What do you notice that boomers tend to gravitate toward that younger generations can’t relate to? From bird watching to stocking up on Werther’s Originals, the internet has shared lots of conversations about the things boomers enjoy that other generations can’t relate to. Here are some comments.
1. Telling You Who Passed Away
A respondent quips their grandparents love to tell them which person (famous or not famous) recently passed away. A few others chime in, claiming their relatives almost get excited about relaying the information first.
2. Watching Cars
“I live in a very rural part of America, and old people do the same thing here. Old men will sit in front of their houses, drinking beer and waving at cars that go by. It seems really nice, actually. Guess there comes a point where you’re content to just sit back and let the world come to you,” a non-boomer shares.
3. Slot Machines
My 90-year-old grandma spent most of her final years behind a slot machine in Fort Lauderdale. She could barely walk, but she never missed the chance to pull the lever and win big at her favorite casino. Younger generations either don’t gamble or prefer scratch-off cards.
4. Overworking for Little Pay
Younger generations are working on changing work culture, making work a more inclusive, fair, and safe space. This means receiving compensation for staying after hours and helping keep the business flourishing. One boomer says they are guilty of working overtime for no pay due to the climate they grew up in.
“Yes, it’s the truth. We overwork, thinking it’s a good thing. I did for 20 years and didn’t change anything. I am glad the new generation is changing that.”
5. Asking About Marriage and Kids
Boomers seem to love asking people when they’re getting married and starting their families. A few decades ago, families began their journey around their mid-20s, sometimes earlier, and if they weren’t married, everyone wondered when they’d change that. In modern society, marriage isn’t viewed as a necessity to start a family. Some people are ecstatic to be single and childless.
6. Being Comfortable Sans Clothing
Whether in the gym or at a hot spring, boomers tend to exhibit an air of confidence or lack of care that’s largely absent in younger generations. When I visited a hot spring in Arizona, two boomers proudly dipped into the water without any clothing. This amassed weird looks from millennials and Gen-Zers, but the boomers didn’t seem to mind.
7. Soap Operas
“My mom, who is in her 70s and retired, explained this one to me: she enjoys her daytime soaps because so little happens that she can have them on while she cleans around the house and doesn’t feel like she misses anything. Some she’s been watching so long that she says they’ve recycled the same plot half a dozen times over the past 20 years,” a person writes.
8. Writing Checks
While I worked at Barnes and Noble, most customers paid in cash or by card, except for a specific boomer. She was a sweetheart with a checkbook, but she always took her time while writing out her check, and considering checks aren’t as prevalent today, our check machine frequently broke after reading the slips of paper, infuriating customers behind her.
9. Thank You Notes
Who writes thank you notes anymore?
“As a kid, I thought as long as you thank someone in person, there’s no need to write a note specifically to thank them again. But when I do receive such a note, it makes me think that person is super kind and thoughtful, a genuinely good soul,” this Gen Z individual admits.
10. Grocery Shopping Every Day
My friend’s boomer neighbor once spoke about her daily trips to the grocery store. She despised having anything in her fridge, knowing the food would spoil, so to avoid wasting food, she’d walk to the grocer each morning and decide on her meals while perusing the store. This way, she never had to plan her meals and deal with that stress.
11. Waking up Early
Younger people tend to sleep in later than older ones due to body chemistry and circadian rhythms. My best friend can no longer stay asleep past 8 a.m., and my dad wakes up every day at 6 a.m. Individuals on the thread claim they joke with their grandparents about refusing to sleep in despite retirement.
12. Calling Instead of Texting
Have you ever told somebody to text you, and they ring your line instead? Contributors on this thread add that boomers always call, never text.
13. Warm Houses
“My grandma’s living room was always unbearable hot, and she loved it,” a grandchild expresses.
“Her circulation is bad because her heart is not as efficient, leaving her cold all the time. A warm house is comfortable to her for that reason,” another responds.
14. Cursive
Public schools officially stopped teaching cursive writing to students in 2010, instead, the school system decided typing was a more useful method. However, older generations continue to write in cursive, confusing the younger generations.
15. Watching The News
A bunch of non-boomers report that boomers are the only people who watch the news. Despite the depressing events, boomers tune in to the broadcast channels to stay up to date with what’s going on in the world. Someone else recalls their father only watching the news, even though it always makes him mad.
16. Lawn Care
“Man, I used to make fun of my dad for liking lawn care and gardening, and here I am, 38, and a good time is tending to my property, vegetables, and flowers and shrubs,” this person laughs.
“I’m not even good at gardening, but if I don’t get excited every time my impossible-to-kill peace lily puts out another flower,” one agrees.
17. Facebook
When I worked at a local news station, my editor referred to Facebook as the old person’s social network app. I still use Facebook but have noticed an influx of older relatives tagging me in posts and comments.
18. Fine China
Do your grandparents have a swath of fine china in the cupboard? A collection of pretty cutlery you’re scared to scratch up? A grandchild in this specific thread remembers when they served a family meal on their grandma’s fine china and felt like a goddess. Today, millennials buy 50-cent plastic plates and Tupperware for their dishes.
19. Bird Watching
“Birds, and I am sad to say we’ve recently bought bird feeders, and I yell to my husband, ‘there’s birds at the feeder!’ And he says, ‘I’m coming!’ And then we look out the window and watch them. We have officially entered the birds’ phase of life,” a bird-watching boomer beams.
20. Circus Peanuts
The squeaky, orange, marshmallow-like candy offers a unique flavor, and one person explains their theory circulating these candies.
“My dad fits the mold of all things old men eat, but my theory is that he had four boys growing up, so he chose to eat things he knew we would not touch, so he had something in the fridge/cabinets!!”
21. Physical Photographs
Polaroids and disposable cameras are making their way back into the mainstream, but at the height of cellphone cameras, too many non-boomers rolled their eyes at copies of physical photos. Millennials believed the real photos took up too much space and added to unnecessary clutter.
22. Going to a Bank
Do you go out of your way to stop in the bank, run to an ATM to grab cash, or mobile deposit a check? Younger generations mention how they avoid going to the bank at all costs, but their parents and grandparents like walking into the physical bank branches.
23. Retelling Stories
“My grandma did this. She had lost many of her loved ones and outlived two of her adopted children, husband, and siblings. I think she would tell the same story because she relived those memories as she really didn’t have a lot of imagination,” a fellow describes.
24. Black Licorice
An overwhelming amount of users speak about their hatred of black licorice. An individual compares liking black licorice to being in a cult. Others who are not older citizens communicate that they’ve adored black licorice since childhood. I’m with them.
25. Appreciation for Life
“This isn’t so much for me since I love my life, but I’ve realized a lot of young people seem to either joke about or genuinely be unhappy with a lot of things all of the time, whereas the majority of old people are just happy to wake up and have a way a higher sense of appreciation for life in general. This isn’t so to speak to the point of how life is more stressful now than it used to be but just a legitimate sense of appreciation for the fact you’re alive, you have food and shelter, which is better than a lot of the world’s population,” this millennial writes.
Source: Reddit.
