To hate the ‘youth of today’ attitudes?

[Whatnowthenfordone]

I hated the posts on Facebook when I was a teenager about ‘when I was young we… bathed in a tin bath. Were disciplined at school. Respected our elders. Had no computers and has to TALK to each other. Thank god Im from the last generation who knew how to enjoy life! Youngsters today have everything on a plate and complain!’

I’m 36 now and have just seen someone I went to school with sharing posting ‘We were the last generation to play out. We were the first to have mobile phones. We ate what we were given. We were pleased with a 10p mixup. We had to LOOK at the TV guide, we didn’t stream our programmes! Today’s kids don’t know how easy they have it and they still complain!!’

I know these attitudes are as old as human kind but AIBU to find it so annoying? How can you so quickly forget when everyone accused your generation of not playing out when you blatantly did? Why are people so keen to always criticise the next generation? I’ll try and find examples of the kinds of posts I mean.

Different experiences. Different opinion. I’m saying what my observation has been at my place of work. If it’s different at your place…..🤷‍♀️

I always like to counter the nonsense "when we were kids we played out all day and ate what we were given" memes with a simple graph showing child mortality statistics over time. Normally shuts them up.

I saw a similar post on FB today. I find them condescending to our kids, but then the person in question doesn't have their own children so hasn't got much of a clue tbh. It's different nowadays, not better or worse, just different.

The irony of "we roamed the streets day and night unsupervised " and "we had parents that were there" absolutely cracks me up.

Nevermind the fact that they weren't actually there , even if they were, you weren't there , because you were roaming the streets you dumbass!

There's a post on my local FB group benoaning the youth of today, with a lot of middle aged/older people commenting and agreeing. I commented "Well I blame the parents" and those same idiots people are liking and agreeing with my comment

I'm an old gimmer of nearly 60 (Generation X.) And I agree with you. I don't mind a good old romanticised nostalgic post about skateboards, and go-carts, and BMX bikes, and vinyl records, and how we would play out from dawn till dusk and our mums wouldn't know where we are, and 6 ft of snow, and TVs with a 10p slot in to make them work, and how we had lead-based paints, and only three channels on the T. V, and played board games and all that.

But what I don't like are the kind of memes that take a pop at millennials and Gen Z. Like they're soft and stupid and wimpy with 'Mickey Mouse' degrees and the like.. My two daughters are millennials and they are absolutely fucking awesome. Both around 30, hard working, intelligent, well educated, professional young women - and I'm proud as fuck of them - and are they hell snowflakes!

What's more, older people (of my age-ish,) who have a little snipe at younger people, should remember that THEY are the ones that created and raised these younger people. So if they are snowflakes - it is the generation above that raised them. If you think younger people are snowflakes and a bit pathetic, it's YOU (the generation before - who raised them,) who made them that way! Let that sink in.

But yeah, tl;dr, straight up, the nicest people I experience week by week in my life are under 40 year olds. Plenty of nice people my age and older, but if there is going to be someone who is an arsehole, and rude, and obnoxious, it's more likely to be someone within 15-18 younger than my age, (or someone older,) and not under 40s. I find teenagers largely polite and courteous too. Probably because I am polite and courteous with them.

That’s interesting but it was definitely “hammered into” us in the 90s and 2000s, doesn’t mean everyone was listening or was able to get the hang of it. Maybe the standards at your school were just higher than those of the current staff at your workplace.

Can you share this - would come in handy

I don’t think this generation are lazy. I do think this generation have been severely and negatively impacted by tech devices. We won’t know for some years how this will play out in the long run but the short term data is frightening wrt mental health

@FruitPolos you need to include adult mortality too if you’re to make a proper point. The data shows we’re living longer. The data also shows severe spikes in mental health problems requiring medication, self harming requiring hospitalisations, etc

100% agree

Hamletscigar · Today 08:52

I don’t think this generation are lazy. I do think this generation have been severely and negatively impacted by tech devices. We won’t know for some years how this will play out in the long run but the short term data is frightening wrt mental health

FruitPolos · Yesterday 22:25

I always like to counter the nonsense "when we were kids we played out all day and ate what we were given" memes with a simple graph showing child mortality statistics over time. Normally shuts them up.

Hamletscigar · Today 08:54

you need to include adult mortality too if you’re to make a proper point. The data shows we’re living longer. The data also shows severe spikes in mental health problems requiring medication, self harming requiring hospitalisations, etc

I do agree with this @Hamletscigar . I think it's not only tech devices that have had a negative impact on people born post mid 1990s, but also the internet and social media. (Though I'm guessing you kinda meant this too?) Modern tech/the world wide web, has created addictions to mobile phones, and the internet, and a higher level of bullying for children, because it's not just at school they that the bullies can be heard. It's also created a life where anyone can contact you instantly, and get all sniffy if you don't respond NOW. Including employers. So, very little peace.

I have known a number of people who said their child is addicted to their phone, and one example is, when one mum I know looked on her daughter's mobile phone account online, (around 2015 this was,) she discovered that her daughter, (who was 15 at the time,) had sent 4500 texts last month. That's 150 a DAY. 150 a texts a DAY!

I have had my current smartphone for 5.5 years (the first and only one I've ever had actually,) and I don't think I've even sent that many texts (4500,) in the entire 5.5 years I have had my phone. And this girl's example is not an unusual case.

I do agree too that there seems to be more mental health issues than ever before, and I think part of the reason is because being a high achiever is drummed into young people (and has been since the early 1990s IME.) Nearly all children at school are told they MUST go to university, they never have any losers at any games at school, any badly behaved children are treated with kid gloves like fragile flowers, (and often given special treatment.) Whilst the 'better behaved' children get ignored and just told 'learn learn learn, and you will make it to University, and be such a success and a high earner!'

Then the ones who were pushed out to University end up getting £50K in debt, and many don't get this illustrious career they were promised, and £100K per year salary, and they don't end up 'living the dream.' They were sold a lie. Many of them end up working in a place next to the 'badly behaved' kids from school who didn't go to University, for the same pay. The University kids end up disillusioned and in debt and pissed off, wondering where their life went wrong.

I am glad I grew up when I did, (1970s child/young adult in the 1980s,) but I think there are advantages and disadvantages for every generation truth be told. I would not like to be a young person now though, and am glad I am nearly 60, not far off retirement, with a mortgage free home, and a decent pot of savings... Yeah, I have had some years of struggling financially for sure (when the kids were younger) but we were never in a position where we couldn't buy a property. And since the kids were born (mid 1990s,) I have been able to work part time 2-3 days a week (currently 2.)

I do genuinely think it was a simpler time when Gen X grew up in the 1970s and early 1980s though, and children were more easily pleased with much less. Then again adults were too. I do have to say. I think children/teens have a lot more to deal with these days, and so do young adults. And expectations are a lot higher. But not everyone is going to be a high achiever. That's just life.

But I think some young people (these days,) feel like failures because they have not achieved what they were told they could, whilst growing up. And this has contributed to anxiety, and fragile mental health for some. (And that's in addition to the soaring, and astronomical costs of housing and the cost of living!!!)

As I said earlier I love younger people and teens/children, and find them mostly polite, courteous, and funny, and intelligent people... My 2 DD are more knowledgeable and intelligent than DH and I have ever been! 😆

Basically, no generation has ever been superior to the next (or last.) We have all had our trials and tribulations, and we all have our strengths and weaknesses.

I'm the same. My 16 year old stepson has even bought in to this from seeing it on social media and thinks "it must've been better in the 80s/90s." I told him the older generation will always say this to the next, as my Mum's did. The world is a bit of a shitshow at the moment, with wars and covid everywhere so I think people are also reminiscing about easier times. One thing I did say about the 80s and 90s that I felt was better, was there was less of a big brother government than there is now. People felt they had more agency back then about their life choices, good or bad.

I knew this would be the reply. I don’t need to know your generation. It would’ve been said.

A lot of people from all generations lack basic literacy skills. The whole "in my day no one made any spelling mistakes" is total BS. You just need to read social media posts to see that!

For a start, in the past there were fewer diagnoses of children who will have turned out to have dyslexia, ADHD etc and written off as being stupid, naughty etc. Those people did not magically catch up, nor did they disappear!

And young people today have, on the face of it, better grades because of grade inflation and expectations of employers, which go hand in hand. It's therefore comparing apples and oranges to compare the academic records of people from different generations without any other context.

It's bizarre that people don't seem to grasp that society should change and progress & technology will definitely evolve.

My opinion. I respect you have yours. Something else thats prevailent these days - people frothing at the mouth when someone hads opinions different to their own. Oh, and another knifing at a school yesterday. Something else on the increase. Schools never used to be dangerous places to be.....

I suggest scrolling past anything like this that is copied and pasted/shared

These are just junk posts that catch the eye in the moment and get shared. You can guarantee that whoever is sharing them wouldn't take the time out of their day to actually write such rubbish.