Why do we hate each other?: Looking within Intergenerational Wars

by Marjorie Funilas, Managing Editor
Editorial
Originally written on January 6, 2020

“Skol Strejk for Klimatet”  

Illustrated by Justin Pacer

School strike for climate change. 

School strike for climate change. With these simple words, marked with a bold black paint, everyone was taken for a surprise as they first witnessed a  young girl, protesting her heart out against climate change.

The mere mention of Sweden’s very own, Greta Thunberg, almost all of us would be familiar with her name, or if not, her face. Her thunderous protests paved a way for people to actually take notice of some of the serious matters happening around us. For some, it may be a normal school day, however for Greta, standing outside the Swedish Parliament with a piece of wood, for 21 days, is a normal day that stated her worldwide recognition as a student protester.
Indeed this 16-year-old woman’s actions had bared an aftermath and  inspired masses to take action too. Within a few months and up to this day, the youth journalist, news casters, and even from a global point, have joined her in her activism in addressing world’s present leaders on how they take measures and respond to climate change.

But for all you know, not everyone can appreciate her remarkable efforts, there still seem to be a certain crowd that hated her guts and criticized her and the demonstrations she held. At one of her protests, “How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood”, Greta accused most of our world’s political figures. She leaves speeches out there throwing people at discomfort, “Yet you have come to us young people, how dare you?”.

As a result of this, they try to dismiss her, publicly speaking out their hatred against Greta. Some get by leaving sarcastic remarks, but some public figures remain straightforward  by saying “I have never seen a girl so young and with so many mental disorders treated by so many adults as a guru” just like how Andrew Holt’s blog wrote in the columns of Herald Sun. Despite this, Greta still thrives to confront us with her bravery. As this continues, no doubt that it will definitely trigger different opinions and emotions, just to prove how we fail to acknowledge our ignorance and neglect on environmental issues.

 Regardless of their opinions, is it entirely Greta Thunberg’s fault that she had noticed our faulty blindness of our supposedly leaders?

 For years, we can't just seem to agree on certain topics. It has come to a point that they have mocked each other's generation. 

In fact, Greta receiving detest from older generations is just one of the countless arguments between generations. For years, we can't just seem to agree on certain topics. It has come to a point that they have mocked each other's generation. Giving phrases such as “Ok, Boomer!”, “Baby Busters”, “20-nothings”, “Ungrateful kids” and a lot more name-calling phrases. The basic arguments such as “seniors are selfish” and “ungrateful youths”. For so long, we have always been pinpointing who made a mistake and who should fix it. Perhaps this is why Greta has been receiving criticism. Neither of each generation wants to hear people telling them what to do. Older generations have been used to accepting that what they know will remain the truth, seeing the successor’s opinions as irrelevant. Some of them would disregard young ones, feeling offended whenever the younger generations blames those “boomer” ways as responsible for the catastrophic mess we have to live in. Neither of our generations wants to accept truths as we like to think that our own ways are alway right. So for as long as we think this way, for as long as we look at each other with contempt, and for as long as we fail to realize that every one of us is an integral part in solving worldwide issues we face, none of these problems will truly find its end.

Given these points, putting your age behind and on which generation you belong to, ponder on this question: “When will intergenerational wars end?”