OK, Boomer. Do You Know What Millennials and Gen Z Really Think About Us?
You’ll be surprised, I guarantee.
#OkBoomer. Do we deserve a reputation for being grumpy, judgmental, and lacking empathy? Let’s talk about it.
Fortunately, I have grandchildren and friends ranging in age from five to 85, so I get first-hand insight. Last week, while visiting with two young women ages 21 and 23, our discussion turned to world issues; You know, COVID, climate change, and how boomers are taking over TikTok.
The twenty-three-year-old told me, very matter-of-factly, “Everybody knows the boomers lack empathy because of all the lead they absorbed in their childhood. It’s also the reason they refuse to get involved with the digital world— their cognitive ability was damaged, too.”
What? This was news to me.
I’d never heard of the link between lead poisoning and emotional intelligence, and I promised her I’d look into it. The bigger problem is the intergenerational stereotyping — and yes, it goes both ways.
First, I wanted to look at the lead issue.
