Why Old People Aren’t As Cool Anymore

What it says about the past and what it means for the future

I remember my history teacher in middle school reciting Plato’s famous quote on the youth of ancient Greece: “What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets, inflamed with wild notions.” The quote itself is dubious of source, but that’s beside the point. The idea is that the phenomenon of “generational welfare” isn’t anything new, and that the young have rebelled against…