When I was young, I thought that my parents were stupid and simplistic. I thought older people had a childlike view of life and that most of them had no awareness of world events. I was certain that I - and others of my generation - knew much more than my elders and I "knew" that the world would be a much better place if only all the old folks would abdicate their positions of responsibility and be replaced by young people like me.
Of course, each generation has its own slang and lingo, its own styles and fashions, its own icons and heroes, its new and improved technology. Each generation has a vague notion that, somehow, preceding generations did manage to reproduce, but OUR generation is the one that really discovered sex! All of these differences made us . . . different . . . and since I preferred my generations slang, lingo, fashions, etc., we had made better choices, so we must be smarter, cooler, more hip, etc. We were "groovy like a foreign movie" so we had to be better . . . right?
As I got older, I got a different perspective on the generations. I realized that the differences didn't make my generation better; they only made us different. Having your hair dyed green is not inherently better than having your hair cut in a mullet or a crew cut. 
Technology may have given us new ways to communicate, but previous generations had communicated effectively. It may not sound cool to say "23 skidoo" anymore, but in 2066, people will probably think it is odd to say "Let's do Netflix and chill!" In 10-20 years, your current fashions may look quite silly. All of the things that you think are so wonderful will probably not stand the test of time any better than did all of the really cool things that me generation had, like leisure suits and ridiculous hair.
As I got older, I realized that my elders were not stupid and that it was my own self-centeredness and lack of perspective that led me to judge them so harshly. Eventually, those old folks were not stupid at all! I also realized that, as it comes of age, each generation discovers the world and struggles to assert its position and power. Young people always think they know more than older people; it is simply a part of the maturing process. Each generation repeats the same process!
The earlier you recognize these truths, the sooner you will actually receive respect and be asked to assume a position of responsibility. There is nothing demeaning or debasing about acknowledging the wisdom of elders and learning from the wisdom they try to impart, but . . . rebelliousness is a feature of our younger years and EVERY generation struggles with this idea.
Is your generation THAT different? Do you think that your generation will break from this pattern and develop truly revolutionary ideas, that you will produce leaders who are qualitatively different from those of preceding generations?
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