Member-only story
No, Your Parents’ Generation didn’t have it as Bad as it is Today!
Debunking the Myth: How Today’s Young Generation Faces Unprecedented Burdens Previous Generations Didn’t Have
“when I was a kid I walked to school uphill in the snow both ways” — unknown
Setting the Record Straight
A prevalent misconception suggests that earlier generations endured more challenging times. While a few individuals indeed experienced hardships, the majority did not. This notion is difficult to accept for those who have internalized the cultural narrative that past generations suffered greatly.
This belief can be likened to the tale of Santa giving lumps of coal to misbehaving children — just a story wielded by the older generation to exert control over the younger, or to get them to behave better. The reality was that there was no Santa Claus.
The act of telling younger generations about the difficulties previous generations faced served the purpose of earning respect, boosting productivity, or persuading younger individuals to work harder, regardless of whether the approach was valid or not.
