Gen Xers, Millennials, and Zoomers can’t agree on much. But, one thing they do agree on is that Boomers are wrong. In general, they hold bad opinions because they’re old. Not like us young people (full disclosure: I’m 34). Unfortunately, some of the Boomer lifestyle takes hold of us from time to time. Luckily, we’re not alone. Obviously, we don’t want to tell our parents they are right about things. We can, though, take to Reddit to tell people what Boomers got right.
I’m pretty sure mom is not on Reddit. Though, you never know. She could have a burner account. She might even be using it to share an opinion on this very board to get people to believe that young people agree with her. I’ll be sure to ask her at Thanksgiving while we argue about socialized medicine and drones.
One person on r/AskReddit had a simple question: “what opinions do Boomers have that non-Boomers agree with.” Many people chimed in.
Here are the best answers to the question: “Non-Boomers of Reddit, what’s your most Boomer opinion?”:
1. “Five-year-olds don’t need smartphones.”
“The smartphone ownership for kids is baffling to me. It makes me feel like a super boomer, but knowing the shit they get up to, it’s pretty harmful in many cases.
Shady games tricking kids into microtransactions that render you broke, kids finding out about porn, and not just porn but really rough stuff too. Cyberbullying one another, being groomed by creeps, etc. Lots of dangers, but fortunately a lot of that can be avoided through vigilant parenting, and using the parental access controls, and y’know, actually raising the damn kid.” –Skrp
2. Not everything needs to be “smart.”
“I don’t want my damn refrigerator connected to the internet. It has one job.” –boissondevin
3. “Physical keyboards are better.”
“What’s with car manufacturers now wanting to only put in a giant touch screen? Where are my physical buttons damn it! I can only deal with touch screens for phones and tablets.” –rougemachinae
4. Missing the days of the physical card.
“Sending out thank you notes when you receive a gift from someone. My mom was always big on that and I understand why. I bought an expensive gift for my friends birthday and she never messaged me or said thank you for the gift. Saying thank you isn’t that hard and it means a lot to the person.” –Angelic_Demoness
5. “Not everything needs to be filmed and put on the internet.”
“If VHS camcorders could have connected to a media network in the 90’s, all your soccer games and birthdays would be on there. Videotaping what your kids are doing has always been boomer, they are just able to share it now.” –stlmick
6. Too many dang bills for TV!
“There are too many subscription services for shit.
It’s nice to have access to unlimited movies and TV, but like. For the most part I wind up just watching the same sitcom over and over to decompress after work. I wonder how much I could have saved by just getting B99 and King of the Hill box sets instead of paying for Hulu for four years.” –ChasingParallax
7. We all want meaningful connections.
“Communities within neighbourhoods would be lovely. My mum talks about it all the time, but it’s something I’ve never experienced myself. Like, we know our neighbours, but that’s about it. I’d love to live on a street or in a suburb where people have little get-togethers (street parties for big events) or just generally know and look out for each other on a more meaningful level.” –MartyMcFlybe
8. What’s with all these apps?
“I hate how literally everything these days has a stupid app that you need to have in order to use it. Everything from kids toys to freakin cars needs some sort of crappy app these days. Why!? What if you plan on having this item for a long while and the app either gets deleted, gets malware, or just doesn’t function due to the company not updating it? You would have to throw it out causing more waste in this world. This is planned obsolescence just disguised as being technologically advanced.” –TheGreatJess
9. We used to make quality products in this country!
“Absolutely everything is disposable nowadays. Nothing is made to last anymore. If you find something you like, it’ll be worn out in a year and probably not made anymore when you want to buy a replacement.
It’s the absolute worst with clothes and kid’s toys. With kid’s toys, by giving them such disposable toys, it discourages them from being nice with and taking care of their possessions. Why does it matter when it’s going to get worn out so quickly and they’ll be bought a replacement. I also think it’s a shame that these kids won’t have their toys to pass on to their own children because it couldn’t last.
Fun fact: Jeans originally became so popular because of their durability and affordability. They really appealed to the working-class man whose clothes were constantly getting worn out and didn’t have the money to constantly spend on new clothes. Now if you want a pair of jeans of that quality, it’s $60+ dollars.” –ShreddieKirin
10. “My back hurts.”
“Had back pain since I was about 17. Boy, I feel like an old man as I literally groan when I get out of a chair.” –
11. “Teenagers are scary.”
“They’re scary because they’re big enough to do damage and not developed enough to have impulse control.” –tehwubbles
12. I’m available when I’m available.
“Just because we have access to instant communication doesn’t mean I’m obligated to message you back immediately.” –timbocool
13. “No phones when you’re eating with someone.”
“Absolutely. I’m fine with putting them away during dinner. I almost miss when cell phone calls were only made if they were important. You could leave your phone in your pocket and, for example, if the baby sitter had a problem they could call you.” –__banned_
14. Over-parenting is bad.
“People are way too overprotective of kids these days. It’s making for anxious adults who aren’t confident in their own abilities.
I grew up underneath a helicopter parent, who was WAY too overprotective. I have to actively force myself to not be that way with my kids. Which, maybe I’ve swung too far in the opposite direction, but I really want my kids to do things on their own and not be 18 years old on the highway having a panic attack because they don’t know what to do with a flat tire (not my finest moment).” –backpickel
15. Pay attention!
“People’s driving is getting progressively worse. I have to honk at someone a few times a week to move at a green light because they have to check Facebook everytime they stop.” –devildunkard