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?

Another old gimmer here - well, 63 if that counts - and while the "in" concerns change, I honestly don't think the latest generation are any different to what youngsters have always been. Despite the endless bad news that's touted most of them have their hearts in the right place, and if they're a bit callow and susceptible to the latest fad that's only to be expected ... they'll learn (or not) just as most do in the end

I agree that the internet can skew perceptions though; the young may not actually BE noisier in their views, but we certainly hear about them more

Sorry, but what a load of rubbish! You're don't seem to be talking about a specific generation (X,Y,Z) but more about a set of behaviours and opinions. Hardly anything to be personally 'ashamed' about.

I went on my local climate strike march and demo yesterday, and was struck by how engaged and passionate the younger people there were - which was heartening to see.

I grew up in the 70's, when teenagers drank, smoked, shoplifted, sprayed graffiti, fought each other, and were generally far more racist and homophobic than today. There was also a lot of sexual harassment and misogyny - more than today it seems to me (although maybe I just don't see it as much now?)

I come into contact with a lot of young people through work, and am generally struck with how pleasant and hard-working they are.

You've succumbed to the very common ailment of wearing rose tinted glasses when looking at the past...

Other people will do what they need to in life and we have to live and let live to some degree.

Agree.

If someone wants to identify as a “trans female shapeshifter” why do you care? Why does it matter to you? Why are you complaining about it if it has zero effect on how you see or identify yourself? The only person making you feel this way is you. Those people and others for that matter are just living their lives. You also ignore the fact that lgtbqai rights have come a long way. Said people have been attacked and even murdered for their sexuality regardless if they “broadcast” it or not.

If such things annoy you so much, why not just remove yourself from social media or the Internet? You sound like you just want the world to be what you think it should be or what makes you comfortable.

If I don’t like something on the Internet or on social media, I do this thing where I hide it, ignore it, or just keep scrolling. You don’t actually have to involve yourself, read, watch, or listen unless YOU choose to.

You talk about common sense yet for the amount of energy you put in complaining about these things you could just as easily put the same energy into ignoring them.

You need an Internet break. It seems to me that you're getting far too bitter about things you read in the news or on social media. Your opening post said something about jealoush - it's quite clearly your own problem and not everyone else's.

*jealousy

@Shinyletsbebadguys

what was the novel crisis? cannot find anything on google?

I went on my local climate strike march and demo yesterday, and was struck by how engaged and passionate the younger people there were - which was heartening to see

Isn't that the point though - youngsters are often passionate about any fashionable cause, but they quite naturally lack the experience to separate the worthwhile from the meretricious or the passing fad from the more thoughtful initiatives

And that's not even meant as a criticism, just a recognition that time can bring skills which teens can't reasonably be expected to have. Better perhaps to smile, disregard the cant and enjoy the idealism for what it is, knowing that mature judgment and a more rounded view will follow in its own good time

And don’t get me started on their shallow obsession with selfies and social media...

Yeah, it was so much better in the 1600s or whatever when people used to commission big ass portraits of themselves. Kids these days with their selfies and their filters and Instagram 😡

(Honestly, this thread is the very definition of "old woman yells at cloud")

Yeah, it was so much better in the 1600s or whatever when people used to commission big ass portraits of themselves. Kids these days with their selfies and their filters and Instagram 😡

At least they did that in their own houses or in artists’ studios, though! Rather than baring their arses at Manchu Picchu or Angkor Wat!

Oh I don't know, I think baby boomers were pretty annoying. For example, ruining our economy, voting for Brexit, not being able to rotate a PDF and then complaining about millennial not knowing how to make the perfect gravy (I do, btw).

Also, stereo-typically baby boomers were less tolerant of diversity. But when we become offended by their racist and homophobic "jokes" we are called "snowflakes".

Shall I go on?

I get what you mean about the over sharing.

I think it's a desire for validation and recognition. The opportunity wasn't really there before social media

I find some of the behaviour on instagram fascinating.

I find it strange that people have become so obsessed with pitting different generations against each other. I'm sure people didn't used to think so rigidly. These days you can't seem to move for people throwing accusations around about this generation and that generation - who had it easier, who is thicker skinned, who ruined the environment, who bought a house for twenty pence, who is a snowflake... Blah blah blah. The media is obsessed with generational divides. Millennials, baby boomers, Gen Z and Gen X - one of them is responsible for the downfall of society, and which one it is depends entirely on which media outlets you follow. It's exhausting.

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.

Haven't RTFT, but I agree with this.

@ourkidmolly my apologies it was the 18th Century (sorry I am getting old !!)

If you type in Novel reading Panic 18th Century it comes up with a couple of articles

Always made me smile , now we wring our hands about screen time and then it was novels.

Each generation disagrees about how other generations respond to things , we have been doing it forever to my mind. Summer of 1969 was no different

I dunno... I just think I’d my grandad could come back and see what today is like he would not believe it! I don’t think it has changed for the better. He would be shocked at some of the behaviour of people generally today.

These are all real people I know...

A person who bleats on about the environment yet drives a large horrid car and drives for pleasure... not to travel. Eg nice country drive on a Sunday.

A girl that urges others to donate clothes to refugees whilst wearing £95 jeans and subsequent posts on Facebook talking about how she wanted more of these perfect jeans.

So wrong on so many levels.

I blame selfis

I do find them annoying tbh. They're preachy and worthy. It just seems a bit joyless though. They don't seem very happy or to have much fun. I don't think they're that bad though, just like a whole generation who are earnest teenagers into their 20s. I feel like they'll grow out of it.

I mean I’m not going to go crazy about these people it’s just whenever I read about it or come across one of these petrol head environmental warriors or shapeshifter gender “they” or a designer clothes wearing homeless helper, I just do the biggest internal eye roll ever

I guess people were more genuine back in 1992 say. Man wants to help homeless people. He might tell his mate down pub.

Now it’s splashed on Facebook, Twitter, insta... there’s selfies, hashtags and the comments and the trying to get one up on each other which is easy to do on screen.

Gah you sound like a whiny old person. Every generation finds faults with others. Doesn't make any of them right or wrong, good or bad. Just different. I'm in my early thirties I work with teenagers, majority of those I work with are nothing like you describe. So I feel you're taking your tiny bubble of existence and labelling millions of young people to your view.

I haven't come across any uber "save the planet" types yet. To be honest I think we all do our bit where we can - I don't run a car, I walk everywhere, encourage my kids to cycyle (saving up for my own bike). I use as little plastic as I can (hate the stuff!). But I do run a tumble dryer a hell of a lot in the winter as this seems to be the only practical way with having filthy little monkeys!

Can't stand social media.

I read this quote last year and saved it because it completely sums it up for me.

""Social media isn't real. It's purely contrived images and edited clips ranked against each other.
It's a system based on social approval, likes and dislikes, validation in views, success in followers.
It's perfectly orchestrated judgement. And it consumed me"

That was from Essena O’Neill a "social media star" aged 18.

Every generation moan about the younger generation. There is good and bad in every generation. This current generation haven’t had time to fuck anything up yet OP. I have hope and faith that they will do better than my generation when it comes to climate change. I am happy to call people they/it whatever they like too.

So many strange posts on here today moaning about people who care about the environment when they buy Waitrose sandwiches. Habits take time to change. I now buy hardly any plastic but I do fly too much. I am work in progress.

I don’t want to change my ways and language or add this topic to children’s learning in schools

Ffs, OP, if all the people who hadn't wanted to change their language had got their way, we'd still be using the N-word, the P-word and numerous derogatory expressions for women, LGBTQ and BAME people. Language has never been a fixed thing, it evolves over time.

And as for not wanting stuff taught to your children, there are loons people who feel like that about contraception, evolution and the fact that the earth is round. If you really want to control what they are taught, then educate them yourself, at home.

Or you could just let make up their own minds about what to believe when they're old enough to understand.

the generation that ... think they’re terribly clever and insightful for pointing out younger people’s ‘hypocrisy’ over climate change

I wouldn't have said there's anything especially clever or insightful about that; for many it's just a matter of observing what's in front of us and having the life experience to understand it for what it is

It's not even as if all their noise and fury matters in the end ... we can enjoy their pleasure in a nice sunny demo, complete with a bit of chanting, drumming and pamphlet-tossing, knowing it will be just a happy memory for them when most have moved onto other concerns

Okay - so we prefer apathy from our youngster do we?