Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X & Boomers Have Very Different Ideas Of What Bullying Looks Like
Monkey Business Images | ShutterstockIt’s not that hard to define bullying and all of the consequences that come with it, so it would be easy to assume that it’s something that almost everyone agrees on.
Really, the meaning of bullying has changed a bit over the years as technology and communication trends have evolved. This means each generation doesn’t think about it in the exact same way.
Bullying means different things to Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers:
Bullying has never been acceptable, but younger generations seem more sensitive to that behavior after seeing it happen so much online. Meanwhile, older generations were a bit more forgiving of harsh treatment when it came from authority figures.
Boomers tend to think of bullying as something that’s obvious, not subtle.
This generation is often described as more traditional. It’s true that they have very different views than Gen Z, but they also aren’t strangers to rebellion. Boomers created a more liberal society than what their parents were used to.
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Building a community has been incredibly important to boomers throughout their lives as well. They care about making friends and not isolating themselves, even now when they’re at a stage of life when it would be easier to do so.
This has made boomers a pretty accepting, friendly bunch. They don’t tolerate bullying when it looks like outright hostility or exclusion. But, since the generation is also serious about their respect for authority, they might not be as quick to label a boss who talks down to their employees as a bully like younger people would.
Gen X knew what bullying looked like because they saw it happen on the world stage.
Gen X lived through some major historical events that shaped who they grew into. They were used to seeing unfairness in the world, and it gave them a pretty pessimistic attitude.
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They also grew up as latchkey kids who had to take care of themselves while their workaholic parents were at the office. This upbringing made them very self-reliant but also wary of devoting their lives to work the way their parents had.
Bullying is a serious issue for Gen X since they saw a lot of it happen in society at large. They recognize bullies as people who intimidate and humiliate others for fun. Unlike boomers, they’re more sensitive to workplace bullying since they don’t want their jobs to take over their lives.
Millennials were the first generation who had to think about technology’s impact on bullying.
While previous generations learned to be less trusting and more cynical, millennials were an optimistic bunch. They knew what it was like to go through hard times, but they didn’t let that cloud their entire worldview.
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Millennials had something else that set them apart, though not always in a good way. Technology advanced a lot when they were young, making cell phones a normal part of life and even introducing early social media platforms.
They wanted to be kind to each other, but they also had to deal with new technology that made it easier for people to bully each other, often anonymously. It forced them to realize that bullying happens more than they would like to think it does, and that laughing at someone on the school playground isn’t the only way to do it.
Gen Z has to put up with more bullying because of social media.
The world is a very different place now for Gen Z. They care about diversity and equality, but they have some pretty big obstacles to reaching the supportive culture they’d like to see.
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Gen Z grew up with social media and is connected to it almost constantly. Just scrolling for hours can have a negative effect on their mental health, and adding the risk of cyberbullying into the mix makes everything worse. They can’t just go home and shut out the world as older generations could.
Unlike older generations that were a little more forgiving of bad behavior at work, Gen Z takes workplace bullying seriously. They won’t accept mistreatment from their bosses or co-workers. It’s possible that they’re more sensitive to bullying overall after dealing with it online pretty regularly for most of their lives.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
