By David Peel
Every generation thinks the next generation is softer, less hearty, and less moral than they are.
It’s what gives us the old sayings, “when I was a kid, I walked uphill to school both ways. In the snow. All I had to eat was dirt and we were happy and thankful to have that dirt.”
Now, while we make fun of old-timers, for having those kinds of comments, we’re doing the same thing with this next generation.
And I definitely have some issues with this next generation.
Some of them are just annoying. Like they don’t understand that it’s rude for them to ask total strangers how much something cost. They don’t understand that when they’re texting while you’re speaking with them, it feels disrespectful to us old folks. And it’s hard to respect people who have chosen not to learn how to write or read cursive, how to write a check, how to address an envelope, or how to drive a stick shift.
But now that rant is over, let me point out some things that are very inspirational about these kids coming up now. For one thing, materialism is basically dead. If they’ve got a nice phone and maybe nice shoes, they seem little concerned about having a McMansion on the edge of town, five leased cars out front, Credit card debt and portraying something false about their prosperity.
I was born in 1969 and grew up mostly in the 80s, that is a definite difference. If you want to tee off on those of us coming of age in the 80s remember that there was a fake mobile brick phone that you could buy to pretend you were talking on the mobile phone like only a rich guy could do back then. So, I am heartened by not only their lack of materialism for the most part, but I’m also inspired by their desire for authenticity. Now granted, I’d like their authenticity to be accompanied by a good dose of deodorant, but I like the fact that they would prefer listening to a three hour uncensored discussion on a Joe Rogan podcast rather than absorb a few minutes of carefully curated propaganda on the national news.
I like the fact that they are skeptical and a little harder to fleece because they see the more shades of gray that exist in human society. I also like the fact that they embrace experiences and memories more, rather than material possessions. There’s a part in all of us that can appreciate the idea of traveling, especially when you can do it cheaply and simply. And it is this generation that has brought back the idea of traveling in a homemade camper van cross-country. That wasn’t as much of a thing when I was growing up.
Also, the lack of pretension affects a lot of things including their choices in furniture. Several years ago, the church was giving some youth leaders a budget for furnishing their offices that had recently been built. They were offered the choices of the mahogany or Cherry wood and so forth. They asked if they could just go to Home Depot get pipe and build something modern looking. Not only was there a lot of savings, they were more comfortable.
And that is unfortunately— when you pass down your grandmother’s mahogany furniture to these guys it’s going to go onto the curb, or they just spray paint it white or black.
Yes, they also have no use for your giant gold cocktail ring or your designer clothing. They would much prefer to pick up something cute at Goodwill most of the time.
Probably the most significant change in the new generation will be how they view products versus services. This may have the biggest impact on the bottom line of the national economy. They already tend to view car transportation as a service rather than a product. If you talk to a 16 year old, she probably is in no hurry to get her driver’s license at all. This boggles our old minds.
But remember, she has no desire to own a car when she can use your car whenever she needs one, or using Uber or Lyft, or other ride sharing. And eventually Uber and Lyft and other ride sharing will be robotic and not even require a driver. You’ll just subscribe to a service much the way we now subscribe to certain TV channels rather than have cable.
Potentially even living arrangements will be this way as well. Just subscribe to a pod that you will use when you’re there but when you travel to Seattle, your pod subscription will enable you to have something up there. In the end, empty houses, empty apartments, and cars sitting parked aren’t really useful for anybody.
So, the economy is going to change and already has begun to reflect these new realities. But I bet the biggest change could be set out in the following example.
When my grandmother needed to do some banking, she took her check out of the mailbox got gussied up, went down to see the girls at the bank and did her deposit. For a current member of this new generation, that is unthinkable. Their checks are direct deposited into their account. And even if they were not for some reason, the idea that you have to fire up a 4000 pound vehicle and drive to a brick and mortar bank that exists only for the purpose of having a local teller enter into a computer what you could do on your phone is unthinkable to them. They don’t even understand why there are physical banks at all. If somebody gives them a check, they’re more than likely going to take a picture of it and direct deposit into their account and then tear up the check.
If that’s news to you, that is the new generation that will be making the rules and will affect us in our old age
Feeling old? Me too.
Peel seeks justice for those injured in tractor trailer and car accidents, medical malpractice, and disability. He often addresses churches, clubs and groups without charge. Peel may be reached through PeelLawFirm.com wherein other articles may be accessed.
