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“I’m With The Boomers On This One”: 50 Things Boomers Got Right, According To Younger People
As much as different generations like to disagree with each other, once in a blue moon, they come together to complain about experiences that are frustrating for everyone. Even if it doesn’t happen often, these various groups of people can put their differences aside and agree that QR codes instead of menus are unnecessarily ridiculous, and we at Bored Panda think it’s absolutely beautiful.That’s why we compiled a whole list of ‘Boomer’ takes that younger generations actually agree with. Scroll down to find them, and don’t forget to share your own old-school opinions below! C’mon, don’t be shy! It’s a judgment-free zone, we promise.
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#1
I hate having to watch videos for instructions or recipes. Just give me the written instructions please!
RELATED:
#2
People who listen to s**t on their phones via speaker in public. YouTube videos, TikTok reels, talking to someone… WHY are you sitting in the airport with that s**t on speaker? WHY are you having a phone conversation on speaker while grocery shopping?!?!?!
I hate it.
#3
If I look up instructions on how to do something, I don't want a 5 minute video. I want a bullet point list.
#4
The "the parent is always right" policy that many schools have adopted and the prioritization of flexibility over rigor is contributing to a teaching shortage and has created a generation that is functionally illiterate. Kids need structure, clear standards, and accountability.
#5
I don’t want to download another app or create another account to do something trivial like pay for parking or charge my car.
#11
Not everything is f*****g trauma
Your dad telling you to do the dishes isn't trauma.
Your mom yelling at you for being out late isn't trauma.
Your hotel being rebooked to another room isn't trauma.
People throw around the word at the slightest inconvenience. "Oh that must have been so traumatic I'm sorry uwu"
No, grow up.
#12
The normalization of psychology-speak, insofar as when it is misapplied. No, your husband isn't gaslighting you when you have a normal couple spat. No, that coworker isn't demonstrating the characteristics of the dark triad because she doesn't know how to rotate a pdf and made you do it. No, I'm don't have autism - I just have interests and hobbies. No, you don't have OCD, you just like a neat house.
#14
Put your phone away at concerts. I’d love to have HD video of the punk shows I went to in high school, but there’s something so spiritual about being in a room with a bunch of people, enjoying music and just being in the moment. I get the instinct to capture and share now, but it really ruins the vibe and most young people just don’t know any better.
#16
I dislike how modern society basically requires one to have a smartphone.
I’d love to go to a restaurant, see a doctor, or buy literally anything without needing to be connected to the internet 24/7.
#18
I hate qr codes at restaurants with a firey, blazing, crochety passion. Just give me a f*****g paper menu, like god intended them to be.
#21
Everything doesn't have to be an app or a web page requiring yet another login, that in 99% of cases people are using the same credentials as everywhere else, the gift that keeps on giving to hackers.
#22
I don't want a f*****g "how'd we do?" survey invitation every I time I log into my gas company or doctor's office websites. I even got one after the doctor's office called and left a message on my voicemail. FFS.
#23
I think our reliance on electronics is getting out of hand. I have met people who cannot read analog clocks anymore. Then there are the QR code menus. I definitely agree with kids should not have phones or tablets and them not playing outside.
#24
Not everything needs to be recorded. Put your phone away at the concerts. You probably watch your favorite artist on your phone all the time. Now they are in front of you and you can’t put your phone down and be present? You’re also never going to watch that video of the fireworks from the 4th of July again.
#25
I heavily judge parents who give their kids (like toddlers) iPads. Give them crayons or a book or, if all else fails, *your attention*.
There’s been a lot of really good things to come about in terms of how parenting has changed, but that’s been the worst. I have some “old school” relatives who have custody of their grandkids, and those kids are well-adapted, smart, and awesome. The little girls love drawing with me and the little boy goes fishing with my brother. They’re much more connected to the real world than most other kids their age, and they have healthy attention spans. It’s hard to put all the little differences into words, but those kids are happy and I believe they’ll have a healthier upbringing than most.
I truly believe that heavy technology use will irreparably f**k up kids, and parents need to make an effort to raise their children rather than just distracting them.
#26
AI and resume screeners have enshitified attempts to apply for a job so much that it should go back to humans actually looking at physical resumés.
#27
“Back in my day” things were built to last longer. I still have kids toys from the eighties that are fully functional. I buys stuff for my kid now and it falls apart in a matter of months.
#28
K cups should be banned. Not only are they absolutely horrible for the environment but the coffee is terrible.
#29
Screens should be off at the dinner table. It's a gathering and socializing thing. If you dont want to be there then dont be there, but don't be there physically while being completely unavailable attention wise.
#34
- Apps like TikTok have ruined the younger generations
- We dont need to scan a QR code to access everything
- Subscription services are dumb.
#36
Smart phones are terrible for children and have led to their attention spans dropping to a 30 second video. Young kids today lack critical thinking skills because the internet gives us everything at our fingertips, and Chat GPT will do your homework for you. I'm not trying to be rude or jaded about it, I'm more so sad that his is the world they're living in.
Most rap nowadays lacks depth, creativity, and flow. Same with hip hop which is becoming more and more like pop music every day.
#39
If you feel sad, that doesn't mean you have depression. If you feel anxious, that doesn't mean you have an anxiety disorder.
On the flip side, if you do have a mental health issue, it is your responsibility to find healthy ways of dealing with it. Expecting everyone and everything to bend over backwards to accommodate your issue does not qualify as a healthy way of dealing with it.
#40
Having Christmas decorations up before December, and having Easter eggs on sale from January!
Kids being coddled and protected too much, sometimes in life you just have to suck it up and carry on.
#41
I'm 40, and I get pissed when kids pass in front of me. For instance, when I'm coming out of the supermarket with a heavy trolley, and some 8 year old just gets in the way with his little electric scooter thing. I dunno, I was taught as a kid to pay attention and not block my elders' way.
#42
Phone calls _were_ great when it was landlines. Now phone calls suck, because the way they work now there’s lag and two people can’t talk at the same time, and you don’t hear your own voice in the earpiece anymore.
Had to make a random call on a landline a couple years ago for the first time since probably 2005, and it was heaven. Like the person was right there in the room with me. I forgot how much better it used to be.
#43
Digital 1:1 education is a mistake. Learning to do things by hand results in better comprehesion and undetstanding than. Reading screens is awful, and taking tests on computers is awful too.
#45
Physical media is the way to go. Don’t give me a game disc that just has me download the game to my console. What’s the point in the disc then? Also, have the complete bug tested product available in stores, instead of a 90 GB day one patch, is it really that insane to ask?
Also bring back movie rental shops, I miss renting Scooby Doo movies from Blockbuster as a kid. And at least I can choose what movie I want instead of navigating through 20+ streaming services to find it.
#46
I hate the fact that I can’t look up information and read it. It’s all on YouTube. I just want to read the information.
#47
I agree with you about the appearance thing. I mean sure people should dress however they want and are comfortable with but it amazes me how sloppy some people will appear even when it's something important.
How you present yourself to the world in turn affects how the world treats you. If you look clean and put together often people will treat you better. It's totally dumb but it's also completely, observably true. One of the most common compliments I get from women is that I'm a good dresser and that *alone* is reason to keep doing it lol...
I think part of the hostility is people hear it and they assume you mean "dress in a three piece mafia suit everyday" when all we're really saying is get some clean, well-fitting essentials and look put together when you go out in public. A good haircut and grooming doesn't hurt either.
#48
Touch screens and rubber buttons are the devil. We need clackity keys, metal switches, and plastic dials. My phone needs a button keyboard and laptops need more USB ports for wires because blutooth is demonic.
#49
Neopronouns have "pick me," energy. I'll do "They/them," no problem but anything past that screams of narcissism and thinking way too hard about it to me.
In urban environments, stop f*****g littering, put trash in your pocket until you find a garbage can or until you make it home.
Also, be considerate of others. Don't blare music, especially in areas where people are minding their own business and do not give a F**K about what you're listening to (Public transit, hiking trails, etc). Earbuds are cheaper than bluetooth speakers, generally, f*****g morons.
I agree with ACAB but don't exacerbate the problem by being blatantly disrespectful unless they've done something to deserve your disrespect other than exist. The current state of american police sucks, but no matter what kind of society we live in, policing/guarding/peacekeeping will always need to be an apparatus.
#50
I think the fact that so many jobs have moved to only being able to apply online is stupid. It basically leaves your chances of landing an interview up to RNG. Physically walking in, hopefully dressed up, grabbing a paper application, and if possible, making an initial impression is how it should be done. But nope, last time I was out job hunting years back, 90% of the places I went into basically just turned me away and said I can only apply online.
This was in like, 2018. I imagine it's probably worse now.
#51
-mainstream music these days is not great
-i will respond to messages when i want to. if i get one but am not in the mood to reply or socialize, ill wait until i am
-smart appliances are stupid, ironically.
#52
I feel like mine are all boomer-lite.
You don't need the *newest* phone, but you do at some point need a new phone, specifically before your phone becomes a problem in your life.
Why do the rearrange the grocery store as soon as I have the layout really optimized for my shopping list? (I know it's to make me buy more)
I already experienced flared yoga pants in 2004. I do not need a refresher on them.
The bars *are* too loud.
#54
Cars should be repairable again f*****g ridiculous the state of repairing because in the modern day
If i want to put a turbo that will grenade my enginr i dont need some nerd in Detroit to prevent me from doing that.
#55
1. participation trophies are dumb. i get not wanting kids to feel left out, but i always felt worse knowing that i only got something because i was there and not because i was any good at what we were doing
2. kids do need toughening up. i dont mean beating the c**p out of kids when i say that, but letting your kids rough house and play fight with other kids and their siblings and cousins so long as no one gets seriously hurt is good for them
3. no one needs a phone before at least 5th grade. i didnt get one til i was in 5th grade, and that was because i spent a lot of time at friends houses so my mom wanted a way to directly communicate with me and so i could communicate with friends outside of school since we lived in different neighborhoods. i see no reason as to why a 3 year old needs their own personal device, at that point, its lazy parenting
4. people shouldmt wear pajamas or work out clothes everywhere. my little sister does this, kids at my school show up in pajamas and house shoes looking like they just rolled out of bed. thats just lazy. you should be able to wear real clothes for a few hours a day. i dont even wear shorts out of my house. when some people hear that, they think it must be for some religious reason that i only wear stuff like that at home, but no. i just think its inappropriate to wear home clothes out of the house, so i wear full length pants and a tshirt with a jacket
5. family should help each other out. while there are always exceptions to the rule, and this may not be an outdated view, ive met a shocking amount of people that had the "not my monkey not my circus" standpoint on things that didnt directly involve them even with people theyre super close to. bio family, found family, adoptive family, doesnt matter. if yall are close and theres no serious problems between you, family helps each other because its the right thing to do.
#56
Working hard doesn't guarantee success, but it makes it possible.
Not working hard guarantees failure unless you're born into a wealthy family.
#57
Listening to music is a better experience on CD and vinyl than streaming, this prolly isn't too boomer now even if it's old tech since I think most of them stream
Also it's more fun to not spend an entire concert recording videos on your phone.
#58
No thanks, I don’t actually want to setup a username/password for each and every ticky tack thing in the world.
Why don’t millennials fix things like having another version of this sub that is capitalized. Are they stupid?
#59
Cancelling subscriptions shouldn’t have to take 2 weeks, a blood sacrifice, a 401k and half of my liver
#60
You shouldn’t be treating yourself if you’re broke.
There seems to be a lot of this going on lately. The justification is that everyone deserves a little happiness even if they’re broke. I think it just encourages bad spending habits which is usually contributing to why a person is broke to begin with.
I have a friend who often struggles to pay their bills most months but always has a fresh gel manicure. Will always, literally always, get their nails done 2 x a month even if they can barely cover their mortgage. .
#62
We need to end this crop top epidemic. First of all, as a tall girl, I can’t wear them because they are too short. Second, people are starting to wear them to work??
#63
As a GenX dad… I really appreciate this discussion and I see so much positive in what you’re all saying. I feel like I’ve personally contributed to the problems especially as a parent of now 16, 18 and 20 yr kids and I took my eye off the ball when it came to screen time and introduced it way too early. I’m hoping my grandkids have a different experience. The 16 yr has really struggled though especially through Covid. I’m a non-custodial parent and I run my house differently than my ex. You guys will do better. Thank you for bringing some common sense back to this crazy f*****g world.
#64
Need to stop with oppression Olympics and not every negative experience should be associated with trauma.
Not every jerk is a narcissist.
Stop using mental health as a crutch for why you choose not to work on yourself.
No, being on whatever spectrum doesn’t absolve you of personal accountability for how you treat others.
Stop self diagnosing. Go to a doctor and speak to a professional.
Performative activism is trash. If you don’t vote, stfu.
#66
Good work ethic is starting to be a rarity, people should try to not be so quick to judge (something I still struggle with), shows are too focused on agendas and less on storytelling (Most of my favourite media have queer/diverse casts (Owl House, Destiny, Ted Lasso, Dune), but they put actual character development and plot and not just diversity for the sake of it).
#68
People need to carry some damn cash on them instead of relying on their cards all the damn time. Cash is king.
#70
I always get called an old man by my peers just for my opinions on this type of stuff. But I do fully agree with everything you said, plus more:
1. Music now is just not good. I personally go for classical or some 40-50s jazz or blues.
2. Kids do kinda need to get over what others say or believe. I know this one kid that starts punching s**t because I said that I’m not a Cristian.
3. Gen Alpha kids are quite racist and homophobic. I told this 6 year old that I was bisexual and he started trying to fight me because I was bi.
4. Texting. Wooo boy… I HATE texting. I’d rather speak to someone face to face than text or call. Also the way people text with abbreviations and stuff. It takes less than a few seconds to type out what you want to say.
#72
A very large percentage of struggling people in our generation could dramatically improve their financial lives with a pre-planned monthly budget, automated deductions to savings and investing, and knowing the right and wrong ways to make large purchases (cars, etc.). Not everyone but a very large percentage. People like to roll their eyes at avocado toast but there actually is a great deal of financial illiteracy in our generation.
#74
LGBTQ+ confuses my brain. Don't get me wrong, no hate if you identify with that group. Its just the words/terminology I don't understand.
For example Pansexual is being attracted to a person regardless of their gender, and Onmisexual is being attracted to all genders...... arnt those two the same thing? Am I missing a detail?
Another two I'm confused on are Queer and non-binary. Queer means you identify as something other then cis genders, and nonbinary means you don't identify as the typical man/woman.
I've got a fair number of friends in those groups, but whenever I ask questions like this the most common answers are "There's no over arching authority to put you in a group, if you feel like you belong, you belong" and "Ya, I don't know either. I just identify as X".
#78
Formalwear is awesome. Say what you will about comfort, nothing says fashion like a three-piece suit.
What do you think ?
Forrest Grump 10 months ago (edited)
People should know how to use tools - at least common hand tools. I meet people in their teens/twenties who have no clue how to use a wrench or a screwdriver. On a somewhat related note, I have a friend who rents out apartments. He said his younger tenants don't change light bulbs because they don't know how to do it. In talking with them, he found that some of them didn't know light bulbs could be changed. They thought the lamp was broken!
Uncle Panda 10 months ago
I agree with most but good grief do we sound like cranky old people. Now get off my lawn!
Forrest Grump 10 months ago (edited)
People should know how to use tools - at least common hand tools. I meet people in their teens/twenties who have no clue how to use a wrench or a screwdriver. On a somewhat related note, I have a friend who rents out apartments. He said his younger tenants don't change light bulbs because they don't know how to do it. In talking with them, he found that some of them didn't know light bulbs could be changed. They thought the lamp was broken!
Uncle Panda 10 months ago
I agree with most but good grief do we sound like cranky old people. Now get off my lawn!
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