Although people think the generations have different traits, the reality is that people from all generations get offended and take jokes and social media posts too seriously.
Let’s take Twitter for example, where a lot of people voice their opinions on sensitive topics, such as feminism, politics, or other more controversial topics; the people that comment on the posts take their disagreement to an extreme.
People that do not support the majority opinion are often heavily attacked, such as when people were accused of being anti-feminist for simply saying that the original Star Wars trilogy is better because Luke is better than Rey.
Even jokes are being blown out of proportion. A joking comment such as, “you’re stupid,” is criticized for “stupid” being an inappropriate word to use even as a joke.
Simply put, besides the Baby Boomers who know how to take a joke and even crack one back, how people of all generations take opinions is a problem. It is our responsibility to pay attention to a person’s tone of voice. If an obvious upbeat tone is used, then take the comment as a joke. Or simply ask, “Was that a joke?”
Yes, it is true that some posts and jokes are ignorant, immature, and rude. I am not saying that those types of posts don’t exist. But the ones that poke fun at something or are genuinely lighthearted need to be recognized as just that, not taken personally and offensively.
In any era, it is important that we can have fun with each other. Nobody should have to feel like they are “walking on eggshells,” wondering whether their comment will start an issue. Let’s not take ourselves too seriously – life is too short not to enjoy it.