Ellen’s Dallas Cowboys Day With George Bush
It was buzzing around the internet yesterday that Ellen Degeneres was sitting next to George and Laura Bush at a Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday. In today’s age where everyone’s opinions “MUST” be given, many were critical of her willingness to sit next to the former Republican president.
We have forgotten what tolerance really means…we can still stand up for our personal beliefs but tolerance - meaning “mutual” tolerance allows us to respectfully disagree on some things and still maintain a cordial or even friendly relationship. Ellen could have responded with the usual “apology” to fans who were offended, but I really appreciate her taking a stand to defend her friendship with the Bush’s and call out that it is OK to be friends with people who don’t share the same views on some things.
That’s what Generation Bridge is meant to be - come together and connect at an individual level versus relying on aggregation or group think to prevent you from connecting with people who aren’t “like” you, because the truth is that no one is 100% “like” you. If we go down a path of tolerance being limited to 1 point of view, we are on a path to a fragmented, lonely and potentially worrisome world view.
Ellen’s Response to Criticism: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ellen-degeneres-defends-george-w-bush-friendship-cowboys-game-tweets-monologue-2019-10-08/
George Bush Response: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2019/10/08/ellen-degeneres-talks-sitting-next-george-w-bush-football-game/3905335002/
Managing Sandwiched Employee Stress Important For Organizations
In this article in Benefits News they look at some of the bigger impacts of stress on productivity and other employee behaviors. They talk about those sandwiched by caring for kids and parents at the same time. Stress isn’t a new thing in anyone’s life as the survey cited notes that 87% of employees feel stressed. That means that only slightly more than one in ten of us are in zen like bliss. But in truth this isn’t a laughing matter.
There are lots of things that lead into this. While the article calls this a Gen X problem primarily, it will be inherited by future generations too as they move into a sandwiched position as we age. There are some things that lead to this on a demographic level; we’re living longer and we’re putting off starting a family until we are older. While not everyone fits into the buckets like this, these trends are not slowing down. If we think back to the days when families were started when we were in our twenties, we had the help of our parents when our kids were young and the kids were already out of the home when and if our parents survived into their 70’s and 80’s. Now when we have our kids in our 30’s and 40’s, we can expect that our kids will be reaching college age when our parents have already reached their 70’s and 80’s. This doesn’t forecast a “need” for caregiver responsibilities at the individual level, but does represent a higher likelihood as we live longer.
With these demographics and the millennials being the largest generation since the boomers, we can only expect this trend to continue as the Gen X’ers age into their twilight years. I was 40 when I had my first daughter, which means I will be 60 when she is 20, and I will be 70 when she is 30. If she has a child then, she’ll be dealing with me and a child when I get to an age where my independence will be shrinking.
The more companies can start to build programs now to reflect the stresses of being sandwiched AND recognize the impact of this lifestyle on productivity, fulfillment, etc. the better we’ll be. Please note this article reflects a study sponsored by Cigna and does promote the brand while talking through important issues.
Untrue Generational Stereotypes
The Generation Bridge platform is about understanding some of the differences we may have from one another but recognizing the value of casting off labels that don’t do much good at solving issues and connecting in a sense of community around common life stage issues.
I searched out generational stereotypes and found this nice 3 generation blog post that talks to some of those stereotypes that simply don’t do us any good. We’re all likely guilty of thinking or believing some of these things, but we’ll all be better off when we recognize that we are doing it, and then step back and remember that every individual has the opportunity to impress us :)
Dad Jokes
Every once in a while I like to find some humor out there. While the much needed rain continues to come down outside, I enjoy a good dad joke to brighten my day. Here’s 40 from Country Living. They say, they are so bad they are good - couldn’t ask for better Dad jokes.
Example: "I don't trust stairs. They're always up to something."
