“Don’t Let Boomers Lie To You”: Guy Exposes The Truth About The Life That The ‘Silent Generation’ Had
Talking to your grandparents can be a valuable and rewarding experience for both you and them. Not only can it help to strengthen the bond between the two of you, but it can also provide you with a unique perspective on life.
They have lived through different eras and have a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to pass on. By listening to their stories, you can gain a better understanding of your family history and the past in general.
Which is exactly what happened when Reddit user Gregsw2000 recently sat down with their almost 90-year-old grandma. She explained to them how her life unfolded throughout the years, and shared so many interesting insights, the Redditor retold what they heard to the platform’s ‘Anti Work’ community, inspiring a discussion on the world different generations have inherited from their parents.
This person got to talking to their grandma from the Silent Generation
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
And they learned a great deal about life in the past
Image credits: Suzy Hazelwood (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Image credits: gregsw2000
We got in contact with Gregsw2000 and they agreed to have a little chat with us. “Me and my grandmother have a good relationship,” the Redditor told Bored Panda. “You’ll note the [post] isn’t really aimed at bad-talking her because I don’t have a reason to. She also isn’t a Boomer. She is [a representative of the] Silent Generation, but the point stands because her kid got to take advantage of the same kind of stuff she did.”
“As far as the attention the post has received, I never really understand why some posts take off and others don’t get noticed [at all],” they said. “Also, a lot of reposted content and clickbait stuff seems to generally take off, not heartfelt stuff written by a person. So, I guess I am surprised so many people read it. It was pretty random that it got all kinds of attention and I had to turn off comment notifications because I was getting so many.”
As far as Baby Boomers go, Gregsw2000 doesn’t think they’ll ever realize how damaging their attitudes toward their children’s success have been. “If they were actually interested, they’d already have changed their opinions,” the Redditor said.
“You’ll notice there are a lot of older folks who commented on my post who agreed with what I had to say, and others who foamed at the mouth and leveled ad hominem attacks. The former are the ones who have enough going on upstairs to do some math, and say ‘Wow, yeah, we did have incomes that easily covered our expenses, plus some, when we were young … Maybe that’s part of the reason we’ve been so successful.'”
“The others will credit it to generic superiority or something until their graves,” Gregsw2000 added.
The post inspired other people to share a lot of similar stories
And sparked a discussion on the standard of living
I don't understand how an interview with someone from the "silent generation" about their life experiences translates to a Boomer's life experience.
"My generation is better." "My generation had it harder." Every past generation has said the same, and every future generation will say the same. In truth, every generation has (and will) struggle. They may not face the same hardships, but they will all feel like they're living in a dystopian future.
Yes! This! I'm so tired of one generation hating on another.
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I keep hearing people talk about how golden their parents or grandparents or great-grandparents had it. My parents, when they first started out, until after my oldest brother was born, lived in a "garage apartment": literally someone's garage that was converted into a living space. To use the toilet, they had to knock and ask permission to go in the house. My grandparents on my father's side were sharecroppers. They didn't own the land they lived on. They worked the land as farmers, and sold the crop to pay the "rent". They were so poor that although my grandfather fixed TVs for a living, they didn't have a TV. My father grew up wearing old, second-hand clothes that were threadbare. There was a time they lived in a house that didn't have electricity. My mother lived in an old farmhouse that didn't have an indoor toilet. They had an outhouse. My grandmother used to make dresses out of burlap flour sacks because they were too poor to afford cloth.
(cont) the company learned people were making dresses out of the sacks, so started printing flower-prints on them that would make nicer dresses than plain flour sacks. When I was growing up, almost all our shopping was 2nd hand and goodwill. We dug through the garbage sometimes, and we couldn't always afford 4 food groups, which led to lifelong health problems. So I'm glad some people had it easy. Really, I am. But that golden age must have skipped our entire family.
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I don't understand how an interview with someone from the "silent generation" about their life experiences translates to a Boomer's life experience.
"My generation is better." "My generation had it harder." Every past generation has said the same, and every future generation will say the same. In truth, every generation has (and will) struggle. They may not face the same hardships, but they will all feel like they're living in a dystopian future.
Yes! This! I'm so tired of one generation hating on another.
Load More Replies... I keep hearing people talk about how golden their parents or grandparents or great-grandparents had it. My parents, when they first started out, until after my oldest brother was born, lived in a "garage apartment": literally someone's garage that was converted into a living space. To use the toilet, they had to knock and ask permission to go in the house. My grandparents on my father's side were sharecroppers. They didn't own the land they lived on. They worked the land as farmers, and sold the crop to pay the "rent". They were so poor that although my grandfather fixed TVs for a living, they didn't have a TV. My father grew up wearing old, second-hand clothes that were threadbare. There was a time they lived in a house that didn't have electricity. My mother lived in an old farmhouse that didn't have an indoor toilet. They had an outhouse. My grandmother used to make dresses out of burlap flour sacks because they were too poor to afford cloth.
(cont) the company learned people were making dresses out of the sacks, so started printing flower-prints on them that would make nicer dresses than plain flour sacks. When I was growing up, almost all our shopping was 2nd hand and goodwill. We dug through the garbage sometimes, and we couldn't always afford 4 food groups, which led to lifelong health problems. So I'm glad some people had it easy. Really, I am. But that golden age must have skipped our entire family.
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