Why is it that change so often is mostly supported by the young?

brianlux
brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,773
edited February 2016 in A Moving Train
I would think it's the other way around. The older I get, the more I desire to see positive and healthy changes in the world, both environmentally, socially, politically and culturally. Young people generally get what I'm saying here (look at how many young folks are Bernie fans or who participated in the Occupy movement, or the hard-core environmental movements, etc., for example.) But as generations age, they generally seem to become more stagnant in their support of change, more unmotivated regarding change and more docile about being content with status quo. I know I'm generalizing and there are some old farts who are as feisty than ever about moving ahead but my perception based on watching the G.I., Baby Boomer, Gen X (and soon the Millennials) age is that this generalization holds true.

What do you suppose is with that?
"It's a sad and beautiful world"
-Roberto Benigni

Post edited by brianlux on
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Comments

  • gimmesometruth27
    gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 24,839
    the young see the world how it could be.
    the young are normally the first to be vocal about things that are unjust and need to change.
    the young, in general, are normally a little less selfish and they have less to risk. older people do not want to risk losing what they have, job, money, family, status, etc. the young have less to lose and more time to make it up if they do lose anything. they take more risks because they can afford to.

    older people tend to have the power and anybody who has power will fight to keep from losing it. older people see how the world is and they are comfortable with it. they do not want to see big changes because then they will have to adapt.

    these are all just generalizations and observations i have made in my 40 years here.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • HughFreakingDillon
    HughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 39,997
    I think there is also a difference in energy, and possibly anger.
    the younger you are, the more singular you tend to look at things, instead of the bigger picture.
    I simply do not have the energy or the time to devote to camping out in front of my legislature when I have kids to raise, a 9-5 job to go to, etc etc.

    just looking at the differences in the causes that PJ supports/goes up against, it's a very telling example. when was the last time you heard Ed talk about fur coats and animal welfare and other stuff like that? now he's dealing with things that are closer to his heart, his experiences, his friends' kid's challenges. same goes with most people.

    I think becoming jaded can also come into play for a lot of people. as a younger person, you honestly believe that you can make a difference. as you get older, you see how difficult making a difference really is, and it's tough to maintain the drive to keep trying.
    Your boos mean nothing to me, for I have seen what makes you cheer



  • gimmesometruth27
    gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 24,839
    i think this sums it up well the older i get.

    "do you share the same sense of defeat?
    have you realized all the thing's you'll never be?
    ideals turn to resentments
    open minds close up with cynicism.
    i've got no judgement for you
    come on and ache with me."

    -against me
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • HughFreakingDillon
    HughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 39,997
    gimmesometruth27 said:

    i think this sums it up well the older i get.

    "do you share the same sense of defeat?
    have you realized all the thing's you'll never be?
    ideals turn to resentments
    open minds close up with cynicism.
    i've got no judgement for you
    come on and ache with me."

    -against me

    wow. totally.

    Your boos mean nothing to me, for I have seen what makes you cheer



  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    And the young, they can lose hope 'cause they can't see beyond today...
    The wisdom that the old can't give away

    Goes both and many ways, I think.

    Some young ones are bandwagon jumpers, others think for themselves.

    Same for those of us in earlier generations.

    Somewhere between youth and age comes experience, hopefully a bit of wisdom, and realism (not to be equated with cynicism). More mindset, and it comes in overwhelming forms.

    (and B..."always supported mostly"? Got your intent but that wording fucked with me, to be honest ;) )
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,773
    hedonist said:

    And the young, they can lose hope 'cause they can't see beyond today...
    The wisdom that the old can't give away

    Goes both and many ways, I think.

    Some young ones are bandwagon jumpers, others think for themselves.

    Same for those of us in earlier generations.

    Somewhere between youth and age comes experience, hopefully a bit of wisdom, and realism (not to be equated with cynicism). More mindset, and it comes in overwhelming forms.

    (and B..."always supported mostly"? Got your intent but that wording fucked with me, to be honest ;) )

    Haha! I was so focused on getting the body of that first post to say what I wanted I effed up the heading. Better? :smiley:

    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,894
    edited February 2016
    I actually think this is specifically a baby boomer thing than it is a young vs old thing. I find the baby boomer generation largely very selfish and they don't give a shit about anything other than whether or not they are personally comfortable, which most of them are because of the economic history of their lives. Any change threatens their own selfish needs (or at least that's their fear). I'm talking generally obviously. I don't think this conversation will be nearly as relevant when Gen Y, and the Millennials are old.... I'm on the fence about Gen Xers. I am one of them, and I'm actually getting more open to change (and more liberal) the older I get, and I think other Gen Xers are at least open to thinking about changing viewpoints. They definitely aren't as closed off as baby boomers. Not even close.
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,773
    PJ_Soul said:

    I actually think this is specifically a baby boomer thing than it is a young vs old thing. I find the baby boomer generation largely very selfish and they don't give a shit about anything other than whether or not they are personally comfortable, which most of them are because of the economic history of their lives. Any change threatens their own selfish needs (or at least that's their fear). I'm talking generally obviously. I don't think this conversation will be nearly as relevant when Gen Y, and the Millennials are old.... I'm on the fence about Gen Xers. I am one of them, and I'm actually getting more open to change (and more liberal) the older I get, and I think other Gen Xers are at least open to thinking about changing viewpoints. They definitely aren't as closed off as baby boomers. Not even close.

    Maybe that's why this issue gets under my skin a bit. I am a boomer and I grew up in the SF bay area so I was surrounded by all this massive energy and movement for change. We were going to change the world. And all these years later I seldom hear my peers talk about change or invest much energy that way. Some do, of course, but generally we are getting much more lethargic, way to comfortable and not nearly as involved as we once were.

    But my perception is that the Gen X'ers will do the same. I hope they prove me wrong!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • gimmesometruth27
    gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 24,839
    PJ_Soul said:

    I actually think this is specifically a baby boomer thing than it is a young vs old thing. I find the baby boomer generation largely very selfish and they don't give a shit about anything other than whether or not they are personally comfortable, which most of them are because of the economic history of their lives. Any change threatens their own selfish needs (or at least that's their fear). I'm talking generally obviously. I don't think this conversation will be nearly as relevant when Gen Y, and the Millennials are old.... I'm on the fence about Gen Xers. I am one of them, and I'm actually getting more open to change (and more liberal) the older I get, and I think other Gen Xers are at least open to thinking about changing viewpoints. They definitely aren't as closed off as baby boomers. Not even close.

    the boomers are incredibly selfish.

    anybody ever see the george carlin takedown of the boomers? it is pretty much true.

    i am at work and can't look for it, otherwise i would post it.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • usamamasan1
    usamamasan1 Posts: 4,695
    image
  • Free
    Free Posts: 3,562
    Change is the only constant in life.

    Yet, as we grow older, we become more resistant. Go make sense of that.

    Open-mindedness and idealism are associated with the young, i've seen a research article studying the brain on how it changes in ideals as we age ( don't ask, I forget what it said ), but for some reason we resist change as we grow older. Which makes no sense to me because resistance to change is for old grumpy men. Never happy.

  • Free
    Free Posts: 3,562
    edited February 2016
    How open-mindedness closes though, How does that happen? With money? Prejudice? Hatred? I'm getting more open-minded every day, so not sure about that.
    Post edited by Free on
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,894
    usamamasan1 said:

    image

    Dumbest shit Churchill ever said.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,894
    Free said:

    How open-mindedness closes though, How does that happen? With money? Prejudice? Hatred? I'm getting more open-minded every day, so not sure about that.

    Yeah, I agree. I am definitely more open-minded that I used to be. But I'm really not sure what the causes of that or the opposite of that could be, or if it's at all possible to pin that down at all. It could just be about the personality traits we're born with combined with all of our individual experiences, namely. Of course, I assume wealth or lack thereof has to have something to do with it. I.e. the only conservatives I know are the ones who are rich or extremely comfortable for some other reason (i.e. baby boomers who finished paying off their $25K houses back in the 80s).
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,296
    edited February 2016
    Here is part of it: Younger people love to spend other peoples' money.
  • gimmesometruth27
    gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 24,839
    bootlegger10 said:

    Here is part of it: Younger people love to spend other peoples' money.

    in what way?
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    bootlegger10 said:

    Here is part of it: Younger people love to spend other peoples' money.

    Those are empty words that mean nothing. It would be just as accurate to say that older people are niggardly.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • usamamasan1
    usamamasan1 Posts: 4,695
    bootlegger10 said:

    Here is part of it: Younger people love to spend other peoples' money.

  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,296
    gimmesometruth27 said:

    bootlegger10 said:

    Here is part of it: Younger people love to spend other peoples' money.

    in what way?
    Certainly issues like gay marriage, abortion, etc... don't require taxpayer money to be legal or not (unless we are talking about government subsidized health care including abortion).

    An example: What young person isn't going to be for free college tuition when they are 19 years old and a bunch of 45 year olds are paying for it through their taxes? They aren't paying taxes currently and probably won't be making enough money for several years out of college where they would even be impacted by tax increases.

    When they are earning $100,000 a year and $30,000 of it is going to fed/state income taxes, medicare and FICA taxes then they may care a little more about what their tax dollars are being spent on and make sure we are funding those who truly deserve it.
  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,296
    rgambs said:

    bootlegger10 said:

    Here is part of it: Younger people love to spend other peoples' money.

    Those are empty words that mean nothing. It would be just as accurate to say that older people are niggardly.
    Isn't that what the first few posts were saying about old people? You know those selfish baby boomers?

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