Zoomers and Boomers in comparison: what to do to overcome this generational conflict.
If you are subscribed to at least one social network sooner or later you will have happened to read or hear the phrase “Ok Boomer”. These two words describe the generational conflict that has developed between Zoomers and Boomers in recent years.
It is normal that between different generations there are exchanges of ideas and values that often do not find an adequate response, but in recent years these differences have greatly increased. In this climate, also accentuated by the pandemic, the clashes have become almost daily, also complicit in social networks. Where does the comparison between Zoomers and Boomers starts? Highlighting their main features could help us understand it better.
Zoomers and Boomers in Comparison: Who They are
The members of Generation Z, defined Zoomers, are all the people born between 1995 and 2010, as reported by Womanmagazine. They are young people and teenagers today, accustomed to technology and creators of the Ok boomer catchphrase. If there is a constant in their lives is the anxiety, the need to plan their own future with plans B, C and D; born within an economic and social system that seems to hinder them at every step, Zoomers use sharp sarcasm and irony to express all their frustration.
And the Boomers? They are the parents of the Zoomers; they can be identified among the people born in the ’50s and ’60s, the so-called Baby Boomers. The name associated with this generation comes from the climate of economic and demographic growth experienced in most Western countries, following the Second World War. The Boomers are the generation that currently holds power in most realities, whether state, corporate or cultural.
The Generational Conflict
The confrontation between generations is always a battleground, but between Zoomers and Boomers the differences seem almost abysmal. Starting from the world of work, in which the Z generation has just landed, to daily life; this clash became even stronger during the pandemic, in which forced coexistence within our homes led us to spend more time together. On both sides, there are accusations and recriminations. If the Zoomers say that the world of work is becoming increasingly hostile and less meritocratic, on the other hand, the Boomers do not delay saying that it is “the young people of today” who do not want to really engage.
Yet, this enormous generational contrast should not be so marked. The words missing in these clashes are collaboration and mutual listening; also because the common points are many. Was it not the Boomers themselves who gave birth to the protests of ’68 against the war, for equality between men and women? The same is being done today by members of the Z generation, supporters of the protests against climate change and Pride in support of the LGBTQ+ community. The comparison between Zoomers and Boomers should not be articulated only on their differences; it is not a race that will crown the victory of one generation over the other. People born during the Baby Boom period often tend to forget that they too were young and rebellious. Change is not necessarily negative, it is a symptom of an increasingly open and inclusive evolution of society.
