I don't want to think this but it seems true. What I've witnessed locally and on reddit is the fact that someone believes they know better and prevents any kind of negotiation.
If you are older you are inclined to say you know more because you have been around longer. But what happens when someone younger with more education tries to correct that person? They are told they are wrong or don't know better.
On a more local level I can detect just pure hate, like everyone a generation above me have lost hope and have nothing but anger left. You try to tell them you want change or you have a different opinion and you are told to be quiet.
I've met only a couple of older people who truly will take what you say and constructively think about it and they are usually teachers, people who are literally a part of education.
I also know, with people in general, that there is usually just bad apples while the other apples are fine, they just don't stink and grab attention. There is also the whole tribalistic nature of people to choose safety with those that think similarly. So I'm conflicted with blaming groups of people because of age. It gets hard when all I keep seeing are bad apples and I'm not supposed to choose sides.
An non-important example is I believe I have an anxiety disorder of some kind, I personally feel anxious for no reason and it's uncomfortable. I was like this ever since i could remember. I explain this to my parent and they tell me “quit being anxious” but I can't, I would if I could. “You are the only thing that controls anxiety so stop being anxious,” just seems very unsupportive. This pushes me to find things that make me numb or forget about personal and nationwide issues.
A wider scope example is Socialism vs Capitalism. If I even brought up the word Socialism to my elders I would be marked a communist and evil. But I am starting to think a change in the system could have a chance to be better. Look at the many countries in Europe who have democratic socialism. Norway has always popped up on reddit with statistics that blow American statistics out of the water. Socialism also seems to align with Christian teachings, and when it comes to religion here it's something you don't mess with. Of course there are pros and cons to everything but sometimes the pros outweigh the cons.
It's like all the wars, conflict, paranoia, xenophobia sucked the souls of my elders, makes them scared of things that are different. Because they made it where they are it shows that their method and this system works in a sense but couldn't it work better? Keep people from being taken advantage of, keep people healthy, allow people to leave work for vacation or to care for new family while being financially cared for. Norway provides all of this and has almost the same amount of taxes.
What is even weirder is my anxiety seems to stop when I discuss important issues, issues regarding daily life and American government, idk why I'm scared/anxious, I usually try to apply logic and understanding to conquer fear but maybe I have seen and read too much.