Generational warfare

It’s no secret that the world is splintering along all kinds of long-held faultlines.

The international model of multilateralism is being replaced by combative geopolitics. The rise of One Nation signals a return to tired old tropes about immigrants. And the poisonous influence of the manosphere has kept gender disparity front and centre.

But there is one kind of faultline that is just as common but the subject of far less negative sentiment. Age.

Every generation comes in for plenty of stick (aside from the Silent Generation, presumably on account of them being very quiet). But it’s Boomers and Zoomers who are most often the target of ire.

You can see why.

Zoomers are now solomaxxing, which is refusing to date because it’s cheaper, more predictable, and emotionally lower-risk. Only 6% aspire to a leadership position as a top priority in their career. They even report the lowest confidence in their penises. No, really.

Boomers, meanwhile, are apparently responsible for workplace bottlenecks, pushing younger and poorer people out of the property investor market, and taking up a quarter of the GDP of the EU through costs related to ageing. We could not find data about penis confidence among this generation.

Scapegoating any group for the ills of the world is generally frowned upon. But generational patsies are seemingly far more acceptable because many view them as fair game. Zoomers are perceived as bringing it on themselves, while Boomers have already bought all the houses and burnt all the fossil fuels, so should probably be held at least somewhat accountable.

The problem, as with any demographic target, is that it relies on gross generalisations. Not all Zoomers are entitled loners, just as all Boomers aren’t evil property barons. Some, sure. Many, maybe. But not all.

Unfortunately, it’s human nature to look for easy scapegoats. We just have to find the right ones.