. It’s definitely something that my parents can’t relate to, let alone my grandparents or great grandparents.
It's always been even in ancient times many ancient writings talk about the generations before them just like now it's part of growing older
Of course there's a generational gap. The issue, however, is that in the past, people were less malicious about it. There was a mutual curiosity, I think, and people were interested to see where things were going and how they could relate to one another despite their differences.
Nowadays we are at each other's throats, not just because of age difference, but because of political differences, even sometimes religious and racial differences. It makes me sad, I always want to hear about other people, what they think, how they feel, etc. I think a lot of these gaps would lessen or even disappear if we just took the time to listen to one another. Sometimes I watch your clips from the 50s and 60s and i feel a little disappointed in the times I live in. There was so much potential for society to grow and change with us still respecting one another and keeping an open dialogue about our differences, but instead we live in a messy, complicated future where everyone is atomized and too quick to jump to conclusions or hostility.
(of course I am speaking in broad strokes here... no offense intended to anybody :) )
Thanks for this video, as always, and happy 2020 to you sir.
This!
Alyssa V I don’t know if there’s more or less malice, rather due to tech allowing ideas to be spread more easily, we see more of the malice. There will always be a political, religious, and a racial divide, but tech allows us to see more of that. And there a definitely some semblance of mutual curiosity, as I’ve seen many open minded boomers here and I myself being subscribed to this channel.
It exists. I think it has always been there even before the 1960's but in the 1960's people started question things a lot more such as Vietnam etc. and started an explosion of expression.
David, I highly recommend you read the book "Generations" by Strauss-Howe if you haven't already. I think you would find their generational theory fascinating, especially because it predicted accurately -- in 1991! -- so many aspects of Millennials and our present-day political environment. They claimed that the Millennial generation would be very similar to the parents of the Boomers, the GI Generation -- conformist, collectivist, well-behaved, team-oriented, secular, and capable of tackling big civic problems, but with a striking lack of individualism or spiritual introspection. As a Millennial it amazes me how close to the mark they've struck. It's also frightening because they prognosticated the current historical period we're in now will involve an outer-world crisis, the likes of which only occur every 80 or so years. (The Great Depression and WW2, the Civil War, and the Revolutionary War being the preceding three crises.) Supposedly Millennials will have to serve as "foot soldiers" combating this crisis, and will rally behind an old hardline ideological Boomer to lead them. (Trump? Sanders? Preceding leaders being FDR and Lincoln, for example.) These civic crises alternate with so-called "spiritual awakenings," the last being the '60s Consciousness Revolution, led by generations of the Idealist/Prophet archetype (in this case, Boomers).
But those are just a few elements; there's much more to their theory and it makes a fascinating sociological analysis: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory
David I am a boomer and my experience is as follows. There was a huge generation gap between my parents and I, on the other hand the generation gap between my Daughter and I is not nearly as large..
Great video thank you 😎
I was born too close in time to my parents and my aunts and uncles to feel much of a gap. That often is the case of families with Utah background, where folks marry and reproduce when still quite young. My mother was 19 y.o. when I was born, my great-aunt Mabel was only 7 when my mother was born, my uncle Tommy (my mother's younger brother) was still a frisky teenager when I was a kid, and so it goes. The age differences in a family like that just do not amount to much!
Born in 1954. Yes very much a generation gap while I was growing up. I ran inbetween the two. I always tried to do the right thing , yet found myself "influenced" by others as to smoke pot or drink a few beers. But I stopped all that at age 19...
So I felt I had been around the block a few times or so. Glad I did as when I had my daughter I wasn't a "stick in the mud" parent. I tried to keep up with this latest generation. Or especially the 90s kids. My daughter is a good person, which I really loved that my influences must have been ok. Because when she was 18 I told her , you need to get out more, go to parties ect , which she avoided like the plague! She then got married at age 21 , and now has a son. My grandson.
But there is a huge generation gap now between us. Not that it's a bad thing exactly , it's just less conversation than we used to have. More texting and communication on the phone , rather than in person. Plus both she and her husband work. So I think that is understandable.
But I'm not exactly liking what I hear , from this generation also. Seems to be a lack of respect for anyone they don't like. Or mouthing off to strangers , for instance in a grocery store...things of this nature. They have no fear, or respect is what I'm guessing.
But that's my two cents into today's world. Plus I loved this video! And I miss Ed Sullivan!!!
As I watch these videos, I start to realize that all older generations try to pressure younger generations into joining the corporate workforce, most of the time succeeding. Younger generations will try to rebel, but by the time they reach their late twenties or early thirties, most of them will conform to society, sometimes even turning on their own in the process.
Corporate still has evil connotations.
Human beings between ages 15 and 27 are in their reproductive prime. Getting an education or some kind of vocational training is a very good and necessary thing for that very reason. I don't know what the statistics say but I would be willing to bet that the vast majority (maybe above 60%?) of live births are from people in the age demographic of 15 to 28. If that is true then by all means parents would be negligent if they did NOT encourage their sons and daughters to get an education and to get a job. You seem to disdain "corporate" culture but for better or for worse corporations and manufacturing are absolutely necessary to greater society on too many levels to mention here.
Complain about "corporate" america all you like but then come back in 20 years or so and tell us how well you did living without a job.
One of the biggest fallacies of being young is that they tend to believe that wishing, wanting, hoping and free love will sustain them forever. It won't
Sooner than later you'll make a baby and if you are a sane human you will do everything in your power to provide safety and sustenance and above all a future for your new baby. These things are simply the realities of human life and culture. Good luck to you.
@@51Dss I don't know what the actual statistics are but I do know that in the past decade more and more people are waiting until their thirties to start having children.
@@51Dss ok I just looked it up..
The highest number of births are occurring in people between the ages of 31 and 34
@@51Dss There are now two "peaks" for births - teen pregnancies and 20s like you say, but there's another spike for people in their mid-30s giving birth. Usually they wait for financial reasons or difficulty finding a partner.
It's a GIANT gap between Millennials and everyone else..
Extremely
+Zoomers. At least us Millenials (the first half of the cohort) experienced lack of internet, widespread cell phone usage, and smart devices
Bearded Kingface Yes, I didn’t grow up with a smartphone and now it’s strange to see children having them. My first smartphone was when I entered college (I used to have the iPod Touch in high school though, but social media wasn’t really present in my life). The first computer I do remember using was a Windows 95
Well I was born in 1955 and all I can say is this video was not typical of what was happening in our home. I grew up in a multigenerational home of my grandparents who were from Bari, Italy, with my Mom and brother. My Dad was an absent father. Although my parents never divorced my Dad went on to have 4 or 5 wives and 7 other children.
Although I wished with all my heart to go to college, that would not be realized until I was in my thirties.
Yes, there were generational differences, Grandpa was a tyrant, we did our best as a family.
My Dad had several masters degrees. He was a cross between a conservative genius and a hippy.
The issues that were presented seen so inconsequential and trivial compared to the world of the sixties.
The documentary was excellent.
Yvonne. Your home sounds quite unusual.
David Hoffman - filmmaker
David Hoffman it was. But today I am thankful because I learnt about compassion for others and never to assume what’s going on behind closed doors. I am grateful that I had truly good people around me.
Your documentary brought up so many memories. It was beautifully done.
In 1971, one class's assigned reading included The Strawberry Statement. One observation I particularly remember went something like, "Some of us say not to trust anyone over 30. I agree in principle, but I think they should drop the zero."
This generation is realizing that we don’t need to conform. We have the internet, which has given us access to information and knowledge. We know how to capitalize on it. This notion that there is one way to live is ridiculous and is exactly why most members of my generation don’t take anything people much older than them say personally, because we understand the times in which we live in. We know what needs to change for the betterment of society, but older generations and their views keep many things from happening. Stuck in the damn 60’s when everything was cheap and wages actually matched that of living standards.
You blame a generation for the situational change. Your admittance that wages met living is the crux of the problem. Your realization that you are stuck behind the 8 ball , and will not easily achieve in mass what the boomers have, is generational jealously. What do you realize needs to change? How do boomers get in your way? Your mouthing off and whining, get your ass to work, educate yourself, and suck it up like every generation.
You're right about most of that but you're wrong about thinking you're the only ones that have all the answers. That thinking is going to get you into trouble.
@@jiveturkey9993 Your assumption is incorrect, I don't know anything ,and am still learning, but I realize my defiencies. Don't extrapolate your though process to others.
@@kidgreenhorn I wasn't talking to you I was talking to Everett.
@@jiveturkey9993 I'm sorry I can't figure out the who replied sometimes. I hope I didn't offend you, that was not my intention. Thank you for being patient.
Incredible!!!!
Our world has changed so rapidly over the past 120 years - every generation is bound to have a larger gap than the one before it. It is kind of amazing actually...
My great grandmother was born in 1911. We are only a couple generations apart but when she was born WWI had not even started yet! For further context, the first iPhone came out when I was 17...when she was 17 the great depression was still a year off.
You’re a treasure David, thanks for the wisdom
I always love to follow the philosophy of the group of 60's Pittsburgh filmmakers that included Fred Rogers and George Romero, and their frustration with how older generations (including their own!) had such an aversion to change and progress and how much they wanted to emphasize embracing change and learning to accept and emphasize individuality over stereotypes and labels. They transcended their own generations.
Your right,I going out right now and get a purple and red mohawk, 16 tatoos, and facial body piercing.
Robert If that’s your definition of a positive change then go ahead. You’re not hurting anybody and nobody cares if you get a mohawk
@@Laura-Yu You inserted the word "positive". Your right, no one cares if you look stupid. People are grasping for a unique identity and their is no accounting for taste. I find people only respect your opinion when it agrees with their own.
Robert what does any of this have to do with what I was talking about I think you replied to the wrong comment dude
@@BatOfTheDead Sorry, I must have responded to the wrong posting the replies flip around. I hope I didn't offend you, it was not intentional. My inadequacy with this machine is self evident.
We absolutely have a generation gap, a natural and an unnatural gap. Having watched the great documentary series, "Century of Self" and having read the book "Born to Buy" (among other books), I've come to understand marketers who wish to invoke consumptive behavior in young children and adults, work to psychological draw them away from their parents; everything from music, to television shows, to styles, are generationally tuned to separate one 15-20 year span from another 15-20 year span (business cycles usually last about a third of this time while cultural trends typically fluctuate according to this time table). This separation creates isolation (Soul Asylum spoke of this process in their song "Misery", they called the industry created to push Misery "Frustrated Incorporated") and isolation stimulates loneliness which results in a need to fill the void - this impulse to connect is channeled into consumption and the need to create a "Lifestyle" habit. That Lifestyle becomes the persons cultural identity, and that cultural identity - when enough people adhere to it - becomes the generations identifying trait. In the 60s, Counterculture become your generations identifying trait. Millennials Identifying trait was, up till recently, seen as shiftless, aimless and without purpose; that though may be changing. The gap between the group rests in the question - "why"; why were we aimless, shiftless and without purpose? For that answer look up John Meyers Song "Waiting On the World to Change".
Love your work, keep posting.
I Never knew of the generation gap when I was growing up I had the Best Family in the World Even my Grand Ma was what every us kids liked it was ok as long it did not kill us 1954 What A great time !
Generation gaps are real. Knowing that is why I love your work, David; you were not only paying attention but even *documenting* this stuff before I was even born! People give the Zs a hard time, but truthfully I think they have their values set pretty well, even if they don't have the experience to rely upon
Thank you for always sharing your views they are always so profound.. happy New Years kind sir...
thank you as well.
David Hoffman-filmmaker
@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker thank you so much for the response it really means a lot..
Yes, there is a generation gap. Was there ever not one? The world in which people grew up in the 1950s and 1960s (and even the 1970s) does not resemble the world of the 2000s to today.
Nor did the 50's resemble the 30's and the great depression, nor did that resemble the roaring 20's. Shall we keep going? Do you think the generation which saw cars and lights in every home and telephones was the same as the one which saw the US connected by rail or torn apart by civil war? Were they the same as the one which saw a budding nation expand westward? Was that the same generation which saw the birth of a new nation and threw off the shakles of a tyrant king? The generation which wrote and read Common Sense is not the same as the ones before it which set out to the new world, nor were they like those who came before.
@@PaulGaither Sounds like you're just echoing the point I'm trying to make, but you phrase it in such a defensive way, as if my comment is in opposition to yours.
@@kevinmahoney1995 - Okay.
Millennial here (not from the US I should add). I do feel there's a generation gap, but I feel the biggest one is not with the previous generation, but with the next. I find the Gen Z/zoomers' ways of communicating, entertaining themselves and at times even their facial expressions incomprehensible.
Born in 2005, I feel as though there are multiple generation gaps between people my age/millennials and boomers-which is definitely most prominent of them all. This is subjective of course, depending on the age of parents (mine are both boomers lol, but both my parents are very open minded and progressive).
One major factor in the generation gap between gen z/millennials and boomers/gen x is the absence of the need to get married and reproduce. Before it was completely necessary to find a marriage partner and have children, but now you can deviate from that and be considered successful. Without the need to marry, dating changes, how you view your future changes, etc etc. Along with that, families are different; rather than the husband-wife with a few kids unit there’s tons of possibilities, which I think is something some older or more set-in-their-ways people haven’t quite grasped. That’s an aspect of the current generation gap I rarely see discussed.
Every generation has a gap with the younger and older, just some more prominent differences come about with such drastic changes as we have seen in the past 20 odd years.
You said something very important,"Both My Parent".
I remember hearing about the generation gap in the 1970s.
I also remember being taught to respect elders. (Sometimes unreservedly). I don't know if this is taught anymore.
For some time I have thought technology has changed young people in particular. Like many changes there is good and bad.
The gap seems to me to be wider because of instant technology.
What's a record player?
It would be interesting if you could trace some of the people who were interviewed and ask them what they think now about the results of the rejection of traditional values - teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, drug addiction and dropping out leading to low skilled jobs, no savings and now large scale homelessness. That does not compare favourably with the work ethic and drive for prosperity of previous generations.
I was as wild as they get in the 60's, went to college in 70's, Went to the club's in the 80's, always worked, married 41years to H.S. sweetheart. Have a daughter. Retired. Trump 2020.
There never was a generation gap in my family. My parents were my best friends and worthy of my love and respect. I never wanted to rebel because I viewed things the same way they did. I resented the idea that a child HAD TO rebel. My personal opinion is that kids were pressured by their peers or brainwashed by media into rebellion.
NewEarthWellness Not necessarily. My sibling and I grew up in the same household. They were more rebellious than me, while I mostly stuck to my parents ideals. By the way, we’re both doing fine, not every parent knows what’s best for their child- sometimes a child will pave their own way. But they do feel some bitterness to our parents not being open and supportive, since our parents were on a more rigid side when to came to their ideals. No brainwashing at all
I don't resent change but I do resent people that think they are entitled to everything others worked for. I use and enjoy technology but I also know how to get along without it. The younger generations today, for the most part, do not. As always your video is very good.
Gen-Xer here...Tale as old as time...every generation thinks the next one isn’t as great as they were and is doomed to fail because of it. The younger generation thinks the older ones failed them. History keeps repeating itself. I do feel sorry for the Millennials though. They were dealt a tough financial hand what with the cost of college, stagnant wages and the high price of housing, etc.
My parents and I had a gap. Did cause problems. Every generation thinks the older generation is square
I was born in Liverpool in 1962, I missed the Beatles, flower power and Hippies as I was too young.
Yes David - I have had this theory re: generation gap. I was born in 1980 and have no generation gap with my elders (in their 70s, 60s, 50s) and parents at all. I’ve always listened to their music (40’s,50s,60’s,70’s and 80’s). We know the same movies, actors and all references in the past. Yet - the GAP my dad born in 1952 experienced between his parents born in 1911, was enormous and alien. I feel like that same gap that his parents and he experienced is what I’m experiencing. There is nothing I can relate to re: the pop culture, music, actors, slang, behaviour with people younger than me (in their 20s and teens) today. I think I’m in the same situation of a generation gap that my grandparents felt vis a vis their kids born in the 50s & 60s. I will be most sad to lose our elders and my parents generation as I will miss our connections. ⭐️
I feel it big time. My own offspring have abandoned me years ago because of my way of thinking. I am alone. I never did this to my grandparents or parents.
What way is that?
@@kathrynmcmorrow7170 that families should work things out not walk away forever on eachother.
@Ghost Rage each other. I am 56, they are between the ages of 18 and 38. 6 of them were step kids. Their father left me in September for a woman 16 years younger than me.
LorrieAnne Silvey Lets be real, you may be the cause of that? But I don’t know you to make that judgment, but it’s a food for thought. I still contact my family but I know others who don’t for a good reason. I know a person who is in the adult entertainment business and they feel that they can’t talk to their parents due to the possibility of rejection and scorn. Be open and understanding, and always question yourself- unless it is hurting anyone else (the golden rule), nothing is inherently good or bad. And don’t expect them to take care of you- if they truly love you and were capable, they would do it, but pushing them into it only brings bad vibes
@@Laura-Yu I appreciate your view. Since you do not know the details of it though I must say your view is a bit harsh. I just wanted contact, not money, not to be "taken care of", and not to make their lives harder. I wonder how your views will change when you are over 55 years old and the younger people act like you do not exist.
The struggle is over culture and ultimately, power. In the late 60's, the older generation COMPROMISED and allowed the younger generation to take control of the culture. In exchange, the older people got to keep their power.
Now that the young people are old, and we have the same struggle, the old people are unwilling to give up culture. And we can't touch their power because of the systems they put in place.
Same struggle as before (and really, all time), but for once the older generation is not outnumbered & can cram their culture down the younger generation's throat. FOR NOW.
As a Millennial (born in '93), I feel that the most obvious generational difference from the parents is the technological savviness; we knew how to fix game systems with a puff of air, and are spoiled by choice. My school years were a combination of folded note-passing, and flip phone texting. I feel like the generation behind me is all too brave for acting extraordinary on social media and their fashion sense.
The negative aspect about them is that they don't want to take most things seriously. The only seriousness they hold onto is the 'social justice' themed propaganda that they try to imitate, and I suspect they latch onto that because someone else has done all the thinking for them. If I had to pinpoint why us younger generations act this way, I'd point to the overexposure via social media, and the lack of freedom to watch over ourselves.
If we experience another terrible World War, you would be able to see people sit up a little straighter, and a sense of work ethic is reborn.
(Hopping off my soap box now)
One difference between the 60's generation gap and today's gap is that the 60's youth (now devolved into Boomers) largely rejected their parent's music and pop culture. As a kid in the 60's, I knew next to nothing about 50's music (barring rock pioneers) and thought "crooners" with their suits and narrow ties were lame. Today's youth culture (thanks to RUclips) is much more knowledgeable about pop culture (especially music) from the past, and they borrow from it freely for memes and fashion and other style choices. I admire that about them--they are actual far more open than we were back in the day.
On the other hand, they are unable to forge their own ideas or culture. We did have a powerful generation, and we knew it, hard to duplicate.
@@kidgreenhorn Of course Millennial and Gen Z can create their own culture--every generation has done so. And it seems like every generation has individuals who annoyingly
complain about those who follow them . . .
@@davidsprenkle2641 Ok let's see it, I think they are rudderless. I feel sorry for them, they will never live in a boomer America,one of the greatest times in American history.
@@kidgreenhorn I'm tempted to point out that Boomer America gave us the splendors of streaking and orange shag carpeting and disco and yacht rock. And Boomers voted in the current guy in the White House (the only generation where a majority voted for him). So we Boomers have a lot to answer for. I wonder if history will be kind to us? :)
The older generations told us we had to be old, a certain color, and a man to be rich. Not the case in this age!
I’m a boomer and my mom told me to graduate from college because once you have that diploma you can do anything. This of course ended up being far from true but in her time it probably was true. I am glad however that I did graduate and always felt it was an accomplishment that I could be proud of.
My parents were born first year for boomers, my dad was actually born last year for silent gen. I was born last year for boomers, all my grandparents had kids young. There was a big generation gap. I felt caught in the middle of it. There's another huge generation gap now. But I don't feel it as much personally cause I don't have kids. I get along fine with all different ages for the most part. My mom's dad was German and his parents only taught their kids English then spoke German around them when they didn't want them to know what they were saying. Thing is now we can go online any time of night or day and speak to people anywhere on earth. I like that.
Michelle Lambert Honestly, it’s hard to feel a huge gap as long as you’re open to changing with the times- of course we can compare how we grew up but we are all experiencing the same present
Without a generation gap it seems to me that there would be no change, or at the very least significant change..either positive or negative. We try to relate to our children...but at times I think it is impossible to do so if you haven’t grown and learned in the same time and at the same age as them. I was born in 1966 and had children between 1990 and 93. I really think that I was able to relate to what they were going through or believing in, a bit better than my parents related to me...the gap seemed to become a little closer 😊
I'm a 73 year old Boomer. Four kids age 28 to 42. Yes there is definitely an Age Gap. I worked very hard to have a close relationship with my children. Most work in tech today and keep me up to date, technically. Yes, I believe technology is exsaserbating the Generation Gap. Mom was an antique collector. We had an Edison thick disc player and a good assortment of records. I'm one if very few that can sing from memory WWI Doughboy songs. The world changes drastically in one generation. My grandfather went from the horse and buggy to man on the moon in his lifetime. The rate of change is accelerating! Hang on, Boomers.....
I just wanted to add that the generation aspect of it has very little to do with it I think it has more to do with where you were raised. What your day to day routine is as opposed to the year you were born.
Younger millennials here - there's a bit of gap on the exact same things discussed in this video - materialism, teens hiding their social life from their parents (that was particularly contentious when I was a teenager).
College wasn't a big issue - my parents wanted both me and my brother to go where we thought was best, not simply whatever is the most "prestigious." (In fact, I sometimes wonder if my brother went to UVA simply because it was the most prestigious place he was accepted and my parents wanted him to go elsewhere.)
The clip about products for young people reminds me of the cringey "marketing to millennials" thing among companies for the past decade and change.
I do notice a big big big gap in religion. Most of my friends either aren't religious at all or very devout, conservative, anti-Vatican II types who think the church is losing credibility by 'adapting as society changes' and whatnot. My friends in minority religions are more 50/50 between devout and passive. I've always perceived religion as much more universal among people born before 1970, where a vast majority are religious but not as devout/conservative as Catholic millennials and zoomers. This makes a situation where the devout older folks fear for the future because of the secular youth and post-Vatican II education teaching a "weaker" version of Christianity that's not as fulfilling. Simultaneously, the devout subset of young people are both kinda allied with the devout boomers and perceived as nutjobs by the passively religious boomers.
Finally, there's a big political gap, especially between liberal millennials and conservative boomers. The latter think the country will go off the cliffs in 2030 or sooner because the former don't understand why our governments are structured the way they are and are willing to throw said structure away to achieve "progress." Most millennials, especially the liberal ones, think boomers are out of touch and don't understand how much harder it is to start out in 2015 compared to starting out in 1972. Housing, healthcare, college, and so many other things are much more expensive today than they were in the 60s & 70s, so "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" seems like beyond a fairy tale.
thank you for your interesting insights.
David Hoffman
Zoomer here and while I feel that there is a generational gap between my parents and I (one is a boomer and the other is an X-er) more Americans my age are also having to deal with immigrant parents who don’t completely integrate with American culture. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it sometimes leads to friction.
Anna Che I’m a Millennial, both of my parents being Gen X. It is definitely different for immigrants since my parents ideals stem from Korea rather than the US. Luckily my parents are pretty open so I didn’t feel much of a friction between Korean and American values, though I do feel like it’s hard to relate with others sometimes because of this mixture
Hi David I'm a millennial and I find the generation gap between me and my parents isn't too big. My mother picked up and understands modern technology better than I ever have and I was born into it. I also have a respect and interest in old pop culture, so me and my parents have a common interest in movies and music. There is a slight gap when I comes to some technology like video games,as I my dad thinks it's stupid and a waste of time while he spends watching a 5 hour Clint Eastwood marathon. Anyway I hope this input was helpful from a perspective of a 15 year old millennial, although I'm sure every family is very different. We millennials live in a very strange generation.
The new generation is very boring. Afraid to offend, afraid to have a different opinion. Probably the most conservative generation since the 50"s.
Not sure if I would call it a generation gap. In the 1960's there was a growing schism between those who supported the Vietnam War (Americans who trusted their govt and were hawkish against communism, Soviet Union, cold war, etc) and those who protested against it (McGovern Democrats, peace-nicks, draft dodgers, hippies, etc). Add to that the new music from the U.K. (Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc), and recreational drug use, and the fault line starts to look like young vs old, liberal vs conservative, those who trust govt vs those who don't. Today the political rift, along party lines and news/social media, is more intense than ever. So I think it's a political gap rather than a generation gap. IMO many of the millennials are looking to govt for answers, much more so than in previous generations.
Great reply, I sat beside you in third grade.
Blessings x
I look back now on the disrespect we showed to the previous generation of our parents. But we were shown disrespect by our government through the Vietnam draft, which killed so many in an unprecedented “conflict”. It still doesn’t make sense!
I love it
I do nit see there being any more or less of a generational gap than there has been for the last 100+ years. Technology plays a huge role in both connecting humaity while seprating us generationally in other aspects.
We can commincat with almost anybody almost anywhere in the world in an instant from a slim device in my pocket almost anywhere I go. On the other hand, much of what defines a generational gap is explained more through the process of aging, experience, and persepctive.
Older generation complaining about the youth dates back almost as far as the written word, and I am sure before recorded history. That has never changed, nor does it look like it will any time soon, if ever.
Hiya, that wife at the end summed it up wisely.
3:05 - Paul from the Wonder Years.
Funny note, if we go out on the dance floor and gig around like that now we get laughed at and call old.
The generational differences, the gaps, are in themselves generational. The times, events, continually evolving social and cultural meanderings ... All influence the generation du jour.
So, in looking back, with the Hindsight of 2020 🧐 ... each generation seems to face a separation, a gap, that brings the currents of relative transformational evolutions to the fore, and their affects will reflect the nature of the times.
It appears young people have always been different from old people. Who’d thought? I guess my kids aren’t joking when they tell me I’m not cool.
Born in 1962 and don't really identify with Boomers...their youth in the 60s is odd to me. Even their speech patterns seem strange. I always thought the Boomer Generation should have cut off earlier. I grew up in the 70s and graduated high school in 81...a completely different era. I suppose that's why they invented "Generation Jones."
Doomer here. You don't know how good you had it Boomers. We now live in a world where our labor has no value. Goods have little value. Except food and housing, those will cost you a fortune. Kind of the opposite of your world growing up!
Yes we certainly do have generation gap between baby boomers and younger Gens and I think it also has to do with their population since there were so many of them. I’m a Gen Z (2002) and both of my parents are baby boomers (1961 & 1963)
I would love for you to do a video with baby boomers being interviewed about their millennial and Gen Z kids or even grandkids about their societal upbringing (mid 1980s to mid 2020s) and the struggles they know their kids and grandkids will face due to the mistakes the baby boomers have made. I also feel since baby boomers like to be so opinionated it’s the reason why America has become so polarized. We also have had a stubborn gridlock government since the early 1990s when the baby boomers become the majority of ones being elected
That is an excellent idea but I just don't do those kind of interviews any more.
Thank you
DAVID HOFFMAN filmmaker
As a 25 year old, I'm not sure I can agree there is a gap as such. I'm absolutely a digital native by older standards, but I also remember a time before the ubiquity of electronics as they are today. I find I'm equally as distant from my parents generation as I am from the teenagers today. It seems less of a gap and more a set of stepped increments, it does not compare to the vast changes that happened during the wars and their recovery. I think electronic technology has too much weight on society today, in time people will learn that its a wonderful tool, but just a tool, not a way of life.
Same here. I'm 24 and remember VHS tapes being sold at walmart at full price. When home computers and Internet was still a luxury me and many of my classmates diddnt have.
Sure there's a gap now. Especially with tech. But we have gaps stacked up on each other. Age gap, tech gap, wealth gap, political gap. It creates a society with no cohesion, which allows corruption to go unchallenged.
Excellent, excellent point.
There's even a huge gap between Millenials that you have yet to explore Mr. Hoffman.
'84 Millenials were 18 in 2002; so, we had very little internet access, no social media, no cell phones (unless you were "that kid"), no youtube.
Do you know its abnormal to NOT get a 4.0 gpa now??? Kids have free teachers and tutors on youtube. Theres more people to discuss your desires with now, more ppl to bounce ideas off and find YOURE way...
However, I was raised by baby boomer bone heads that never listened to my ideas and goals and ambitions...my parents had ZERO capability to help me...In fact, I cant even tell you how many times I was told to Shhhhh when TV was on... BABY BOOMERS LOVE THEIR TV. A lot more than raising their kids.
David, what city was the part about colleges filmed? The school the kids are leaving looks familiar.
Michigan. Don't know what city.
David Hoffman-filmmaker
There's been a real barrier between myself and my grandparents, we have a very different understanding of the world.
Still I see the gap more as being between those who are bought into cultural norms and those who are not; it's easier for my generation to see the flaws in a system that doesn't benefit us.
I don't entirely agree with the idea that it's technology that separates us. Technology is only a reflection of its makers, and right now (as always) it's holding a big mirror up to a lot of our inherited toxic cultural values.
On the topic of going to parties: This is no different than reading aboyt flappers and speak easies and all the trouble each generation gets up to. If there is trouble to be had, the youth will find it... and if there isn't, then they will create it. Welcome to human nature.
Oh there is definitely a generation gap but I think it's even worse today to the point where we hate someone base on the year they were born. At least that's what I think anyway David.