Reactions to Super Bowl halftime show underscore generational differences at work

More than 29 million U.S. households viewed the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show, which featured a lineup of ’90s hip-hop royalty, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and 50 Cent. Soon after the show aired, my Facebook and Twitter feeds began filling up with comments about whether the event was pure Nirvana (pardon the pun) or more akin to Nine Inch Nails (I can’t help myself) on a chalkboard. All joking and puns aside, the sometimes stark differences between the generations aren’t isolated to social media squabbles over which era had the best music (note: obviously the ’80s). The generational differences can create conflicts in the workplace, too.

But first, a few more puns

According to my social media feeds, those among the 60-plus set didn’t think the Super Bowl halftime program was groovy or the bee’s knees, whereas many Millennials were gettin’ jiggy with it and thought the spectacle was all that and a bag of chips. As a member of Generation X, I thought the Boomers and Millennials should stop spazzing out over the show and just take a chill pill. After all, nearly all of the performers were Gen Xers, not Millennials, and the presentation wasn’t nearly as rad as previous productions performed by the totally righteous likes of Prince and Bon Jovi.

For their part, the younger members of Generation Z didn’t spill the tea about the halftime event, perhaps because they don’t “stan” for the music of their parents and considered the show a bit basic and not at all drippy.

Four generations working together