In the 21st century, division has become as American as mom and apple pie.
Red states and blue states, left and right, black and white, male and female, rich and poor: Our culture teaches us to judge others by such criteria as skin color, where we went to school and the work we do, and the generation in which we were born. Instead of building bridges, some of our politicians, commentators, and academics work furiously to dig canyons.
The gulf between young and old receives less attention in the media than other issues, but it, too, is both real and unfortunate. At times, this generational misunderstanding can also be amusing. How many times have you heard folks 60 and older say, “I don’t understand young people today”? At the same time, those 40 and under will complain, “Boomers just don’t get us.”…