Lets Bridge the Generation Gap

2014-03-31T09:05:06-04:00

I really do get annoyed with this finger pointing, and my generation is better than yours that plagues and divides not only our military, but our society. How do we fix this issue and move forward? I would like this thread to be hollow ground where everyone steps away from ego and pride, and fix the issue. In order for this to work we need old and young, subordients and leaders alike to participate.

We may not be able to tag people into this thread but I encourage everyone to copy and paste the URL in a message to people in their network that might want to say their piece.

We can do better that we have ever done, by understanding what drives the old generation and new. We need to understand why we are bumping heads instead of melding.

Response by SPC Christopher Seitler made Mar 31 at 2014 9:16 AM

2014-03-31T09:16:06-04:00

The reason for this is extremely simple:

The older generations are full of piss and vinegar, whereas the younger generations have been coddled our entire young lives by society.

My opinion is based off of experiencing this in both the military and civilian worlds. Whatever the reason, the older people are just more capable of dealing with the most shitty situations and not batting an eyelash; however, ask a guy that is about 23-25 to work out in the rain and all you'll hear is bitching about having a condition that 'Fill in the Blank'.

Obviously this is a generalization and some people are going to get upset and argue, and that is another problem with our generation. We cannot accept criticism; it's always someone else's fault, or there is an excuse as to why something did or didn't happen.

I hope this is slightly enlightening to the situation. I am currently in a fraternity, and of course, in a leadership position, so I am seeing first hand the mentality of the non-military side of this battle. There is no understanding of responsibility or adulthood. The situation has to be doubly difficult in the military right now.

Response by SPC David Wyckoff made Mar 31 at 2014 10:10 AM

2014-03-31T10:10:13-04:00

I don't think things have changed all that much. I think that each generation tends to romantisize their past in an effort to feel special. Almost every human being on the planet wants to feel special. We as veterans do it. We don't talk about it. But we do it. We take a small amount of pride in the fact that we represent the 1% of the population that is willing to step up and guard the flock. We count ourselves among a small brotherhood and sisterhood. That makes us special. No, we don't ask to be thanked. We don't ask for special treatment but we like it when we get it. The greater percentage of us probably never really talk about our sacrifices to civilians. But down deep we hold a pride in our veteran status. We even rank ourselves with degrees of specialness. A combat special forces SM is revered by other SMs as having achieved 1% of the 1%. Rightly so. I'm not saying our pride is bad. I'm just pointing it out.

I said all that to correlate that to how generations deal with each other. We don't want to become irrelevant. As people get older they can't do physically what they used to do. They can't contribute at the tip of the spear, so we find other ways for "our generation" to still be special, and sometimes like fourth grader that's feeling out of place we lash out at others. We showcase what we percieve to be their faults in order to make ourselves feel better. It's human.

Answers? Solutions? There aren't any. Not any single silver bullet answers anyway. I think that the solution is that we start each day trying to find others who need help. First we start with our own, because we relate to them best. Shake a hand, show some kindness. Find another vet, specifically one out of your generational demographic and show them the best face of your generation.

We are a nation divided right now. We are divided religiously and politically. We are divided by class and status. We have to mature as a society. We have to stop letting facebook meme's form our opinion and start using critical thinking.

But in the end it starts with one person. One person willing to step outside their comfort zone and do what others won't. We have always led the way in ingenuity and creative thinking as SMs and veterans. We need to do it again. We can coelsce faster than civilians. Every tried to get a group of civilians to work together as a team? Now try doing that same thing with a group of vets. We find out who our leader is; we rank and team ourselves and we get to work. To change this divisive thinking we need to take the lead, politically, militarily, and personally.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 1 at 2014 1:51 PM

2014-04-01T13:51:46-04:00

--Stereotypes are just that...stereotypes. Unfortunately, some people see a young face & junior insignia in uniform and have already made (likely) negative assumptions about you; you aren't accountable, reliable, or capable of integrity. To a point you can't blame the accuser...they are human!

--The light at the end of the tunnel is we have military standards that help us surpass those assumptions. 1) Regardless of your rank, you are given SOME opportunity to provide input so you can rid your image of these generalizations through your words 2) You receive performance reports, so your positive actions are validated, seen, and written in stone and 3) everyone works off the same regulations; so regardless of age, communication preferences, behaviors, etc. we all share that common ground.

--This issue is human, as we are, so it will always be present. BUT, we should acknowledge and be thankful for the leg up we have due to our military standards.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jul 3 at 2014 7:46 PM

2014-07-03T19:46:59-04:00

Not because I am biased, but communications seems to bridge most any gap whether tactical or interpersonal. Yes, there are differences in thought, mindset and attitude among generations. Yes, we label generations based on characteristics - the greatest generation, baby boomers, generation x, etc. If we are to understand the differences we must open the lines of communications beyond the labeling and stereotyping. Failure to do this will keep the bridges closed.

There is no reason not to communicate. We're supposed to pass on our knowledge to the next generation so they can continue what works, drop what doesn't and use their own improvisation to fill in the holes. Though it inevitably happens, we shouldn't judge the next generation to harshly because like us, they have to stumble and learn to pick themselves up without us telling them, "I told you so". Hey, we survived the 60s and avoided nuclear annihilation so anything is possible.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2019 12:53 PM

2019-09-02T12:53:06-04:00

Don't know if this has been shared yet, but it applies to your premise.

https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/strategic-debate-the-wwii-era-truly-comprises-america-s-greatest-generation

Strategic Debate - The WWII era truly comprises America’s greatest generation | RallyPoint

Disagree The notion that one American generation is somehow greater than any other is a flawed one. It lacks historical perspective, establishes an unobtainable societal precedents, and breeds a false nostalgia. This in no way discredits, or is meant to belittle the generation that, in this case, endured the Great Depression as children and then enabled victory in WWII as young adults. They certainly are a great generation, and the greatest...