Generations must bridge the gap

Both sides can and should tackle root causes of today’s generational divide

Bob Dylan’s 1964 classic The Times They Are a-changin’ was the anthem of a generation angry at their elders for the state of the world. “Never trust anyone over 30,” they cried.

More than a half-century later, today’s youth have adopted a similar catchphrase. In the age of austerity, they’ve pared it down to a minimalist two words: “OK boomer.”

The “OK boomer” phenomenon has spawned countless memes and provoked considerable hand-wringing from media pundits. “‘OK Boomer’ Marks the End of Friendly Generational Relations,” declared one recent New York Times headline.

Many older folk are understandably upset, taking the phrase as an ageist insult and a rude dismissal.

The boomers do have a point. The phrase is dismissive. But can you blame millennials and gen-z for getting a little snappish? They’ve been fielding years of insulting, dismissive accusations about the lazy and entitled “me generations.”

More importantly, today’s youth face serious challenges that aren’t so easily dismissed. millennials and gen-z are shaping up to be the first generations since the Second World War who won’t have a better quality of life than their parents.

With automation and computer intelligence taking over jobs and boomers refusing to retire, employment prospects for youth are bleak.

In the gig economy, there will be no secure lifelong career for most.

Home ownership — an asset that provided boomers with equity and thus better financial security — is a pipe dream for a generation that can barely make rent.

A recent study found that housing is unaffordable for low-income workers in 91 per cent of Canadian cities.

And then there’s climate change. One need only look at the millions of students from Toronto to Delhi who walked out of classes on climate strikes to see how heavily the climate crisis weighs on the minds of youth around the world.

It’s understandable that older folk feel slighted when they’re brushed off with an eye roll and an “OK boomer.” But they mustn’t write off youth as enemies when they should approach them as allies. Boomers need successful and prosperous youth who are able to pick up the torch, partly for their own security when they reach their golden years.

To be that ally, boomers could start by tackling the challenges facing youth.

Consider job-sharing arrangements that allow boomers to stay employed, while still offering space for youth in the workforce. Older homeowners need to get past NIMBY-ISM (not in my backyard syndrome) and open their neighbourhoods to higher density opportunities like house conversions and mini homes to increase affordable housing. And through their collective billions invested in pension funds, boomers hold massive economic leverage to solve issues such as climate change and inclusive economic growth.

To be fair, brokering intergenerational peace is a two-way street. Brushing off boomers with a slogan won’t accomplish much. Youth need to reach across the generational divide, too. Young people can, for example, help push for government action on policies that support the elderly, like pharmacare and a national seniors strategy.

Let’s all heed the message Dylan delivered when boomers themselves were young: “Your old road is rapidly aging. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand.”

Craig Kielburger is co-founder of the WE Movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day.

GETTY IMAGES It’s almost as if the tables have turned on the generation that trudged the grounds of the Woodstock concerts (the original and the anniversary events that followed), tossing aside anything the older generation had to say. It’s now the gen-zers and millennials who have come up with their own catchphrase to lament the previous generation — “OK boomer.”