generation gap
Bridging the Music Gap
Another area in which young and old are reported to differ is their taste in music. Although young people love having their own kind of music, they also often enjoy sharing their musical tastes with others. Ask your children and grandchildren to play some of their favorite music for you and explain why they like it. You may be surprised to find that you like it as well. If you don't wish to hear explicit language, state that up front. You may also find that your children and grandchildren are big fans of your music. Rock is still the favored genre for all groups up to age 65. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix are popular among all age groups. So while Coldplay may leave you cold, you may still be able to find some areas of agreement in the oldies category.
Improving Social Tolerance
Correctly or incorrectly, older people are perceived as being less tolerant of races and groups that are different from themselves. Many of the older generation grew up in segregated schools. They may attend traditional churches that are unlikely to have minority members. They may have had only casual contact, through work or neighborhoods, with people belonging to different races and groups. If that is true of you, it's not too late to broaden your circle of friends. If your children and grandchildren have friends of different races and groups, ask to be introduced to them. The younger generation will appreciate your efforts, and your world may become more interesting.
Avoiding Hypocrisy
Older people who pretend to be morally superior may alienate the younger generation, according to one generation gap expert. In an speech in 1969, anthropologist Margaret Mead, who wrote a book about the generation gap, said that "the young feel we're all hypocrites--every one of us. Parents set themselves up as models even if they aren't. It's as true in a New Guinea headhunters' village as here." According to Mead, the older generation probably used to
Another area in which young and old are reported to differ is their taste in music. Although young people love having their own kind of music, they also often enjoy sharing their musical tastes with others. Ask your children and grandchildren to play some of their favorite music for you and explain why they like it. You may be surprised to find that you like it as well. If you don't wish to hear explicit language, state that up front. You may also find that your children and grandchildren are big fans of your music. Rock is still the favored genre for all groups up to age 65. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix are popular among all age groups. So while Coldplay may leave you cold, you may still be able to find some areas of agreement in the oldies category.
Improving Social Tolerance
Correctly or incorrectly, older people are perceived as being less tolerant of races and groups that are different from themselves. Many of the older generation grew up in segregated schools. They may attend traditional churches that are unlikely to have minority members. They may have had only casual contact, through work or neighborhoods, with people belonging to different races and groups. If that is true of you, it's not too late to broaden your circle of friends. If your children and grandchildren have friends of different races and groups, ask to be introduced to them. The younger generation will appreciate your efforts, and your world may become more interesting.
Avoiding Hypocrisy
Older people who pretend to be morally superior may alienate the younger generation, according to one generation gap expert. In an speech in 1969, anthropologist Margaret Mead, who wrote a book about the generation gap, said that "the young feel we're all hypocrites--every one of us. Parents set themselves up as models even if they aren't. It's as true in a New Guinea headhunters' village as here." According to Mead, the older generation probably used to