Has there ever been a more annoying generation?

[Moon108]

I’m ashamed to live in these times today. I feel slightly jealous about those in the generation before.

I’m talking about people constantly putting labels on themselves. We can’t mention gender now. All this “they/them”. I’m confused. They all seem confused and there are so many types of people now!

I’m talking about the tonnes of very middle class people I know that are very vocal about environmental issues and climate change whilst they are self confessed petrol heads or own two cars or think that buying packaged sandwiches from Waitrose is good for the world as they “use less packaging” and buy tonnes of new clothes shipped in from China and simply must go on two holidays a year.

I’m talking about this generation that are seemingly “triggered” by every single sensitive topic on the internet.

I just am failing to see much good.

I did other generations feel like this?

Accept certain inalienable truths. Prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old. And when you do, you will fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

The sunscreen song, Bad Lurrhman, 1999

My point being, most, if not all, generations eventually despair of the younger ones.

I blame social media for a lot of the whinging that goes on. It only takes one person to have a rant on Facebook or twitter etc for it to be picked up by news media and broadcast as if they were the words of Soloman.

did other generations feel like this?

“[Young people] are high-minded because they have not yet been humbled by life, nor have they experienced the force of circumstances.
…
They think they know everything, and are always quite sure about it.”

Rhetoric, Aristotle
4th Century BC

Each generation has looked down on those that have followed for some reason or another. It has, and always will be the case.

Nope I still think the Novel crisis of the 19th century wins for ridiculousness

Every generation has this conversation about something or other, it's just being human

Which generation?

I can’t even work out which generation you’re talking about there!
Me at 50, my stepdaughter at 25?
Could apply to either.

Seriously, in your daily life, are you really constantly tripped up by non gendered pronouns? I am aware, see many references (would be half as many if I just quit MN!) but in real life, my daily life - no. I do not feel I can’t mention gender or say she.

On that specific topic, I think more “annoying” to be in a generation without gender awareness - if you’re the poor sod struggling 🤷‍♀️

Every time in history has its struggles.

I think other generations do feel like this, there is an inevitability to it. The same people who bemoan the impact of the Internet were probably on the receiving end of the same from their parents about television, ditto trans issues and LGBT ones.

Also being vocal about climate change and putting pressure on the people who can really impact it is probably one of the most important things people can do. Large scale political will and policy change is the only option. The idea that you’re only allowed a view if you’re perfect in your own life seems utterly bonkers and at odds with almost anything else we have and share opinions about!!

Spot on MiaCara.

How can an entire generation, made up of millions of people, be "annoying"? How would you even know how annoying any meaningful percent of them are in person? It says a lot more about you than it does about anyone else to think you can generalise personality characteristics based purely on age.

"We can't mention gender now" you're incorrect there, you can. And in my experience gender is one of the most talked-about topics with the younger generation.

The sunscreen song, Bad Lurrhman, 1999

I was a teenager when that came out. I heard it the other days and it is so spot on. 😁

I can see what you mean, but I automatically felt defensive when you mentioned holidays. I don’t eat meat and I buy clothes from charity shops. I also walk or cycle when I’m at home... but I do go on about 5 holidays abroad a year. I try to make sure that only one involves flying, and the furthest I go is around 4 hours, but nobody else would know that unless they asked...

I automatically read the thread title in Chandler Bing's voice.

If it’s ok to put labels on millions of people with nothing in common but the fact they were born within 10 years of one another, I think I’d take Generation Z over the generation that voted for Brexit, fucked the planet, and think they’re terribly clever and insightful for pointing out younger people’s ‘hypocrisy’ over climate change.

I’m in my sixties, and I know what you mean, OP. My parents generation were fighting a world war for their very survival - MIL spent 4 years as a teenager in a Japanese concentration camp, dad in his twenties was flying bombing missions over Germany with a three week predicted life expectancy, FIL was in the army at Monte Cassino, seeing his comrades blown to bits in front of him. They would turn in their graves at the silly preoccupations of modern youngsters.
My own generation of radical feminists fought for women’s rights, women’s refuges, women’s sports funding etc, only to see it all given away to transgender activists by the current generation, who seem to believe humans can change sex, allowing any predatory men to claim to identify as trans and invade women’s changing rooms, prisons, sports, dormitories and showers. The youngsters think this is “progressive”, ffs.
They also seem to believe rigid sex stereotypes- if a boy likes pink, he must be a “woman born in the wrong body” - I despair. We fought to get rid of this dated sexist shit, and the present young generation are dragging us back fifty years!
And don’t get me started on their shallow obsession with selfies and social media...
On the plus side, at least they seem concerned about the environment. Although not enough to stop them buying endless disposable fashion clothes and trainers from Asian sweatshops, and flying round the world on gap yahs.
Rant over! And breathe....

Ah, the gap years. Having already posted that every generation has its struggles, I will throw one thing onto the “annoying” pile. Charity projects abroad that are just jollies for the late teens of the wealthy, so worthy - except that the money would be better spent just given to locals. Of course, the annoying generation aren’t the naïve spoilt 19 year olds - but the 50 year olds funding it.

Babdoc if you think newer generations aren't still fighting for women's rights, women's refuges, women's sports funding, you haven't been paying attention. As for the "greatest generation" that fought in the second world war, they weren't exactly perfect either.

Every generation finds the next one annoying. Your parents probably thought your generation were annoying. My grandma probably despaired of my mum's generation, with the long-haired men and the weed smoking and free love.

Also, I'm fed up of people making fun of triggers. They are a legit thing. People with PTSD have them. Other mentally ill people have them. I have them - stuff to do with alcohol abuse, for instance - but am ashamed to admit it because they've become a joke. I can't magically make myself 'normal'. And there is a major difference between being grossed out or annoyed, and being triggered.

I do agree that toys and clothes are far too gendered nowadays though. (And I spent my 'gap yah' working in various temp jobs. Furthest I travelled was to the Reading festival!)

How many actual people do you know the Waitrose-sandwich-buying habits of, OP? In numbers? Have you got a spreadsheet?

I’d say it started going downhill in terms of silly behaviour about 10 or so years ago

The gender issue you mentioned won't concern you so why worry about it? The "triggered" thing is exaggerated just like the "snowflake" insult used by papers

I take it you're an older generation?

As for the buying of planet-destroying shite from China, that's not a generation thing, that's capitalism. Not introduced by this generation, that's for sure - look at who's profiting from it.

What generation are you talking about? I see myself as middle class but we don’t have any cars at all, we don’t buy packaged sandwiches and I’ve never been into a Waitrose. Never bought any new clothes for at least ten years. Last had a holiday abroad five years ago.

It’s tricky isn’t it? Whilst I am as worried as the next person about the environment I think many get focused on specific issues whilst ignoring bigger ones. For example someone I know got very worked up about cat food being sold in squeezy plastic single use pouches rather than traditional tins. To the point she started campaigning about it and seeming very obsessed. But the same person burns wood in their wood burning stove every evening. When I gently pointed out that this was putting the same amount of pollution into their local area as a lorry idling outside their house all day they didn’t want to consider that environmental issue. Cognitive dissonance in full force.

I feel slightly jealous about those in the generation before.

Which generation was that, OP? I was born in 1955, so I may well be one of them.

I think a lot of the things you mention are well overdue, more than overdue in some cases. I think it's great that being transgender is being destigmatised and trans people will no longer need to fear being "outed" as being trans, although I also recognise concerns about self-identification being misused by predatory males. If someone wants to be referred to as "they" because they don't want to be the subject of gendered pronouns, I don't have a problem with it.

The rise in environmental awareness is long overdue, and over time it will become as unacceptable to drive a gas-guzzling performance car or buy throwaway clothes made in some sweatshop as drink-driving or wearing real fur are now (both of these were acceptable, in varying degrees, in my lifetime).

I thank god that we no longer live in the days when gay sex was illegal and it was fine to have filthy power stations pumping out smoke, and think far more carefully about my choices as a consumer than I used to.

Imo, all these changes are positive, overall, and over time the downsides will gradually get ironed out.