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30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation

Interview

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It’s a fact of life just like the sun rises in the East and sets in the West: older people will always find something to criticize about the younger generations. The former grumble, the latter roll their eyes, but soon enough, those youngsters are looking at each new generation and wondering what the everlovin’ frick is going on, why they’re behaving so oddly, and why their music sounds like pure noise.

A thread created by u/VisibleConfusion12 went viral on r/AskReddit after it sparked a very interesting discussion in the online community. The OP wanted to know what things young people love that older internet users plain don’t understand, and we’ve collected some of the most interesting insights to share with you. Scroll down to read what they had to say and upvote the posts you agree with.

We got in touch with the author of the thread, redditor u/VisibleConfusion12, who was kind enough to share their thoughts on the topic. Read on for Bored Panda's interview with them.

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Declaring everything is a result of a mental illness. Sometimes people are just a******s.

religionlies2u , Tim Mossholder Report

Final score:

312points

Personally, we feel like there will always be friction between members of different generations because their values and environments differ. Probably the most obvious case we see these days is between Baby Boomers and, well, pretty much everyone else. Boomers tend to think that kids these days don’t work hard enough and should learn to save instead of eating avocado toast and buying lattes at Starbucks.

Meanwhile, Millennials and Zoomers believe that Boomers had it very easy when it came to buying up cheap property and finding well-paying jobs that were enough to take care of the entire family and provide a high quality of life. However, some of the things that unite different generations include the love of nostalgia (albeit for very different things) and the increasing awareness of how important it is to take care of our bodies as we age.

#2

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation The unending need to share everything on social media including their meals, their children, their partners everything.

Aggravating_Boy3873 , Ivan Shemereko Report

Final score:

283points

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#3

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Talking loudly with your phone on speaker while in public. Older people do it, too.

WTF is *that* all about?

CGB_Spender , Los Muertos Crew Report

Final score:

281points

According to redditor u/VisibleConfusion12, they personally find TikTok, the video-sharing platform, to be one of the oddest things that the younger generations enjoy.

"I would have to say TikTok as a whole," they told Bored Panda what they find strange. "There is a TON of stuff that is considered bad," they said, referring to videos full of hate speech, as well as dangerous trends and challenges that nobody should do.

"I would also add newer fashion which is pretty strange. But compared to older fashion, it might beat it by a mile," they said. Though the OP admits that both "older fashion and newer fashion" confuse them either way.

#4

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Social media celebrities.

Existing_Ganache_293 Report

Final score:

272points

#5

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Long a*s fake nails. How do you even go to the bathroom with those things without hurting yourself? They’re not even attractive. I don’t get it.

Edit: To be clear, I’m talking LONG here, like inches long. I have longish natural nails and I love getting them done, but I’ve seen people with nails that are over 2 inches long and I don’t understand how you can be productive with nails like that. I’m not mad about it, I just honestly don’t get the hype.

curiouskitten42 Report

Final score:

270points

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#6

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation The videos where they say it's a "life hack" when it's just common sense.

Aka "try out this crazy life hack for perfectly cut bagles, EVERYTIME!"

Proceeds to use a bagel cutter.

Like, seriously??? You need someone to tell you that?

Final score:

258points

We were interested to find out what inspired redditor u/VisibleConfusion12 to ask such an interesting question in the first place. They were happy to tell us all about it.

"I came up with the idea with the help of my nephew! He was scrolling TikTok and came across a 'cringey' video," the OP told Bored Panda that their 14-year-old nephew then showed them the video clip which got them thinking about the (sometimes vast) differences between generations.

"The video in question was a girl complaining, saying she will be upset if you misgender her. My nephew then told me that his generation was probably the most questionable, which gave me the idea which I later posted later on Reddit," they shared what led them to spark the discussion on r/AskReddit.

In the OP's view, it's difficult to find a definitive answer as to why each generation criticizes those that come after it. In their opinion, it all comes down to what the members of each new generation do and how this clashes with what older generations enjoy.

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#7

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Film random strangers without consent to make fun of them online all for internet 'clout'.

Lizgreyisoficial , Ben Collins Report

Final score:

256points

#8

Those large, spider-looking, over-the-top fake eyelashes.

OneCrew2044 Report

Final score:

250points

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#9

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Facetiming people instead of calling them. Unless you have to show me something, I prefer not to show my face on screen

BuscemiLuvr , Harry Cunningham Report

Final score:

235points

To put it simply, people tend to feel nostalgic for those times in our lives when they were happiest and most carefree. We might associate that period of time with certain activities, people, shows, or even products and we come back to them when we’re feeling down and need a boost. That’s why you might have a sudden urge to plug in an old console or find a very old movie to watch when you’re blue.

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And though nostalgia can help us power through tough times in our lives, it has some destructive potential as well. For example, if we constantly daydream about how things used to be (and how awful everything is now), we might miss genuinely good opportunities in the present. It’s fine to reminisce about the past, so long as your present and future don’t suffer for it.

Yes, the entertainment industry may have had far better standards back when you were a young adult! But it doesn’t mean that absolutely every film, song, and game that’s crafted these days is an abomination. As in every area of life, there will be a minority of truly high-quality products, surrounded by a vast majority of junk. It’s a widespread phenomenon known as Sturgeon’s law.

#10

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation All these s****y prank videos on people in public.

The public tik tok dancing.

I can't handle the second hand embarrassment when someone is dancing in aisle 5.

MiseryLovesMisery , Diego Rosa Report

Final score:

230points

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#11

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Extravagant proms and baby showers.

ThatBlackGirl93 , Long Truong Report

Final score:

209points

#12

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Filming themselves crying.

Proteinoats , Toa Heftiba Report

Final score:

186points

The simple fact of the matter is that everyone is getting older. And no matter how awesome your metabolism is right now, you’ve got to sit down and think about the future. Consider what habits you need to start developing right now so that you age with dignity and can maintain a high standard of living.

Some of the best things that you can do to maintain your physical and mental health as you get older include getting plenty of exercise, eating well (avoid processed food, added sugar, and saturated fats as much as you can), having an active social life, and doing activities that bring you joy, whether that’s meditating, hiking in your local woodlands, painting, or collecting vinyl from the good old days—when music used to sound better!

#13

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation The Andrew Tate style of misogynistic alpha male b******t that so many young men seem to buy into. I guess I kind of get how they're susceptible to that sort of stuff, but the ideology doesn't really make much sense.

I think most of the rest of the stuff like tik tok, hairstyles, and clothing is just a "kids these days" kind of thing where people aren't open minded enough to realize the stuff they were into as kids was seem as being just as stupid by the older generation. Because really, it boils down to it just being different and new.

Interesting_Pudding9 , cobraatate Report

Final score:

183points

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#14

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Im still young, but Mukbang videos. I like cooking shows, but watching someone pig out on camera is just gross.

PubicKnitting Report

Final score:

182points

#15

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Filming every little thing. Like why are they filming them doing basic stuff like grocery shopping?

AdrianValistar , Marc Pineda Report

Final score:

179points

#16

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Referring to anybody people don't like as narcissistic. Every form of lying or even just disagreement is gaslighting.

GreenDogTag , Philbo 🇺🇦 Report

Final score:

178points

#17

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation The new Disney remakes.

chairUrchin Report

Final score:

172points

#18

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Listening to the music on mobile speaker while walking around the street or travelling via public transportation

luchilu , Filip Report

Final score:

165points

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#19

Self diagnosing their mental illnesses.

Usual_Quiet_6552 Report

Final score:

161points

#20

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation As a teacher, I get enormously annoyed by the idea that it seems cool to be stupid for a significant amount of teens. Like being actually proud of lacking or pretending to lack basic knowledge or primary skills. Over the last 2 weeks I had a 14 y old pretending not to know who the figure of Christ was, a kid claiming not to know how to use a ruler and one who claimed to never have used scissors…

Update: 5 min ago a 14y old asked me wether pigs have ears…

django2605 , Kenny Eliason Report

Final score:

159points

#21

YouTube reaction videos. I don’t understand what’s interesting about watching someone react to watching a different video.

riptydeco Report

Final score:

156points

#22

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation I really hate the TikTok voice.

Ohhhhhhthehumanity , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

150points

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#23

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation The idea that shame shouldn’t exist.

mrinkyface Report

Final score:

141points

#24

Filming everything they do and putting it online. I prefer to be mostly anonymous

Mtanderson88 Report

Final score:

131points

#25

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation Watching unboxing videos.

TargetPlastic7505 , Nubelson Fernandes Report

Final score:

130points

#26

30 Older People Share Why They Don’t Understand The Younger Generation I dont understand certain genres of tiktok/YouTube videos. Who is entertained by those videos where it's a robot voice reading out reddit comments while subway surfer is being played on screen? Who is the audience for those videos where some dude with an awful haircut asks people risqué questions either on a college campus or at the beach?

PhreedomPhighter , Nik Report

Final score:

121points

#27

22 here so this definitely applies to older folks as well but for the love of all things large and small: **why the hell is mumble rap still a thing**.

I'm not talkin Eminem, Tupac, Biggie, etc. I'm referring to the untalented, autotuned nitwits that try to pass their 'gangta' mumbles off as music. Now granted, I know I have a rather eclectic taste in music, but holy c**p some of these 'artist' somehow are both autotuned and still sound like their actively riding the dope dragon in the studio.

chicken_tendy_bandit Report

Final score:

116points

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#28

I am 24 years old (so still pretty young) but there are two things which I cannot understand at all:

1: Obsession with Starbucks. Why do so many teenagers and people in early 20's spend so much money and time on Starbucks? I am from Europe and the first store opened in my country only 2 years ago. Tried it (not only the coffee, some other things too) and it was absolutely awful. I am sure all bigger cities have a place with better coffee or sweets

2: Underage girls dancing on TikTok - now I understand the other comments here defending how creating videos and pics and posting them constantly on social media can be a coping mechanism, but what kind of coping mechanism is being 16/17/18, putting on a crop top and ripped jeans or a mini skirt and dancing in front of a camera to a song which often has very sexual and mature lyrics? Are they the type of girls who are too afraid to go outside and talk to guys/girls or are they part of a scheme to catch pedophiles?

Moist_Extension7751 Report

Final score:

113points

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#29

Glorying ignorance and writing everything wrong on purpose.

Daskcrew1978 Report

Final score:

110points

#30

Recording videos of themselves dancing in the middle of a Home Depot.

Superman246o1 Report

Final score:

109points

Note: this post originally had 52 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

Jonas Grinevičius

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Mindaugas Balčiauskas

I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

What do you think ?

similarly 1 year ago

I understand some of this stuff, like respecting other people's rights, and not disturbing public, but some of this stuff ... well, let's just say I'm a lot happier since realizing that if someone is doing something and it doesn't actually impact me, I don't have to worry about it. Sometimes joy and peace are found in not worrying about what other people do.

20points

Powerful Katrinka 1 year ago

I'm an old. (64). Most of my friends are old. All of my siblings are old. I work with mostly old people. And I can guarantee that none of us care about any of these. I wish BP would stop perpetuating this made-up c**p.

18points

Christos Arvanitis 1 year ago

Ditto. Same age even....

7points

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Joroches 1 year ago

And here we are, yet another BP post to stir up resentment and ill feeling towards others and stop you all focusing on the real problems the world faces. Just stop the infighting and focus on the very real villains in this world. Let me tell you it's not young people sharing things on their phones or old people who can't switch on a computer that are the problem.

12points

Boatswain Bill 1 year ago

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similarly 1 year ago

I understand some of this stuff, like respecting other people's rights, and not disturbing public, but some of this stuff ... well, let's just say I'm a lot happier since realizing that if someone is doing something and it doesn't actually impact me, I don't have to worry about it. Sometimes joy and peace are found in not worrying about what other people do.

20points

Powerful Katrinka 1 year ago

I'm an old. (64). Most of my friends are old. All of my siblings are old. I work with mostly old people. And I can guarantee that none of us care about any of these. I wish BP would stop perpetuating this made-up c**p.

18points

Christos Arvanitis 1 year ago

Ditto. Same age even....

7points

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Joroches 1 year ago

And here we are, yet another BP post to stir up resentment and ill feeling towards others and stop you all focusing on the real problems the world faces. Just stop the infighting and focus on the very real villains in this world. Let me tell you it's not young people sharing things on their phones or old people who can't switch on a computer that are the problem.

12points

Boatswain Bill 1 year ago

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