Thoughts On The Ongoing Millennial-Boomer War (Part 1/2)

There's been a low-key war between Millennials and Baby Boomers (or "Boomers", for short) that has been simmering for years, and while other tiny petty wars have broken out, this particular one shows no signs of going away. Every other day, I see people dismissing the opinions of others citing the disparity of age as a reason. Both parties are equally guilty of this.

As a member of Generation Y, born in 1997, I fall fairly in the middle of these two sides and I've had to suffer douchey behavior eccentricities from both camps. And this is what I think. I think both sides are right... and also wrong.

This is what I have to say about it, and unsurprisingly, much of it will be from a software point of view.

What Millennials say about Boomers

They're always going on about how things should be, and are stubbornly against accepting new ideas. They refuse to accept that some things that were OK in the past are not OK now, and they don't understand the value of social justice. They think we're naive and idealistic, but we actually know more shit because we have the internet now. We keep ourselves informed; they go around spreading conspiracy theories. They're out of touch and just don't get it. They're preachy and think they know better simply because they're older. Simply put, they resist change and are afraid of it.

Why Millennials are right

Change is inevitable. Change takes place all the time. Tradition has its own undeniable charm, but it shouldn't be a ball and chain. Tradition has its place and more importantly, tradition must know its place.

What would the world be like if people insisted on doing things the way they've always been done? For one, the software industry, as we know it now, would not have made the advances it has made today or made such great leaps. Software development, by itself, is something that defies all tradition. It has automated jobs that once were thought to be the sole province of lifelong practitioners. Software development is the quintessential example of constant evolution.

The assertion that older people know better is laughable at best. You do not know better simply because you've experienced more. What you've experienced matters. Relevance of experience, rather than quantity, matters. You do not ask an experienced farmer to do the work of a chef, or vice versa. Growing corn and cooking corn are two entirely different skillsets.

You don't ask a chef
to grow corn.

If I were to apply for a job in Java despite having no professional experience in Java at all, and tried to use my decade of experience in JavaScript as a bargaining chip, I would be laughed out of the interview room. And I would deserve it.

Same with Boomers. Boomers need to stop using quantity of experience as a flex. If they must flex, they need to use both relevance and quantity. Unfortunately, relevance of their experience can be in short supply precisely because the world has changed a lot since, and will keep changing.

Why Millennials are wrong

On the other hand, while it's true that the younger generation is more tech savvy and thus knows more about gathering information online, the same logic - relevance over quantity - can and should be applied. In an age where online misinformation reigns supreme and there is no minimum I.Q requirement to post content, more information does not mean better. 10,000,000 or 100 times 0 is still 0.

And before people start yapping about how authentic their information is, stop right there. Everyone thinks their info is authentic, unbiased and the objective source of truth. You're not special in that regard.

And sure... Boomers can be preachy AF. They like to do this big song and dance about how things used to be, and how everything has gone to shit now. The thing is, Millennials don't exactly have a leg to stand on where preachiness is concerned. Climate Change, anyone? Gender Equality? Gay Rights? Oh yeah, you probably think you have a free pass to pontificate about how people should live their lives because your cause is more noble, right?

Get off your soapbox.
Nobody's impressed.

Please, fuck off that particular high horse. Preaching is preaching.

And finally...

"OK Boomer" sounds cool, you think? A nice pithy comeback to display your contempt without needing to resort to a lot of words, or worse, having to formulate a thoughtful response?

No, it's lazy. It means a whole lot of nothing. And overuse makes you look like a petulant child. It reinforces the harmful stereotype that young people have nothing but empty sarcasm as a response. You should be better than this. Either don't respond, or say something intelligent.

Next

Let's examine those goddamn Boomers.