I was once ‘mocked’ by some young ‘whippersnapper’ on a professional on-line forum for having the ideals and work ethic of an out of touch privileged old white guy. I changed my screen name to ‘Male, Pale & Stale’ which wasn’t entirely accurate but seemed to be how others saw me. How did I see them, those complaining about hard work, long hours and not being given the adulation they deserved, after all they had been told since the day they were born how SPECIAL they were. Now, I understand the ‘snowflake’ term but choose to see some of the actions of Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012 in a more positive light. Unlike many in my generation Work, Life Balance is important to them but this can look like an unwillingness to work for the team (however you define this) and being all about ME. Having said that there does seem to be a greater desire amongst GenZ to deal with climate change etc. for the benefit of all, after all it’s ‘our’ mess they’ll have to be dealing with. (With all the benefits of ‘our’ generation’s advances in medicine, technology etc. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and even Elon Musk are closer to ‘our’ baby boomer generation (often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964) than theirs!)

Gen Z, the title given to those born between 1997 and 2012, has often been stereotyped with negative adjectives, including lazy, mollycoddled, entitled and  labelled as “snowflakes” Not unsurprisingly Gen Z disagrees with these stereotypes after all they’ve “lived through the 2008 financial crisis, a global pandemic and the opioid epidemic among other crises” so think of themselves as unsentimental, resilient, and practical. (See WW2, Vietnam, the cold war and the threat of imminent nuclear war and by the way actually trying to make a living during the 2008 financial crisis etc.) 

I think some of us might need to disagree with a recent Oliver Wyman GenZ report suggesting that they are

“the most resilient generation”

so far because of all the devastation that has happened in their lives.

 

As a result, they’ve become a generation of activists who fight for what they believe in.

(… or at least make a Tik Tok video.)

Although Gen Zers feel the most stress after such adversities, they’re more proactive than other generations about their health and will try out various methods to improve their wellbeing, including social-media trends. I might read this differently and suggest that GenZ seem to demand instant gratification (and even then in 15 second sound bites or rather Tik Tok videos – They even see these literally vertically rather than horizontally!)

So as Señor Male Pale and Stale I have to admit to past mistakes albeit I’m still not ready to take on the guilt of all my forbears. I grew up with an albeit possibly unhealthy ‘work hard, play hard’ ethic. One of my favourite sayings is ‘The harder I worked, the luckier I got’. HOWEVER did I miss out on the way, sure I did. I worked hard with long hours and provided for my family so that now they can have the benefit and security knowing there is a safety net that for many of my generation just wasn’t there. I’m proud of my sacrifice but it came with a cost and this is possibly why my cognitive decline is becoming more apparent earlier than I expected. (I’ve read that on average the elderly think of themselves as being the equivalent of 13 years younger than their chronological age – so I’m early 50s – too early to be dementing surely?) 

Now before anyone gets too angry I write as to who I am. That is many things and in the main I don’t go around identifying as anything other than ‘me’. I just happen to have had a vocational education, worked in the healthcare field for over 35 years, been in a relationship for over 30 years, have two children, be a lifelong supporter of Fulham FC, have an eclectic musical taste, play the guitar badly and by the way am a white heterosexual male in his mid 60s. I hope the latter doesn’t put off too many of you!

I mention this as the article below relates to people like me compared to some of you that on some measures are not like me, that’s all, no inference either positive or negative. So here it is – White Men Experience the Biggest Cognitive Declines After Retirement – is that because of the colour of my skin (a kind of pinky grey and occasionally a darkish beige with hints of red.) – surely not?! Is it culture, ethnicity, level of discrimination is hinted at but if I identify as a black woman will I live longer and be cognitively sharper? 

Background

Retirement represents a crucial transitional period for many adults with possible consequences for cognitive aging. The study examined trajectories of cognitive change before and after retirement in Black and White adults.

Results

Results seem to show cognitive functioning was stable before retirement followed by a significant decline after retirement. The decline was particularly pronounced in White compared with Black participants, twice as large in men compared with women, highest among White men and lowest in Black women. Greater post-retirement cognitive decline was also observed among participants who attended college. While greater work complexity and higher income were related to better cognitive function at retirement, neither was significantly related to cognitive change after retirement.

Conclusion

The results suggest that “exposure to lifelong structural inequalities may actually ease transition to retirement with respect to cognitive aging,” said lead author Ross Andel of Arizona State University’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation. That’s because longstanding racial disparities in US education and hiring practices mean that Black workers have faced substantial barriers to entry into more engaging jobs, Andel said.

Another potential explanation cited in the study for why Black Americans adjust to retirement with less cognitive decline is that they have access to “better established social support networks and cultural practices that favor community cohesiveness to a greater extent than is typical for White adults.”

Higher-income men, especially White men, also experience significant cognitive declines immediately before retirement too, according to the researchers — a finding that suggests some people undergo a “mental retirement” or disengagement from work before they physically retire.

“White workers, and particularly White men, may be more likely to experience a greater loss of identity, engagement, and life direction as they enter retirement,” the study found.

 

Wow – BINGO – I’ve a full house!

(I know this isn’t a full house but it’s the best I could do with my limited cognition!)