"Stop Making Your Children Everyone Else’s Burden": Younger Adults Are Revealing The "Older Person" Opinions They Will Forever Defend
I'll be the first to admit I have a lot of "get off my lawn" opinions. Like, remember the days before needing a million subscriptions?! I sure do. Well, recently, we shared the "older person" opinions folks completely agree with, and even more of you chimed in with the "Boomer hills" you're willing to die on. Here are a few of them.
1."Don't talk at the movies. I went to see It Ends With Us the other day, and the theater was filled with younger people having full-volume conversations during the entire movie. I'm fundamentally incapable of yelling at strangers, so I just sat there wallowing in fury, but yeah, that's my 'boomerennial' hill to die on."
2."When you're driving and changing lanes or turning onto another street, use your blinker. That's all. It takes almost no effort. I'm not a mind reader; I don't know where you're going. But I will if you just learn to use the blinker properly."
—Anonymous
3."They completely blew the premise that technology was supposed to make our lives easier. It's way more complicated than it was ever supposed to be. I'd take the simple tech we had in the '70s over this crap. You shouldn't have to be able to program a computer to use a phone. I don't need a smart BBQ grill or dishwasher either. Start removing unnecessary features rather than adding them."
4."I really hate the constant bombardment of ads when I read an online news article. I just want to read the article without having to exit out of ads that swipe in from the left, right, top, or bottom. I NEVER look at the ad; I don't want it and don't care. And how about the 30-second videos that start with a 60-second ad? Not doing that!"
—Anonymous
5."Stop driving at the same speed as the car next to you on a two-lane road. Either pass them and move over or get behind them and drive the same speed. Pay attention."
"And don't speed up if someone is merging and just might get in front of you. I've literally had to stop when merging from one highway to another. Usually semis, too. You're already 20 times as big as my little car; why ya gotta flex like that?"
6."Nearly everything requires a subscription. Every subscription needs an account. Every account needs a password. With all this, you can't live without a password manager. I have over 200 entries in mine."
—Anonymous
7."I hate going to an event like a concert and watching the people around record the whole damn thing. Just enjoy the show and don't experience every second of it through your phone. I swear, being in the moment is much better."
8."Why are commercials twice as loud as the TV shows? I constantly have to adjust the volume for commercials. If the point is making sure I hear the ads, it isn't working. Instead, I turn the volume all the way down."
—Anonymous
9."Stop pushing the stroller while on the phone in a busy intersection. Your child's life depends on you paying attention!"
"Agreed! I would also like to add, DO NOT push your stroller to the absolute edge of the concrete curb while waiting for the light to change! I used to drive a full-sized F150, and the number of times I went over a curb because city corners are tight. Why are you putting your small child in the most vulnerable spot anyway? Shouldn't you be in front, between the cars and your child?"
10."Give me a person if I'm calling you on the phone! As a millennial, I don't call companies or people all that often if I can avoid it. If I'm calling you, I've run out of options, so please give me a person, not a robot! Customer service was better before we invented AI robots and had to select numbers before getting a human being!"
—Andrew, 31, Utah
11."If I am hanging out with someone, I hate it when they just take out their phone to scroll on social media. I didn't make plans with you just to watch you be on your phone. If you are SHOWING me something on your phone, then that's fine. Also, I completely get it if there is a situation or you just need to answer a text/call/email or whatever, but I really dislike sitting down with someone in a café and just watching them doomscroll."
12."Not everyone sees your children as precious angels. If they are disruptive during a meal service, please leave. Certain events and places are also not child-friendly — do not bring them there. Either make arrangements for them or do not attend. Stop making your children everyone else’s burden."
—Anonymous
13."I hate that you don't at least have the option to get paper tickets for sporting events or concerts. A ticket isn't just about getting into the venue; it's a souvenir. I love tech; I have apps for my washer, dryer, and dishwasher, but I want to put my Springsteen ticket in a frame on the wall."
14."Once the bra comes off or I've changed into my house clothes (pajamas), I'm not leaving the house for anything but a fire."
—Anonymous, New York
15."If you are loudly on your phone or on a speaker, you will hear from me if it is safe for me to do so. (On the subway, for example, it is not safe to challenge the assholes who torment an entire subway car with their music cranked up to 11. I just change cars.) If we are in an enclosed space and you are being loud, I have zero problems telling you to take it elsewhere. The other day, someone called me an asshole for asking her to take her private phone call into a private space. People used to apologize, but now they blame you for being annoyed by their bad behavior."
16."I hate having to download an app for every tiny thing. Remember how websites exist? If your information can be conveyed on a website, you do not need an app."
17."Elder millennial here. You probably won't find me at a concert ever again. The cost is outrageous, and I don't care to be corralled into a big crowd or get rowdy at a tailgate just to be stuck in traffic at the end. Just give me my Spotify playlist on a nice Bluetooth speaker, and let's call it a day."
—Anonymous
18."Does everything have to be reviewed? What happened to going out to eat, staying in a hotel or guesthouse on holiday, going to a cafe, etc., and leaving without feeling obligated to do homework? Businesses succeeded and thrived long before Google, Trip Advisor, and all the rest of it."
—Anonymous
19."Touch screens in cars should literally be illegal. They are inherently dangerous because they ALWAYS require taking your eyes off the road. You can adjust a knob or press a button in a car without looking at it (when you are familiar enough with the layout), but, ironically, it is literally impossible to adjust anything on a touchscreen solely by touch. Plus, even if you do need to glance away for a second to locate the knob/button you need, you don't need to keep looking at it to adjust it, unlike with a touchscreen."
"And then there's the issue that adjusting things on a car touchscreen often requires several taps to navigate from the screen that's currently up (say, the music interface) to the screen you need (the temperature controls, for example), taking your eyes away from the road for even longer.
And no, it's not realistic to say, 'Just don't adjust anything unless you're willing to pull over!' People are not going to pull over to change the music they are listening to or turn on the A/C if it gets too hot."
What "boomer opinions" do you agree with? Tell us in the comments or fill out this form to remain anonymous.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
