People Raised In The 60s, 70s & 80s Usually Complain About 9 Things Younger Generations Don’t Mind At All
michaelheim / Shutterstock Gen X was once on the cutting edge, but now they're mainly empty nesters trying to figure out if retirement will ever happen for them. As they navigate the challenges of facing midlife in undeniably strange and difficult times, there's plenty they see happening in the world that they don't feel great about.
Generational conflict is nothing new, and they are well aware that their Silent Gen and boomer parents had plenty of complaints when they were the same age. Still, younger generations don't mind the very same things people raised in the 60s, 70s, and 80s usually complain about, which is probably another thing Gen X will, well, complain about.
If someone was raised in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, they probably complain about these things that younger people don't mind at all
1. How people dress
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Fashion trends are always changing. What was expected of older generations is no longer the norm. It can grind people’s gears because they hold others to standards that aren’t relevant anymore.
According to a think piece published by the New York Times, Gen X seems to think kids these days dress like lunatics, but not for the reason you might think. When Gen X was young, they loved dressing to express their feelings of rebellion and individuality. When they look at Gen Z now, all they see is "Wildly clean, clean and creased, as if it had just come out of a drop-ship envelope." The horror!
2. When someone doesn’t answer the phone
Landline phones were all Gen Xers had. They couldn’t rely on digital conversations until they were well into their 20s. This has caused some of the generation to prefer talking on the phone rather than texting, and it frustrates them when they’re trying to reach someone and their call gets ignored.
Millennials and Gen Z have a different outlook. They’d rather avoid phone calls entirely. With the reliance on texting and email, they’ve developed phone call anxiety. This causes them to avoid picking up the phone entirely, which doesn’t always work for their older friends and family members.
3. People who constantly have headphones on
Even though I am a millennial, I have had my own moments of annoyance with people who constantly have headphones in. It can make them oblivious to the world around them. Many people who grew up in the 1960s-1980s share this sentiment. They don’t understand why they can’t walk around without them and pay attention to what’s going on around them.
Psychologists tend to agree with them. While it’s normal for Gen Z, it can impact our social experiences and emotional regulation. Earbuds can be how people choose to drown out their thoughts instead of tackling them head-on. It can also stifle social interaction because if everyone is listening to something else, they may prevent conversations and connections from happening naturally.
4. Over-reliance on social media
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Whether we want to admit it or not, many of us rely on external validation and can get it easily from social media. We have all the likes and friends we could ever need in the palm of our hands. It’s not always easy to get past this reliance on social media to boost our self-esteem. Older generations may not understand it at all.
Growing up without all these apps gave them the ability to self-validate. Self-validation is considered much more important than relying on others to fill that void, which allows Gen X to be more independent and less glued to their phones than Gen Z.
5. Helicopter parenting
Parenting was a completely different beast when Gen X was growing up. They were considered latchkey kids, spending most of their time alone at home while their parents worked. Constant supervision from their family members wasn’t available, and they learned how to get by independently.
Now, they may think younger generations are becoming helicopter parents. It’s not uncommon for Gen X to have the parenting style of their parents. Instead of hovering over their kids, they can come across as emotionally independent. They complain when they see kids overly coddled, worrying they won’t be able to make it in the real world.
6. The lack of community
I think I got to experience the tail end of what Gen X grew up with. When I was a kid, we knew all of our neighbors. We could count on someone’s parents to be outside so we could play while being supervised. Often, we’d even break into their backyards to swim in their pools because there was always an open invitation. Now, people seem more cautious with each other and less open to building community.
Neighborhood socializing has been declining over time. Instead of spending time outside, they are staying inside their homes, scrolling on social media. Digital socialization has changed how people spend time with each other, which is a major complaint of Gen Xers.
7. Virtual events
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Have you heard of Zoom fatigue? It’s the idea that we are becoming drained by the constant virtual communication we are forced to have. Whether it’s constant work meetings or a social event changed from in-person to online, it can be overwhelming. For Gen Z, this is second nature, since they grew up in a digital age, but Gen X doesn’t share the same outlook.
Some businesses have stopped holding as many in-person events and switched to video meetings. While this can make things more accessible, it also takes away the social connection we feel when we are together sharing the same interest.
8. How often plans are canceled
Bailing on plans has become normalized. Before, when Gen X made plans with one another, it was more difficult to cancel. They couldn’t text their friends to bow out; they’d have to hope they were by their landline or somewhere they could run into in person. Gen Z, however, is bailing on plans left and right.
One survey found that 56% of 18- to 29-year-olds make plans and often realize they don’t want to follow through. If Gen Xers grew up committing to something and following through, this can be annoying to deal with.
9. New perceptions of work-life balance that don't leave much room for work
For many Gen Zers, their job is just a means to an end. Instead of staying loyal to their company and showing up day in and day out to work their hardest, they aren’t afraid to quit when they feel their work-life balance is being interfered with.
Work-life balance was a fresh concept when Gen X was starting their professional years. Making up the second-largest portion of the current workforce, they are often dedicated to their careers, and while they absolutely strive for balance, they think younger people's emphasis on personal life has become too extreme and wonder how they think they can make a living if they never have to work hard.
Haley Van Horn is a freelance writer with a master’s degree in Humanities, living in Los Angeles. Her focus includes entertainment and lifestyle stories.
