30 “Boomer Complaints” From Young People Proving That The Old Generation Has A Point
Interview With ExpertWe might have finally found one thing that all generations have in common, and that is complaining. From Boomers moaning about the younger kids and their iPads to Gen X grumbling they’re the forgotten generation to Millennials making a fuss about how they’re not lazy to Gen Z whining about how hard it is to live in the modern world, they all have something they seem to be dissatisfied with.
Recently, these generations have gathered together on Elon Musk’s Twitter to share the biggest “Boomer Complaints” they can all agree on. We invite you to scroll down and see for yourself the rare occasion when these different age groups are united by their passion for venting online.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out a conversation with clinical psychologist and founder of Zen Mind Psychology, Alicia Viforj, who kindly agreed to tell us more about why we complain and how it affects us.
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I just start yelling human or manager over and over again until the machine breaks. I don't feel bad about being a Karen to a machine.
Commercials are too loud. 100%. I'm dozing off to something and then BOOM! Some stupid shite I'm not interested in basts my ear drums. You know I need to sleep so I can work and make money so I can buy the thing you're selling right?
Clinical psychologist Alicia Viforj tells Bored Panda that complaining is a form of communication. “If someone is complaining to us, they might be trying to communicate their emotional experience and express dissatisfaction.”
Shared complaining in groups (like these generational ones) can also serve as a way of social bonding.
Sometimes people grumble as a way to regulate emotions, too. By venting their feelings, they can lessen the severity or let go of these distressing emotions.
I hate them too. Everyone immediately gets their phone out, has to use data or find a wifi network. There is less conversation over a phone menu than a real one. If you order separately there is the convenience of separate payment, but then your meals all come out separately and one person has finished eating before the other starts. The atmosphere is less pleasant because people don't put their phones away after ordering so you are surrounded by zombies on phones. We stopped frequenting our local restaurant because they laid of 80% of their staff and installed QR codes. Now its like eating at a funeral. Even McDonalds is more social and pleasant.
No one wants to hear you even if you aren't using speakerphone. Make your calls at home!
We were curious to know if one age group ‘whines’ more than the other. However, it’s hard to say.
“Complaining tendencies can vary across age groups, but it’s essential to recognize that chronic complaining isn’t exclusive to any particular demographic,” says Viforj. “There is some research that suggests that older people tend to complain more, but further studies may be warranted. Individual personalities and life circumstances play a greater role than age.”
It's also very American. The rest of the world has service included in the price. In some countries tipping is even considered rude.
As long as people are willing to pay this is only going to get worse.
Even though complaining has a negative connotation in society, it’s not always necessarily bad. “Sometimes it helps people to connect to others by forming a sort of alliance with them against the thing they are complaining about, sometimes people feel the need to vent and offset their negative emotion, it can help people feel validated and avoid responsibility in a situation,” explains Viforj.
However, constant 'whinging' without ever trying to find a solution to the problem that is bothering us can have negative effects. “The costs of complaining are that it can reinforce negative emotions, cause the transference of that emotion to another person who is hearing the complaint, and cause relationship difficulties between people,” says Viforj.
Speakers don't belong on hiking trails! You're supposed to be in tune with nature.
Asked if people should complain less, the clinical psychologist said that it would definitely help to improve an individual’s mindset.
In order to do so, she recommends practicing gratitude and regularly reminding yourself of the positive aspects of your life. She also recommends journaling your thoughts by spending a few minutes each day reflecting on your complaints and their most common themes. Then think about what you would like to change about it.
If there's a Tesla on your lawn, then it does indeed have turning issues.
Some additional strategies to lessen complaints include:
- Seeking support: Reach out to supportive friends or family members.
- Problem-solving: Instead of complaining, take steps to solve the problem.
- Replacing negative thoughts: Challenge negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.
- Be mindful of triggers: Notice situations or people that trigger complaints.
- Experiment: Embrace the idea of trying new approaches.
Realistically, it’s probably not possible to decide to never complain ever again, as we need to express our emotions from time to time, both positive and negative. In fact, holding on to feelings harms our mental and physical health. Letting out short bursts of complaining can prevent the stress hormone from building in the organism.
I found out my electric bill wasn't being billed properly, but it was still being paid for. I called SEVERAL times and everyone kept sending me to someone else. Start service? No, it already exists. New account? No, I already have one. It's a technical issue! It's a customer service issue! I talked to so many people and they all said it was the fault of someone I'd already talked to. So I stopped. I'm not sure who is paying that bill, but my power hasn't been shut off yet.
Lidl UK have an app so your receipt can go there instead of email clogging or wasting paper
It's not just paper straws, it's that corporate earth tried to convince the masses that us using plastic straws is single-handedly destroying the planet...all this being said while journeying via their private jet.
“Remember to complain when it is relevant and necessary to avoid chronic complaining,” says Viforj. Trying to focus on keeping your daily communications positive can improve your mood and overall outlook on life.
modern cars should not blind upcoming traffic. Mine doesn't. The issue are rather those stupid higher cars like SUVs and Pickuptrucks.
Which is one reason they're all on their phones or whining to get one.
When I was a kid, we just ran the streets. No malls, no movies, just free range.
Yes but most places nowadays are no longer accessible or safe without a car. Most new suburbs don’t even have sidewalks anymore and the rise of pickup trucks and SUV makes car crashes much more deadly for pedestrians
Load More Replies...This is a real problem. It shouldn't be labeled as boomer to get people to interact with each other again in public. Hyper isolationism is having negative effects on our mental health.
When I was a kid, we didn't hang out at the movies or the malls. We just hung around in the great outdoors! We actually knew how to use our imagination, and make up our own games. We didn't need technology to tell us how to think or what to do.
Not enough after school jobs that treat kids decently. And kids rarely get the proper preparation from parents and schools to be good employees. They go into the work world cold turkey. Too many of them have absolutely zero concept of the system, which is not their fault.
A lot of teenagers also (at least that I know) have hardly any time to hang out in person, what with extracurriculars and homework.
I’ve experienced the opposite: they have too much free time and don’t want to do things that take away from it. Besides, extracurricular activities are where their friends are and they’re being active and staying out of trouble so there shouldn’t be any complaint about that (unless it becomes excessive).
Load More Replies...I wish we could bring back the state funded community center. Kind of like those activity centers on US military bases. Movies, music, dances, game area. Stuff like that.
This is not a boomer complaint at all. This is GenZ wringing their hands about nothing. Kids dont need anything. .They dont NEED malls or roller skating. They dont NEED parks. Boomers and GenX played in our yards. In the woods. In the street. On a dirt pile. Where ever. Then when we got cars, and could go anywhere we wanted, some of us almost never went to the mall. Somehow we survived.
We didn't have this problem when I was a kid. We had a lot of homework and we had parks in NYC.
The car centric infrastructure, destruction of third places and rise in popularity of SUVs and pickup trucks literally created a n outside world that is completely hostile to children and robs them their independence.
They just closed the last theater we had in town. It was bought by a church....
charging for the museum and many playgrounds. There is literally no place for teens to go now, that doesn't cost at least $30 per child here these days.
In the 80s and 90s we all hung out on the main street, after darks 100s of people hanging out just getting together, not creating issues just groups hanging out having fun goofing off, getting rides from people on motorcycles or cars, cruising up and down the street, The street was all businesses that were closed at night, most of us would walk there. There were ages from teens to people in their young 20s . Street was called elm street and it was a long street, miles, most of us hung put in front of the park, We didn't trash, destroy or damage anything, we weren't unruly etc Ahh I miss those days so much
There has never been any place for kids to hang out except in the streets. Anyway, kids don't even go outside anymore.
Errr malls, arcades, skating rinks, that kids house with the good basement, did I mention malls
Load More Replies...Stop asking me to complete a survey/provide feedback after I make a purchase from a website
Send back all bad feedback. You'll often get coupons! Like in "please come back, here's a 40% coupon to help change your mind", lol.
Load More Replies...All online content providers make their money from ads. They want to up their numbers of viewers/subscribers so they can charge more for the ads. Every app download is money in their pockets.
why do some new apps need access to my contacts and photos in order to function? I should be able to opt out.
Stop showing advertisements on TV and Facebook for any product I talked about. Too many devices are listening in on us.
WTF does any of this have to do with 'boomers'????? Annoyances are fun for ALL ages!
I've got a new email address. I fill out a form for Apple. They send in an id code not to my cell phone but TO MY OLD EMAIL ADDRESS. sheesh
I'll add this one: Stop looking at your phone while cycling and pay attention to traffic & other people. (mostly teenagers)
I just want a can opener that works! I’m not even left handed, I just happen to open cans left handed and there’s nothing I can find that will just open a can of tuna. What is the problem? I want to open a can of tuna and apparently my options are starve, or hack it open with a brick.
It's not "us v them" this time so I count that as a win!
Load More Replies...Bring back CD players in cars! Millions of people have their music on CDs besides wanting to hear a book on disc!
Bring back CD players in cars! Without them you can't bring a book on disc, not to mention your music if you are not tech-y enough to use a USB.
Spotify and Amazon music - I want to listen to music by my selected artist, not other similar artists. I'm having to listen to ads or paying a subscription to do this
HAHAHA I love reading things like this! "Not to sound like a boomer" aka "Not to sound like someone who knows what they're talking about."
Stop asking me to complete a survey/provide feedback after I make a purchase from a website
Send back all bad feedback. You'll often get coupons! Like in "please come back, here's a 40% coupon to help change your mind", lol.
Load More Replies...All online content providers make their money from ads. They want to up their numbers of viewers/subscribers so they can charge more for the ads. Every app download is money in their pockets.
why do some new apps need access to my contacts and photos in order to function? I should be able to opt out.
Stop showing advertisements on TV and Facebook for any product I talked about. Too many devices are listening in on us.
WTF does any of this have to do with 'boomers'????? Annoyances are fun for ALL ages!
I've got a new email address. I fill out a form for Apple. They send in an id code not to my cell phone but TO MY OLD EMAIL ADDRESS. sheesh
I'll add this one: Stop looking at your phone while cycling and pay attention to traffic & other people. (mostly teenagers)
I just want a can opener that works! I’m not even left handed, I just happen to open cans left handed and there’s nothing I can find that will just open a can of tuna. What is the problem? I want to open a can of tuna and apparently my options are starve, or hack it open with a brick.
It's not "us v them" this time so I count that as a win!
Load More Replies...Bring back CD players in cars! Millions of people have their music on CDs besides wanting to hear a book on disc!
Bring back CD players in cars! Without them you can't bring a book on disc, not to mention your music if you are not tech-y enough to use a USB.
Spotify and Amazon music - I want to listen to music by my selected artist, not other similar artists. I'm having to listen to ads or paying a subscription to do this
HAHAHA I love reading things like this! "Not to sound like a boomer" aka "Not to sound like someone who knows what they're talking about."