For those familiar with The Muppet Show, this picture will need little in the way of introduction. But for the uninitiated, their names are Statler and Waldorf – two elderly Muppets who preferred to sit on the sidelines and criticise the best efforts of others.
The Muppet Show, hosted by Kermit the Frog and his fellow Muppets, rarely went to plan – something that Statler and Waldorf felt duty-bound to point out.
From their balcony seats these two elderly gentlemen used their elevated position to openly heckle the younger cast. Their cantankerous opinions added insult to injury as they characteristically closed each performance with cryptic comments like:
WALDORF: ‘They aren't half bad.’
STATLER: ‘Nope, they're ALL bad!’
Offering little in the way of personal encouragement, these two aging Muppets preferred to sit back and criticise the efforts of others. They demonstrated the classic symptoms of what might be called, The Statler & Waldorf Syndrome – that is: ‘A learnt pattern of behaviour that openly criticises the best efforts of others, while offering little in the way of practical help or personal encouragement.’
With an ever-increasing aging population, ‘Baby Boomers’[1] now find themselves living long enough to see how a younger generation handle the legacy for which they worked so long and hard to achieve. From their elevated – and somewhat financially comfortable – position, Boomers also run the risk of becoming chronic sufferers of ‘The Statler & Waldorf Syndrome’.
Those who fulfil the stereotypical view of an older generation prone to bouts of cynicism and criticism, find themselves in a unique position.
Like no other time in history, western civilization has to play host to an aging population living long enough to see how their offspring handle their inheritance. Sitting comfortably in homes bought and paid for, Boomers enjoy a financial freedom that their children can only dream of. As founders, they face the stark reality of either sitting back and bemoaning the efforts of others or stepping up to applaud those who find themselves centre stage of a Business, Church or Social Enterprise, which others created. Where their legacy has become a liability, Boomers have a decision to make; and so do Millennials.[2]
Either Boomers jeer the efforts of Millennials, or, through their words of encouragement and offers of help, cheer their every effort.
While some Millennials have already dismissed them as a dying generation that should simply fade into the background, many Boomers are eagerly waiting for the opportunity to invest their wisdom, insight, finance and expertise into worthy projects.
The question is how do we bring the generations together? For while Boomers might prefer the comfort they have created for themselves and Millenials feel it is better to keep their distance, we need a cultural revolution that creates blended communities that truly reflect the diversity of heaven on earth.
It could get messy, but by breaking down the mental ghettos found in every generation, we could create the kind of communities, that given a chance might transform a society fragmented by generational thinking.
Chris Spicer
[1] Adults born between 1946-64
[2] A person reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century.