Millennials And Gen-Z Are Sharing Their Most “Boomer” Opinions, But They Just Make Sense (35 Answers)
To put it mildly, millennials (and to some extent Gen X and Gen Z) aren't fond of baby boomers. Boomers hogged the economy and the world’s resources, we say, and they have no regard for what future generations will inherit.
But when Reddit user u/coolfreeusername asked the question, "Non-boomers ... , what's your most boomer opinion?" it led to a pretty awesome discovery. Turns out, younger generations and baby boomers share quite a few thoughts. Here are some of them.
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Having your kid go “viral” for some stupid thing he did or just crying is a way to humiliate them and you are a disgusting parent for making the whole world laugh at them
Not everything needs to be filmed and put on the internet
Very true. Some people genuinely don't believe something happened if you don't post it and brag about it. I had that situation with people convincing me that I didn't accomplish something just because they didn't see photos on social networks and therefore concluded beyond any doubt that the event never occured. The paper proof was not sufficient.
I don't want my damn refrigerator connected to the internet. It has one job.
Just because we have access to instant communication doesn't mean I'm obligated to message you back immediately.
I don't think that it's related to one generation. I know very old people, old, middle aged, young, teenagers that only check once or twice a day. And other people from different ages who are always wanting to answer or write immediately. For example, my father and my mother do opposite, and my two sisters, too.
Just because I disagree with your opinion doesn't mean I hate you, I don't need to agree with everything just to be politically correct. You can still disagree and be cordial. We seem to have forgotten that.
Social Media was a mistake. I genuinely think that it is single-handedly one of if not the most damaging thing to the world that's happened in the past however many years.
No one wants to listen to your music. Turn it down/ roll up your windows, or better yet... both.
No one thinks your loud car/motorcycle is cool. Drive like a normal human being around town. If you want to drive fast, get some track days.
I don't want to listen to my neighbour's screaming kids either, so I turn up de volume.
Children are so coddled and over protected nowadays. Bring back the playgrounds of yesteryear where the monkey bars were sky high and the merry-go-round could go mach 5. If the little f***ers fall and get a bruise, they'll know not to be a dumbass next time (an invaluable life lesson). Teach them how to responsibly handle dangerous objects like knives and garden tools. The way we're raising children today is one of the main reasons we have so many stupid ass adults with no valuable life skills and a god complex cuz they think their actions don't effect them
Late to the party but a lot of pop music today is overly sexual, especial Cardi B. I really don’t want to be out at the bar listening to how you suck dick and have a vagina.
I hate how literally everything these days has a stupid app that you need to have in order to use it. Everything from kids toys to freakin cars needs some sort of crappy app these days. Why!? What if you plan on having this item for a long while and the app either gets deleted, gets malware, or just doesn't function due to the company not updating it? You would have to throw it out causing more waste in this world. This is planned obsolescence just disguised as being technologically advanced.
Also, new power adapters with EVERYTHING, without even asking, so all those lovely polluting circuit boards inside end up in landfill!
Stop helicoptering your kids and let them go outside and scrape their knees and drink from the hose.
Exactly. And hosing down a child covered in mud in the garden is not child abuse Dr Phill. I don't have kids, which is probably best.
TikTok is stupid.
I follow subs on tiktok that are informational the animal videos and some comedic ones and people that make miniatures some cooking ones that are aged 35-to i think the oldest man I follow is in his 80s. I don't ever see anyone dancing or any of the people that are considered famous
Kids absolutely shouldn't have cell phones or tablets or whatever thing like that.
Depends on what you let them do with it. My son has an iPad but it is severely restricted. He can’t get to anything but the bbc bitsize website and only has access to the educational apps. At 6.30 in the evening it locks out until 7am the next day.
Similar to my three kids. The older two (9 and 10) also have to spend as much time reading a book as they want to spend on electronics.
Load More Replies...I don't like this one. Cell phones and tablets are a party of daily life and if your kid doesn't learn to use one they're going to be at a disadvantage. Since they're such expensive devices they're also pretty great tools to teach kids the importance of looking after what you have and using it carefully.
They are addictive and kids don't need them. We learned in our 20s or later, they can too.
Load More Replies...Yeah, because it would be so awful if your child had a quick way to reach out to you in case of emergency. I mean, you obviously don't have to buy your child the latest iPhone or something ridiculously expensive, but you are taking this technology demonization way too far.
My thoughts exactly. Back when cell phones became popular, my mother got me one for my birthday, but ended up giving it to me two weeks early after I had been attacked by a dog while I was going for a walk with our own dog. If I ever have kids, they‘ll get a cell phone and be taught what to do in case of an emergency as early as possible.
Load More Replies...I think that it really depends on the age. A child should not have a phone or have unlimited acess to internet. Having a computer or tablet with some games is not a problem as soon as the kid is doing what needs to do before (homework and so).
Agreed. 11-13 is about the age most people start getting their first actual cell phones, but I don't support giving a small child unlimited access to the internet.
Load More Replies...I see so many parents just giving their young kids a tablet so they don't have to deal with them. It's a weird form of avoiding parenting IMHO. Kids need interaction. They need to play. They need to learn to socialize. When they're older they should have some way to contact parents. Granted we've come to a point of over parenting that means people call CPS if kids walk alone to and from elementary school. It's a tough line to walk when it comes to technology. I think it really comes down to finding balance.
My husband and I agreed that when we have children - with the exception of a basic TracFone for safety reasons - until a child can work a job and pay for the phone/contract/airtime, they don't NEED a fancy phone. As for tablets, if the school says they have to have one, the school can provide one. Otherwise, the tablet we will purchase will be something like a Kindle, not a massively expensive iPad.
My little cousin had a cell phone at 5! I was disgusted by that thought until I learned somethings. One it was a special kind of phone that could only call certain numbers and receive calls from certain numbers. Second, his mom is a severe alcoholic. One day she had passed out and he thought she was dead. He was scared and called my aunt (his grandma) and because of that she lost custody. He was saved because of that phone.
These are also educational tools. In today's world phones and iPad do a lot more and are essential tools for learning, communicating and accessing services. The sooner the kids learn the better. Well managed access as opposed to absolutely no access is best.
I Think devices can do great things for young human brains, games on them included. Just have it severely restricted as James here said
They can be extremely beneficial for autistic and mentally handicapped children. And adults.
My son is autistic and having the Squeeble Apps on the iPad and the LeapFrog device actually really helped with his speech and language as well as other parts of his development.
Load More Replies...The reason kids have tablets etc. is because parents destroyed the home life. We created hell-holes where you physically can not get anywhere without a car, there is nothing to do in the neighborhood and are surprised that the children want to spend time with their friends from school. You took away everything EXCEPT the electronics and are surprised they spend all their times on the electronics.
Kids should ALL have cell phones and tablets and laptops. It's a know fact that kids from poor families lack the skills to operate them which is a major disadvantage in these times.
Parents who let kids under 13 join social media by lying about their age are a bad thing as well.
Went away with a (now former) friend to the country who went on a rant about my young son reading a children’s book that had the word “Bum” in the title. Then she went to her car and pulled out a PLAY STATION and let her son of the same age play violent M 15+ games all evening.
mine didn't have anything electronic like this until they were teens. They played outside and with toys like normal kids. Drives me crazy to see littles now adays with a tablet I can barley afford for myself. Like why am I gonna pay hundreds if not almost a thousand dollars for something they're gonna break. nope.
My 6 year old grandson about to start 2nd grade. He got my old Mac, 3 years old, long story. He used it for school and will use it again when school starts because some classes will be zoom classes.
Some of this is about developing depth perception. People literally learn how to see (past being born with working vision). If you mainly interact visually with a flat screen, that can deter vision development.
In the 80's it was "kids should not watch tv" or "..play video games" etc.
My daughter had a phone from the age of 6 because she's a type 1 diabetic, and we as her parents, needed her to be able to contact us. It was a "dumb phone" and when she was home, it was turned off and left to charge. No TV or internet in her bedroom, the family PC was in the living room where we could see everything. She was allowed 2.5 hours of electronic entertainment (TV, Wii, PC, Nintendo DS) a day after homework. No social media accounts until 18. She bought her own smartphone at 18.
When the pre-k through maybe 2nd graders are in school, I think they should have iPads. But that's because they are glued to them for the 2 hours allotted time of preprogrammed learning.
People are far too thin skinned. Stop taking everything so personally and learn to handle things you don't like hearing.
Quit spending money on stupid stuff that you won’t want in a year and put it towards saving for the future.
People use their phones too much, particularly for texting and social media. Getting upset because your girlfriend/boyfriend hasn't texted you back for a few hours, or hasn't liked your photo, is so unhealthy.
Being on time for casual social events matters.
I generally agree, but it depends on what's standard for your group of friends. For casual get-togethers at my house, my good friends always show up 15 minutes late. That's because they know I'm running around trying to make everything perfect right up to the last minute, and that 15 minutes gives me a chance to sit down and relax for a moment. On the other hand, we invited a couple for dinner a few weeks ago, and they were more than an hour late (with no text, phone call, or apology). I was really annoyed, but they apparently thought it was pretty standard practice. Maybe in their circle of friends it is.
Sending out thank you notes when you receive a gift from someone. My mom was always big on that and I understand why. I bought an expensive gift for my friends birthday and she never messaged me or said thank you for the gift. Saying thank you isn’t that hard and it means a lot to the person.
Cancel culture is stupid. Everyone is stupid when they're young and dumb. You make bad decisions sometimes and the you you are today isn't necessarily the you that you used to be. Social media should have a 7 year mandatory erase period. Any tweet or fb post or whatever disappears after 7 years permanently.
Our society is wayyyyyyy too materialistic. Most people can't go one year without "upgrading" their phone or buying the latest and greatest GPU. Your last year's model will work just fine.
Flannel shirts are amazing, and should be a part of everybody’s wardrobe for fall/winter
Am 29:
If the conversation is going to take more than 3-5 texts (or emails), just call me.
Social media is bad for your health. Social media is not real life. Never take anything said on Twitter/Facebook/Reddit seriously.
Kids these days need to go play outside more.
Participation trophies are stupid. This is coming from someone who had a few as a kid.
Taxes aren't hard to figure out, especially if you don't own a house.
"Kids need to play outside more." Society proceeds to make the outside dangerous or illegal to be. "Kids and their stupid phones ..."
There's too many subscription services for s**t.
It's nice to have access to unlimited movies and TV, but like. For the most part I wind up just watching the same sitcom over and over to decompress after work. I wonder how much I could have saved by just getting B99 and King of the Hill box sets instead of paying for Hulu for four years.
And anything where they mail you a box of curated crap every month is absolutely unnecessary, toot f***ing sweet.
Yes! I grew up before channel 5 and usually something to watch, but with 600+ channels of sky TV I'm often stuck because it's all trash or repeats.
I don't like e-books. I only read books that are printed on paper. It's just much more satisfying.
I like physical buttons. Not everything needs to be on a touchpad.
That society is slowly putting much more emphasis on people accepting their faults than working on them.
A culture of immediate gratification and excess of creature comforts begets a spoiled population. There's something to be said for the character that can be built through patience and powering through adversity.
I agree about instant gratification and the importance of patience and hard work, but I also think it's important to separate that from this kind of messed up idea western culture has that suffering makes you a better person. There's a difference between instant access to luxury items vs to necessary resources (affordable food, water, shelter, healthcare, and in this day and age, internet. To clarify, I'm not saying everyone needs social media, I'm saying it is nearly impossible to go to school or work today without access to online resources.)
My back hurts
Note: this post originally had 83 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
My most "boomer" opinion is that you don't need a new car, period. Buy a good model that can survive the Apocalypse, keep it properly maintained, then laugh all the way to the bank when someone with their fancy current-year model tries to shame you for owning a 20-year-old sedan. My car's cost me less keeping it running in 5 years than a new car's lease alone costs in just a single year, and I actually OWN my car.
My millenial opinion is: I don't need any car at all.
Load More Replies...I think we need to really look at whether or not we’re part of the problem when we complain about something but we don’t do anything about helping to resolve our complaints. I myself try not to use the words should and shouldn’t I prefer to invite people to change not tell them to change. I have a good story to relay if you have a minute. Some people were camping in Yosemite on vacation and next to them some people pulled in and turn the stereo up really loud. After and during this for a couple of minutes the dad walked over to the young people with the loud stereo and ask them have you come to Yosemite before? Not really knowing how to react because they were expecting an argument, They started a conversation and one of the things the dad said was we come here to listen to the birds and to listen to the waterfall and to really leave our music at home because we want to hear the music of nature and we would like to invite you for dinner with us tonight.
Part two now both families vacation in Yosemite at the same time every year and they enjoy each other’s company and there’s no loud radio it’s all in how you approach things you don’t need to fight with people to get your point across you don’t need to degrade them demoralized them or tell them that the wrong. Invite change don’t demand it
Load More Replies...Is it me or do they keep changing the title on this one? I have seen three different titles now.
More divisive generational posts. People do realize that the generational labels, boomer, gen x,y,z, millennial, is all made up, that before boomers there were no generational labels, and are all used for marketing purposes. How about we all just leave the labels behind and just exist as people of all different ages.
Because some people are glad to be marketing slave warriors. For free. :)
Load More Replies...I'm a " boomer " and I wouldn't even be aware of the generational thing if it wasn't for Panda and similar media. I'm sure as hell not qualified to tell somebody how to live today. I admit it bothers me a little when they call me sir. I'd much prefer " stud. "
And Youtubers/Twitch stars, don't complain when your fps drops by 2. You have much better setups than any of your viewers. Don't rub it in. Stop with these TikTok influencers and dances. People shouldn't be copying everything they see. They should be using CREATIVITY. Don't diss 'nerds' or whatever. I love dressing in Edwardian/Victorian styles, and I get strange looks any time I go outside. I get that I'm different, but I think I look pretty, and it's none of your business anyway.
Generation labels are dumb. So much depends on how and where you were raised, rather than what year you were born. (And half of the Boomers raised Gen Xers, then divorced, remarried and raised Millenials. So are we even really 2 different generations?)
I think the youth of today are more confident in agreeing with the boomers, At their age, I would have loved sharing lots of "old fashioned" opinions as a teen, but I would have never dared for fear of ridicule. Being cool and popular was everything, geeks/teens not fitting the mould were mocked and bullied, sporties/big talkers admired. I'm in awe of this strong "I don't care what you think" generation.
Why are these "boomer" opinions? I'm Gen X and want to know why my attic ventilation system only has controls by cell phone! Maybe it's just wanting a bit of simplicity... a basic on-off switch, for example!
The reason boomers don't like GenXers or Millenials is that for the most part the younger generations are hyper-critical without having made any self-sacrificing effort to contribute to the betterment of the world, let alone the lives of the people around them. Coupled with this is the assumption that just because the evil boomer politicians who currently run the show are bent on destruction, all boomers are like that. It is quite the opposite. The self-centeredness is insulting to a generation which did make those sacrifices for the future, and who would like nothing more than to openly communicate with you, but the default has always been to shut out the aging people from society in the Western World, so it really isn't a surprise.
I don't see the hate here. Isn't it an American thing?
Load More Replies...As a Boomer....thank you. I agree with so many of these things! I don't upgrade every year...maybe every 5 years for anything. Finally donated my car of almost 20 years with 185,000 miles on it to Habitat for Humanity...I prefer used books (real ones!) that we can read at home, then send on to others. And honestly...not all Boomers are bad people. :)
Just wait until Millenials and Gen Z are around 50, opinions change with age.
am sick and tired of the Americans blaming everything on the Boomers. Society is wrecked because of leaders, [people with money etc, whose only concern was themselves and how much more money they could make. The USA government just uses it as an excuse to divert attention from the real culprits, just Look at Branson etc?????
WHAT IN HELL IS EVERYONE carrying in their backpacks? Planning on leaving town in a hurry? Always wondered what they had to have with them that was so important.
Get outside and appreciate nature whilst you can. It'll be gone by the time you have grandchildren, so make the most of it now.
Yes, that's because this post is about people that *think* like boomers, not that they are boomers
Load More Replies...I think you should look at the statistics on the rise of mental health issues today, and what the causes are.
Load More Replies...My most "boomer" opinion is that you don't need a new car, period. Buy a good model that can survive the Apocalypse, keep it properly maintained, then laugh all the way to the bank when someone with their fancy current-year model tries to shame you for owning a 20-year-old sedan. My car's cost me less keeping it running in 5 years than a new car's lease alone costs in just a single year, and I actually OWN my car.
My millenial opinion is: I don't need any car at all.
Load More Replies...I think we need to really look at whether or not we’re part of the problem when we complain about something but we don’t do anything about helping to resolve our complaints. I myself try not to use the words should and shouldn’t I prefer to invite people to change not tell them to change. I have a good story to relay if you have a minute. Some people were camping in Yosemite on vacation and next to them some people pulled in and turn the stereo up really loud. After and during this for a couple of minutes the dad walked over to the young people with the loud stereo and ask them have you come to Yosemite before? Not really knowing how to react because they were expecting an argument, They started a conversation and one of the things the dad said was we come here to listen to the birds and to listen to the waterfall and to really leave our music at home because we want to hear the music of nature and we would like to invite you for dinner with us tonight.
Part two now both families vacation in Yosemite at the same time every year and they enjoy each other’s company and there’s no loud radio it’s all in how you approach things you don’t need to fight with people to get your point across you don’t need to degrade them demoralized them or tell them that the wrong. Invite change don’t demand it
Load More Replies...Is it me or do they keep changing the title on this one? I have seen three different titles now.
More divisive generational posts. People do realize that the generational labels, boomer, gen x,y,z, millennial, is all made up, that before boomers there were no generational labels, and are all used for marketing purposes. How about we all just leave the labels behind and just exist as people of all different ages.
Because some people are glad to be marketing slave warriors. For free. :)
Load More Replies...I'm a " boomer " and I wouldn't even be aware of the generational thing if it wasn't for Panda and similar media. I'm sure as hell not qualified to tell somebody how to live today. I admit it bothers me a little when they call me sir. I'd much prefer " stud. "
And Youtubers/Twitch stars, don't complain when your fps drops by 2. You have much better setups than any of your viewers. Don't rub it in. Stop with these TikTok influencers and dances. People shouldn't be copying everything they see. They should be using CREATIVITY. Don't diss 'nerds' or whatever. I love dressing in Edwardian/Victorian styles, and I get strange looks any time I go outside. I get that I'm different, but I think I look pretty, and it's none of your business anyway.
Generation labels are dumb. So much depends on how and where you were raised, rather than what year you were born. (And half of the Boomers raised Gen Xers, then divorced, remarried and raised Millenials. So are we even really 2 different generations?)
I think the youth of today are more confident in agreeing with the boomers, At their age, I would have loved sharing lots of "old fashioned" opinions as a teen, but I would have never dared for fear of ridicule. Being cool and popular was everything, geeks/teens not fitting the mould were mocked and bullied, sporties/big talkers admired. I'm in awe of this strong "I don't care what you think" generation.
Why are these "boomer" opinions? I'm Gen X and want to know why my attic ventilation system only has controls by cell phone! Maybe it's just wanting a bit of simplicity... a basic on-off switch, for example!
The reason boomers don't like GenXers or Millenials is that for the most part the younger generations are hyper-critical without having made any self-sacrificing effort to contribute to the betterment of the world, let alone the lives of the people around them. Coupled with this is the assumption that just because the evil boomer politicians who currently run the show are bent on destruction, all boomers are like that. It is quite the opposite. The self-centeredness is insulting to a generation which did make those sacrifices for the future, and who would like nothing more than to openly communicate with you, but the default has always been to shut out the aging people from society in the Western World, so it really isn't a surprise.
I don't see the hate here. Isn't it an American thing?
Load More Replies...As a Boomer....thank you. I agree with so many of these things! I don't upgrade every year...maybe every 5 years for anything. Finally donated my car of almost 20 years with 185,000 miles on it to Habitat for Humanity...I prefer used books (real ones!) that we can read at home, then send on to others. And honestly...not all Boomers are bad people. :)
Just wait until Millenials and Gen Z are around 50, opinions change with age.
am sick and tired of the Americans blaming everything on the Boomers. Society is wrecked because of leaders, [people with money etc, whose only concern was themselves and how much more money they could make. The USA government just uses it as an excuse to divert attention from the real culprits, just Look at Branson etc?????
WHAT IN HELL IS EVERYONE carrying in their backpacks? Planning on leaving town in a hurry? Always wondered what they had to have with them that was so important.
Get outside and appreciate nature whilst you can. It'll be gone by the time you have grandchildren, so make the most of it now.
Yes, that's because this post is about people that *think* like boomers, not that they are boomers
Load More Replies...I think you should look at the statistics on the rise of mental health issues today, and what the causes are.
Load More Replies...