Young people of today are more boring than boomers, Gen X and Millennials

[heartofglass23]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/03/beige-fluencers-life-surprises-young-people-aspiration?CMP=fbgu&utmmmedium=Social&utmsource=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0PxKouPrXgwdoLlNIulkPxkAZfMF55TNjqjE7yd6x1Kqe4ulSSDRj2ogcaemmAfMVqhItFWdAqtFw9PTAFfXSSXQn74reNvZAThFxOOakwicv-_oDAF7fE3xTokI5GU#Echobox=1688374866

This guardian article points to what I've been observing for a while: really boring youngsters.

They shun sex,drugs and rock 'n' roll.

My young adult DC drink less than I did at their age, go out less, holiday less, work harder, save more, go to fewer gigs, hardly ever go to the cinema. They have boring haircuts, wear minimal make up, are very serious in demeanour.

Then there's the social conservatism. I've heard young people being more anti abortion, pro death penalty, anti benefits, pro marriage, slut shaming, more law abiding, more individualistic.

It's a different world they're making for us and I don't think I like it!

Because they can't afford to
Are living at home until they are 40
Have to work harder because even a basic life has become unaffordable

What a load of old shit.

That's not my observation. They do drink less though.

I don’t blame them.

I’m 50 and would say that we had the last of the good times. Cheap ish rents. Free university education, no social
media pressure, freedom of speech, a functioning NHS.

Bit judgemental calling someone else's choices boring

Especially if those "choices" are restricted as a result of stupid housing costs

It's a different world they're making for us and I don't think I like it!

Well we had to live in the world your generation created and weren't big fans of it either 😊

They’re just moulding themselves to the world around them because the previous generations you mention ‘had fun’ by spending all the money so now there isn’t any.

Drinking less is a very good thing!

I thought that article was very mean spirited.

“In these tightly structured lifestyles, they may glimpse a form of security that can otherwise feel absent in a period marked by economic and political turmoil.”

Doesn’t this explain it? Anyway, the article is pretty beige itself. You can’t distil a whole generation into one homogeneous mass. People talk of the Flower Power generation but forget that most people from that era had nothing to do with drugs or free love and were just plodding on. And every generation likes to eviscerate the one before and after.

The majority of younger people reject the revolting pornification of modern society by becoming more discerning. We have certainly done nothing to protect them

They just don't drink as much. I'm not sure that makes them boring. They seemed to have learnt the secret of having fun without being wasted.

They are not more conservative. I'm not sure where that idea has come from.

I think this is true. I also wonder about influence of parenting styles. Parents less keen on setting firm boundaries perhaps produce kids who feel the need to set their own, and become quite rigid.
or move to the other extreme and act anti socially. There’s plenty of that too.

The other day the Guardian was saying they’ve all shunned clean living and taken up smoking again.

If you knew that you were being recorded every time you got drunk or did something stupid as a teenager to be put on the internet for god knows how many to watch and laugh at you, you'd be exactly the same.

They don’t drink much or smoke. Nothing wrong in that. It’s bad for you. Not sure they wear less make up though. Have you seen the girl on Love Island?

Mine are not more socially conservative at all

They don't drink much, but I drink far less. Guess that makes me boring. Oh well. Personally I think drinkers are boring.

My brother is 21. He's in a band, plays and attends gigs every weekend. Goes out partying, travels and goes on holiday with friends, has a very unique sense of style and lives life pretty full, doesn't use social media (except their band page) none of his friends do either and theres a large group of them. We live in a large city with so much to do and see all the time.

He works full time and doesn't save yet as he wants to enjoy a few more years being young. I think it really depends on who you're associated with and where you live tbh.

I thought all the young people were out gluing themselves to the roads. People complain about that too.

Agree with AbsoIutelyLovely. I am late 50s and life was a lot easier for young people when I were a yoof. You could upsticks to London, get a job and somewhere to live quite easily. Degrees weren't needed for everything.

We have let our young people down by allowing the privileges we had to be taken away.

As some of the people I partied with at uni went on to develop longer term alcohol problems I can see the advantages, and only the advantages of young people drinking less. Alcohol is an awful drug. It kills and ruins lives .
You can't generalise about a whole generation. On the whole my children and their friends do seem more sensible and together than I remember being. The world is a different place and older generations have left a huge mess . I am sure our young people will do their best, which is why making different choices from their parents and grandparents would be a fine start

Hear hear

This is a more succinct version of what I was going to say.

They certainly don't shun sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. What I think it's generally more acceptable to not idolised these things.

Fewer younger people have the dopey draws opinion that if someone doesn't want to drink loads, go out loads, holiday less, work harder, save more, go to fewer gigs, hardly ever go to the cinema then that's OK.

That said we still aren't at the stage where there's complete tolerance of people living differently. Maybe that's the next generation.

The bit about boring haircuts,. Have to fully disagree with that. There's many young people with some interesting ones.

My observation is that they are having more kinky sex (anal is like a kiss on the lips it seems), smoking or vaping and more open minded about genders and relationships (poly, FWBs normalised...)

Stupid article. If they are drinking less then that is only a good thing. Doesn't make them boring.

It’s clearly a reaction against an uncertain world. It’s comforting to think you can find happiness solely within yourself and that it’s within your own control. They’re looking inward because the outside world is scary.

I think we’re all doing that to an extent. How many people now say they don’t watch the news?

The ones I know do drink less, but beyond that they are certainly not socially Conservative in any way! They're pro choice, anti death penalty, left wing and pro environment. They're thoroughly decent and I reckon they'll do better for society than we have.