War, recessions and having a hard time happens to every generation.

Yes, but how society responds to those challenges is really what matters, and that's not consistent.

Getting old does make you lose empathy

I've always been told that, but I don't really believe it. The older I've gotten the more empathetic I've become, and this seems to run true with all of my aging friends.

my grandparents, it's because they don't think anyone's listening or respects them so they go all in.

Eh, that may be true for your grandparents. But most of my geriatric patients tend to be highly influenced by conservative fear mongering.

The billionaires, corporations and lack of power for the common people are the issues to be addressed, not the elderly. Only a small percentage of people make all of the decisions that are making all of the generations have a fucking hard time right now.

I think that is a highly reductive way to describe it.... The older generation has consistently voted away their rights, electing the people making "all the decisions". The older generations have held more influence for longer than any other generation in American history.

Who do you think empowered the rich and the political class? Who do you think voted for and continues to vote for the people making all our lives miserable? How about you go and ask the average Medicare patient who made their lives so hard, I bet they won't agree with your theory.....

The difference is that they had the opportunity to elect people to make their own lives worse, and everyone after has had that choice made for them by people who should have retired decades ago.