Public attitudes and views on different issues, from politics to the proliferation of technology, vary with different factors, but most importantly, with age. In this essay, I will be summarizing and analyzing an informal interview I held with my grandfather and my mentor. My grandfather was born in 1950, making him a baby boomer. Additionally, he is a retired electrical engineer who traveled the country, inspecting, and maintaining the electrical grid. On the other hand, my mentor identified with Generation X even though he was born in 1980. He is a computer scientist, mathematician, and a lecturer at a local college. Lastly, I am a millennial. Influenced by the two, I am deeply interested in technology, but from the perspective of using it to build tools that could change lives. The three of us are representatives of our respective generations, and our collective experiences will show how attitudes change between generations, primarily as a function of the environment. Note a dominant theme in the paper will primarily be about technology and politics, how they have evolved and changed the human experience.
Social Changes with the Most Impact on US Society
According to my grandfather, the social change with the greatest impact on US society was the sequence of events that happened after 9/11. Having been born immediately after World War II, my grandfather is very sensitive to conflicts and polarizing politics. The 9/11 bombings were enough to shake every American regardless of their generation. However, millennials were affected worse. To prove his point, my grandfather asked me to compare my views on cultural changes. For instance, his opinion about the country turning into a surveillance state was that is a violation of our civil liberties. When asked the same question, my mentor was ambivalent and undecided about the need for a surveillance state. However, he added that what concerned him was not the intelligence machine combing through the lives of Americans but the lack of transparency and accountability. “There are no watchers to watch the watchers,” his words verbatim. My view, however, was that if you have nothing to hide, then the scrutiny should not be concerning. Therefore, while the social changes did not affect them directly, they affected us, the millennials (assuming my views represent my generation).
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These views (and changes), in my grandfather’s opinion, are negative. He noted that perhaps the reason I did not have a problem with the surveillance state was that a significant part of my burgeoning adult life was spent with the current system. I never experienced things before they changed. A good thing that came out of the conversation, however, is that I realized that the millennials grew up in the shadow of the War on Terror , therefore, we are more sensitive to international politics than previous generations. Furthermore, my grandfather acknowledged that his views on international politics were informed mainly by the propaganda that was spread after World War II and during the Cold War.
For instance, while my grandfather has set his views on communism to stone, I am more open to exploring the validity and advantages of the political system in light of the negative consequences of capitalist democracy. However, being open-minded is not equal to accepting. Furthermore, while my grandfather’s generation lived in an era where government propaganda shaped views, I am in the information era. Therefore, if I have doubts or would like to inform my views, I only need to seek information on the internet. This is not imply that information available online is reliable. Instead, good research requires not only knowing where to find the information but also analyzing and incorporating it to create unique personal opinions. These are examples of social changes that had a direct impact on their life experiences.
Social Changes with Significant and Lasting Impact on the Country
My mentor was passively participating in the interview. However, when the conversation turned to discuss the social changes that had a lasting impact on American society, he brought up a point that my grandfather and I has ignored. He noted that though he viewed himself as a Generation X, the 2008 Presidential election happened when the millennials were between 12 and 27. Note that that presidential election was significant in US history because the country’s first black president was elected. In his opinion, this view was markedly different for two reasons. First, apart from Generation Z, millennials are the most racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse in US history. Their political views, in the light of social awakening about accepting diversity, played a significant role. Secondly, the youth vote was a big part of the political conversation, and one of the few factors that helped put Barrack Obama on the seat.
My grandfather immediately caught on to my mentor’s point, but I needed further assistance. Therefore, my mentor used the political aftermath of the 9/11 bombings to explain. After the bombings and the War on Terror , American politics quickly became polarised, where majority opinion was in support of the war. Any dissenting opinion was viewed as a betrayal to the country, and the sacrifices its soldiers were making abroad to keep the homeland safe. America is a country of immigrants (hence the racial, cultural, and ethnic diversity), and the political aftermath of the 9/11 bombings divided the country. Therefore, in the wake of the polarised political climate, the youths still went ahead and played a significant role in changing the course of American history by electing the first black president showed that the millennials had an identity of their own, their political views, and perhaps an opinion about how to carry on the legacy of their progenitors. In my mentor’s opinion, these events were significant because they marked the figurative passing of the baton. The country’s legacy is passed down generations, and the millennials made their voices known with the 2008 presidential election. Though passing the reins of the nation was not an instantaneous event, it had to start somewhere.
How Members of Different Generations View and Understand the Social Changes Occurring Today
Considering the perspectives of the three different generations, I believe that everyone views social changes from two different lenses. First, the environment through which they grew up shaped their first opinions, thus influencing a significant part of their lives. For instance, my grandfather is very uncomfortable with the current state of the country, especially with regard to the surveillance engine running in the background. On the other hand, I have little to no concern with it because my environment shaped my personal views. After all, it is impossible to overcome the limitations of my environment and conceive of something better without experiencing it. As a result, baby boomers, part of generation X, and a few millennials are more likely to view these social changes negatively. Furthermore, the negative attitude would make it more likely for them to lose trust in the government and be uncomfortable with any level of scrutiny or oversight.
Secondly, technology will change how the different generational members view and understand current social changes. Note that baby boomers, generation X, and millennials grew up with three different technologies. Baby boomers, for instance, grew up with the television. TV are great communication tools, but a one-way communication channel. Therefore, they became an excellent channel to spread propaganda, especially during the Cold War. On the other hand, generation X grew up in the early days of computers. They were tools to boost productivity, enable fast communication, but little else. However, with the invention and proliferation of the internet, the information age started and exploded with the millennials. With the internet, two-way communication was established. As a result, millennials had different sources to choose information and inform their beliefs.
The outcome was that information was widely available, and the millennials had options on what to believe or take as acceptable. The choice, therefore, gave the millennials the opportunity to develop diverse thoughts and opinions. The diversity, however, is both a good and bad thing. It is a good thing because it encourages independent thought, making the individual view the social changes in a positive light. On the other hand, it is a bad thing because individuals would choose opinions that confirmed their prior beliefs or stereotypes. Therefore, if a social change fails to be on par with one’s beliefs, they are more likely to reject it or view it negatively.
