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?

Surely all generations are just as bad as each other?

Why would we want to see apathy, BeardedMum? They're young - let them have their fun and a bit of shouty idealism while they can, and let's tolerate their callow enthusiasms just as we hope they'll tolerate a more mature approach

With most youngsters, it'll all pass soon enough ...

It won't pass though will it? Science suggests not.
How complacent and patronising.

@puzzle that is such a patronising attitude I can’t work out if you are perhaps being tongue in cheek. Do you feel the same about older people who are politically active too? Why would it pass? Many people are engaged and politically active their whole lives.

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.

I think this is current equivalent of the people who were adults during my youth who wanted to ban this, that and the other (especially the other!) from tv because it was disgusting filth, rather than just switch off or turn over.

The internet is full of irritating shite, OP. Take a break from most of it for a while. Twatter, Farcebook, Crapchat - give it a swerve. Stop consuming the stuff that riles you.

Aren’t children a product of their parents? So the current generation is the one you helped shape, OP.

That saying, I think they’re doing a rather good job under hugely trying circumstances. Considering the dire mess baby boomers have made of the planet/economy.

Young people have always embraced silly fads. The difference is we didn’t used to pretend they were worth listening to. Now we seem to feel we have to venerate an opinion purely because it’s one commonly held by young people. Yet we don’t seem to want to listen when they tell us the truly unpalatable truths about their own direct experience.

It’s definitely an internet / SM thing. If I mention any transgender lunacy things to friends or work colleagues they basically just don’t have a clue what you’re going on about. It’s partly the reason why a tiny number of vocal activists are getting their way as the politicians suck it up, and no one or hardly any complains and those that do are labelled crazy as well. People won’t know until it hits them and then they’ll be moaning like crazy.

As a matter of interest, why from an environmental point of view is it worse to,own two cars rather than one? (ignoring the issue of make etc). After all I can only drive one at a time.. the contribution I make to global warming when I drive if I have 2, or 20,other cars at home.

Similarly with loos - people don’t need to use one more often if they have more than one.

Should have said after global warming “is the same”- sorry

The average teenager are not of the SJW ilk but you just don’t hear anything about or from them. The mainstream press only report about the shouty people and the shouty people are the only ones constantly on Twitter

I've noticed they all suffer with their mental health nowadays. A few on Facebook have opened just giving pages in lieu of birthday presents to raise money for mind as "I've suffered myself" Yadda yadda. You've felt a bit fed up and diagnosed yourself as depressed.
We're all so bloody PC and trying not to offend anyone with anything but I don't necessarily blame that on this generation, were just more knobbish in general.

So - you’ve started a thread about how offended you are that people are easily offended these days.

Hmmm

I don’t understand the point about your grandad being shocked if he was alive today, of course he would be! The world is always changing, and there’s always things older generations won’t like or understand about the present they didn’t deal with in their time. Should the world just stay exactly the same? Or should it only change it it caters to your exact wants and needs?

Still also pondering the “novel crisis”.

Novel crisis was when reading novels was seen as damaging, and that particularly young women were been morally corrupted by reading them. Late C18th, early C19th.

People do know that not all older people voted for Brexit don't they?

I know many who voted remain and are fed up with being labelled 'responsible' for the current mess.

it won't pass though will it? Science suggests not

My fault for not putting it clearly, FaFoutis ... I meant the callow enthusiasms would pass rather than the issues they claim concern about

The difference is we didn’t used to pretend they were worth listening to. Now we seem to feel we have to venerate an opinion purely because it’s one commonly held by young people

I wouldn't quite say that; personally I'll listen to anyone who's able to articulate a rational point, but having absorbed what they've got to say I'm not terribly interested in listening to it repeatedly - and especially not if the message isn't matched by the speaker's own choices

And yes, BeardedMum, I though you'd accuse me of patronage A pity, really, when what I've implied about hypocrisy is simply a reflection of my own lived experience, and would apply just the same whether the protester was 17 or 70

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

We're none of us perfect... You can be concerned about and want to protect the environment and enjoy a drive in the country - by doing your bit in other ways. Who knows, maybe they don't fly, or buy local, or recycle ruthlessly, or donate to environmental charities or whatever.

The argument that if you 'bleat on' about something you care about, you have to live as a perfect example is just silly.

I care about the environment, buy I've got a car, and I like a drive in the country too... I do what I am prepared to, like everyone else.

You also seem waaaay too invested in other people's opinions and social media. Don't care for what they say and post on FB, Insta, Twitter etc? Don't look, or follow them... Job sorted.

I should imagine if young people were doing nothing people would be complaining about that.

OP I wonder have you considered how the younger generation perceive boomers (and older)? Between Brexit, pricing them out of the house market, royally screwing the environment and popping our clogs before the shit really hits the fan!

Not biased btw I'm 53

Clearly boomers are the most annoying generation, if we're speaking in generalisations. Not only did they irreparably fuck up the economy and the planet through their reckless and selfish pursuit of personal benefits, a huge number of them are homophobic, racist and sexist, and they treat minor inconveniences like having to wait for ten extra minutes before getting their food in a busy restaurant as deeply personal affronts to their entitlement.

Most of the things mentioned in the OP are not confined to a particular generation (and I see that the OP has also posted that perhaps generation wasn't the best choice of words). I work with young people every day. A fairly high percentage of them have been overly coddled and cosseted by their helicopter parents, which does set them apart from previous generations. Otherwise, they seem very much like young people of any era.

Some aspects of the general culture irritate me. I admit that I find referring to one person by a plural pronoun slightly annoying, but from a grammatical perspective only. And many, many non-trans people do exactly the same thing. Open any thread on MN and you will see "they" referring to one person.

As for trigger warnings, I think they are overused and usually unnecessary. In some universities (fortunately not my own), lecturers are expected to provide such warnings if the material to be discussed may be upsetting to students. I teach Russian literature. There aren't enough trigger warnings in the world to cover all the potential upset.

But in general, I find such things quite insignificant when compared to some of the major problems we are facing now. The rise of racism, xenophobia, and nationalism; income inequality; nuclear proliferation; corporate greed; climate change (which cannot be adequately addressed by the minor lifestyle tweaks of individuals, no matter how well-intentioned). With all of these serious issues to cope with, pronouns and Waitrose sandwiches are really the least of my concerns. YMMV.

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 one cannot urge someone to donate to refugees while wearing designer threads..

If they are not donating themselves, I can see the hypocrisy, but if they are, you look more the jerk for concentrating on that than their message.

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
Whereas she could be wearing those £95 jeans and not giving a damn about refugees. Presumably you think that's better @Moon108

For the record, I'm very involved with projects in a very poor African country. I support them, and ask my friends to support my fundraising effort,s or to buy the products that the projects make.
I'm well off enough to fly there most years, and when I do I have a £150 backpack on my back. Because it's great quality and will last forever.
So add me to your list of people you can sneer at or despise because we don't wear sackcloth and ashes while we do what we can for people less fortunate.
yours, sarahclara, aged 63.