[MGR1]

Aaaannnnddddd.... we can add generational warfare, courtesy of Reddit!

The Daily Mail (and other British right-wing newspapers) has done to our parents what our parents thought video games would do to us



Although, this post does have a point, even if you disagree with the premise:

Critical thinking skills.

The people you are describing grew up in a world very different from today. Their necessity to have critical thinking skills was not needed as they had just a couple of TV channels, journalists were noble, the news was worthy, the textbook was right, you never questioned the teacher, very few had a degree or even college education, etc. They were taught to absorb information but not to critically think about it.

e.g. there are 9 planets in the solar system. FACT. Remember it. Don't question it.

The next generation grew up with 24hr information overload, hundreds of cable TV channels, the internet was born, sensationalist news crept in, amateur journalists blogged, lad mags & the Sunday sport told us fibs, and we were taught to question the teacher and challenge authority as they might be wrong. Most went to college and many ended up in University. As a result, they were taught to critically think to help decipher the right from the wrong and evaluate the evidence. The current generation can do this from primary school and in real-time.

e.g. there used to be the belief by many that there were 9 planets but Pluto is a small rock and if we counted all the small rocks we could end up with lots of 'planets'. Today, it is widely accepted that there are 8 planets and lots of 'dwarf planets' like Pluto. More could be discovered in the future. Some people think the Earth is flat.

In general, the 'baby boomer' generation find all this critical thinking confusing and unnecessary. It complicates the 'facts' and distorts what they think is reality or common sense. All of these confusing viewpoints from so-called experts, all contradicting one another and totally against what they were taught in school/work/the pub. They tend to still think there is one, authoritative source of facts - the media/Government. They tend to look up towards rich, privately educated people for leadership and instructions on what to do and they tend to do it without question.
This is why the media, facebook and posh suits from Oxbridge have such influence over that particular generation - for this is what they were taught, to accept the word from authority and obey.
And the 'millennial' is the polar opposite.

Rather self centered, but it applies not just elements within the Baby Boomer Generation but ALL generational cohorts.

The ability to sift through a lot of information and weigh up the pros and cons for yourself does take a degree of self training that quite a few people, regardless of age, sorely lack.

Mike.