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There’s a running joke among some of my friends that I’m sometimes a ‘boomer’ in all but age. I still think that I can earn my very own white picket fence if I just work hard enough. I think that quite a few of the movies and TV shows that are released in this day and age fall incredibly short of the mark. And I have a very old-fashioned approach to technology: I’m writing this while listening to music on my iPod while lamenting the disappearance of headphone jacks on phones. The best part? I’m not alone!

There are quite a few ‘baby boomers in disguise’ out there, and odds are that you and pretty much everyone you know has at least one ‘boomer opinion’ about life, work, and technology in the 2020s.

Internet users shared their boomer opinions in a very entertaining and enlightening r/AskReddit thread that proves progress isn’t linear—just because something’s new doesn’t automatically make it better! If we're really honest, replacing buttons with touchscreens everywhere might not have been the brightest idea in some cases. And who needs smart fridges anyway?! Upvote the opinions you agree with as you're scrolling down, dear Pandas.

Bored Panda wanted to learn about the things that technology and app creators should prioritize, so we reached out to Matt Johnson, Ph.D., for a few insights. He explained to us that products are only valuable when they're valuable to the consumer, and shared his thoughts on how we might be seeing an 'analog renaissance.' Plus, he explained why, in some cases, a simple pencil and paper might trump smartphones and computers.

You'll find our full interview with the expert below. Johnson is a professor of consumer psychology at Hult International Business School and Harvard University, the host of the Neuroscience of Branding blog, and the author of Branding that Means Business.

Meanwhile, we also got in touch with the author of the r/AskReddit thread. Read on for our interview with them as well.

#1

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Let me buy something and own it. I don’t want to pay a monthly fee to use something

AtomicBlastCandy , Anna Shvets Report

"One of the most important elements to keep in mind in product development is the ultimate user experience. This sounds obvious, but many times, creative teams and developers become overly enamored in their own ideas about the product that they lose sight of how it’ll ultimately be used by the end user," Professor Johnson, the founder of the Neuroscience of Branding blog, explained to Bored Panda.

"Products are valuable when, and only when, they’re valuable to the consumer. This ultimately comes down to empathic design, as well as the practice of co-creation with consumers. Instead of simply guessing what will be appealing to consumers, many brands have begun to invite them into the creative process itself," he noted that there's far more interaction between creators and consumers than before.

#2

Just give me the f*****g recipe. I do not want to read your life story.

wontonstew Report

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connie_wade avatar
clbruss
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This. Yes. Also, I refuse to read any online story with excessive pagination--where you literally must click on NEXT to read another sentence or see another photo.

cgzander avatar
CGZ
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you're referring to recipes online, it took me a while to realize that more often than not there's a button to click at the top that says "jump to recipe".

theeangelwolf_1 avatar
Angel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wouldn't bother ever looking up recipes if it wasn't for that wonderful sanity-saving button!

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Max Fox
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This, so many time, this. I also don't want to hear the history of the restaurant where you first ate this dish.

benjamyn2703 avatar
Benjamyn OConnor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Right? Like why does the modern generation feel they need to post their entire life online?

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zoopzap-zeeshan avatar
Got hacked lol
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No one wants to hear that made up story of how you and your grandmother grew your own food in northern ireland to make pasta....

benjamyn2703 avatar
Benjamyn OConnor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree everybody hates how millennial/Gen Z posts their entire life. However, at least they're proud of their heritage.

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Vasana Phong
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do watch a lot of YouTube to get recipes or ideas, but if the first minute or 2 and you’re still talking, I change it ASAP

qecrooks avatar
Qe
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel like this isn’t just a boomer take, I have to believe this is how everyone secretly feels… unless the story is actually entertaining, which is rare.

benjamyn2703 avatar
Benjamyn OConnor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You're not alone. We all hate how the modern generation feels the need to post their entire life

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Zia Barrett
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is due to SEO - Search Engine Optimisation. The more keywords shoved in, the higher up the rankings it goes.

zachbigalke avatar
Zach Bigalke
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's more for copyright protection than SEO... https://copyrightalliance.org/are-recipes-cookbooks-protected-by-copyright/

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Hellrazoromega Kaplan
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Boomer take? Does any generation love to read stories just designed to make you scroll past adds?

simperium avatar
Šimon Špaček
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is why I have cook books. I think I have at least 15 of them. And it is nice to go through it, just for inspiration.

julia-tunstall1001 avatar
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can't upvote this enough. I do not want to read about the history of x cake/pasta/rice etc, or your life story, thank you very much. Edit: spelling.

shawnmcnulty avatar
Shawn McNulty
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think they do this to avoid copyright issues in sharing recipes. If there is an intro in the beginning it's not considered violating the original recipe owners copyright.

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Jon Drachenberg
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can blame the search algorithms for this. Among other page elements, a blog post must have at least 300 words in complete sentence/paragraph form plus headings and subheadings to be considered relevant in search results. If you're not careful about this the robots will start to see your website as junk. So while there are some egomaniacs who really do believe you want to hear them droll on and on about their trip to the Hamptons and family BS, I'd say most intelligent food bloggers are just trying to satisfy the scoring mechanisms they use among their blogging tools so their recipes have a chance of drawing organic traffic to their websites. But I'm with you on it! I think that's why many of them include the jump to recipe button... They *know* that's what you came for and that all the prose is essentially for the robots

lynn-monroe98 avatar
Lynn Monroe
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jump to the Recipe used to mean just that, now often it just drops you down to Continue to Content (with ads to look at that you were trying to avoid) before you actually get to the recipe......

beverlyannstuart avatar
Beverly Stuart
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And if I must read your life story, learn how to be interesting instead of just using words, words and more words!

k-miodek avatar
Very bored
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same for any other Diy/Instruction video or post. I want to learn how to knit, not what you feed your sheep, and no, I did not want to know your uncle's, father's, friend's dog puked in your boot. All i want is to know how to change the freaking rear lightbulb in the car!

veronicajean avatar
Veronica Jean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People do this because they need enough space to plug advertisements, and they need to prove to advertisers that people are scrolling down. Not saying it's okay in the slightest, just a gentle reminder that nothing is for free.... People can't post recipes online unless they make some money from their website, and if we are not giving them the money they need to get them from advertisers. Recommendation? Good recipe books. Old school but you don't have to deal with the s***.

rzsanyerges avatar
EvilNob
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is this something from the US again? Because I can't understand the reference.

thevoiceaf avatar
Snigget
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These aren't boomer comments, they just make sense for crying out loud!!

dtown918 avatar
Page Herr
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They have “jump to recipe” buttons - you don’t have to scroll manually

michelembennett1010att_net avatar
michele mbennett1010@att.net
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG 😲 I so hate that about anything put out there. Don't care about all that s**t, just get to the point! Oh yeah, most of us old farts already know about that stuff you're trying to "enlighten/educate" us about. 🙄

jecrain6_6_634 avatar
JE Cummings
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are these really boomer problems? Seems a lot of younger people believe this, too.

arielwalkers avatar
Ariel Walkers
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've noticed that some of these life story recipes are also removing the straight to it recipe at the bottom so you're forced to read an entire fluff filled biography novel of someone's life of their relative or a trip they took just to get a 5 minute recipe. And even worse they give the bare minimum instructions on recipes because it's just part of the story instead of clear instructions at the bottom.

lisahewes avatar
Lisa H
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Recipe FIRST, THEN life story, that is, if you insist on the story!

lt_x avatar
Lt. X
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah! See now this is where paper and pencil would be so much better. People were more reluctant to share their life story about why they mixed these toxic chemicals together in order to make their own cleaner at home. If it's titled 'Recipe' LIST IT! If you talk about your life story before the Recipe, then change the title

kelsiemarx avatar
Kelsie Marx
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No kidding! That is why I love the “jump to recipe” button. I don’t need to read how AMAZINGLY delicious this dish is in a novel form, for I need to make it myself to see if I like it. Not a novel telling me I will😵‍💫

kjkoopmans avatar
Pudgy Panda
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep, if the don’t have a “jump to recipe” button, I’m out.

sharongersowsky avatar
Sharon Gersowsky
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just hit "jump to recipe" . As you said, I'm also not interested in your life story or how you came upon the recipe. Got too much else to do

elaineharley avatar
Elaine Harley
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can frequently just look for a link that takes you right to the recipe otherwise simply scroll down. You're getting the recipe for free so what's the problem? 🤦‍♀️

myronmog avatar
moggie63
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or the links to where you can buy the ingredients, some you've never heard of, somewhere in the US. Yeah, I'm 4000 miles away, in the UK, do you deliver?

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RoseAnne Hutchence
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the other hand ... a great many recipes are free. And if all the author wants in exchange is to talk about themselves a bit? Small price to pay.

leahgally avatar
Leah Gally
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh I get so annoyed at the stories! I don’t care If your husband is cutting the grass right now or whatever he’s doing!!Thank God for the Jump to recipe option🙄

janethowe_1 avatar
Janet Howe
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Then halfway thru the recipe you've found 5 typos and an entire paragraph of instructions missing. And the measurements are in M-E-T-R--I-C.

benjamyn2703 avatar
Benjamyn OConnor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Millennials/Gen Z are so strange. Like nobody cares about your life story. This is why the older generation wrote the recipe on 3x5 cards

benjamyn2703 avatar
Benjamyn OConnor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Millennials/Gen Z are so strange. Why would anyone want to read the story?

alyssalapa avatar
TrippyBanana
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sometimes I'll read the stories some are pretty funny, otherwise, I press the awesome button, Jump to Recipe.

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Deni La Force
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG yes. Most of the time I say screw it and open my Joy of Cooking book.

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Shelly Graham
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank God I'm not the only person who's frustrated when you can't find the recipe instructions; but you now know the poster has 2 dogs, 4 cat's, 5 kids they're a blended family. They vacation every year in a different national park to teach their children about nature. Oh and the recipe has been handed down from mother to daughter for 6 generations. I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU OR YOUR FAMILY! I simply wish to cook/bake your families recipe for kerfuffle snuffle! So WHERE THE F*+-K IS THE INGREDIENT LIST AND INSTRUCTIONS?

listy avatar
GenericPanda09
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hell yeah... spread out over 20 tiny webpages so that each page loads with a new set of adverts - it's just tacky as f**k.

jor_1 avatar
Jo R
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Allow me to share my fantastic recipe with you. But first, my diary.

rachelgrig avatar
Rachel Grig
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've recently noticed they started adding these "Jump straight to recipe" buttons at the very top. USE IT EVERY TIME!

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Jane Cortez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If I can’t jump to the recipe of it’s too hard to scroll down through ‘blah, blah,’ I bail. ( sorry!).

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Bubblegum Witch
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

FR THO sorry but I don’t give a 🦆 about your dead grandma and how gay you are. Just give me ur pasta recipe .

henryhalliday avatar
Higgleton
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bit choosy beggar to me. Someone takes the time to design a recipe, host a site, provide free info, shares some personal anecdotes. "just get to the recipe already!" Buy a recipe book, jeez.

sauerrene88 avatar
René Sauer
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, I have no problem when they write a bit about a recipe, why they like it, etc. But they should keep it short at least.

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Remi (He/Him)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The recipe is always down in a box on websites. Btw, I do want to check the story to know if the poster knows what they're talking about.

juliechute avatar
Hoodoo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder what percent of the viewership actually read the drivel

dianeborger avatar
Diane Borger
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, yes!!! Drives me crazy. And even clicking "Jump to recipe" gives you endless add videos covering the words of the actual recipe.

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SarahBee
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Click on JUMP TO RECIPE. It's at the beginning of almost every online recipe.

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Calane E. Vanya
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't understand this problem. Ingredients list is almost always clearly visible, so if I need only a short recipe I know where to start reading. So... What's the matter? I may missed something.

ajones_1 avatar
A Jones
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Their life-story should be below the recipe. Not above it, not in it, not after every bloody step, just below it. Saves a bunch of time.

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#3

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes I like being able to read articles and stuff online without being asked to enter an email, create an account, give my phone number, etc. Also, not everything needs to have an app / be automated with Alexa.

Ok-Pop-9457 , Alejandra Cifre González Report

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Zia Barrett
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are sites that are made for getting past paywalls and account locks, they are very useful.

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"Crucial to this process is the intuitive nature of the user experience. Products—especially technological products—should be instantly intuitive. This again comes back to empathic design and co-creation. And in addition, a third component is especially important: making the consumer feel smart. The ‘smartness’ of the product experience isn’t merely the technology, but how it makes the user feel. Here, there’s an analogy to good, empathetic writing: good writing makes the writer feel smart; great writing makes the reader feel smart. The same can be said for technology products."

Meanwhile, we were very interested to get the professor's opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of 'smart' devices, compared to 'dumb' (aka analog) ones.

"There’s a lot of speculation that there may be something of an analog renaissance. There’s clear recognition that technology has its benefits in a number of areas of life. However, in others, it may have overstepped its bounds, and that analog (or dumb tech) products may actually be beneficial," Johnson pointed out to us.

#4

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Turn your f*****g music down. Your music should not be shaking my car windows. I should not be able to hear your music inside my house. I should be able to talk to my friends inside this bar or restaurant without yelling. This brewery does not need a live band or DJ. Turn your f*****g music down.

Wingdom , Aleksandr Popov Report

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#5

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes I just want a real person on the telephone when I have to call a business.

HotSpicedChai , Andrea Piacquadio Report

#6

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Paper books are better than E-books. There is just something about reading on paper- it feels more real.

NonOfYaBeezWax , Pixabay Report

"Take communication, for example. Zoom has been a huge tool in the pandemic, and is great for communication types requiring a visual referent, such as a presentation. However, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that a simple phone call is better for building empathy and trust," he explained. "And while digital forms of typing, either on mobile or on the computer, come with their own conveniences, 'dumb' writing products—like simple pencil and pad—have been identified to hold several benefits such as enhanced creativity and better memory retention." Anecdotally, we can definitely confirm this. It's why yours truly still takes a lot of notes by hand; it might be slower, but it works so much better than doing everything digitally.

Professor Johnson, the author of Branding that Means Business, pointed out that smart devices will "likely proliferate in certain areas, but may dissipate in others."

"Predicting exactly which kinds of devices will proliferate is difficult and speculative. Generally speaking, technology over the past 15-20 years has been incredible at enabling consumers to do things better, easier, and faster than ever before," he said. "Technology is great for doing things. But it isn’t great at providing enjoyable experiences, or enhancing existing ones. It’s in this domain of where a return to ‘dumb’ technology may be most pronounced."

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#7

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Just because you can contact me immediately by phone and text doesn’t mean I should be expected to respond and be constantly accessible. I miss the days where you just turned the answering machine on and went and lived life.

oldbayobsessed , Tim Walker Report

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James016
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not a boomer take. Our time is precious no matter what you are doing. Even if it is doing nothing.

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#8

As a mentally ill person, I say: Your mental illness is not your fault, but it is your responsibility to manage. Your mental illnesses can cause you to make mistakes and treat others poorly, and you certainly deserve some grace and understanding when you f**k up (as all humans do). But that doesn’t let you off the hook for the behavior, and it doesn’t make the recipient of the bad behavior the bad guy for setting boundaries or calling you on your behavior.

CocharellaMusicFest Report

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aceupyoursleeve
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"No! No, BoJack, just stop. You are all the things that are wrong with you. It’s not the alcohol, or the drugs or any of the s****y things that happened to you in your career or when you were a kid. It’s you. All right? It’s you."

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#9

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Giving your kids "unique" names is a sign of immaturity, selfishness and narcissism.

Think before naming your kids as they're the ones that will have to live with it

Poopooplatta69 , Bess Hamiti Report

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Mike Fitzpatrick
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm sure Niveah - Hayden - Jaydehn - Schaydhenn will absolutely understand while they are getting the c**p beat out of them in middle school. And then again when they are trying to be taken seriously in a career.

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Meanwhile, the author of the original r/AskReddit thread, u/Poopooplatta69, was kind enough to share a few of their thoughts with us.

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"I believe that all of us have opinions that go against the grain and that some of these opinions aren't necessarily wrong," they told us a bit about what inspired them to start up the thread in the first place.

According to the redditor, a boomer "doesn't necessarily mean age."

"I know some young conservatives that I would view as boomers. To me the 'ok boomer' crowd is out of touch and refuses to try to understand that things are different now," they told Bored Panda.

In their opinion, social media is "easily" the most recent technology that has made life harder rather than easier. "We're addicted to it and it's making us mentally ill," they said.

#10

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes It’s rude to be on your phone while in the company of others. Makes you look bored to be hanging out with them

NightDreamer73 , ROBIN WORRALL Report

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Greta Kolding
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is actually spooky to see 6 friends around a table in a restaurant all staring at their phones and not talking to each other at all.

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#11

Paper menus are better than QR codes

FrankRandomLetters Report

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Ali Dyche
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And if I forget my phone, or the battery happens to be dead? How am I supposed to order?

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#12

Spelling and grammar matter.

butter00pecan Report

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Mike Fitzpatrick
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I heard a YouTube guy say "punctuation saves lives, people" and got a big kick out of that.

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Baby boomers, aka boomers, are people born from 1946 to 1964, and tend to be seen as having ‘old-fashioned’ beliefs about work and life. Being called a boomer in a non-academic context is a synonym for someone who’s behind the times. It’s typically used as a gentle insult (e.g. using the dismissive phrase, ‘ok, boomer!’). Quite paradoxical, considering that boomers themselves tend to see themselves as ‘the greatest generation.’

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No generation is perfect: each one has its specific pros and cons, as well as very distinct perception of what the world ‘should’ be like.

Similarly, boomers tend to look down on zoomers (born from the early 2010s onwards), but often call them millennials (born 1981-1996) by mistake. Speaking generally, boomers tend to believe that the younger generations are slacking off and should be working harder.

However, boomers often get criticized for not taking the economic situation into account. They grew up in a time of affluence and prosperity when it was relatively easy to save up enough money to own your own home.

#13

Five year olds don't need Smartphones

Jessykosis Report

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Stardust she/her
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I knew a 6 year old girl who had her own Apple Watch and the latest version of the iPhone.

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#14

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes From an elder Gen X:
Gender reveals are ridiculous. "Let's have a party for everyone to celebrate a baby's genitals"

As someone who grew up in the 70's and learning about women's liberation I would not think people would be still so attached to the whole pink/blue clothes,toys, etc.

gametime-2001 , Frederick Medina Report

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Elio
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Plus people are all like, "I'm having a kid so I instantly know how to handle fireworks and explosives and totally won't start a wildfire."

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#15

Children should be outside playing more.

stolenourhearts Report

Having your own home is still seen as a sign of success by the majority of young people. However, the problem is affordability. It’s not enough to work hard. Financial stability and home ownership aren’t as guaranteed as they used to be half a century ago. This, of course, leads to a certain amount of cynicism among the millennials and the Gen-Z cohort, as well as tension between them and the older generations who (from their perspective) may have had it easier.

As we grow older, our tastes change and develop. At the same time, we also cling to certain technologies and attitudes that used to get us good results. Why switch to a high-tech TV, computer, or phone when the one you have works perfectly fine? It’s eco-friendly and financially savvy to avoid upgrading to something new just for the heck of it… so long as you’re doing it for the right reasons.

Unfortunately, the reality is that some people are resistant to trying new tech. They might be scared to break something. Or they might be unwilling to learn something new—perhaps due to their pride or out of fear that it’ll take them far too long. It’s a question of attitude, as well as adaptability. Do you embrace the new so that you can keep up with a rapidly-changing world or do you cling to the past, daydreaming of the ‘good old days’?

#16

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Physical buttons to push, especially in cars, I hate touch screens.

FunPills , Dominik Garbera Report

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renee brack
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just bought an air fryer with 2 knobs and not a touch screen. It's an entry level appliance. The only low review was of the knobs - the fear they might break off. They hadn't broken off. Incredible. A low review based on a fear of knobs failing. Our species is doomed.

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#17

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes People share way too much on social media.

thegigglepickler replied:

Similarly, you don’t need to record every second of your life. Live in the moment every once in a while.

Anon_879 , Markus Winkler Report

#18

They need to bring back home economics class in school.

bebedumbo Report

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Daniel Atkins
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Agee they need to teach life skills besides just cooking. Budgeting a basic idea of what is involved in being an adult.

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Nostalgia is a powerful thing. But if we spend all of our time reminiscing about the past while ignoring the present, something needs to change. One way to do this is to focus on all of the things that you’re grateful to have in this ever-changing world.

At the same time, it’s essential to stay objective. Just because there’s a new gadget coming out or a fresh trend is sweeping the globe doesn’t mean that you should jump on board simply because ‘everyone else is doing it.’ Ignore the FOMO. Think about what you want.

It’s perfectly fine to want better, more user-friendly technology. For instance, you might feel that a website, app, or streaming service needs a more intuitive UI. Or you might get irritated by all the updates that certain apps require just to function. Not to mention the metric ton of passwords that you need to keep track of because, hey, pretty much everything requires you to log in these days. Sometimes, simpler really is better.

Personally? I’d love to meet the person who decided that phones no longer need headphone jacks. I’ve got a bunch of questions for them…

#19

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes They don't make em like they used to. Houses, appliances, everything.

schizamp , Jean van der Meulen Report

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Will Cable
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep, now that the really old stuff has finally failed the stuff we've replaced it with is failing at a faster rate and some even on the 2nd or 3rd replacement.

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#20

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Children are being brainwashed by TikTok/Instagram/etc... Not in the whole "the gays are brainwashing our kids" thing but children can't focus on anything for more than a few seconds at a time and are majorly desensitized to things

the_grand_troll , Solen Feyissa Report

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Colin Matthews
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i totally agree, reading books was as much about learning to concentrate and think

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#21

Headlights are too bright nowadays.

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#22

I really do hate when they change the aisles around at the grocery store.

torn_asunder7 Report

#23

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes People should chill with their phones during concerts. You paid tickets to watch the show, not to record the whole thing.

WabbieSabbie , lifesimply.rocks Report

#24

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Modern parents can be very entitled and modern parenting styles like gentle, child led and never say no parenting are going to cause as many problems as they fix.

Yes previous generations were too strict but modern parents go too far in the other direction.

Poopooplatta69 , Marisa Howenstine Report

#25

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Younger children in general are genuinely spending way too much time on tablets and other devices.

thejude555 , Kelly Sikkema Report

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Astrius
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think children should be restricted a little more on screen time. I was mad about it as a kid, but in retrospect i think it was a good thing to gradually give more freedom.

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#26

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Being fat should not be celebrated.

Rancho-unicorno , Towfiqu barbhuiya Report

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#27

I don't want the new shiny thing with a thousand of usless functions, I don't want something that will be old in 3 years because of lack of sofware update or because the tecnology in that field is becoming better at lightning speed. I want something that just works and last a long time. I can understand you might want the best thing for work (like a powerful pc) but why would anyone want a smart fridge or toaster?

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#28

Paying good money for a product that doesn't do the thing it says on the box until you install their b******t app on your phone makes me want to burn s**t to the ground.

pipsvip Report

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Zia Barrett
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Things that require a separate thing requiring an account or recurring payment in order to work. I don't have a phone, why do I need one for a physical thing? I bought a physical disk of a game, why do I need a Steam account to play it, given that I bought a physical disk because I don't agree with Steam's T&Cs?

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#29

Too many people on the Internet self-diagnose with autism, ADHD, PTSD, etc and they do it in a way that screams "I'm different and unique pay attention to me!"

bl1eveucanfly Report

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Incrediblybored
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know someone who was randomly hitting me for absolutely no reason. She said,”I’m allowed because I’m autistic,” I was extremely tempted to punch her in the face and say,” I’m allowed because I’m autistic.” I didn’t though. A few years later she got an actual assessment for autism and it turns out she was just a b***h and thought OMG! I don’t like wool! I must be autistic

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#30

I think common sense isn’t that common anymore. I think people need to take accountability for their actions and admit when they’re wrong or f****d up. Stop making excuses and just say sorry and do better next time.

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Zia Barrett
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Note that often what is excused as an excuse is actually an explanation, and people who have experienced abuse are prone to over-explaining to make sure there is no misinterpretation. 100% of cases I've seen of "making excuses" have been this.

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#31

STOP MAKING EVERYTHING AUTOMATED AND TECHNOLOGICAL. I want to talk to a real human being when I call. I don’t want all this touch free, scan this, download this app, blah blah blah.

apatheticcanteloupe Report

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ƒιѕн
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In all honesty I like the self checkout at walmart. mainly because barely anyone here uses it and it is always empty so no waiting. I can get in and get out and not have to talk to anyone.

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#32

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Smart things should fail to dumb, not to broken.

Smart lock can’t reach the internet? I should be able to use my keys. (This is why I have a dumb home.)

Additional-Fee1780 , Sebastian Scholz (Nuki) Report

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Zia Barrett
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't have smart things because they are hideously insecure. Easy backdoor into otherwise secure networks.

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#33

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes People are too loud.

BEN-90 , Kaique Rocha Report

#34

TV is getting too dark. Too dark and too quiet. I swear we have to turn the volume up like twice as loud as we have it normally to watch Yellowstone.

Better believe the commercials have plenty of volume though...

DenTheRedditBoi7 Report

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Ivanh
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The dialogue being so quiet you have to turn up the volume and next action scene it's so loud your ears bleed.

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#35

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes My watch doesn't need to spy on me

DJ_laundry_list , Pixabay Report

#36

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes I really don’t want people I don’t know on my lawn.

MEEE3EEEP , Pixabay Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only problem I have with it, is when people don't clean up after their dogs. Otherwise, whatever.

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#37

Having your children in every sports league and traveling all over spending loads of money and time doesn't make you a better parent.

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BeepBeepBoopBoop
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

but, it might make you a better parent if your kid is loving what's happening and what they're doing. If a parent is forcing their kid(s) to be in a sport, that's a different story imo

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#38

TikTok, Youtube shorts, Instagram reels and all that is having a seriously negative impact on the attention span of young people.

CherryCola66 Report

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renee brack
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You may have tipped the conversation into attention deficit disorder. Focus is a muscle that needs guidance, training and exercise. Not all ADHD requires medication.

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#39

Video games are not sports

TVotte Report

#40

Sometimes you need to shut your laptop, Apple TV, Loud Bass speakers and mouth, and just sit quietly.
Seriously we dont need to be listening to media, music, news, memes or ANY sound or stimulation 24/7.

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BeepBeepBoopBoop
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so my problem is with my anxiety, having quiet makes me really anxious, like there's no reason I should be, I just am. Like I can have my TV on the lowest volume playing something I don't care about and I can sit there a read a book perfectly fine. I know that this isn't normal, it's a me problem, but I haven't figured out a good way to deal with it yet. I think it's because in my mind, quiet = bad/ I'm in trouble/ something bad is going to happen. Edit: I wanted to say thanks for all the amazing advice! I'm going to be trying a few of them once I'm better from being sick and able to walk again :D

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#41

The service industry is garbage now. My first few jobs were working in fast food: I got paid s**t and the hours sucked. I still greeted customers when they walked in the shop, spoke politely over the phone and waited until my smoke breaks to blow a f*****g gasket about something. Because of my experience in food service, I'm polite and friendly to a waiter/waitress or my delivery driver and usually try to tip well. But it seems like more often than not, everybody on the other side of the counter is surly and unhelpful. I'll be somewhere to pick up my food and the person on the other side of the counter can't even be bothered to look up from their phone to say 'welcome to arby's; how can I help you?'

I get it; your job sucks. You should be paid more. You have to deal with the rudest, most entitled people on a daily basis and twice as much on Sunday. It won't f*****g kill you to say hello.

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Michael Fernandez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everyone should work a service or retail job at least once. Are a minimum, they’ll spend the rest of their lives being polite to service and retail workers.

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#42

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Concentration is getting worse. I tutor students and I notice a complete lack of concentration from people as little as 1 year younger than me. Also everyone is very difficult and doesn’t participate even though they asked you for help

Booloodle , sofatutor Report

#43

Automated menus on customer service lines, and honestly customer service lines themselves, f*****g suck.

lexigraxe replied:

My doctor's office has an automated menu for scheduling appointments, which is fine and dandy except for the fact that it has FOUR LAYERS of automation before you get to an actual person, and if you press the number you want too soon it will restart the whole menu. Also, sometimes it goes through to a real office number but then rings for 45 seconds before saying “the party you are trying to reach is unavailable, goodbye” and then hangs up automatically, so you have to go through the menu all over again. F**k automated menus like that.

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Vasana Phong
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I work with insurance companies all day, I get so frustrated when I call and there’s not an option on what I want/need, there should be an operator option 0 for every business you call, not hang up on you

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#45

That some people can't just enjoy their meals at a restaurant, they absolutely HAVE to take a picture first. Nobody starts eating until a satisfying Foto is taken.

Like, f**k you! I'm hungry and want to start eating. It's not like you paid for my meal.

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#46

Old music is way better

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#47

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Popular music these days are highly industrialized and have nothing to do with art or culture

Aartrh , Aditya Chinchure Report

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aceupyoursleeve
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A lot of entertainment is this way. When even a society's art is entrenched in the capitalist culture of profit, it becomes nothing more than a money maker.

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#48

Movies used to be way better.

And I get that there were always lots of crappy and mediocre movies. And I get that there are still really good ones these days - 2019 was a particularly amazing year.

But they still used to be SO MUCH BETTER. Indie film festivals weren’t littered with endless “gritty slice of life drama with no plot and a shaky handheld camera”. Hollywood didn’t used to be “superhero’s and sequels and f**k everything else”.

And I dunno, it just feels like….some passion is gone. If you saw a low budget driving scene in the 70’s, you likely saw poor lighting and some muddled audio. But you also saw real people in real locations really trying. Now, a movie costing 200 f*****g million won’t bother filming a real driving scene with two actors in a real car on a real street. “Just green screen jt, no one will notice”.

But we do. We really do. And that lack of passion is killing the thing I love most.

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Mike Fitzpatrick
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And perhaps use real actors? It becomes boring watching an "actor" delivering a line with all of the emotion of a dust mop.

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#49

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes I loathe motion sensor faucets, hand driers, soap dispensers, and flush handles. My hands are huge and they don’t trip the sensors or fit in the dryers.

porcelainvacation , Bradley Gordon Report

#50

50 People From Various Generations Don't Hold Back Confessing Their Most 'Boomer' Takes Children shouldn't own ipads.

People should be weary of posting photos if their kids on social media. I find it really disturbing that nowadays kid's photos are on social media quite literally while they're still in the womb.

theorangeporridge_ , Pixabay Report

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Max Fox
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Wary", not "weary". However, I am weary of people who do not know how to spell basic words in English.

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