From the Silent Generation to Generation Z, each group has been shaped by distinct historical events and cultural shifts, which influence their interactions and understanding of the world around them. The differences are sometimes subtle, but as Engineering teacher Ted Shinta explains, they can create issues, especially when it comes to communication between generations. Shinta, who considers himself a Baby Boomer, notes the most prominent and defining traits of his generation can be found in the shifting environment of the mid-20th century.
“We grew up in a time when things were good and getting better,” Shinta said. “There were great expectations moving forward of trying to make the world a better place. As you get older, you grow more concerned about yourself. They used to dub us the ‘me’ generation. We became very self-absorbed, whether it was with personal improvement or with trying to get more money, and that has stuck with us.”
He attributes this ideological shift as one source of conflict between boomers and their predecessors, the Silent Generation. The shift has widespread impacts on all aspects of daily life, especially parenting. Furthermore, he believes that yet another ideological transition can be examined in how Gen Z is being raised.
“For the older generation to see boomers being idealistic, to them, it was silly,” Shinta said. “That really did occur a lot between the two generations, and they used to call it the generation gap between the Boomers and the Greatest Generation. But our generation tends to be more indulgent of their children than our parents, where our parents were stricter and had expectations. It was this expectation to be a productive citizen or to be practical, get married, have a family, have a good job. Whereas, I don’t really see that between the younger generation and their parents. The younger generation is still mostly able to communicate with their parents.”
In contrast, History teacher Usiel Meraz-Cerna, who was born on the cusp of Generation X and Millennials, believes that his generation is most marked by the rise of technology in the workplace and schools. Due to this rapid shift, Meraz-Cerna describes Millennials as being quickly adaptable and comfortable with change. However, because his generation’s experience with technology is so vastly different to that of today’s youth, who grew up constantly surrounded by technology, he admits there is a resultant divide in communication because of differences in comfortability around face-to-face communication.
“My generation might be more comfortable with writing longer emails to talk to each other and having face-to-face conversations, whereas younger teens would be less comfortable with that and more comfortable with texting short phrases to communicate,” Meraz-Cerna said. “Maybe younger generations are growing up with it without appreciating or thinking about how things used to be and how technology today is either an improvement or an aid.”
Unlike Meraz-Cerna and Shinta, sophomore Danica Huang believes that the biggest generational difference she faces in her daily life isn’t about technology or ideology, but rather verbal communication. Huang often finds herself having to explain slang terms to her sister, who is 16 years older than her.
“When we’re having conversations, I use terms that she doesn’t really understand, so I kind of have to explain it to her,” Huang said. “That’s a little bit of a bump, but it’s not really that much of a problem because I kind of just explain it to her and we both laugh it off. Sometimes she tries to use Gen Z terms, but she doesn’t use them correctly. So, then I’m confused and she has to try to explain herself. Also, she uses terms that I’ve never heard of before.”
Huang’s experience with her sister reflects what many older generations face as they struggle to keep up with newer generations’ constantly adapting slang. With the rise of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, slang is changing faster as trends end as quickly as they begin. As the MV Robotics advisor, Shinta notes that the Robotics Discord channel, a messaging app for students on the team to communicate, is full of slang and memes that he doesn’t understand or even comprehend — essentially a foreign language.
Huang explains that because slang terminology can appear silly and mundane, it exacerbates hostility between generations. Similarly, perceptions of older generations may be stereotypically harsh and archaic, creating yet another divide in communication. Huang specifies that social media often exacerbates such gaps.
“Some older people think kids are very immature and the terms they use are very silly,” Huang said. “They don’t believe in that kind of thing and vice versa, kids think older people are too dumb or too strict so they like to insult them. There are videos of people insulting older generations or older generations insulting younger generations. Depending on the type of social media and the videos that a person watches, it can influence their thoughts and their whole point of perspective.”
Despite generational differences and the hostility that may arise, Meraz-Cerna believes that these tensions stem more from age than generational identity and are part of a natural cycle that every generation goes through.
“You’re going to grow up, and before you know it, you’re not going to be the young generation,” Meraz-Cerna said. “It’s just a way that our society works. As we get older, we change the way we talk to each other and relate to each other. The relationship you have with your parents will change while you’re in college, while you’re in your 30s and 40s, and the way you interact with high school students will change. It’s less about trying to find ways for generations to talk to each other, and really just understanding that we all change over time.”
Huang corroborates Meraz-Cerna’s point of view, saying that focusing on differences and hostility between generations is unproductive and unnecessarily divisive. Rather, finding new ways of communicating with others builds stronger relationships.
“People get into arguments, and it just becomes this conflict,” Huang said. “But I feel like the best way is to try not to judge someone else too quickly. You should try and understand what’s going through their brain and try to talk it out, communicate, so that two people can understand each other’s perspective a bit better. This way, you can come to an agreement or some sort of compromise.”
