In a weird way, millennials and Boomers have a lot in common as far as their early childhood experiences. The ‘50s and ‘90s were weirdly quiet times compared to other points in history, with a sense of optimism that overlaid all the usual fears and disquiets in the US.

Ahistoric levels of prosperity and growth. A sense that the US was in the up and up even as age-old tensions simmered. It’s a feeling that’s been played up over the years, especially regarding the ‘50s. But compared to the decades that followed, they feel bucolic in retrospect.

But! I keep coming back to where the generations split. The Boomers had Vietnam and Watergate but became more conservative as they aged and inherited the country, its systems and riches. Compare that to millennials, who find things comparatively tapped and flawed and stagnant.

It’s just such a wide gap in experiences despite that shared sense of optimism lost. I wonder when the next generation to grow up feeling that level of security will be born.

And...a coda: https://twitter.com/yfreemark/status/1265625948789133314?s=21 https://twitter.com/yfreemark/status/1265625948789133314