I want to recommend this video to you. As a very young child, I used to watch this television series.
This “TV family” illustrates what a typical real life family used to look like.
At that time, daddy knew everything. Daddy knew best. When we wanted something, we always turned to Daddy.
He knew about everything from musical instruments to careers to technology. Our father was also our teacher.
It’s important that all generations fully comprehend how Baby Boomers were raised.
How strange. We didn’t spend hours in front of the computer screen (obviously we didn’t have computers at that time.) But we found other ways to annoy our parents.
Notice that in the video, there is no TV in the living room.
Needless to say, there are no computers.
Notice how the kids tell their parents everything…
The telephone is a black dial disc, and it’s always in a public space. There’s one in the kitchen, and maybe one in the living room. There are absolutely no phones in the bedrooms.
Daddy always solves everybody’s problems.
How could we even begin to imagine that families wouldn’t always look like this?
As Baby Boomers, we were raised this way. Our own parents were raised this way.
Black and white. Everything was black and white. Right or wrong.Girls were serious and proper. Or they were easy and vulgar. There was no middle ground, no gray area, and no space between. Boys were troublemakers or good students. A man was simply the “marrying type” or he wasn’t.
From the very beginning, fairy tales taught us about the good and the bad. We heard about the mean witch and the innocent little princess. The hero fought against the bad guy. We became quite skilled in recognizing these “characters” and “types” from miles away.
My generation was preoccupied with this fantasyland. Obviously this harmonious fairytale just wasn’t realistic. Slowly but surely, we found the courage to break out from this over idealistic picture of life.
And so divorces started happening. All “Jeannies” (from “I dream of Jeannie) and “Samanthas” (“Bewitched”) broke out from the molds which society had trapped them into. They went back to their “witchery” (the same witchery that was prohibited in Bewitched by the husband). They started working outside the home and became “self sufficient.” Between 1965-1968 the TV series “Lost in Space” brought us a taste of a new reality.
Today daddy doesn’t know everything. He’s had to learn that there aren’t just good guys and bad guys. Daddy doesn’t understand why his children are in such a hurry. He doesn’t understand the “hook up” and “friends with benefits” culture. In the end, does “hooking up” mean dating, friendship, or a bit of everything? He doesn’t understand that the definition of “respect” has changed.
Each generation’s reality must exist with different realities. Generations can be understood and explained through their “realities.” It’s through this reality, that customs, values, and norms are defined.
If these different histories and realities aren’t openly discussed between generations (starting within the family) there’s no chance for mutual understanding between generations.
Daddy knew best, because that’s the way he was raised. Generation Y thinks he barely knows anything. Do you think we could we find a middle ground? If so, perhaps we could use this to build a peaceful coexistence and innovative, successful, businesses.
http://thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/as-the-generations-change-so-must-their-cultural-icons/18143
This article suggests that idols change and evolve right along with generations, adapting to each generation’s expectations and life experiences.
Our movie was “The Graduate. Released in 1967, the film launched Dustin Hoffman’s career, as well as new Simon and Garfunkel songs like “The Sound of Silence.” We lived to the rhythm of Bossa Nova and Woodstock. That was our music. That was our generation’s soundtrack.
What film defines the new generation? What music illustrates Generation Y’s mindset?
