To be annoyed by the 'in my day' comments

[Citycat1]

I'm 40, and it seems I am encountering more and more comments from people above 60 saying life was so different 'in their day'

Examples:
L.A issue a heat warning on FB. Relative starts a rather negative reply about how in their day, in the summer of '76 they used common sense. Yes, I get it, and I LOVE the heat, but there are many vulnerable people that may suffer or end up in a&e and the NHS is put under strain. I'm thinking frail elderly as one example group. So I cab see why warnings are in place.

My DD currently has chicken pox. I ask a lady (staff in boots) for some zinc oxide cream. She says there's no calamine lotion. I explain politely that actually that's not recommended anymore as it dries the skin and makes itching worse. I get 'in my day it was fine' and a roll of the eyes.

My mum regularly tells me how things in the 70's were so much better. I'm sure some things were....but some were not. And to berate my whole generation because you don't understand the next one is belittling.

I'm sure it happens in each generation but it just irks me. Or AIBU and things really were better 'in their day ?

Or when people say music was better, bollocks, there's good music in every decade

YANBU. I’ve seen so much of “well it was hotter in 76” it literally wasn’t you daft gammon. They record these things so they know it wasn’t.

And people being “snowflakes” for wanting to not be discriminated against in education or employment because of their gender/race/sexual orientation.

The worst I find is in the cost of living crisis and theirs always some arse that comes out with “in my day we had families living in a room in a 8490284 bedroom HMO” “we only ever ate once a day” etc etc. heaven forbid standards of living improves. It was fucking shit not something to be proud of.

They're just differences of opinion, some things were better, some worse.

And calamine lotion was used to dry up chickenpox spots in my day.

Yes @Lastqueenofscotland2 this is how I feel. Like the statement 'never did me any harm' ok, but I bet it did plenty of others harm. Why do people not like to reflect and think, that's great it's improved. My daughters school is so different to mine. So much better and I'm so pleased about that. I'm not saying 'in my day' at all.

Isn't the advice about using common sense in the heat just common sense? And where is the advice not to use calamine coming from? As far as I know, it's fine to use although you can choose to use an antihistamine or calamine ointment - certainly NHS advice is to use calamine lotion if you want. As for things being better in the 70s - how does that equate to belittling a whole generation?

Life was different in past decades - what's wrong with acknowledging that, or missing elements of it, or comparing parts of it to today?

@Harridance totally, I love music in many decades. Wish I could have seen Blondie in her hey day, or Bowie, or queen

So much of the baby related advice too. 'In my day you didn't have to put a baby down on its back.' 'In my day babies had blankets.' 'In my day they were in their own room from birth'

Perhaps, but infant mortality has dropped significantly so surely these things have changed for the better.

Oh god the never did me any harm thing
especially when it’s about things like cot bumpers etc. Rage!!!

I think you are wrong regarding calamine lotion.

And it did stop the itching, was only a few years ago I used it on my son.

MIL likes to do it with pregnancy and parenting. I'm not super uptight but I follow basic NHS guidelines during pregnancy.

I always get "well back in my day, we did all those things and our kids turned out alright!"

Yeah, women used to smoke and drink their way through pregnancy and their babies turned out alright but it doesn't mean it's still a great idea...

@sirchenjins because many things were bloody awful. Shipping kids to Australia, sexual abuse to children, stiff upper lip sentiment, ignorance to so much, not as much medical advances, strikes, power cuts, war etc. It wasn't 'better' just as hard as it is now. Just the next generation is handling things differently. Yet that seems to get eyes rolling from certain people. Why? I don't understand.

And ok, might be wrong on calamine but she needed to educate me. Not roll her eyes and tell me about 'in her day' just tell a tired mum what can help and why.

Many things were better, many things were worse - plus ça change and all that.

I completely disagree that this is an age or a generational thing though, and you're skating very close casual ageism here. People from all generations exhibit all manner of views that are questionable - if you're finding that you're only ever hearing this from the 60-plus people you know then that's down to the people you know, not a whole generation.

Wish I could have seen Blondie in her hey day
Blondie was a band not a "her."

It's usually nutters who claim, "x never did me any harm." I just think, well something clearly did you harm so maybe it was x?

Why did she need to 'educate' you? She had offered you calamine lotion, you rejected her offer, indicated she was incorrect (she wasn't) and told her the recommendation now was to use zinc oxide. Perhaps she really cba arguing/educating you, given you were so sure lotion was not to be used.

They used common sense..? Would this be the people from the days of the public information broadcasts telling people not to go back to lit fireworks, not to pick up hot sparklers, not to let their children play with plastic bags or in old fridges! The same people that insisted that driving drunk was perfectly safe and seatbelts would cause more deaths than they'd prevent!

Ignore them, all that common sense has killed all their brain cells!

Blondie is a band - they're still touring and producing music. We saw them recently and Debbie Harry is looking hot.

I did too @SirChenjins she was sounding great too!

Absolutely! One of the best concerts I've been to.

I agree it's annoying and I'm old
I remember 1976 , but there wasn't rolling news then or the Internet ( of course ) but if there was the advice would be the same and it was seen as strange and people didn't all cope with it that well really and glad when the weather broke in the end of august I think.
I think the rose tinted glasses are a bit skewed at times , things were not always rosy back in the day!

Snowflake is the complete opposite of what it means. Those calling others snowflakes for not wanting to be offended are the snowflakes because they're the one actually melting down because they've been called out for being racist/sexist/any 'ist' you like.

YANBU, it is so tedious.

I am 51 and still find the back in my day bollox just that.

Things weren't better in the 70's. Lots of the 70's were shite.

Things are much better for my teens now than they ever were for me in the late 70s and early 80's

I was hospitalised in 1976 with heat stroke and dehydration also kids just ran about sun burned so it really wasn't all that ! People who say in my day also say "you can't say anything these days "

I completely disagree that this is an age or a generational thing though, and you're skating very close casual ageism here. People from all generations exhibit all manner of views that are questionable - if you're finding that you're only ever hearing this from the 60-plus people you know then that's down to the people you know, not a whole generation.

So true. I once knew a wonderful woman who was well in her 70's when I met her, who used to detest the phrase 'in my day' and point out what a silly thing it was to say. My BIL however has been using the phrase since he was 30.