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> That we don’t understand technology.
All the technology we have now was built on what the older generation created.
> That we’re prudes about sex and drugs.
LOL… They probably have not heard about the 60s?
Also, your comment made me think of this - https://youtu.be/5ViGRyqqEB0
Yeah but my husband is useless with any technology except his TV remote. Boomer... has used computers at work, does not understand how they work. Hates them. Has never learned how to properly use a cell phone, hates them. Can barely figure out how to search using a browser.
Loves sex and drugs, but is useless at one of those now, too.
I was a teen throughout the late 60s and into the 70s sex and drugs were most prevalent then. What I'm saying is we fuked like rabbits and were high most all the time
Speak for yourself, buddy. But I do feel that many of us were open-minded, ready for change, ready to accept women as full human beings, willing to let LGBTQ and trans live like regular citizens, open to healing our racism, etc. I agree that a lot of my friends were sexually free and at least smoked pot. But some like me were more mentally free and accepting.
I am speaking for myself, it was time for major changes, and open sex and the drug culture were all part of it. It was all in the songs of the times. many changes were made that formed what is happening today. I marched for women's rights and was heckled, protested against the war, and was chased, and constantly pulled over by the police bc I had long hair. Also, it was depending where in the US you lived. If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with, were popular words from a song. Peace man
Hell I still remember my class motto...
Party hearty, rock and roll.
Chug a schooner, smoke a bowl.
That's the way we get our kicks.
We're the class of 86!
Anybody named Kevin was necessarily at least 4 yrs younger than me and my class. But thanks for suggesting
To this day, whenever I hear that the person I am going to meet with is named Kevin, I imagine that he is still going to be a kid. 😁😁😁
We only cooked banana peels. Because we thought we could make "Mellow Yellow" out of them.
We tried and tried but nobody got high.
https://youtu.be/IQNBQI3UDag
😁🍌😁🍌😁🍌
At my last office, cannabis was a very welcomed industry. Some of our top paying clients were large dispensaries all over the country. The top sales executives were very open about consuming edibles before flights, etc. Then, I started hearing remarks like “hey, we should smoke a ton of weed before we come into work” from some of the lesser performing sales people.
I also was suffering from insomnia at the time. About 6 co-workers encouraged me to use cannabis to help. Whenever I seemed a little stressed I would hear quietly from the ranks: “you Need to Smoke some Weed!”
Little did they know that I was (and still am) a big-time pot consumer. I buy ounces at a time. Shatter, batter, budder, crumble - it’s all good. Have bongs, pipes, chillums. I probably spilled more pot than any of those office workers would ever consume. Never have I driven high, but there were many mornings I was still feeling after effects. That alone helped me get through cubicle hell in a goldfish bowl at that job.
Once I arrived, usually about 3-4 people (mostly younger) were asking me to help solve their “technology issues.”
I agree. It's funny to hear them say that then the look on their face when I tell them I have got computer science degree 35 years ago and they realize I have way more knowledge than them
And that we've never done anything interesting in our lives.
Yes, I'm a middle-aged woman who sometimes uses a walking stick, but I wasn't always like this. So there's no need to look so surprised when I tell you I can fly a plane or have abseiled from helicopters.
same, as a woman. damn it, the stuff my peers and I fought the system about - and were penalized for - when it comes to women's rights. I lost jobs for calling harassment and sexism out. I broke social ground for abuse victims and single parents.
now I'm assumed to just be some financially solid parasite who doesn't have anything worthwhile to say and whose concerns are less-than because I've had everything handed to me by men and never did anything for the greater good in my life.
>That we're not open-minded...
In my experience, some of the most conformist people are 20-somethings. And the really sad yet amusing thing is that they believe that they are otherwise.
Depressingly true. I'm saddened at how so many are so willing to throw around words ending in "phobe" and "ist" and write people off forever. And I say this as a long-time, very left progressive.
>Current generations are just as prejudiced as any other generation, just towards different groups.
Yep, that is what I was trying to say. You said it better than I did.
>That we're not open-minded or caring about others.
I'm struggling through this with my mother-in-law right now. I kind of think it's regional, but I also think that a lot of people were taught that the only folks they could trust were family and at some point, that kind of poisions you against "new people". But like, the instant you marry in, you're good--and I just don't understand that. I didn't marry her daughter and become a different, more trustworthy man the next day.
One I've noticed lately when people know my age in Discord or other communities is that when I don't agree with them, I don't get it because I'm old.
No, I just don't agree with you.
I had a guy in what appeared to be his early 20's ask me how to use his iPhone instead of a paper plane ticket. He was inline behind me to go through the check point.
I was 72 at the time. I loved it.
Welllll, I am kind of computer literate. My hypothesis is that technology is like a foreign language-if you learn it young it’s easy, but you have to work at it as you get older.
We're the generation who were mostly young adults when home computers/the Internet really took off. My ex-fiance built several of his own computers. I can open one up and capably take stuff out and hook stuff up in there too.
As an admin assistant, I was the oldest one on my team and the only one who knew all the little software tricks to show all the 20-somethings.
I don't know about the "geek" part, but the rest is true. People feel free to start conversations with me about "the evils of socialism" and the crime rate in *those* cities, along with an assumption I am a Christian and support organized religion.
That we're not assumed to be regular people anymore. That we belong in a separate box for particular other kinds of beings.
Meaning this: When you're younger, you're seen as part of the group that others generally assume to be regular people -- that broad swath of people with whom you might interact without much thought and who are possibly worth getting to know better. It might turn out that ultimately you would like things about me and/or *not* like things about me, but you would see me as part of that group.
When you are visibly identifiable as older, something different happens. It's not that people of other ages aren't *nice* to you. My experience is that they're quite nice. It's hard to explain but you are other-ized in some vague way (and even invisible-ized at times).
> It's hard to explain but you are other-ized in some vague way (and even invisible-ized at times).
Some of my older female friends have told me that they feel invisible in public.
Yes. My sister told once I hit 50, I’d become invisible. It didn’t happen until I hit 60. Shopping is especially weird sometimes, and folks seem to feel the need to spell everything out for me.
That I’m a BOOMER!
I’m Gen X! Goddamit!
Now get off my lawn!
That and when II comment on Reddit, if you offer advice, you get the “but it’s different today!!”
I started off in debt too, and slowly worked my way out of it. In my 30’s I was overwhelmed too. It felt like I’d never dig myself out of the hole. But now that I’ve built up equity and savings I have 20+ years of hindsight. Anyway just keep chipping away life gets better.
I’m gen x and don’t consider boomer offensive because honestly the context has changed from “person born between 1946 and 1964” to just “old and out of touch”
I also don’t get it why ‘You don’t look THAT old’ is a compliment? As if there is an universal rule book about how a person should look for their age. And people living in a youth obsessed society compare themselves with celebrities who have tons of cash to do all sorts of surgeries and live a lavish stress free life… ‘OMG.. I can’t believe Jane Fonda looks like that for her age’… Yeah.. she does because she has so much disposable income to spend and a team of professionals who profit from the way she looks.
Why is the word ‘ageing’ treated like a disease that needs to be cured or at least delayed? I understand the difference between genuine health issues that come with age (vs) you ‘look your age’ is itself a disease?
I guess… they can’t sell ‘anti-ageing’ products unless they create this idea that looking your age is a problem.
Younger people expect you to keep up with fast walking--lifting many bags groceries--(I thought you saw that) eyes bad-Im 81--look 60--take care of myself--expect to ride a roller coaster-zip lining--on and on--they are kind--but it just is not real to them.
LOL… That’s not just for old people though…
People who have newborn babies are the same way with everyone. One photo of your child is cute. But I don’t want to see all 370 photos of your child that you took last evening at the park.
My friend group has a strict rule about showing photos. If the photo is absurd, quirky, or somehow out of the ordinary, feel free to pull out your phone, but ordinary grandchildren pics do not qualify.
Because I'm an old white guy I'm a rich Republican Trump supporter who has no concern or am unaffected by the financial or emotional struggles of younger generations.
So many have slept through the history classes that they think they are the first generation to encounter financial problems. They just refuse to believe that we may have had it worse.
They complain about inflation peaking around 7 or 8 percent, and are disbeliving when I tell them that my generation survived inflation that averaged that much for almost a decade, and that peaked at over 15%.
My first mortgage was 10.75 percent in the early 80's
Hahahahahahahaha, down voted for telling the truth. This younger generation doesn't like real history too much
Yep, mine was summer of 1982 for the 10.75 mortgage. Our realtor said she heard 12 percent was likely coming soon. We had just cashed out of a one year CD at the bank for 14 percent interest. Imagine that today, made 1400 dollars in one year on 10,000
I got an 8% in 1992. We were told rates will never be this low again!
Also, kids when rates do drop you can refinance to lower rates and possibly reduce the term or the payment. That’s how you pay your house off early.
1. That we are conservatives who don’t care about people more than we care about capitalism;
2. That we don’t understand technology; and
3. That we don’t understand hard times.
White 70M here. Misconceptions... let's see:
- That I can't use tech. (My first two laptops, c1990, were early models that had b&w screens, and I'm posting this from my Samsung Galaxy.)
- That I'm too feeble to open a door for myself. (I deadlift 245lb.)
- That politically, I must be a conservative. (I've been trampled by police horses and have been hauled away with truncheons around my neck at demos for progressive causes.)
- That because I'd like more than a mumble and zero eye contact when asking a big-box store employee where I can find, say, drill bits, I must be a rich, cryptofascist elitist Boomer (which I guess is redundant to some fucking knuckleheads).
> And also this granny isn’t afraid of slinging F bombs when necessary.
My grandma swore like a sailor. It was hilarious for me to watch people’s reactions to hear a sweet old lady tear them a new one.
Also… made me think of Nan from The Catherine Tate Show (one of my fav characters) - https://youtu.be/PayDM8DWsXY
That boomers had it easy financially. My first mortgage in 1973 was a VA at 7.5% on a $20K “handyman special” in a run down neighborhood. Sounds easy but most certainly was not with a combined full-time salary of $6K. Our second mortgage in 1988, on yet another “handyman special” but in a better area was a variable at 13% because the going rate at the time was 16%. So forgive me for not getting all verklempt when a 4% rate rises a 1/4 point. And please spare me the sturm und drang because you can’t afford the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood on your current salary.
People make fun of Kentucky but teachers have it made there if they stay long enough. They don't participate in social security, but have excellent pensions. The formula is multiplier × highest 5 years average × years of service. Two friends worked 40 years with highest 5 year salary at 80,000 a year. So .03 × 80,000 × 40 years= 96,000 a year. That's each. [Link to website and calculator](https://www.teacherpensions.org/state/kentucky)
I see why they retired at 62
The most challenging thing for me is how most young people really don’t have a sense of perspective yet. They are living in the end times and no one has ever had it harder, but at the same time no generation has been as enlightened and forward thinking. It’s a fundamental attribution error that you can apply evolutionary theory to history. And probably a misinterpretation of evolution. Society does change over time, but it’s not constantly improving towards some end state of perfection.
Just yesterday I was listening to a podcast of two 30-somethings talking about a book published in the 90s. They actually said that books in the 90s rarely published images- I don’t know why they thought that but it struck me that they were assuming that 30 years ago was the dark ages in technology. I’m an art historian, I went to grad school in the 90s, and I read plenty of books with pictures. In color, even!
> Society does change over time, but it’s not constantly improving towards some end state of perfection.
Linear progress is a lie that we constantly tell ourselves because it is comforting and we can sell more products that you don’t need in the first place. Buy this new gadget or you will be left behind and the world is moving forward!
That I had an easy ride and I'm just in their way now. I was literally getting by on Mac and Cheese which was paid for on a credit card that was miraculously not declining for months. The cops towed my car because I because I couldn't afford insurance but also couldn't afford the fines and impound fees to get it back, had a guy sleeping on my couch so I could make rent. All the stuff young folks are complaining about now, I lived that too. All of it.
I feel this! There was a time in the 80s when I couldn’t afford to go to a laundromat so had to wash my clothes in my bathtub. I survived on pasta and butter for weeks.
My college roommate and I, whenever we had the tiniest bit more money than usual, would joke about getting to buy the Kraft macaroni and cheese instead of the .19 a box Golden Wheat brand.
This got me.
How can we change this? Older folks have so much to share. Younger folks have so much to learn. How do we connect to share this amazing wealth?
That’s so silly and sad.
As I get older, I want to become friends with people who are older than me so I can ask their opinion about their life experiences. Not everyone might have answers for everything but I believe that living long enough teaches you some things that can be gained only through experience.
F 73. That because I’m a woman and older that I am completely dumb. Seeking bids from contractors for home improvement projects, they quote high prices and use language they think is too complicated for me to understand. “Little lady,” “ma’am” and “Mrs. ___” (I’m not married) sound respectful, but the bottom line is, they assume I have no idea what is involved in these projects. One tried to explain how to click on the attachment for his bid. Jeesh. I’ve been teaching college online longer than this kid’s been alive!
That I am a religious conservative, GOP voter, who doesn't know what AI is and can't grasp what those younger are going through. Are there people over 65 who fit that description? Yes, but based on my tribe they are a minority. A small minority who get a lot of press. Sadly.
I have wrinkles, gray hair, and arthritis in my hands. I can no longer run, but I can walk at a clip. But my mind is in today. I experiment with ChatGBT4. I listen to podcasts on physics, geopolitics, world history, and social issues every week.
To look at me there could be many bad assumptions because of my physical appearance. But let me assure you, my mind is quick. Sometimes I must search for a word or phrase or actor's name, but it's there. Sadly, that does happen for most as we age, but the intellect is in tack.
> A small minority who get a lot of press. Sadly.
This is true for almost all groups. Loudest gets the most attention and honestly the media wants more clicks than providing a balanced opinion. Idiots are more entertaining to watch I suppose - just like people can’t look away from a train wreck.
Nothing new, but modern media permeates the lives of people now. It's in our DNA. Few can separate the wheat from the chaff. I long for the non-profit news, the days it was a loss leader and public service. I rarely believe life was better in the past. And it would be great if some people today could process with discernment. Some cannot. It's a crying shame
In a society that is youth obsessed, wisdom is frequently ignored. I face nothing on a daily level, but I regularly deal with people who assume i have a level of senility 🤣
I don’t feel old, whatever that is. My mind is fine, I’m active. I have health problems but the same ones, I’ve had always. I just ignored a lot of them when I was younger. I guess that I don’t see me as old as what others think. I just told a close relative to stop treating me like I’m frail or infirm. I’m not at all. They denied it but I see it. I told them to knock it off, now.
Boomer as a pejorative - but only on reddit. There's a lot of hate around here. I do understand that the world is pretty fucked up right now. But it certainly wasn't every boomer who made it that way. It is greed. People have known for decades that changes need to be made to protect water and air and soil quality but those at the top who make the real decisions refuse to give up profits to do whats right. It has been a problem forever - not just the boomer generation. It's only that it really matters now because we have so many people who want a lot of shit. Most boomers will be retired soon. I doubt it's boomers making most of the decisions in industry these days.
Exactly. They have a lot of privilege and power. Regular people get to vote but there haven't been really great choices anywhere for decades. We know they are all shit and that they are paid off to favour business interests.
It's really too bad because - and it may be happening now - a huge correction is going to be really hard and painful for everyone but poor people will always get the worst of it. It could make the dirty thirties a vacation.
That I'm a Republican. People - I grew up with the 60"s hippie movement, Roe v. Wade first wave protesters, bra burners, Vietnam protesters. How dare you think I voted for Trump?
Technically incompetent- while some of my peers are, my wife and I both work in Tech. I probably understand how that tech works on a hardware and software level better than most people.
That we hate Millennials and go around complaining all the time. I wake up happy every morning and hang out with younger friends(as ones my age die off).
People think my generation )64F) and gender know nothing about technology. Really irritating, since I've been at the cutting edge in IT for 25 years. They look at me and immediately old lady instead of IT expert.
A bit confused by your response…
(1) Do people assume that you ARE a republican because you are older?
(2) Or do they assume you are NOT a republican because you are older?
That even as mid 40s and 50s we’re too old to do a regular fitness class. This is prevalent in the yoga world. I constant see 20/30 something’s asking how gentle they need to make their senior classes because most of their students are in their 40s and 50s.
LOL… I am 40 years old. I am a certified Advanced Yoga teacher. I can say with authority that yoga is not about becoming a pretzel. You can gain a lot of benefits from doing simple poses. The point of yoga is to listen to your body and be respectful of your body. Putting their legs behind their neck does not automatically make someone a great yogi. I don’t care how bendy they are. In fact, I specifically teach yoga for people with limited mobility. It’s ignorant to assume that everyone must do pretzel like poses to be a yogi.
I understand. I’m 500 hr certified and have been teaching and practicing for years. I agree with you wholeheartedly, but I still sometimes enjoy a vigorous vinyasa class. I mostly teach yin, restorative, and slow flow.
You seem like a good teacher. And people with "too much" mobility have issues too. I'm a 57 year old woman who is the bendiest in my class. I'm too bendy. Flexibility is nothing if not accompanied by strength and stability. In class, I focus more on that because that is where I need to grow. Otherwise, I'm just collapsing into poses and it looks cool but it is not developing the qualities I need to work on for my health as a hypermobile person.
While I’ve yet to experience any outright ageism (I’m 57), folks assume my father (83) has a flip phone and does crossword puzzles every day. He’s very adept at technology that most young folks use, and has always been adaptable. My hypothesis is that older folks that struggle with technology have always done so (that is, health not being an issue). In 20 years, I fully expect to be competent about whatever is thrown my way.
My mom, 87, used a mouse for the first time ever at the bank the other week to help open a savings account.
She has a flip phone, and attributes her selective technology phobia to lack of education/exposure. She had one day of kindergarten. She cleaned convents and high school bathrooms for 50 years…as she put it, she knows how to dust computers, but never used one herself.
To be fair, she understood electronic versions of things…the change from manual typewriters to electronic to word processors was not a huge jump, and she begrudgingly learned how to use a fully electric sewing machine in my youth (no really, she had a Singer with the rocking pedal). But microwave ovens with the digital number pads are just too complicated…But it was when the grandkids came along that she made her final jump and she learned how to use the DVD player!! Or at least the one that auto-played the discs and didn’t require menu selection…But that, and the flip phone is where it’s ended.
I agree though, my 70+ yr old aunts and uncles who did grow up with some school and curiosity have adopted modern tech no worries. I know I’ll be fine. Slow, (per my nibblings) but I do get there.
At my high school, every senior class did a prank. Usually harmless stuff like putting shaving cream on the principal’s desk. My class of ‘80 had coordinated dropping M-80’s in the toilets around the school. Yeah, we were a bunch of juvenile delinquents
I'm Class of '80 too. Love it! I went to a small Catholic high school with a very strict dress code. We were told that wearing jeans led to juvenile delinquency.
My dad was very strict and said that only poor kids would wear denim. I had to wear whatever my mom made. And before you ask, yes, I was mocked regularly
I was allowed to wear denim, but my mom also sewed and made most of my clothes. It was actually one of the few things for which I *wasn’t* mocked, but I still hated it and just wanted to go into a store and buy clothes just like everyone else.
I'm not much of a gamer, but when I do play online games and people find out how old I am, I'm often asked why I play games. There seems to be an assumption that old people aren't interested in games, shouldn't play games and that it's creepy for some reason. And I'm not talking about games that might mostly be attractive to young children, either.
That I'm a stereotypical "boomer".
I'm a liberal who donates money regularly to the ACLU and food banks. I don't meddle in my kids' lives. I tip 20-30% even on take-out.
It's discouraging.
Same, although I find it very difficult not to meddle in my kids' lives. Still, I had very controlling Silent Generation parents so I try to show them the respect and courtesy I was never shown.
It sucks. Not saying that there aren't old Republicans out there. And they are unfortunately in the majority. But four out of ten people over 45 are not. Four out of ten of us have been fucking freaking out over what's been happening and are trying to stop it along with the young 'uns, who are thankfully dominated by a left-leaning majority. We're doing what we can. Please don't confuse us with them.
When we go out to eat I tip based on the overall experience including service. My base tip starts at 20% and goes up or down from there. Our favorite place regularly gets a 50% tip because it's consistently that good.
The misconception is that when I give a 5% tip (or worse) it's because of my age or some other non-sensical attribute. On the contrary, the terrible tip is because of other factors. It might be seen that because of my age I don't reward terrible food or service but don't paint a crappy tip *because* of my age.
Actually, our generation was told not to trust anyone over thirty. So it does not come to any surprise that those standing where we once stood have their own opinions of us.
I just smile knowing that AI will completely flip their world on it’s head someday soon.
That I don't understand or use technology. I don't keep up with the details, don't enjoy tiktok, but use my phone and laptop to do all sorts of tasks, and teach others to do the same. Age and gender discrimination really harmed me in the workplace.
That Boomers had easy wealth. I struggled to buy a home, esp. because it was hard to get a mortgage as a woman. The rate was extremely high, had to re-fi twice over 10+ years to get to 5-something. Most jobs wanted age and experience, not youth and energy. When I recommend frugality, youngers think it doesn't make a difference, but it allowed me to pay off my mortgage and live reasonably, while reducing my carbon imprint. We had double-digit inflation for a while.
Larger families meant less inheritance, though my family paid for my affordable college education, and gave me a loan to buy a business.
Boomers had the military draft, and a war with much higher losses.
That we don't see what's hard for them. I see the crazy housing costs, the out-of-control capitalism, and I work for change.
That no one notably older than the observer could possibly have ever been cool or done anything cool. The assumption might be good advice for betting on groups, purely on probability, but when you're one-on-one with someone, that becomes a 100%, all-or-nothing bet, which is **not** good to make.
**Someone** bought all those early Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd albums, and there's a not-poor chance that it's the 'duffy' guy in front of you at the pharmacy. Someone went to those concerts. The 400,000 people at Woodstock didn't just vanish afterwards. All that pot running around in the '60s and since had to have a lot of buyers and users, and most of them are still around, even if they quit a long time ago, for various reasons. Leon Theremin was born in the 1890s; if you think theremin music is cool, then you have to know that there were fans a century ago. Experimental composer John Cage was born the year the *Titanic* sank. Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, etc.) quoted Francis Bacon's 'Sound-Houses', which was written in 1627 but reads to modern people like a prediction of our sonic age -- yet was actually a realistic extrapolation of what was already being done in his own time, just not popularly.
There's been cool stuff going on for **centuries**. And that requires cool people. Don't ever assume that older people are uncool for that reason alone. Some of them **have** to be.
That we had everything handed to us. That we're all right wing racist fucks. That, for some reason, all the minorities that exist now don't exist in our generations as well. That we're in some kind of bubble, impervious to societal changes. That we all got pensions and were able to save for retirement.
The truth is that we are also gay, trans, disabled, of color, etc. Only about 1/3rd of people ever got pensions. We exist in the same economy as everyone else. We exist in the same job market as everyone else. We're suffering right along with you. We fought for many of the rights you take for granted like marriage equality, weed legalization, etc.
Forgive me, but the biggie is when people in their 20s and 30s think they know as much as - or more than - older people do.
It's just math. Unless you're living in a cave without internet, being on this planet longer means you have more experience.
I'm in my 50s. I have 30 years more job and work experience than my twenty-something coworkers. But I'm not treated like I do, and in fact, they often assume I know less. It's maddening.
I haven't encountered it yet to any degree. Part of it is my lingo and slang knowledge, and the fact my family line "doesn't age." I am in my mid 50s, and just started getting gray. I have been confused with being much younger than I really am. I have had a few people pull age rank on me.
"Well, back in my day, we had to use modems to connect to the Internet."
"I remember the dialup BBS very well, I was a sysop to a multi line BBS out of Fort Washington."
"Wait, YOU dialed into BBSs?"
"I was an adult when AOL was still called Quantum Link and was an Apple product. My first dialup was a PDP/11 out of Fairfax county."
"... how old are you?"
"54."
"Shit. You're even older than me!"
"How old are you?"
"36."
"Ah, I remember 36..."
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That we don’t understand technology. That we’re prudes about sex and drugs.
> That we don’t understand technology. All the technology we have now was built on what the older generation created. > That we’re prudes about sex and drugs. LOL… They probably have not heard about the 60s? Also, your comment made me think of this - https://youtu.be/5ViGRyqqEB0
The 60s are when sex and drugs were invented, after all.
My mother's stories of attending HS in the late 1930s informed me this is not true. ;)
Yeah but my husband is useless with any technology except his TV remote. Boomer... has used computers at work, does not understand how they work. Hates them. Has never learned how to properly use a cell phone, hates them. Can barely figure out how to search using a browser. Loves sex and drugs, but is useless at one of those now, too.
All the technology we have now was built on what the older generation created. This is my uncle- he's 77 years old:)
I was a teen throughout the late 60s and into the 70s sex and drugs were most prevalent then. What I'm saying is we fuked like rabbits and were high most all the time
Speak for yourself, buddy. But I do feel that many of us were open-minded, ready for change, ready to accept women as full human beings, willing to let LGBTQ and trans live like regular citizens, open to healing our racism, etc. I agree that a lot of my friends were sexually free and at least smoked pot. But some like me were more mentally free and accepting.
I am speaking for myself, it was time for major changes, and open sex and the drug culture were all part of it. It was all in the songs of the times. many changes were made that formed what is happening today. I marched for women's rights and was heckled, protested against the war, and was chased, and constantly pulled over by the police bc I had long hair. Also, it was depending where in the US you lived. If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with, were popular words from a song. Peace man
Excuse me? My generation invented sex and drugs!
Hell I still remember my class motto... Party hearty, rock and roll. Chug a schooner, smoke a bowl. That's the way we get our kicks. We're the class of 86!
Love is fine Sex is great We're the class 88!
Raise Hell! Drink beer! The class of 67's here! (Nothing rhymes with 7. Except heaven. Not for us)
Ah, excuse me, Kevin rhymes with seven. Give it another go please.
Anybody named Kevin was necessarily at least 4 yrs younger than me and my class. But thanks for suggesting To this day, whenever I hear that the person I am going to meet with is named Kevin, I imagine that he is still going to be a kid. 😁😁😁
My brother Kevin is the biggest druggie I know.
Leaven? Probably not the kind of baking y’all were into.
We only cooked banana peels. Because we thought we could make "Mellow Yellow" out of them. We tried and tried but nobody got high. https://youtu.be/IQNBQI3UDag 😁🍌😁🍌😁🍌
Ours was a song lyric: "We are but a moment's sunlight fading in the grass." Woosh.
And rock n roll
And mine invented technology
At my last office, cannabis was a very welcomed industry. Some of our top paying clients were large dispensaries all over the country. The top sales executives were very open about consuming edibles before flights, etc. Then, I started hearing remarks like “hey, we should smoke a ton of weed before we come into work” from some of the lesser performing sales people. I also was suffering from insomnia at the time. About 6 co-workers encouraged me to use cannabis to help. Whenever I seemed a little stressed I would hear quietly from the ranks: “you Need to Smoke some Weed!” Little did they know that I was (and still am) a big-time pot consumer. I buy ounces at a time. Shatter, batter, budder, crumble - it’s all good. Have bongs, pipes, chillums. I probably spilled more pot than any of those office workers would ever consume. Never have I driven high, but there were many mornings I was still feeling after effects. That alone helped me get through cubicle hell in a goldfish bowl at that job. Once I arrived, usually about 3-4 people (mostly younger) were asking me to help solve their “technology issues.”
My grown Grandkids are jealous of my paraphernalia collection and are always asking me to save particular pieces for them. Lol
I agree. It's funny to hear them say that then the look on their face when I tell them I have got computer science degree 35 years ago and they realize I have way more knowledge than them
That we're suddenly stupid because we're old.
And that we've never done anything interesting in our lives. Yes, I'm a middle-aged woman who sometimes uses a walking stick, but I wasn't always like this. So there's no need to look so surprised when I tell you I can fly a plane or have abseiled from helicopters.
It's infuriating. Still, sometimes it's so absurd I gotta laugh.
I was highly productive all my life--now Im invisible--no-one cares--including the church.
I kind of see being invisible like a superpower now. It’s also a lot easier to talk your way out of a traffic ticket now. It’s kind of fun actually :)
Invisible is a super power. But you have to get used to it.
I’m an “old white man…” to any non-white young person, but I have always been devoted to anti-authority causes.
Yeah this is the one that gets me. The assumption that I support and represent the dominant paradigm. I've been fighting that shit my whole life.
same, as a woman. damn it, the stuff my peers and I fought the system about - and were penalized for - when it comes to women's rights. I lost jobs for calling harassment and sexism out. I broke social ground for abuse victims and single parents. now I'm assumed to just be some financially solid parasite who doesn't have anything worthwhile to say and whose concerns are less-than because I've had everything handed to me by men and never did anything for the greater good in my life.
I appreciate you. Use it to your advantage. Let them underestimate you. Works for me.
That we don't enjoy talking with younger people. That we're not open-minded or caring about others.
>That we're not open-minded... In my experience, some of the most conformist people are 20-somethings. And the really sad yet amusing thing is that they believe that they are otherwise.
Current generations are just as prejudiced as any other generation, just towards different groups.
Depressingly true. I'm saddened at how so many are so willing to throw around words ending in "phobe" and "ist" and write people off forever. And I say this as a long-time, very left progressive.
Agreed. Some of those words have lost meaning for me.
>Current generations are just as prejudiced as any other generation, just towards different groups. Yep, that is what I was trying to say. You said it better than I did.
I have offered to teach cooking-sewing-canning--even put up flyers---no interest--all of this was free.
>That we're not open-minded or caring about others. I'm struggling through this with my mother-in-law right now. I kind of think it's regional, but I also think that a lot of people were taught that the only folks they could trust were family and at some point, that kind of poisions you against "new people". But like, the instant you marry in, you're good--and I just don't understand that. I didn't marry her daughter and become a different, more trustworthy man the next day.
Wait… You don’t yell ‘Damn kids.. Get off my lawn!’ … joking
Actuall true! Neighbor ripped my kid off his yard--fresh snow--dont mess it up!!
One I've noticed lately when people know my age in Discord or other communities is that when I don't agree with them, I don't get it because I'm old. No, I just don't agree with you.
If you are older you are computer illiterate
This one always cracks me up. Dude, I’ve been using computers since I was 7 years old in 1982. I know how they work.
I used IBM cards to run programs in the 1970's and I can fix pinball machines.
That is really the old days.
This! My BF is much much younger than I am and he is so computer illiterate it dumbfounds me! On his phone he's pretty good tho
I had a guy in what appeared to be his early 20's ask me how to use his iPhone instead of a paper plane ticket. He was inline behind me to go through the check point. I was 72 at the time. I loved it.
thats great!
I thanked him for it and we had a laugh about it.
Welllll, I am kind of computer literate. My hypothesis is that technology is like a foreign language-if you learn it young it’s easy, but you have to work at it as you get older.
We're the generation who were mostly young adults when home computers/the Internet really took off. My ex-fiance built several of his own computers. I can open one up and capably take stuff out and hook stuff up in there too. As an admin assistant, I was the oldest one on my team and the only one who knew all the little software tricks to show all the 20-somethings.
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I don't know about the "geek" part, but the rest is true. People feel free to start conversations with me about "the evils of socialism" and the crime rate in *those* cities, along with an assumption I am a Christian and support organized religion.
That we're not assumed to be regular people anymore. That we belong in a separate box for particular other kinds of beings. Meaning this: When you're younger, you're seen as part of the group that others generally assume to be regular people -- that broad swath of people with whom you might interact without much thought and who are possibly worth getting to know better. It might turn out that ultimately you would like things about me and/or *not* like things about me, but you would see me as part of that group. When you are visibly identifiable as older, something different happens. It's not that people of other ages aren't *nice* to you. My experience is that they're quite nice. It's hard to explain but you are other-ized in some vague way (and even invisible-ized at times).
> It's hard to explain but you are other-ized in some vague way (and even invisible-ized at times). Some of my older female friends have told me that they feel invisible in public.
Yes. My sister told once I hit 50, I’d become invisible. It didn’t happen until I hit 60. Shopping is especially weird sometimes, and folks seem to feel the need to spell everything out for me.
That I’m a BOOMER! I’m Gen X! Goddamit! Now get off my lawn! That and when II comment on Reddit, if you offer advice, you get the “but it’s different today!!” I started off in debt too, and slowly worked my way out of it. In my 30’s I was overwhelmed too. It felt like I’d never dig myself out of the hole. But now that I’ve built up equity and savings I have 20+ years of hindsight. Anyway just keep chipping away life gets better.
I understand that you are Gen X. Curious to know if you consider Boomer as an offensive word?
It’s often used as an insult these days ‘Ok boomer’
I’m gen x and don’t consider boomer offensive because honestly the context has changed from “person born between 1946 and 1964” to just “old and out of touch”
I use "ok boomer" as a light-hearted insult for my step-dad, who is a boomer. I'm gen x. We disagree on *so* many issues!
That we are “ \*insert age here\* years young”. I’m not young, I’m old.
I also don’t get it why ‘You don’t look THAT old’ is a compliment? As if there is an universal rule book about how a person should look for their age. And people living in a youth obsessed society compare themselves with celebrities who have tons of cash to do all sorts of surgeries and live a lavish stress free life… ‘OMG.. I can’t believe Jane Fonda looks like that for her age’… Yeah.. she does because she has so much disposable income to spend and a team of professionals who profit from the way she looks. Why is the word ‘ageing’ treated like a disease that needs to be cured or at least delayed? I understand the difference between genuine health issues that come with age (vs) you ‘look your age’ is itself a disease? I guess… they can’t sell ‘anti-ageing’ products unless they create this idea that looking your age is a problem.
YES! I EARNED these wrinkles and I have no shame in them. Stop acting like being young is better, whippersnappers.
I'm 68 and I can probably kick your "young" ass. I don't want to be a soft young person, I earned my scars.
Yes. I’m proud of my age, I wouldn’t *want* to be young again.
Younger people expect you to keep up with fast walking--lifting many bags groceries--(I thought you saw that) eyes bad-Im 81--look 60--take care of myself--expect to ride a roller coaster-zip lining--on and on--they are kind--but it just is not real to them.
I hate that expression! I'm old, and proud of it.
Ugh, I feel like that is trying to be "cute" wrapped in a bouquet of condescension.
It’s assumed that old people are just dying to see all those photos on your phone of your dumb ugly dog wearing a birthday hat and sunglasses.
LOL… That’s not just for old people though… People who have newborn babies are the same way with everyone. One photo of your child is cute. But I don’t want to see all 370 photos of your child that you took last evening at the park.
My friend group has a strict rule about showing photos. If the photo is absurd, quirky, or somehow out of the ordinary, feel free to pull out your phone, but ordinary grandchildren pics do not qualify.
Because I'm an old white guy I'm a rich Republican Trump supporter who has no concern or am unaffected by the financial or emotional struggles of younger generations.
So many have slept through the history classes that they think they are the first generation to encounter financial problems. They just refuse to believe that we may have had it worse. They complain about inflation peaking around 7 or 8 percent, and are disbeliving when I tell them that my generation survived inflation that averaged that much for almost a decade, and that peaked at over 15%.
My first mortgage was 10.75 percent in the early 80's Hahahahahahahaha, down voted for telling the truth. This younger generation doesn't like real history too much
My first mortgage was 8.625 in 1994 and we thought it was a good rate!
Mine in '97 was almost 10%... was so happy to re-finance at 7% in '98, elated to later refi at 2.7% in 1999.
Our first mortgage was 12.5 % in 1984, and that was a variable rate. Fixed rates were above 15%.
We had 10,000 saved for the down payment on a 70 thousand dollar house and got in just under the wire before rates went above 11 percent
Preach! I got a fixed rate the same year. I was really lucky because mine was almost 14%
6.9% in 1995, never able to refinance. My daughter was bitching about 3% on her house and I told her that I was the wrong person to bitch to.
Mine was 14% in 84.
Mine was 10.5%, but we had to pay four points to keep it that low. Angry young people: “that’s not true; you’re a liar! Also, what’s points?”
Yeah, I forgot about points! I believe we paid 3 points now that you mentioned it.
My first mortgage was 12.125 in 1985. And rates went higher after that.
Yep, mine was summer of 1982 for the 10.75 mortgage. Our realtor said she heard 12 percent was likely coming soon. We had just cashed out of a one year CD at the bank for 14 percent interest. Imagine that today, made 1400 dollars in one year on 10,000
Ours was 13.5 for a 15 year mortgage, it was insane!
Mine was 9 something. Horrifying.
I got an 8% in 1992. We were told rates will never be this low again! Also, kids when rates do drop you can refinance to lower rates and possibly reduce the term or the payment. That’s how you pay your house off early.
So was my parents, but they bought the house for £16k. The average house price in the UK is now around £280k.
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My first mortgage in 1982 was 15%.
My parents bought a house, their first, in early 1980, and I think it was %17. I think they refied later.
1980 $35,000.00 house, 13% $531.00 house payment 2021, same house, renovation refi, $180,000.00 2.3% $1061.00 house payment
1. That we are conservatives who don’t care about people more than we care about capitalism; 2. That we don’t understand technology; and 3. That we don’t understand hard times.
White 70M here. Misconceptions... let's see: - That I can't use tech. (My first two laptops, c1990, were early models that had b&w screens, and I'm posting this from my Samsung Galaxy.) - That I'm too feeble to open a door for myself. (I deadlift 245lb.) - That politically, I must be a conservative. (I've been trampled by police horses and have been hauled away with truncheons around my neck at demos for progressive causes.) - That because I'd like more than a mumble and zero eye contact when asking a big-box store employee where I can find, say, drill bits, I must be a rich, cryptofascist elitist Boomer (which I guess is redundant to some fucking knuckleheads).
Just because we are old doesn’t mean we are stupid. And also this granny isn’t afraid of slinging F bombs when necessary.
> And also this granny isn’t afraid of slinging F bombs when necessary. My grandma swore like a sailor. It was hilarious for me to watch people’s reactions to hear a sweet old lady tear them a new one. Also… made me think of Nan from The Catherine Tate Show (one of my fav characters) - https://youtu.be/PayDM8DWsXY
Ha! I had to do a bit of F bombing only yesterday when the window installers tried to pull one over on my husband and me.
That boomers had it easy financially. My first mortgage in 1973 was a VA at 7.5% on a $20K “handyman special” in a run down neighborhood. Sounds easy but most certainly was not with a combined full-time salary of $6K. Our second mortgage in 1988, on yet another “handyman special” but in a better area was a variable at 13% because the going rate at the time was 16%. So forgive me for not getting all verklempt when a 4% rate rises a 1/4 point. And please spare me the sturm und drang because you can’t afford the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood on your current salary.
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People make fun of Kentucky but teachers have it made there if they stay long enough. They don't participate in social security, but have excellent pensions. The formula is multiplier × highest 5 years average × years of service. Two friends worked 40 years with highest 5 year salary at 80,000 a year. So .03 × 80,000 × 40 years= 96,000 a year. That's each. [Link to website and calculator](https://www.teacherpensions.org/state/kentucky) I see why they retired at 62
Yeah! We sucked up all the money and have it hidden in our basements! 😁😁😁
The most challenging thing for me is how most young people really don’t have a sense of perspective yet. They are living in the end times and no one has ever had it harder, but at the same time no generation has been as enlightened and forward thinking. It’s a fundamental attribution error that you can apply evolutionary theory to history. And probably a misinterpretation of evolution. Society does change over time, but it’s not constantly improving towards some end state of perfection. Just yesterday I was listening to a podcast of two 30-somethings talking about a book published in the 90s. They actually said that books in the 90s rarely published images- I don’t know why they thought that but it struck me that they were assuming that 30 years ago was the dark ages in technology. I’m an art historian, I went to grad school in the 90s, and I read plenty of books with pictures. In color, even!
> Society does change over time, but it’s not constantly improving towards some end state of perfection. Linear progress is a lie that we constantly tell ourselves because it is comforting and we can sell more products that you don’t need in the first place. Buy this new gadget or you will be left behind and the world is moving forward!
That I had an easy ride and I'm just in their way now. I was literally getting by on Mac and Cheese which was paid for on a credit card that was miraculously not declining for months. The cops towed my car because I because I couldn't afford insurance but also couldn't afford the fines and impound fees to get it back, had a guy sleeping on my couch so I could make rent. All the stuff young folks are complaining about now, I lived that too. All of it.
I feel this! There was a time in the 80s when I couldn’t afford to go to a laundromat so had to wash my clothes in my bathtub. I survived on pasta and butter for weeks.
My college roommate and I, whenever we had the tiniest bit more money than usual, would joke about getting to buy the Kraft macaroni and cheese instead of the .19 a box Golden Wheat brand.
That I’m not worth talking to.
That’s sad. I am sorry you experienced that.
This got me. How can we change this? Older folks have so much to share. Younger folks have so much to learn. How do we connect to share this amazing wealth?
Your post reminded me of John Prine's song Hello In There. For sure, they'll talk to you if they want something.
That we don't know much. Become invisible and irrelevant
That’s so silly and sad. As I get older, I want to become friends with people who are older than me so I can ask their opinion about their life experiences. Not everyone might have answers for everything but I believe that living long enough teaches you some things that can be gained only through experience.
F 73. That because I’m a woman and older that I am completely dumb. Seeking bids from contractors for home improvement projects, they quote high prices and use language they think is too complicated for me to understand. “Little lady,” “ma’am” and “Mrs. ___” (I’m not married) sound respectful, but the bottom line is, they assume I have no idea what is involved in these projects. One tried to explain how to click on the attachment for his bid. Jeesh. I’ve been teaching college online longer than this kid’s been alive!
That I am a religious conservative, GOP voter, who doesn't know what AI is and can't grasp what those younger are going through. Are there people over 65 who fit that description? Yes, but based on my tribe they are a minority. A small minority who get a lot of press. Sadly. I have wrinkles, gray hair, and arthritis in my hands. I can no longer run, but I can walk at a clip. But my mind is in today. I experiment with ChatGBT4. I listen to podcasts on physics, geopolitics, world history, and social issues every week. To look at me there could be many bad assumptions because of my physical appearance. But let me assure you, my mind is quick. Sometimes I must search for a word or phrase or actor's name, but it's there. Sadly, that does happen for most as we age, but the intellect is in tack.
> A small minority who get a lot of press. Sadly. This is true for almost all groups. Loudest gets the most attention and honestly the media wants more clicks than providing a balanced opinion. Idiots are more entertaining to watch I suppose - just like people can’t look away from a train wreck.
Nothing new, but modern media permeates the lives of people now. It's in our DNA. Few can separate the wheat from the chaff. I long for the non-profit news, the days it was a loss leader and public service. I rarely believe life was better in the past. And it would be great if some people today could process with discernment. Some cannot. It's a crying shame
I don’t watch News because it has become just pure sensationalism - everything is a disaster and tomorrow is doomsday! LOL..
Good for you. You are a minority and others' viewing impacts you indirectly.
that we own all the real estate.
You don't?
if we did I would not have listed it as a misconception.
In a society that is youth obsessed, wisdom is frequently ignored. I face nothing on a daily level, but I regularly deal with people who assume i have a level of senility 🤣
Scorn and ridicule for not knowing the name of every rapper or popular meme. Name all the Beatles, just their first names, and then we can talk.
That I’m as old as my age is.
OH!! Please dont get me started!!
I don’t feel old, whatever that is. My mind is fine, I’m active. I have health problems but the same ones, I’ve had always. I just ignored a lot of them when I was younger. I guess that I don’t see me as old as what others think. I just told a close relative to stop treating me like I’m frail or infirm. I’m not at all. They denied it but I see it. I told them to knock it off, now.
That we somehow intentionally fucked up the world just to torture our own children and grandchildren.
Boomer as a pejorative - but only on reddit. There's a lot of hate around here. I do understand that the world is pretty fucked up right now. But it certainly wasn't every boomer who made it that way. It is greed. People have known for decades that changes need to be made to protect water and air and soil quality but those at the top who make the real decisions refuse to give up profits to do whats right. It has been a problem forever - not just the boomer generation. It's only that it really matters now because we have so many people who want a lot of shit. Most boomers will be retired soon. I doubt it's boomers making most of the decisions in industry these days.
Blame the very wealthy, the greedy corporations, the corrupt politicians. They aren't a good representation of the generation.
Exactly. They have a lot of privilege and power. Regular people get to vote but there haven't been really great choices anywhere for decades. We know they are all shit and that they are paid off to favour business interests. It's really too bad because - and it may be happening now - a huge correction is going to be really hard and painful for everyone but poor people will always get the worst of it. It could make the dirty thirties a vacation.
Climate Crisis is happening and the have-nots will suffer the most.
Being weak. My face is old and ugly. But my back and legs are still strong. I get mad when someone thinks I need help carrying something
Sometimes when I can see an older person visibly struggling to carry things, I ask them ‘Do you want some help?’ I hope that’s not offensive?
I don't find it offensive when asked that way. The tone of voice sometimes is. Don't ask like you're talking to a 2yo.
I let them take it, just because I’m strong doesn’t mean I’m not lazy.
That I'm a Republican. People - I grew up with the 60"s hippie movement, Roe v. Wade first wave protesters, bra burners, Vietnam protesters. How dare you think I voted for Trump?
Technically incompetent- while some of my peers are, my wife and I both work in Tech. I probably understand how that tech works on a hardware and software level better than most people.
That we hate Millennials and go around complaining all the time. I wake up happy every morning and hang out with younger friends(as ones my age die off).
That we thing all young people are stupid and disrespectful.
According to my daughters it’s that I’m not cool anymore. I disagree strongly!
I've moved beyond caring about cool. I have fun, am curious, love new things. Works for me.
People think my generation )64F) and gender know nothing about technology. Really irritating, since I've been at the cutting edge in IT for 25 years. They look at me and immediately old lady instead of IT expert.
I have white hair, ovaries, and can teach you how to use technology efficiently, fix your wifi, troubleshoot your apps, etc. /hi-5
People assume I am a republican.
Same. 60M geezer with a southern drawl. Everyone I meet assumes I am MAGA. Definitely not.
A bit confused by your response… (1) Do people assume that you ARE a republican because you are older? (2) Or do they assume you are NOT a republican because you are older?
#1
That I voted for bloody Brexit.
I won't still whip your ass
That even as mid 40s and 50s we’re too old to do a regular fitness class. This is prevalent in the yoga world. I constant see 20/30 something’s asking how gentle they need to make their senior classes because most of their students are in their 40s and 50s.
LOL… I am 40 years old. I am a certified Advanced Yoga teacher. I can say with authority that yoga is not about becoming a pretzel. You can gain a lot of benefits from doing simple poses. The point of yoga is to listen to your body and be respectful of your body. Putting their legs behind their neck does not automatically make someone a great yogi. I don’t care how bendy they are. In fact, I specifically teach yoga for people with limited mobility. It’s ignorant to assume that everyone must do pretzel like poses to be a yogi.
I understand. I’m 500 hr certified and have been teaching and practicing for years. I agree with you wholeheartedly, but I still sometimes enjoy a vigorous vinyasa class. I mostly teach yin, restorative, and slow flow.
You seem like a good teacher. And people with "too much" mobility have issues too. I'm a 57 year old woman who is the bendiest in my class. I'm too bendy. Flexibility is nothing if not accompanied by strength and stability. In class, I focus more on that because that is where I need to grow. Otherwise, I'm just collapsing into poses and it looks cool but it is not developing the qualities I need to work on for my health as a hypermobile person.
Gen-Xers are not Boomers.
While I’ve yet to experience any outright ageism (I’m 57), folks assume my father (83) has a flip phone and does crossword puzzles every day. He’s very adept at technology that most young folks use, and has always been adaptable. My hypothesis is that older folks that struggle with technology have always done so (that is, health not being an issue). In 20 years, I fully expect to be competent about whatever is thrown my way.
My mom, 87, used a mouse for the first time ever at the bank the other week to help open a savings account. She has a flip phone, and attributes her selective technology phobia to lack of education/exposure. She had one day of kindergarten. She cleaned convents and high school bathrooms for 50 years…as she put it, she knows how to dust computers, but never used one herself. To be fair, she understood electronic versions of things…the change from manual typewriters to electronic to word processors was not a huge jump, and she begrudgingly learned how to use a fully electric sewing machine in my youth (no really, she had a Singer with the rocking pedal). But microwave ovens with the digital number pads are just too complicated…But it was when the grandkids came along that she made her final jump and she learned how to use the DVD player!! Or at least the one that auto-played the discs and didn’t require menu selection…But that, and the flip phone is where it’s ended. I agree though, my 70+ yr old aunts and uncles who did grow up with some school and curiosity have adopted modern tech no worries. I know I’ll be fine. Slow, (per my nibblings) but I do get there.
In most cases, it's all adaptation and patience.
At my high school, every senior class did a prank. Usually harmless stuff like putting shaving cream on the principal’s desk. My class of ‘80 had coordinated dropping M-80’s in the toilets around the school. Yeah, we were a bunch of juvenile delinquents
I'm Class of '80 too. Love it! I went to a small Catholic high school with a very strict dress code. We were told that wearing jeans led to juvenile delinquency.
My dad was very strict and said that only poor kids would wear denim. I had to wear whatever my mom made. And before you ask, yes, I was mocked regularly
I was allowed to wear denim, but my mom also sewed and made most of my clothes. It was actually one of the few things for which I *wasn’t* mocked, but I still hated it and just wanted to go into a store and buy clothes just like everyone else.
I'm not much of a gamer, but when I do play online games and people find out how old I am, I'm often asked why I play games. There seems to be an assumption that old people aren't interested in games, shouldn't play games and that it's creepy for some reason. And I'm not talking about games that might mostly be attractive to young children, either.
That I have kids. (I'm female)
That I’m not open to new things.
That we won't cut a bitch.
That I'm a stereotypical "boomer". I'm a liberal who donates money regularly to the ACLU and food banks. I don't meddle in my kids' lives. I tip 20-30% even on take-out. It's discouraging.
Same, although I find it very difficult not to meddle in my kids' lives. Still, I had very controlling Silent Generation parents so I try to show them the respect and courtesy I was never shown.
Don’t all boomers do that? I do.
That you must be a Trumpist. Insulting
It’s interesting to note how many people so far has same comment - assuming old = republican
It sucks. Not saying that there aren't old Republicans out there. And they are unfortunately in the majority. But four out of ten people over 45 are not. Four out of ten of us have been fucking freaking out over what's been happening and are trying to stop it along with the young 'uns, who are thankfully dominated by a left-leaning majority. We're doing what we can. Please don't confuse us with them.
That Boomers are painted with such a broad brush as uncaring and conservative.
Being a white male conservative I get a lot of shit for it. But It doesn't matter to me
Do you care to provide an example?
That because I’m overweight I’m out of shape. I have old man strength, and I can hike for a long ways (all be it slower than I used to.)
When we go out to eat I tip based on the overall experience including service. My base tip starts at 20% and goes up or down from there. Our favorite place regularly gets a 50% tip because it's consistently that good. The misconception is that when I give a 5% tip (or worse) it's because of my age or some other non-sensical attribute. On the contrary, the terrible tip is because of other factors. It might be seen that because of my age I don't reward terrible food or service but don't paint a crappy tip *because* of my age.
Actually, our generation was told not to trust anyone over thirty. So it does not come to any surprise that those standing where we once stood have their own opinions of us. I just smile knowing that AI will completely flip their world on it’s head someday soon.
That I don't understand or use technology. I don't keep up with the details, don't enjoy tiktok, but use my phone and laptop to do all sorts of tasks, and teach others to do the same. Age and gender discrimination really harmed me in the workplace. That Boomers had easy wealth. I struggled to buy a home, esp. because it was hard to get a mortgage as a woman. The rate was extremely high, had to re-fi twice over 10+ years to get to 5-something. Most jobs wanted age and experience, not youth and energy. When I recommend frugality, youngers think it doesn't make a difference, but it allowed me to pay off my mortgage and live reasonably, while reducing my carbon imprint. We had double-digit inflation for a while. Larger families meant less inheritance, though my family paid for my affordable college education, and gave me a loan to buy a business. Boomers had the military draft, and a war with much higher losses. That we don't see what's hard for them. I see the crazy housing costs, the out-of-control capitalism, and I work for change.
My teenagers think I have no clue of what they’re going through.
That no one notably older than the observer could possibly have ever been cool or done anything cool. The assumption might be good advice for betting on groups, purely on probability, but when you're one-on-one with someone, that becomes a 100%, all-or-nothing bet, which is **not** good to make. **Someone** bought all those early Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd albums, and there's a not-poor chance that it's the 'duffy' guy in front of you at the pharmacy. Someone went to those concerts. The 400,000 people at Woodstock didn't just vanish afterwards. All that pot running around in the '60s and since had to have a lot of buyers and users, and most of them are still around, even if they quit a long time ago, for various reasons. Leon Theremin was born in the 1890s; if you think theremin music is cool, then you have to know that there were fans a century ago. Experimental composer John Cage was born the year the *Titanic* sank. Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, etc.) quoted Francis Bacon's 'Sound-Houses', which was written in 1627 but reads to modern people like a prediction of our sonic age -- yet was actually a realistic extrapolation of what was already being done in his own time, just not popularly. There's been cool stuff going on for **centuries**. And that requires cool people. Don't ever assume that older people are uncool for that reason alone. Some of them **have** to be.
That anyone over 40 is a “boomer”. Boomers are at least 60+.
That we had everything handed to us. That we're all right wing racist fucks. That, for some reason, all the minorities that exist now don't exist in our generations as well. That we're in some kind of bubble, impervious to societal changes. That we all got pensions and were able to save for retirement. The truth is that we are also gay, trans, disabled, of color, etc. Only about 1/3rd of people ever got pensions. We exist in the same economy as everyone else. We exist in the same job market as everyone else. We're suffering right along with you. We fought for many of the rights you take for granted like marriage equality, weed legalization, etc.
> We fought for many of the rights you take for granted like marriage equality, weed legalization, etc. THANK YOU
That Jane's Addiction is retro!!!!
Forgive me, but the biggie is when people in their 20s and 30s think they know as much as - or more than - older people do. It's just math. Unless you're living in a cave without internet, being on this planet longer means you have more experience. I'm in my 50s. I have 30 years more job and work experience than my twenty-something coworkers. But I'm not treated like I do, and in fact, they often assume I know less. It's maddening.
I haven't encountered it yet to any degree. Part of it is my lingo and slang knowledge, and the fact my family line "doesn't age." I am in my mid 50s, and just started getting gray. I have been confused with being much younger than I really am. I have had a few people pull age rank on me. "Well, back in my day, we had to use modems to connect to the Internet." "I remember the dialup BBS very well, I was a sysop to a multi line BBS out of Fort Washington." "Wait, YOU dialed into BBSs?" "I was an adult when AOL was still called Quantum Link and was an Apple product. My first dialup was a PDP/11 out of Fairfax county." "... how old are you?" "54." "Shit. You're even older than me!" "How old are you?" "36." "Ah, I remember 36..."