Generational Labels are Needlessly Divisive and Probably Pointless

Summary

The article argues that generational labels are divisive, unnecessary, and primarily serve marketing purposes rather than fostering understanding or unity among different age groups.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses concern over the increasing divisiveness in society, particularly the unnecessary conflicts arising from generational labels. These labels, such as Millennials, Boomers, and Zoomers, are seen as additional sources of division in a world already fragmented by religion, politics, and even fandoms. The article suggests that while generational classification has some utility in marketing for targeting different consumer habits, it has become a tool for creating discord in popular culture and online discourse. The author reflects on the attempts to further divide generations into smaller, more specific groups, questioning the motives behind such fragmentation. Whether it's a desire to stand out or to distance oneself from the perceived negative traits of one's generation, the author sees these labels as counterproductive to societal cohesion. The piece concludes by urging a move away from these artificial generational distinctions, suggesting that they may become obsolete as technology allows for more personalized marketing, and emphasizing the need to transcend these labels to prevent further division.

Opinions

Generational labels contribute to unnecessary division and conflict in society.
These labels are primarily used for marketing purposes to target different age groups based on their buying habits.
The desire to create smaller generational subgroups may stem from a wish to be unique or to disassociate from the broader generational stereotypes.
The author feels embarrassed by the behavior of their own generational cohort at times, indicating a possible motivation for the desire to splinter off into smaller groups.
The article suggests that generational labels might become irrelevant as technology enables more individualized data tracking for marketing.
There is a call to move beyond these labels and not let arbitrary dates define or divide us.
The author implies that the practice of generational labeling is a recent phenomenon, initiated by marketing teams, and may not be a permanent aspect of society.

We have plenty of things to fight about, the year you were born doesn’t need to be one of them.

Picture: silviarita — Pixabay

There’s no shortage of division these days. The old standby, religion, has never gone away, and people love to get riled up over their favourite sports teams. Still, we’ve being ramping it up of late.

Politics is the obvious one. It’s no longer acceptable to hold views that don’t fit with a one dimensional caricature of a left or right wing person, but we haven’t stopped there. It’s now commonplace to alienate friends over opinions on celebrity court cases. Movie fandoms go to war over artistic choices they didn’t like. Even LGBT groups are splintering apart and calling each other hate groups.

In short; we’re not lacking for excuses to be at each other’s throats. But the one that confuses me the most is the generational stuff.

Generation Why?

It seems these days I can’t go a full 72 hours without seeing a new story about how Millennials are at war with Boomers. Or how Zoomers are dragging Millennials. And it gets worse. There have been a few attempts to further shatter generations into smaller demographics. Presumably, so they can start fights with their former generational cohorts.

I’ve seen articles attempt to redefine my own age bracket — early Millennials — on several occasions. If I bought into this stuff, I might be calling myself an Inbetweener, a Xennial, or a Geriatric Millennial. Something about this age-range in particular seems to invite attempts to single it out.

I’m aware that generational classification serves a purpose when it comes to marketing — the buying habits of a 38-year-old are going to be different to that of a 60-year-old on average. But when it comes to popular culture, online discourse, and inane clickbait articles, there doesn’t seem to be a use for these labels. Other than to stir up trouble between said groups, that is.

Be Different… or Separate

I tend to think of the attempts to fracture generations into smaller groups as an extension of participation trophy culture. People want to be different and special without doing anything to earn it, but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s the opposite.

I’m often embarrassed by the antics of my generation, and I know that’s not unique to me or my generation. The desire to splinter off from the wider generational grouping could be less about standing out from the crowd and saying “look at me!”, and more about awkwardly saying “I’m not with them” while shuffling away.

So… What Now?

I don’t know if this artificial generational warfare is a symptom of some wider sickness in the human condition. Either way, it’s worth noting that generational labels are a new thing. The poor souls who had to endure the horrors of World War I didn’t call themselves The Greatest Generation, we call them that. Generational labelling began with Baby Boomers because marketing teams wanted to name their golden goose. Currently, that golden goose is Millennials, and soon it will be Zoomers.

Maybe we’d all get along better if we remembered these labels are just marketing shorthand. Maybe they’ll even go out of fashion altogether as Google and Facebook’s data tracking renders them obsolete. Or maybe marketing departments have lost control altogether of the labels altogether. Either way, we need to stop letting the arbitrary dates define us and divide us.

And if you don’t know what I’m talking about — it’s probably a generational thing; you wouldn’t understand.