Healing Division: A battle between change and tradition is expanding the gap of our generation

In the millennial generation, there are two categories of people fighting for control.

The first group is the social justice movement, which has garnered a lot of support over the last few years. This can be linked to a rise in education among millennials compared to past generations. The increased percentage of educated millennials has left us with a generation able to think critically about many issues. Most social justice activists are hyper-aware of themselves and their place in society, allowing them to clearly identify injustice inside and outside of their communities.

The opposing side can be labeled as “traditionalists” who believe in a strict set of values, with perhaps the most important being hard work. Traditionalists believe that through hard work, all of your needs can be met. Misconceptions about each group have led to a complete divide in our generation which has made it extremely difficult to work together.

It is important to remember that within any social construct there are those who take issues to the extreme. People on both sides of this divide seem to focus on isolated incidents within these movements instead of the movement as a whole. For example, when a riot breaks out during a peaceful protest, it suddenly becomes the talking point instead of why the protesters were out there in the first place. This shift in attention impedes the unification of our generation on these issues.

I can agree that there is no reason for people to burn and loot businesses because they are upset. However, it is important to keep the attention on the issues. What I see are traditionalists generalizing an entire movement based on the actions of a few. This is extremely dangerous in terms of progression; not only do we lose focus on the topics at hand, but it also undermines the overall goal. If we continue to handle our differences this way, then the space between us will only widen, making it that much harder to close.

Traditionalists lose respect for the case that social justice advocates are making because they tend to highlight the rash approach that a rogue group takes and tie it to the overall movement. But the activist’s response can cripple progression as well.

Attacking someone’s character by calling them a racist, sexist, or anything outside of their name does not help close the social divide in our generation. Every day I see someone receive a label that does not attest to who they are, but to a generalization based off of minor actions. For us to come together as one generation, we must be able to communicate effectively.

Disagreeing with someone on an issue does not make them a terrible person. There is a difference between having an unpopular belief and a completely wrong belief. For example: Nazi and fascist ideology must not be normalized—ever. What social justice advocates have to realize is that many people are ignorant of problematic views because of their privilege or upbringing. It is hard for someone to relate to something they themselves have never experienced.

Enlightening those who are misinformed is the only way to move forward. You don’t have to sit people down and give them a history lesson; simply exposing them to facts, discussions and people that make them think about the world outside of themselves is important.

Uniting our generation is going to take time. It is going to take longer if all we can say to each other is: “Are you triggered yet, snowflake?” and “You’re wrong and a racist.” We are better than that, and it is time to start acting like it. I know that we have what it takes to bridge this gap. It is important to stay hopeful. We can never give up on each other. Never lose faith in those you disagree with because that is when all hope is truly lost for us.

We have a lot to do and it is time we get to work.