Opinion Welcome, Generation Beta

Aristotle, Horace, bosses and parents have all complained about “kids these days”. In Paris Fashion: A Cultural History, a republished letter from Town & Country magazine in 1771 reads, “A race of effeminate, self-admiring, emaciated fribbles can never have descended in a direct line from the heroes of Poitiers and Agincourt…”. Recently, hustle-culture CEOs have made similar assertions. N Narayana Murthy implored young people to work “70 hours a week” last year. Into this chaos entered Generation Beta this year, which will include all children born between 2025 and 2039.

Reductive listicles that promise to give you a fixed address in a particular generation through pop-culture references reflect the impulse to categorise the young and old into neat pockets. The arrival of a new group into the workforce, or society, brings with it a bit of hope — and apprehension over the possible disruption. The innumerable articles and surveys on whether Gen Z and Y, and X before it, make “the worst workers” are evidence. In India and across the world, cultivating the demographic dividend, that is, ensuring the young are gainfully employed and contributing to national growth and cohesion, remains an area of focus. The future rests on the shoulders of the young, after all. But the vocabulary of “generations” is woven together by vibes, not science. Of course, some experiences like wars and large technological changes inform the values of a generation. But studies have dispelled the myth that the “generation” formula is an accurate tool for identifying coherent cultural or attitudinal shifts.

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As Gen Beta comes of age, it is prudent to remember that disruption is not always a bad thing. The young bring with them fresh ideas. “Kids these days” are much like the kids that came before them. For those still on the fence, a “skinny vs baggy jeans” quiz may provide clarity on the redundancy of age wars.