Kids These Days

If we can understand the patterns of differences in the generations, we can prepare for how to position our businesses appropriately.

Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya, 1823 (Wikimedia Commons - public domain)

“O tempora o mores!” — Cicero, 1st century BC

We’ve all heard the expressions before: “Kids these days,” “You don’t know how good you’ve got it,” “In my day…” etc.

There seems to be a general disdain for the younger generation by the older generations.

The latest is, of course, Millennials, who seem to be everyone's favorite target. Hall of Fame keynote speaker Scott Stratten does an excellent job of summing up how we view the next generation:

“What we mean when we say ‘Millennials’ is…people younger than us and we don’t like them.” — Scott Stratten

The fact is, every age experiences a generation gap, where elders don't understand the younger generation. It's a time-honored tradition.

In the first century B.C., Cicero, in his oration against Verres, a corrupt government official in Rome, lamented about the decay of society when he said “O tempora o mores!” which translates as “Oh the times! Oh the custom…