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Millennials Share 30 Things They Wish Older Generations Understood In This Heartbreaking Viral Thread
Recently, Redditor u/AlmostBarbie reignited the never-dying discussion on the generation gap. On July 18, they made a post, asking, "Gen Z and millennials, what's something you wish the older generations understood?" and millennials especially had a to get off their chest.
Just as millennials grew up negotiating choices in their families and at school, today they want to be and feel significant in their professional and personal lives. Here are the things that matter to them the most.
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Just because someone is Family DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO LOVE THEM. Terrible toxic people should ABSOLUTELY be cut out of your life REGARDLESS of their relationship to you
Fox News and Talk Radio did to you what you thought video games would do to us.
Your s****y jokes that objectify women or make fun of minorities won’t fly anymore. Get over it.
Someone should take this statement and tape it right into my father's face. He seems to only know 10 jokes, and all of them are either sexist or racist.
When I’m depressed that doesn’t mean you need to give me lectures on what’s wrong with me so I can improve
The worst lecture I received was how they had life far worse than me, felt more depressed and yet never behaved like me. How I am weak and allowed circumstances and recent media hype over mental illness to make me feel sick deliberately!
Yeah, we know. You rode in the back window of a car that had no seatbelts, you got measles, rode bikes with no helmets, and still turned out just fine.
Just because you happened to be in the group of people who survived doesn’t mean any of these were a good idea.
Customers ARE NOT always right.
The original phrase reeks privilege, and self entitlement.
The original phrase is "The customer is always right in matters of taste"
That video games dont cause mass shootings. Things like neglect, bullying,a bad home life, and your s****y parenting are what causes mass shootings
Blaming something else is a rather old issue. It was Dungeons & Dragons in the 80s. Rock music before that.
You can’t put yourself through college by working at the supermarket anymore.
Our generation is the biggest in US history, so competition for jobs is much harder than it was for Boomers, which causes wages to flatline.
Add to this that housing and food costs are at all time highs and it’s pretty bleak for us, even many of those who have good jobs at Fortune 500 companies cannot afford to purchase homes.
I would really just like Boomers for ONCE just to acknowledge how difficult it is today vs. when they were coming up. It’s a different world and they just can’t see it. It’s very frustrating because most of them still think that anybody willing to swing a hammer 40 hours a week can make a living in America and it’s just not true anymore.
Wait until the boomers all die and the housing market crashes because of the massive surplus.
That $15/hour in 2021 does not give you the same purchasing power that it did in 1985. When I hear an older person say "I used to get by just fine on $15/hour", I wanna slap them.
Throughout our schooling, we had to write research papers using online sources, and our teachers really stressed the importance of being able to identify a credible source before citing it. Don't be offended when you send us an article from Americanpatrioteagle.ru and we dismiss it outright.
Learning about credible sources is a great skill to have. A former friend of mine has been posting 10 times a day on Facebook since joining. Lots of dubious "facts" and "news". I kept pointing out inaccuracies and fact-checking sites. After several years, they wrote that they'd like to start consulting fact-checking sites. I was long disengaged by then. I can live with the occasional mistake (I've made them, too), but not a daily barrage that requires fact-checking by the audience.
I feel damn resentful when older folks tell me I should stay home with my kids. Like, yeah I’d love to if we could afford it, which we can’t. They act like it’s a choice to go back to work, when for a lot of moms, it’s not a choice.
"I was spanked as a kid and I turned out fine."
No, you didn't. You're a narcissist, get mad easily, joke about hitting your own children and even they're sick of your bull crap to the point that they cut you off. F**k you.
Dang - somebody's got an agenda / jumping to conclusions. I was spanked as a child, and I don't get mad easily, never joke about violence, and have never once hit my own kids. You'll have to ask others about my narcissism and if they're sick of my crap, but even if I'm guilty of those things you've got some work to do to convince me it's because of my childhood abuse.
Your job is not your life, you shouldn't sacrifice time with friends and family let alone your mental wellbeing just for a paycheck
Catch 22 there. Hard to have time for your friends and family if you can't put food on the table or keep the utilities on. :(
It's not a Catch-22 at all. Saying it is means you accept that the system is soul-destroying and toxic to balance and having good relationships. NO ONE should accept a system like that.
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Work to live, don't live to work. But that's easy for me to say that since I'm living in one of those "socialist shitholes" where you catered for from the cradle to the grave.
Over the last year, the sacrifices some of us made helped show what really matters in our lives. Its why businesses are having problems finding new hires. I've been sitting at home without a job with my family under the threat of eviction and now someone wants be to work for them at a wage that would take 200 hours a month just to pay the rent? If I'm going to be evicted no matter what I do, why not spend that time with my family enjoying it. Like the old saying when you owe the bank $100 dollars its your problem but when you owe the bank $100 million its the bank's problem. A million people are saying the bank's going to take my $100 no matter what I do so its now their problem.
It isn't a one-or-the-other thing. It is a balance thing, and it is in constant flux. This week you may have both time and money. Next week maybe neither.
I'm still looking forward to a week where I have both time and money. LOL
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Sometimes you have to clothe your kids, pay rent, food, health care and such. Sadly we have to make choices that don't "fit" what our ideal life should be. I had to compromise a lot of dreams and ideals to get my now 42 yr and 27 yr son's raised decently. I still am, trying to keep my husband and self covered insurance wise. You do the best you can though and try to find the joy peeking out of the thicket.
You do in fact have to sacrifice personal time to work. You just need to find a good and healthy balance.
We used to be able to live and buy a house on one salary. Now, it's impossible. The inflation was enormous and the salary stayed almost the same.
Throughout my life when I had the time, I did not have the money, and when the money wasn't the issue, I didn't have time.
Yeah, especially when you're a divorced woman whose ex doesn't pay alimony and you have the children and a mortgage to pay for eh.
Always make it clear to your boss that your job is not your life - your job *supports* your life.
This contradicts #11. They act like it's a choice to work so much, it's not a choice.
Depends on the job. But most of them sucks, so why it has to be your life? I think it's a deal between the company and employee, and as it is a contract, does not involve your heart :D
Gotta have money to do anything. It’s a balance. No paycheck no nothing.
That is the kind of thing that someone with plenty of resources can say. Not so true for many of us. Choice is a function of resources.
AMEN!!!! The corporations you work for won’t sacrifice for you but they would have no problem sacrificing you!!
This is a very local thing though, in the USA and parts of Asia. I was fortunate enough to be born in Europe, it's very very different here. I have friends from South America, Africa and all over the world, we all don't live like this! You go to work for about 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, the rest of the time is yours. No work calls, no work emails. We take a month off in the summer, nobody will bother you during that time. It's even expected that you will be unavailable when you're not on office hours. I really wish the rest of the world would catch up. People need downtime, time to know they are really really really not workong, not on call, not to be called upon
Especially if it's a very low paycheck/wage. As long as you can live from you paycheck I wouldn't sacrifice my Private live for another $7,25/hour. Another hour for $25/hour may be something to speak about.
A myth by the people who gave us such loads as: it's impolite to talk about pay, work hard and you will be rewarded, and "you live and die for us, slave scum". That last one is in subtext.
That just because I don't want to be called something doesn't mean I'm a baby. People are allowed to have boundaries and things they don't feel comfortable with
It also swings the other way. If you hear me call my son "Monster Face," it doesn't mean he will grow up with a complex. It's a term of endearment. My sister flipped out at this. I was called "Monster Face" by my mom's entire side of the family. I called them names too like "Old lady." If it's an inside fun ribbing, don't call it out as cruel unless you're in on it or you see or hear the other person protest.
Just because we're more aware of our mental health and allow ourselves to feel what we want to feel, it doesn't make us weak or "snowflakes". If anything, it makes us better at coping with, well, everything!
Dad: “Just go in and ask for a job and keep going every day until they give you one.” Or “This random kid I was talking to at Wegmans (20 years ago) started in the mailroom and worked his way up and he’s making $x hundred thousand per year.”
Me: “They just tell you to submit a resume online and never respond.”
This worked when I was in college 2000-2004, but it doesn't work anymore. They get angry with you if you come in. "Apply online"
Texting is much more convenient, sometimes even better, than making a phone call.
So so so many times it's easier to actually talk to the other humans, scary as that can seem. With texting there's no tone, nuance and my sarcasm is much better while talking.
Unless you are extremely gifted and have a way to demonstrate it, social class is becoming more locked in than it has been in generations.
The social mobility that started to become available in the first half of the 20th century, but amplified much more so in the 40's, 50's and 60's started to decline in the 80s and by the 2010s was is straight up freefall.
If you do not have parents that are willing and able to support your social and financial progress from childhood through higher education (or through training in a steady trade) you are at very real risk of falling through the cracks of this society through no fault of your own.
The US has a system of equality where the more you own, the more equal you are and the more civil rights you have.
That electronics don't rot your brain,and that vaccines ARE effective.
I think boomers - the smallpox generation - are well aware of the efficacy of vaccines. It's younger people (mainly in the usa) who seem to think otherwise.
Just because I know where/how to find the answer to something doesn't mean I "think I'm smarter than you."
I'm just trying to save both of us from wasting time.
There was hope in your time. You felt like you could change the world. Nowadays, our economy is f****d, our environment is f****d, our privacy is gone, our governments are pitting us against one and other, and the planet is going to kill us off within the next century regardless of what we do about it.
So don't look down on us as "weak" or call us "entitled" if we're a little pissed off and/or depressed about it, ok?
Finally someone who gets it. It isn't left vs. right. It's society vs. government. Stop falling for the idea that we should be pissed at each other. Wrong!
That I’m not a lazy entitled CHILD. I’m in my mid 30s and most of my peers that are younger than me are smart and hardworking as well. It’s productivity and efficiency that matters, not the amount of time you spend at work.
There's a story here in Germany called "the seven lazy ones". It's about seven men, who are known to be incredibly lazy. Eventually, they left the town to find work. Years later, they came back and start improving things immensely: they build a dam to protect the town from floods, they build a pathway and houses for themselves and dig a well. But no matter what they do, the neighbors always find a way to keep calling them lazy because they're making life easier and obviously only lazy people would want an easier life.
That the cost of education far outpaced inflation and wage growth in the US. If I had a dime for each boomer who lectured me about working my way through school like they did, I might almost be able to buy a house!
That technology exists to enable people to work from home, and just because they do doesn't mean they are sat watching Netflix
It doesn't mean that, but admit it. You are on BoredPanda and Netflix more than you would be in the office.
That it is reasonable to not want kids and enjoy life with your spouse.
I can’t have kids, buy a house, and go on vacation even with my $100k+ salary. At least, not if I want to have money saved for emergencies.
Either older generations played it looser with less savings, or s**t was different.
$100k a year and you can't do those things? What the f**k ARE you spending your money on? Few people reading this will have much sympathy for someone earning a vast amount more than they are
Apparently sleeping till 11 AM makes you lazy regardless of whether or not you had to work until 12:30 AM at your s****y Wendy's location.
Not exclusively a boomer thing, though. There's still very little regard for people working in nightshifts.
Kids use computers/phones for more than just playing video games and scrolling through social media. I basically live on my computer. My best friends are online. My favorite activities are coding and making games. But no, my parents assume the devil computer is rotting my brain and making me stupid. As a wise man once said: phone bad, book good.
That “just get a better job” is not all that easy
This isn't new. Older generations kept getting that useless come back
That not everything can be solved with immediate aggression. That being patient and thinking on the right thing to say rather then saying what comes to mind first goes a lot further
This was one of the first things they tried to teach me at the hospital. I kept calling it 'plotting' and they didn't like that. It's one of my most used pieces of advice, every time I get an email from head office, I click reply, delete the addressee and type my angry response. Then delete the email and start anew with a more measured and planned response.
That we're not that lazy and we have a good reason to be depressed, cynical, and pesimistic. People like my grandma always talk how "at your age i was married, had a house, and 2 kids blah blah" not realising they did all that on 1 paycheck, while simultaneously complaining how money isnt worth anything nowadays and they just went grocery shopping and spent 25 % of their income while chanting "dont worry, its gonna get better". How can you not put those two together
1) Your grandma got married and had kids at your age because she didn’t have a lot of other options...but because it was necessarily what she would have otherwise chosen.... those good old days weren’t always so good if you dig a little deeper. Anyone who wants to go back to the “good old days” is either living in a fantasy world or they like a world where white men were the only ones with any rights (it’s not been so many years ago that a woman couldn’t get credit in her name without a male counter-signer). 2) Your grandma didn’t send her kids to school every day worried that today might be the day some sick person will target their school for a mass killing. 3) While her generation should have been worried about climate change and its effect on the future of this planet, she was not faced with the urgency that your generation is.
Note: this post originally had 57 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
The article should be called "AMERICAN millenials share things they wish older generations knew"
Came here to say the same thing. I'm also pretty sick of this artificial separation of people into millenials and boomers. Those groupings are useful tools for social studies, not everyday life.
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OK, I'll get hated, but can other GenXers from the US back me up? We had all this and nobody gave a rat's butt, and millennials then tell us we didn't have it that bad. How about we stop whinging about what sh*t we had, and just say, "Hey, thanks for this!" and make things *better*? Can we just try that? Without posting on social media about it? (I write with clear awareness of the irony, thanks.)
All the debates I've seen are "millennials vs boomers". Gen X is pretty much ignored.
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Gen X’er here, and I think they’re confusing “conservatives” with “older generations…” 🤦🏽♀️ SO many misunderstandings here.
Older generations are statistically more conservative than younger ones. Always have been... it is a function of getting old.
Load More Replies... First of all, BP, can we refrain from posting things that pit young people vs "old" people. It's not helpful. So many of the issues are absolutely true and I try not to think that way or say those things. This "argument" has existed in some form or other for each generational divide. I remember mine. As far as us boomers & technology, we have experienced a rapid explosion unlike any generation in history. Things are changing so fast it's overwhelming. You grew up on it & so dealing with rapid change is part of who you are. But consider this fair warning. What goes around comes around. At some shocking moment it will hit you that what you just said sounded just like your parents. 😱😭 There will always be new things & changes in society that when you get there you'll fail to understand. Trust me, "When I was young" & "In my day" WILL COME SHOOTING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH! Hopefully, like more boomers than you think do this, 💡! Shut up and remember.
Tired of the "boomers are stupid" stuff on here. I despise labels. This thread isn't "heartbreaking". Many of these comments apply to any generation, age, etc. depending on THE person's worldview, idiocy level, experience...etc. etc. I despise generalizations. I get tired of people looking for labels and "you did this to us, you did that to us!" stuff to divide people. I dislike all these articles that just seem to want to fan the flames, where I had been enjoying reading BP and didn't see a need for any flames.
Why is it that millennials seem to believe they/we are the first to have different beliefs/feelings/expectations etc to the generation before? It seems we expect respect for our lifestyles but refuse to do the same in reverse. On a side note the whole argument for the value of money being less now although partially true it doesn’t take into account facts like there was no such thing as ‘fast fashion’ in previous decades a person in the 50s for example had to save for a new item of clothing and would wear the same pair of shoes for years by getting them fixed at a cobbler, in essence people lived within their means
To hear my Baby Boomer aged relatives talk, they were the first. *sigh*
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Interesting but it is sad to see another USA centric article. It seems that most of them are.
Jip, it seems that some BP editors have an obsession with the USA.
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I am not a boomer, I am generation X. And to put all older generations is f'd up. I know the younger generation is not all the same. Some are lazy, some are not. My generation didn't think we could fix everything. I see that more with today's generations. If my kids bedded their a$$ busted, they got it. And my kids are good kids. The problem is, this generation, doesn't like for anyone to disagree with their opinion or how they see things. My generation can (or use to), have a discussion, disagreement and go on. This generation becomes extremely upset, ugly, and decide to scream and just be disrespectful, even if the other person isn't behaving like that. The cost of living is nothing like it use to be and it's sad. People need to really know how to interact with people. I don't have a problem with anyone with a different opinion. Everyone is different, we should learn from one another
I like to caution that we base this on comments on the internet. Who says those commenters even are Millenials, even if they claim to be? The "millenials" I've met in real-life are nothing like what the internet suggests they are, so I think a lot of that is just people being incredibly bored and trolling. It's pretty easy to find them, though - they never argue with arguments, only insult even though sometimes in long posts and do something that's called "sea-lioning" (I learned that one recently. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/sealioning-internet-trolling )
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These types of threads are so unnecessary. Why are people STILL pitting manufactured generational labels against each other. It's boring
Because the younger generation has to deal with this crap on a daily basis while they struggle to get by. They need to vent their frustration somewhere. Sure this isn't new, when they were young, Gen X were called the "lazy MTV generation, too much TV", and the Boomers were called "a bunch of lazy hippies". But when somebody is struggling to pay the rent and keep employed, and pay their medical bills... the last thing they need is an old person with no concept of the modern world lecturing them.
Load More Replies... Dear Bored Panda, there are more than 2 generations. There is Gen X an Gen Z. We do actually exist.
Just as my parents said that we didn't know what we were talking about, my kids say the same about me (as does this article). It is a sad commentary on humans, when we can't evolve in the right areas. Tribal knowledge is precious, and the people who won't listen to what their elders have to say, are missing out on the best of what we have to offer. In case you haven't noticed in the past couple years - Google does not know everything.
It really depends on what those elders are saying. I certainly listen to their insights when it comes to things like love and relationships because those are universal experiences. On subjects like work and property though, not so much. They bought their first house for two or three times their annual incomes, benefitted from huge rises in property value and retired on final salary pensions. I’m lucky though - they are well aware the challenges they faced are not the challenges young people face today, and they don’t pretend otherwise.
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Gen X here. We are now considered older. The things that are being complained about by millenials are being considered "Karens", "Simps" "Snowflakes"...and I know it wasn't the older generations who came up with those labels. And this one "That just because I don't want to be called something doesn't mean I'm a baby. People are allowed to have boundaries and things they don't feel comfortable with"....EXACTLY or does this not apply to older people?
Better title. Us young people are so much smarter and more virtuous than everyone who does not agree with us.
I think the older generation should give those younger than us a break. I’m not a boomer but no spring chicken either. I love watching younger people doing their stuff their own way. Good for them ! Leave them the F alone. If they want advice they’ll ask for it. Reading these posts does make me realise that they are under a lot of pressure, especially in the USA with debt from uni, no jobs or shitty jobs. The pay is near slavery, no health insurance, etc. No wonder so many have stress and angst.
This is a terrible article. I skipped to the end because it was just a mosh of millenials condemning the older generation. This is a load of crap! Not all of us "old people" act or feel or say or do these things. I agree with Ted Expert. Come on Panda you're better than this! I downvote this whole thing!
I don't know who these Millennials are talking to. I'm a boomer and I don't believe all the crap they are posting. Yes, we could get by making less money per hour. Prices were a lot lower for everything. I don't like to text, but I also don't like to talk on the phone. I prefer emails/messages on social media. And so on and so one. We can all point our fingers at the other generations and find stuff we didn't like, don't like, don't agree on. Big fricken deal, get over yourselves - and that's for all ages.
I think a lot of this also comes from a slap in the face of reality. Adulthood is difficult. And why are so many of them trying to own property when there is a vast housing shortage and prices are skyrocketing?
SOOOO tired of the same excuses. I am a Gen X, my sister is a Millennial. She has less education and makes WAAYYY more money than me. Nicer house, nicer car, etc. It is not any more difficult to succeed now than before. Millennials can be very successful. It does boil down to hard work and good choices, and sometimes a little luck.
Anecdotal evidence is not evidence. Thanks for the fun anecdote about your sister, though.
Load More Replies... I’m a Gen X-er. None of these feelings or thoughts are new. We just didn’t crave or need the recognition for having these thoughts and acting on them.
Correction: we might have had them, but didn't have the means to put them out for the world to see. If we wanted to, we needed to find a lector, a publisher, maybe some skills in writing (or singing or painting - whatever) and yes, a lot of luck. I bet most of Gen X would have posted their thoughts online if it had been a "thing" back then.
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Millenials are two generations. Gen-Y ('78-'92) and Gen-Z ('90-'00). Gen-Y and Gen-Z are not the same. Gen-Z are just now coming into their own. Can't lump them in yet. Broad generalization, I know, but Gen-Y seem to be entitled elitist crybabies who think they have some inherent right to be free of consequences.
Hm, I always thought Gen Y starts at '80 and ends at the late 90s?
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Yeah more bitchy whining by the younger generations about the older generations .... You know the Hippies you loved so much ... OH MY GOD !!! You hate them because they are like you ......
I think people are missing the point here. People are getting too caught up on the "us" vs. "them" mentality and missing the point. Yes, it might be a generalization to say "old" vs. "young" but most people are aware that everyone is different and while this doesn't necessarily apply to EVERYONE from an older generation, this is how younger generations feel that they are viewed overall by people of older generations. Instead of trying to prove "us" or "them" wrong and continue to believe that the younger generations are whining and complaining all the time, maybe actually think for a second, that if a collective group of people all feel this way, maybe they have a point. Instead of attempting to invalidate or disprove them, try taking a second to listen and understand them. Maybe you will then come to understand that they may have a valid point. Or if not, then you will at least understand how to make a better argument to disprove them other than, "that's the way it's always been"
I'm definitely not a millenial but these (pretty much) all apply to me
To wrap it all up, boomers' biggest fault was to let the Internet out :) Now 'we're smarter, more capable and knowledgeable, online is about more efficiency and productivity, no need to sit at work' - and no money or prospects, and gig economy is suddenly the boomer's heritage. Plus, computers don't eat out our brains and leave us more time for ourselves, friends and families- but leave us alone with our mental issues and family doesn't necessarily mean love, and we're just fine childfree. Boomer-ang thinking.
Not all millennials feel this way, not all boomers make them feel this way...way too much stereotyping and lumping people together going on here.
But regarding the directions, on the cover image (which is not in the article), even mandy of the millennials can't use the navigation on their phone :D Sometimes it's ridiculous.
OK, so... I am a boomer. One of my children is doing well and living a happy, comfortable life. The other child never, even with a lot of help from his parents, figured out how to care for himself and died young. I know things are worse now for young people, even more than it was for my kids. So I retired as soon as I could, which freed up a job for someone younger. My husband and I struggled to find enough to raise those kids, even hen we were young parents, forty-five years ago. so your struggles are not unique to your generation, but they do seem to be more ubiquitous. Not my fault, and I am so sorry for you all. To be fair, though, I doubt most of you would have done things much differently if you had been me in those times.
I am really sorry about your lost child. As for the subject: that last line is really the kicker. We all are products of the times we live in and the circumstances we were born into. All those high-praised concepts didn't come from thin air - they have always been there and people older than those being now called "millenials" have raised the problems because they suffered from them, already! We form our following generations, and as we shape and are shaped by our society, they will shape theirs and be shaped by it. Without "us" there is no "them". Without the boomers who invented the internet, a lot of the things the younger generations grow up with wouldn't exist. But put one of the younger ones into the society as it was back then and I will bet that a lot of them wouldn't really be different, as you said. Not without having the knowledge that they have now (which comes from teachers of older generations!)
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A LOT of these problems are uniquely American. A lot of countries have things a lot better, better wages, better support, better healthcare, better support for education, less expensive everything. When I was a kid, it was fairly cheap to live in America. I knew people in Texas (where, yes, land was cheap) who would buy land and build a 3-bedroom house for under $60,000, like 30-40 years ago (omg, I feel so old!). Now, $60,000 gets you nothing. There ARE community colleges and local universities that are still quite cheap, but you have to shop around, and tbh technical schools are probably a much better investment for a LOT of people. Even 30 years ago, a university degree was no guarantee of work. Seriously, America, you need to get back to where you were. I left America a little over 20 years ago. That country seems, to me, dead and gone. I don't even recognize that place that fills that space now.
Useless generation.....spoiled , entitled and you are learning now that life was not what they said it was going to be....no one cares about how depressed or sensitive you are...more fake illnesses have come up since the early 90s to explain why your generation is a weak link in the food chain
Boomer,their parents, their parents before them, etc have always argued the last generation had it easier. Sorrry, snowf!akes, WE all had it harder.
Not true at all, it can be definitively measured how "easy" and "hard" things have been over the years. Boomers had lower housing prices and a better job market. That's a fact. Life was hard in other ways due to less advanced technology and medicine. There are pros and cons for each generation. But if a Boomer is telling a Millennial specifically about getting a job or buying a home, and said "in my day, we did this"... then that Boomer is ignorant as to how things have changed.
Load More Replies... This should be renamed "lazy millennials who make excuses for not working as hard as older generations"
I wonder what kind of government the GEN Z will make.When the boomer gemeration is wiped out ,let's all stand still and look around ,ok?
Yes, take a good look around. Today's young are our future leaders. If that doesn't scare the hell out of you, nothing will.
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They got a free ride. They fug dub everything they got from their parents, and on top, as they had used it up way before they were used up, they borrowed from the future, and didn't even invest any of it in said future. But, this seems to be more a US thing, as in europe, the disruptive change in generations is between people who weren't opposing Nazis, or even were Nazis, and those born too late to contribute to this evil, but too young to run the postwar society right away. Having this dividing line between our parents and grandparents, the division towards partents' generation isn't as strong. The first generation born after WW2 wasn't given that much of a free ride, and is nowhere near as entitled as it seems they are in the USA - Trump-supporting SUV driving born-again christians who hoovered away pounds of coke and elected people into office fighting against the addicted instead of against addiction, invented participation trophies, .......
The article should be called "AMERICAN millenials share things they wish older generations knew"
Came here to say the same thing. I'm also pretty sick of this artificial separation of people into millenials and boomers. Those groupings are useful tools for social studies, not everyday life.
Load More Replies... OK, I'll get hated, but can other GenXers from the US back me up? We had all this and nobody gave a rat's butt, and millennials then tell us we didn't have it that bad. How about we stop whinging about what sh*t we had, and just say, "Hey, thanks for this!" and make things *better*? Can we just try that? Without posting on social media about it? (I write with clear awareness of the irony, thanks.)
All the debates I've seen are "millennials vs boomers". Gen X is pretty much ignored.
Load More Replies... Gen X’er here, and I think they’re confusing “conservatives” with “older generations…” 🤦🏽♀️ SO many misunderstandings here.
Older generations are statistically more conservative than younger ones. Always have been... it is a function of getting old.
Load More Replies... First of all, BP, can we refrain from posting things that pit young people vs "old" people. It's not helpful. So many of the issues are absolutely true and I try not to think that way or say those things. This "argument" has existed in some form or other for each generational divide. I remember mine. As far as us boomers & technology, we have experienced a rapid explosion unlike any generation in history. Things are changing so fast it's overwhelming. You grew up on it & so dealing with rapid change is part of who you are. But consider this fair warning. What goes around comes around. At some shocking moment it will hit you that what you just said sounded just like your parents. 😱😭 There will always be new things & changes in society that when you get there you'll fail to understand. Trust me, "When I was young" & "In my day" WILL COME SHOOTING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH! Hopefully, like more boomers than you think do this, 💡! Shut up and remember.
Tired of the "boomers are stupid" stuff on here. I despise labels. This thread isn't "heartbreaking". Many of these comments apply to any generation, age, etc. depending on THE person's worldview, idiocy level, experience...etc. etc. I despise generalizations. I get tired of people looking for labels and "you did this to us, you did that to us!" stuff to divide people. I dislike all these articles that just seem to want to fan the flames, where I had been enjoying reading BP and didn't see a need for any flames.
Why is it that millennials seem to believe they/we are the first to have different beliefs/feelings/expectations etc to the generation before? It seems we expect respect for our lifestyles but refuse to do the same in reverse. On a side note the whole argument for the value of money being less now although partially true it doesn’t take into account facts like there was no such thing as ‘fast fashion’ in previous decades a person in the 50s for example had to save for a new item of clothing and would wear the same pair of shoes for years by getting them fixed at a cobbler, in essence people lived within their means
To hear my Baby Boomer aged relatives talk, they were the first. *sigh*
Load More Replies... Interesting but it is sad to see another USA centric article. It seems that most of them are.
Jip, it seems that some BP editors have an obsession with the USA.
Load More Replies... I am not a boomer, I am generation X. And to put all older generations is f'd up. I know the younger generation is not all the same. Some are lazy, some are not. My generation didn't think we could fix everything. I see that more with today's generations. If my kids bedded their a$$ busted, they got it. And my kids are good kids. The problem is, this generation, doesn't like for anyone to disagree with their opinion or how they see things. My generation can (or use to), have a discussion, disagreement and go on. This generation becomes extremely upset, ugly, and decide to scream and just be disrespectful, even if the other person isn't behaving like that. The cost of living is nothing like it use to be and it's sad. People need to really know how to interact with people. I don't have a problem with anyone with a different opinion. Everyone is different, we should learn from one another
I like to caution that we base this on comments on the internet. Who says those commenters even are Millenials, even if they claim to be? The "millenials" I've met in real-life are nothing like what the internet suggests they are, so I think a lot of that is just people being incredibly bored and trolling. It's pretty easy to find them, though - they never argue with arguments, only insult even though sometimes in long posts and do something that's called "sea-lioning" (I learned that one recently. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/sealioning-internet-trolling )
Load More Replies... These types of threads are so unnecessary. Why are people STILL pitting manufactured generational labels against each other. It's boring
Because the younger generation has to deal with this crap on a daily basis while they struggle to get by. They need to vent their frustration somewhere. Sure this isn't new, when they were young, Gen X were called the "lazy MTV generation, too much TV", and the Boomers were called "a bunch of lazy hippies". But when somebody is struggling to pay the rent and keep employed, and pay their medical bills... the last thing they need is an old person with no concept of the modern world lecturing them.
Load More Replies... Dear Bored Panda, there are more than 2 generations. There is Gen X an Gen Z. We do actually exist.
Just as my parents said that we didn't know what we were talking about, my kids say the same about me (as does this article). It is a sad commentary on humans, when we can't evolve in the right areas. Tribal knowledge is precious, and the people who won't listen to what their elders have to say, are missing out on the best of what we have to offer. In case you haven't noticed in the past couple years - Google does not know everything.
It really depends on what those elders are saying. I certainly listen to their insights when it comes to things like love and relationships because those are universal experiences. On subjects like work and property though, not so much. They bought their first house for two or three times their annual incomes, benefitted from huge rises in property value and retired on final salary pensions. I’m lucky though - they are well aware the challenges they faced are not the challenges young people face today, and they don’t pretend otherwise.
Load More Replies... Gen X here. We are now considered older. The things that are being complained about by millenials are being considered "Karens", "Simps" "Snowflakes"...and I know it wasn't the older generations who came up with those labels. And this one "That just because I don't want to be called something doesn't mean I'm a baby. People are allowed to have boundaries and things they don't feel comfortable with"....EXACTLY or does this not apply to older people?
Better title. Us young people are so much smarter and more virtuous than everyone who does not agree with us.
I think the older generation should give those younger than us a break. I’m not a boomer but no spring chicken either. I love watching younger people doing their stuff their own way. Good for them ! Leave them the F alone. If they want advice they’ll ask for it. Reading these posts does make me realise that they are under a lot of pressure, especially in the USA with debt from uni, no jobs or shitty jobs. The pay is near slavery, no health insurance, etc. No wonder so many have stress and angst.
This is a terrible article. I skipped to the end because it was just a mosh of millenials condemning the older generation. This is a load of crap! Not all of us "old people" act or feel or say or do these things. I agree with Ted Expert. Come on Panda you're better than this! I downvote this whole thing!
I don't know who these Millennials are talking to. I'm a boomer and I don't believe all the crap they are posting. Yes, we could get by making less money per hour. Prices were a lot lower for everything. I don't like to text, but I also don't like to talk on the phone. I prefer emails/messages on social media. And so on and so one. We can all point our fingers at the other generations and find stuff we didn't like, don't like, don't agree on. Big fricken deal, get over yourselves - and that's for all ages.
I think a lot of this also comes from a slap in the face of reality. Adulthood is difficult. And why are so many of them trying to own property when there is a vast housing shortage and prices are skyrocketing?
SOOOO tired of the same excuses. I am a Gen X, my sister is a Millennial. She has less education and makes WAAYYY more money than me. Nicer house, nicer car, etc. It is not any more difficult to succeed now than before. Millennials can be very successful. It does boil down to hard work and good choices, and sometimes a little luck.
Anecdotal evidence is not evidence. Thanks for the fun anecdote about your sister, though.
Load More Replies... I’m a Gen X-er. None of these feelings or thoughts are new. We just didn’t crave or need the recognition for having these thoughts and acting on them.
Correction: we might have had them, but didn't have the means to put them out for the world to see. If we wanted to, we needed to find a lector, a publisher, maybe some skills in writing (or singing or painting - whatever) and yes, a lot of luck. I bet most of Gen X would have posted their thoughts online if it had been a "thing" back then.
Load More Replies... Millenials are two generations. Gen-Y ('78-'92) and Gen-Z ('90-'00). Gen-Y and Gen-Z are not the same. Gen-Z are just now coming into their own. Can't lump them in yet. Broad generalization, I know, but Gen-Y seem to be entitled elitist crybabies who think they have some inherent right to be free of consequences.
Hm, I always thought Gen Y starts at '80 and ends at the late 90s?
Load More Replies... Yeah more bitchy whining by the younger generations about the older generations .... You know the Hippies you loved so much ... OH MY GOD !!! You hate them because they are like you ......
I think people are missing the point here. People are getting too caught up on the "us" vs. "them" mentality and missing the point. Yes, it might be a generalization to say "old" vs. "young" but most people are aware that everyone is different and while this doesn't necessarily apply to EVERYONE from an older generation, this is how younger generations feel that they are viewed overall by people of older generations. Instead of trying to prove "us" or "them" wrong and continue to believe that the younger generations are whining and complaining all the time, maybe actually think for a second, that if a collective group of people all feel this way, maybe they have a point. Instead of attempting to invalidate or disprove them, try taking a second to listen and understand them. Maybe you will then come to understand that they may have a valid point. Or if not, then you will at least understand how to make a better argument to disprove them other than, "that's the way it's always been"
I'm definitely not a millenial but these (pretty much) all apply to me
To wrap it all up, boomers' biggest fault was to let the Internet out :) Now 'we're smarter, more capable and knowledgeable, online is about more efficiency and productivity, no need to sit at work' - and no money or prospects, and gig economy is suddenly the boomer's heritage. Plus, computers don't eat out our brains and leave us more time for ourselves, friends and families- but leave us alone with our mental issues and family doesn't necessarily mean love, and we're just fine childfree. Boomer-ang thinking.
Not all millennials feel this way, not all boomers make them feel this way...way too much stereotyping and lumping people together going on here.
But regarding the directions, on the cover image (which is not in the article), even mandy of the millennials can't use the navigation on their phone :D Sometimes it's ridiculous.
OK, so... I am a boomer. One of my children is doing well and living a happy, comfortable life. The other child never, even with a lot of help from his parents, figured out how to care for himself and died young. I know things are worse now for young people, even more than it was for my kids. So I retired as soon as I could, which freed up a job for someone younger. My husband and I struggled to find enough to raise those kids, even hen we were young parents, forty-five years ago. so your struggles are not unique to your generation, but they do seem to be more ubiquitous. Not my fault, and I am so sorry for you all. To be fair, though, I doubt most of you would have done things much differently if you had been me in those times.
I am really sorry about your lost child. As for the subject: that last line is really the kicker. We all are products of the times we live in and the circumstances we were born into. All those high-praised concepts didn't come from thin air - they have always been there and people older than those being now called "millenials" have raised the problems because they suffered from them, already! We form our following generations, and as we shape and are shaped by our society, they will shape theirs and be shaped by it. Without "us" there is no "them". Without the boomers who invented the internet, a lot of the things the younger generations grow up with wouldn't exist. But put one of the younger ones into the society as it was back then and I will bet that a lot of them wouldn't really be different, as you said. Not without having the knowledge that they have now (which comes from teachers of older generations!)
Load More Replies... A LOT of these problems are uniquely American. A lot of countries have things a lot better, better wages, better support, better healthcare, better support for education, less expensive everything. When I was a kid, it was fairly cheap to live in America. I knew people in Texas (where, yes, land was cheap) who would buy land and build a 3-bedroom house for under $60,000, like 30-40 years ago (omg, I feel so old!). Now, $60,000 gets you nothing. There ARE community colleges and local universities that are still quite cheap, but you have to shop around, and tbh technical schools are probably a much better investment for a LOT of people. Even 30 years ago, a university degree was no guarantee of work. Seriously, America, you need to get back to where you were. I left America a little over 20 years ago. That country seems, to me, dead and gone. I don't even recognize that place that fills that space now.
Useless generation.....spoiled , entitled and you are learning now that life was not what they said it was going to be....no one cares about how depressed or sensitive you are...more fake illnesses have come up since the early 90s to explain why your generation is a weak link in the food chain
Boomer,their parents, their parents before them, etc have always argued the last generation had it easier. Sorrry, snowf!akes, WE all had it harder.
Not true at all, it can be definitively measured how "easy" and "hard" things have been over the years. Boomers had lower housing prices and a better job market. That's a fact. Life was hard in other ways due to less advanced technology and medicine. There are pros and cons for each generation. But if a Boomer is telling a Millennial specifically about getting a job or buying a home, and said "in my day, we did this"... then that Boomer is ignorant as to how things have changed.
Load More Replies... This should be renamed "lazy millennials who make excuses for not working as hard as older generations"
I wonder what kind of government the GEN Z will make.When the boomer gemeration is wiped out ,let's all stand still and look around ,ok?
Yes, take a good look around. Today's young are our future leaders. If that doesn't scare the hell out of you, nothing will.
Load More Replies... They got a free ride. They fug dub everything they got from their parents, and on top, as they had used it up way before they were used up, they borrowed from the future, and didn't even invest any of it in said future. But, this seems to be more a US thing, as in europe, the disruptive change in generations is between people who weren't opposing Nazis, or even were Nazis, and those born too late to contribute to this evil, but too young to run the postwar society right away. Having this dividing line between our parents and grandparents, the division towards partents' generation isn't as strong. The first generation born after WW2 wasn't given that much of a free ride, and is nowhere near as entitled as it seems they are in the USA - Trump-supporting SUV driving born-again christians who hoovered away pounds of coke and elected people into office fighting against the addicted instead of against addiction, invented participation trophies, .......
