I don't know about you, but when I was younger, I was told to respect my elders. My parents always instilled that in me, and it was because they were older and wiser. However, as I get older myself, I realize that it's not always the case.
Often adults who are even older than us don't have life figured out. So when a Reddit thread asked, "Younger people, what are you tired of hearing from older generations?" the younger folks sure didn't hold back, ha, ha.
"Older folks constantly trying to tell anybody younger than them that they don't know what getting old is!
35-year-old: Damn, I'm starting to feel more tired in the morning and feel a little sorer after exercise than I used to!"
55-year-old: You think you're old!? You're not old! I'M OLD! You think that's old!? Well, wait to you get to be as old as I am!"
Ha, ha, it's true, though.
"I love my grandparents, but sometimes they really grind my gears. A couple days ago I worked a normal eight-hour day in construction, mostly crawling on a roof to patch it up. In the evening, I sat in a bus with the most unergonomic seats imaginable for two hours to get to their place and had the audacity to complain about my hurting back. I'm 22, I'm not allowed to have any pain whatsoever, I obviously need to get more into shape, I can have pain when I'm 80, like them. Seriously?"
Oh, no!
"I'm tired of people complaining about how younger people are terrible as though they weren't the ones that raised those younger people to be what they are."
True dat! If they want to blame anyone for that they should blame themselves, ha, ha.
"I always hate people trying to make a contest out of something. You can be sad or upset about something in your life and then they hit you back with 'You might be upset about XYZ but the starving kids in Africa have it worse'".
Oh, yeah, we hear this all the time.
"You kids and these damn phones..."
Ha, ha, I know some people who are way older than me that are totally addicted to Facebook. And no matter what I say to them, they won't get off of it. They're always on their phone looking at all that crap.
“Just start saving! You’ll be able to buy a house in no time."
Yeah, right. I wish it were that easy. The way house prices are going, I might never be able to afford one. Well, perhaps if I move away somewhere very far where there's no work.
"That I’m wasting my entire purpose as a woman because I don’t want kids."
Aww, that's so sad that women still hear that. It's a personal choice, and people really should respect that. How do you feel about this subject?
"Anything to the effect of 'young people can't have back pain (or any other physical disability).' Like, dude, I wish being in my twenties made me immune to being injured. But that's literally just not how the human body works."
You really don't know if somebody isn't suffering so people need to be mindful of that.
"How we can't fix anything ourselves. Then promptly ask us to fix their WiFi, set up their new phone, and figure out why their computer is running slow. We can do plenty, we just have a different skill set!"
I totally hear that.
"'No one wants to work' — we want to work just not for poverty wages."
This one irritates me, too. There are plenty of younger people who work very hard. They just can't get ahead because they're stuck in low-paying jobs. The opportunities that were available before are gone now.
"I'm an older millennial. I have a good job, own a house, am married, and have two kids.It is 2022 and at least half the times I hear someone older reference 'millennials' it's talking about people who are currently the age my cohort was 22 years ago when the millennium was a thing."
Ha, ha!
"'You should really buy a house and settle down.' I'm bloody well trying, Karen. Just 'cause you bought your house in the '60s for $40k and a blueberry, off your husband's salary, whilst you were a stay-at-home mom, then sold it for $600k this year to retire off of doesn't mean that it's the same for this generation, right now. Far from it in fact. Just. Shut up."
OMG!
"Tired of people referring to their significant others as the old ball and chain or just talking [crap] about their wives to friends a lot. It’s like their wives are a burden to them?"
Oh, I absolutely can't stand that. Appreciate what you have, alright?
"'When you're older you'll agree with me.' Just because you're older doesn't mean you're always right or that you know the answers to all my life's problems. You grew up in a different time period, with different problems, and different social views. Your problems might be similar, and you might be right some of the time, but that is no excuse to shut down every logical point I make against your beliefs with this line."
Sorry, that's not always the case.
"Excuses for the fact that they haven't learned anything new since they were 30. Like, bro, come on, computers have been around for 30 years at the very least and you still don't know how to use one? The only excuse that you have is laziness."
Ha, ha, I have to laugh at that.
"I'm not younger, but I'm fed up with some older people expecting gratitude 'for all that they have done' while taking zero responsibility for the problems that they will leave future generations."
It's sad but true, no?
"'Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and work harder.' Buddy, I’ve been working 60+ hours a week and prices keep going up and my pay is not and I actually cannot afford to change jobs, change my living situation, buy a more fuel-efficient car, or go to college. There actually is no out. There is no working harder and I’ll make it. I’m literally in the poverty trap. I’m slowly making my way out of it but it’s going to be a long ass time unless some other opportunity magically appears. College isn’t the price of a McDouble anymore, old man."
Oh, my goodness, right?
"They're so judgemental and rude. I'm a restaurant worker and I swear young people are way more polite and easygoing while older people have zero patience (even though they're the ones who are already retired), oftentimes make racist, sexist, homophobic, and body-shaming comments and still act like they're above the younger generation simply because they've been alive for longer."
Yikes!
People are going to be people. Am I right? And the older the person, the more they think they know than you, and they're more than happy to tell you that. The only thing is that times have changed a lot, and not all knowledge is created equal. So the next time somebody tells you stuff like that, just smile and say "thank you for the advice" and leave it at that.
