Mind the gap.

What exactly is the Generation Gap?
Loosely defined, it's the ultimate excuse to explain away any conflict or misunderstanding that people with a considerable age difference between them may have. Seriously. Disagree on anything with somebody more that 20 years older/younger than you? BAM! GenGap - your one-way ticket to a seemingly peaceful conflict resolution.
I don't think there's anything that can't be explained without giving suffiecient logical reasoning. Obviously, society in a particular generation behaves according to the relevant socio-economic climate as well as any other psychological factors that may be accounted for. Ever wonder why there was such an insistence in the USA for the perfect-looking family in the '50's? They pulling themselves up from a massive war, while trying to jostle for and maintain a newfound super-power status amongst all the countries of the world. The value of finding pleasure in the simple things in life were emphasized in the '50's because there wasn't much else people could afford! And so lack of materialism from that particular generation - explained.
Or maybe I oversimplified an enourmously complex issue. Or maybe I'm cutting away the extraneous fat and presenting the bare bones argument - difference in opinion can always be explained. Agreeing and understanding are two different things entirely. Kids, take the damn time to explain why you see something differently from your parents. And parents - of COURSE things will be different and better for your kids! That's what progress means! It's what we all work for - building a better tomorrow - so stop using that as a base point to begin your list of faults with today's kids!
Maybe all I needed to say was talk it out. But I don't like making a statement without reason.
Rant over.