This intergenerational thing can be tricky – as evidenced by the negative reaction from French youth to a polemical new song aimed at fund-raising for charity food banks.
“You had everything — peace, freedom, full employment,
We have joblessness, violence and AIDS.”– young singers’ lyrics of Toute la Vie (All Life Long)
”Everything we have, we had to earn it,
It’s your turn now — but you need to get going!”– older singers’ lyrics
Times are tough in the Euro Zone. Young people are understandably resentful of their elders with their pensions.
“It’s a little complicated to reproach young people for not ‘getting going’ when there is 25 percent unemployment among people under 25, and 22 percent fall below the poverty line.”
– Laura Slimani, head of ruling Socialist Party’s youth wing
Is this a lesson for intergenerational interaction? Lectures from old to young don’t have a great track record, whether delivered by a parent or a pop song.
High time for intergenerational interaction! Neither the old nor the young is content with the current situation. Who wants to have to live in their parents basement because even with two jobs they can’t afford rent for a decent apartment. What a different world for the oldies as well, no fun to see the neighborhood change, familiar hangouts disappear, favorite restaurants close and those nice nearby shops that used to sell just about anything you thought you needed now cater to teenagers. Hold on, is this sounding like a old familiar song?