Part III. Generation Gap

1. Study topical vocabulary

1. A happy child is:

a) kind-hearted, good-natured, loving, friendly, affection­ate; confident, balanced, secure; getting along (comfortably) with others; gregarious: sociable, communicative; outgoing; unselfish; hard-working, industrious; self-disciplined, self-pos­sessed

b) alert, motivated; conscientious, active, persevering; en­thusiastic; polite, courteous; considerate, thoughtful; helpfully able to cope with difficulties, problems.

2. An unhappy problem child is:

a) obedient, prone to obey, submissive; disciplined, re­pressed; depressed, distressed; mixed-up, confused, frustrated; disturbed; neglected; self-centered; unsociable, lonely; timid, shy, fearful, sulky; indifferent, impersonal, listless; irrespon­sive, insensitive; hurt; humiliated; stubborn; uninterested, un-motivated, dull, inactive, bored; unable to cope with difficulties

b) irritable, annoyed, anxious; restless, naughty, wilful; inconsistent, impulsive; undisciplined, unruly, misbehaving, disobedient; resentful, arrogant, insolent, impudent; inconsider­ate, intolerant, disrespectful; unrestrained; destructive, belligerent; rude, rough, coarse, offensive; wrong-doing, delin­quent, unable to cope with difficulties, problems.

3. A happy parent is:

loving, caring, affectionate; kind, kind-hearted, good-na­tured, friendly, approving, reassuring; responsive, thoughtful, considerate, understanding; sensitive, sympathetic; sensible, reasonable; self-restrained; patient, tolerant; open, outgoing; firm, consistent; just.

4. An unhappy difficult parent is:

a) impulsive; indulging, pampering, babying; unreasonable; selfish, self-indulging, self-interested; self-willed, wilful; incon­sistent; partial; sentimental; permissive

b) loveless, indifferent, impersonal; insensitive, disapprov­ing; unjust, unfair; impatient, intolerant; insensible, unreason­able, unwise; inconsistent; nagging, fussy; cold, hard, harsh, cruel; bullying, aggressive, destructive, violent; repressing, demanding, restraining; moralizing; uncompromising, tough.

2. Read the text and give the definition of “generation gap” using topical vocabulary Generation zzz

Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and it is always true. The young are better educated, they have a lot of money to spend and enjoy more freedom. They grow up more quickly and are not so dependant on their parents. They think more for themselves and do not blindly accept ideals of their elders. Events that the older generation remembers vividly are nothing more than past history. Every new generation is different from the one that proceeded. This difference is very marked indeed. The old always assume that they know the best for the simple reason that they have been around a bit longer. They do not like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened. And this is precisely what the young are doing. They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency. They doubt that the older generation has created the best of all possible worlds.

What they reject more than anything is conformity. Office hours, for instance, are nothing more than enforced slavery. Wouldn’t people work best if they were given complete freedom and responsibility? And what about clothing? Who said that all men in the world should wear drab grey suits and convict haircuts? If we turn our minds to more serious matters, who said that human differences can best be solved through conventional politics or violent means? Why are they so unhappy and guilt-ridden in their personal lives; so obsessed with mean ambitions and the desire to amass more and more material possessions? Can anything be right with the rat-race? Haven’t the old lost touch with all that is important in life?

These are not questions the older generation can shrug off lightly. Their record over the past forty years or so hasn’t been exactly spotless. Traditionally, the young have turned to the older for guidance but sometimes the situation might be reversed. The old – if they are ready to admit it – could learn a thing or two from their children. One of the big lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not sinful. Enjoyment is a principle one could apply to all aspects of life. It is surely not wrong to enjoy our work and leisure shedding restricting inhibitions. The world is full of uncertainty and tension. This is their glorious heritage. No surprise that they can so often question the sanity of the generation that bequeathed it.

These discrepancies in world perception of two closely related generations can be traced in their challenges, motivation and desire to achieve the goal. Young generation, labeled Generation Z, have different aspirations. In contrast to their parents, they postpone commitment, wanting to keep their options open as long as possible. They have a great fear of boredom and prefer short-term projects. They love facts and processes and feel powerful from knowing “how”. They crave continual feedback, desire jobs that are “sexy” in the eyes of their peers, believe they are inherently good, and want marriage, family and material success. Their parents or boomers (born in 50s), on the other hand, love adventure, independence and risk; can work for general goals; can even tolerate ambiguity and multiple answers. Generation Z love information and work best to concrete goals. The old want to be artists at what they do, value creativity, are self-directed and want to do things “my” way. They can write, speak and conduct self-directed research well in contrast to their children who expect clear standards and procedure, want to be experts at what they do, like guided practice supervised by organized people and overestimate their communication.

Teenagers have always been unpredictable, but today’s young generation is taking the trait to extremes. Just when their parents are trying to be laid back – turning a blind eye to drinking and even the odd puff of cannabis – the young ones start acting like middle-aged bores. Instead of raving the night away in a club, they are more likely to be joining their friends for conversation. Some of them are bored with clubbing and spend three or four nights every week with their friends. They don’t go to big clubs any more. Everyone is completely off their faces and that becomes very annoying. They stay or go to a friend’s place and it’s much more fun. They just talk, watch videos or share a bottle of wine.

They become a lot closer to their friends, meet most of them in clubs, but realize that they are just acquaintances. Sociologists found that young people who went in for low-key socializing saw it as trendy, not embarrassing. Some youngsters of 18 and 19 say they are clubbed out. They suddenly realize they have been clubbing and taking drugs so often that they haven’t actually properly spoken to them for years. As they look to the millennium, teenagers are feeling uncertain about their future and are looking inwards. An ideal night is more about sharing experiences and talking.

Sociologist’s claim that shunning the social whirl means teenagers can expect fewer but intense friendships. Rather than finding new companions, they will increase the demands they make on the tiny circle they already know. Teenagers are more discerning about TV. They want to get something out of television, rather than watching it mindlessly. The music industry was quick to spot the switch from loud nightclubs by cashing it on the craze for easy listening. Now cardigan-clad singers – who had even passed out of fashion when many of today’s parents were teenagers – are back in style.