11 Things Younger Generations Complain About That Boomers Quietly Roll Their Eyes At

Every generation faces a host of issues that society tells them to push through. Baby boomers were told to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, while Gen X struggled as latchkey kids. Because of their vastly different experience of the world, there are several things younger generations complain about that boomers quietly roll their eyes at now.

While people in Gen X tend to distance themselves from the generational drama, boomers are still out there loud and proud, making sure today's youth understand how they see things. And while several of Gen Z's biggest complaints are valid, others are simply based on a generational miscommunication.

Here are 11 things younger generations complain about that boomers quietly roll their eyes at

1. Saying that the WiFi is too slow

a young woman tells her boomer mother that the wifi is acting slow shurkin_son | Shutterstock

Younger generations have grown up mastering instant connectivity. Whether it's working from home or streaming for entertainment purposes, whenever the WiFi goes down for even five seconds, they lose their minds. Boomers don't understand this kind of impatience.

Their generation dealt with dial-up modems and fax machines in the workplace. As technology has changed, boomers are starting to feel frustrated by many of the same things that younger generations do, like multi-factor authentication and artificial intelligence. Boomers become the most frustrated when they need to get hold of a representative, but an AI keeps misinterpreting what they are saying.

Given that a study published by Delight revealed that 72% of Baby Boomers trust human agents more than automated systems, perhaps they could be open to understanding that, for Gen Z, the five seconds without WiFi is the equivalent of a robot not doing what you asked it to do.

2. Telling them that there are no good jobs

a boomer mother gets upset that her daughter has not found a job yet fizkes | Shutterstock

Boomers are quick to tell the younger generations that back in their day, they had real jobs that required hard labor rather than simply taking their phones out and making money by becoming influencers. What the older generation doesn't seem to understand is that the chances of going viral on the internet are slim, and the chances of that notoriety continuing are even slimmer.

A study published by Scientific Reports found that most viral events do not significantly boost or sustain engagement. The fleeting nature of viral attention is everywhere, and the chances of young people making money off of social media platforms are not sustainable.

Young people are trying to find decent work out there, but they have stumbled on a couple of issues. The first is that they have racked up large amounts of student loan debt just to get degrees in fields that aren't even hiring. The second lies in companies wanting to pay them minimum wage despite having these qualifications. They keep moving the goalpost and expect people to adapt, which can be frustrating.

3. Saying everything is too expensive

a boomer father listens to his young son saying that everything now is expensive winnievinzence | Shutterstock

Let's be honest, the price of living has gone up for everyone. Thirty years ago, Americans could say that holding down two or three jobs would have been able to pay most, if not all, of their bills, but now, even with three or even four jobs, it is simply impossible to pay their bills. According to a study published by Bank of America, 73% of Gen Z report that the current economic environment has made it more challenging to save, with inflation being a significant factor.

Boomers are also finally feeling the pinch from corporate America, yet they would never admit to the younger generations that they are wrong. To admit it would mean that they accept responsibility for being the generation that hoarded the wealth and benefits from everyone else.

4. Saying time off at work is non-negotiable

a young woman tells her boomer mother that she wants a job that gives her time off of work Monkey Business Images | Shutterstock

For boomers, the idea of taking time off is seen as a luxury, while for younger generations it's a non-negotiable requirement. They argue that stepping away from work is essential to recharge and improve productivity. This is why they prefer flexible schedules and remote work that allows them the freedom to do other things.

An Expedia report noted that 70% of Generation Z workers in Australia felt vacation deprived, compared to just 32% of Baby Boomers. The generational divide is staggering, considering younger generations seek greater flexibility while older generations adhere to established norms. The clash often comes down to differing values about work itself.

Younger people see time away from work as necessary for maintaining their mental and emotional well-being, while boomers might see it as a sign of a generation that doesn't understand the hard work that built their careers. Despite the differences, both perspectives show how work culture has changed over time.

5. Telling them they are so burnt out

a woman tells a boomer that she feels burnt out at work PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock

Gen X has sort of kept quiet over the years. Often referred to as latchkey kids who would come home to empty houses and fend for themselves, when they started working, they valued advancing up the ladder but didn't glorify it like Boomers did. This made them the first generation to notice major issues with workplace culture and discuss what burnout feels like.

A study from Acadia University found that Gen X nurses reported higher levels of distress than baby boomer nurses due to boomers having different attitudes towards workplace stress and burnout. Gen X tends to use escape avoidance strategies like disengagement and denial rather than being confrontational. Boomers, however, never shy away from saying what is on their minds, even if the room doesn’t agree with what they have to say. The issue for Gen X is that they know that bottling up their emotions will cause even more stress and burnout.

6. Saying that making phone calls give them anxiety

a boomer mother does not understand why her daughter will not make phone calls because of her anxiety fizkes | Shutterstock

Many young people will firmly state their opinion that phone calls give them some form of anxiety. They loathe talking on the phone and will opt out of it if given the chance. A study by recruitment firm Robert Walters found that 59% of Gen Z and millennials prefer email or instant messaging for work-related communication, with 50% admitting to being uncomfortable making business calls. This is due to the unpredictability of being put on the spot and not knowing what to say.

Boomers often blame technology as the source for why younger people don't socialize face-to-face. This is why the older generations tend to roll their eyes at the younger generations, because they believe that in this rough world, you need to at least be able to speak to other people.

Younger people are just more selective about their communication with others and want to be in control of it. Boomers want immediate gratification and personal contact. They would rather have a meaningless conversation here and now than spend time thinking about what to say.

7. Wanting to be passionate about your job

a young man tells his boomer co worker that he wants to be passionate about his job Media_Photos | Shutterstock

During the Boomers' era, you took whatever job you could find that paid well and allowed you to gain upward mobility. Younger generations have had enough of this type of workplace culture and want to do something they enjoy. They want meaning in their work and want a salary that reflects that as well.

Unfortunately, many young people attend universities for careers that they want, only to end up in a career that they hate because they couldn't find an entryway into what they studied. The difference is that while Boomers were grateful for the jobs they got, younger people complain and want more. It's not entitlement because imagine that you worked at your profession for years, trained in it, and studied it, only for you to end up doing something else completely unrelated.

It's unrealistic to continue to have young people acquire large amounts of debt to get trained in one profession but then work in another industry. While Boomers roll their eyes at young people over this, logically speaking, they understand the plight even if they don't want to admit it.

8. Wondering why everything requires a subscription

two boomers reminisce about what life was like before subscription services Prostock-studio | Shutterstock

Younger generations feel like it's hard to keep up with all of these different streaming services. Some have even gone as far as to pay for a service to watch one show, then dump it for another one that offers better content. According to a survey by The Motley Fool Money, it was revealed that 43% of Generation Z and 42% of Millennials hold between six to 10 subscriptions, in contrast to 71% of Baby Boomers who reported having between zero and five subscriptions.

Boomers roll their eyes because back in the day, all they had to buy was cable. If you did pay more, it was mostly for pay-per-view events or HBO and Cinemax. Now, cable is bought in packages, and they don't always guarantee that you will get every single channel when you purchase it. At least with streaming, you can look at their catalogs to see what you are willing to pay to watch and choose between them in that way.

Options for different cable companies are scarce compared to streaming services, and their prices are just as bad. It's time to admit that every generation has now been swindled by cable providers and streaming giants who simply want to overcharge for their services.

9. Saying that they need a mental health day

a boomer mother does not understand why her daughter needs a mental health day Chay_Tee | Shutterstock

Boomers were taught to push through the work day with little complaint, which is something that younger generations are unwilling to do. Taking mental health days off from work is important to young people in the workforce. It's hard not to sympathize with that because many cannot afford therapy, let alone medication for their mental health issues.

Research by Calm Health showed that nearly 70% of Gen Z and millennials expect employers to assist with stress and anxiety, yet only about one-third of employers offer mental health solutions. It's all about thinking practically here. Young people are just starting in the workforce, so they don't know what to expect or whether they will be a good fit for such a high-pressure job. If they are constantly being berated at work by higher-ups or customers, then that will take a mental toll on them.

Boomers will probably roll their eyes at this, but deep down, they felt the same way when they worked a 9-to-5 job. They were just better at hiding their frustrations due to the fear of losing their job. What they failed to realize is that a job would be nothing without them. A little self-love is all boomers needed, but they didn't believe in mental health, right?

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10. Telling them that being an adult is so hard

a young woman tells her boomer mother that being an adult is hard Studio Romantic | Shutterstock

The overwhelming nature of adulthood is a real struggle for younger generations. We didn't expect this to be so fast and early in our lives. Juggling work, family, and financial instability is not what we signed up for. We were sold a dream that doesn't exist anymore, and the people who took it away from us continue to mock us for it.

To get through the day, we spend hours venting online to strangers from our cars in hopes that there are people struggling through the same thing. Boomers laugh at us and tell us that we are perpetual whiners who are too lazy to do something about it. The truth is they benefited, and now five generations — Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and now Gen Beta — will pay the price.

The generational disconnect is that the same hardships boomers experienced are similar to the hardships the younger generations are experiencing. They only think it's different because they had some ounce of stability when it happened to them.

11. Capitalism being a problem

a boomer woman does not believe that capitalism is the problem Ground Picture | Shutterstock

When you ask boomers to name the exact moment they feel everything went wrong, they'll likely bring up the Clinton administration's signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). A study published by the Economic Policy Institute found that NAFTA eliminated nearly 395,000 U.S. jobs in its first three years, with significant job losses among women and minority groups.

The idea of NAFTA was to allow corporations to outsource cheaper labor to other countries for manufacturing purposes at the cost of American ingenuity. There's only one problem. Those policies were signed by boomers themselves, so to younger generations, this complaint feels like gaslighting.

It's hard for younger people to fathom how boomers, who benefited from these policies, can then turn around and criticize them as if they were not a part of holding those in power accountable. The truth is that each generation passes down trauma and debt. Without accountability for corrupt politicians, nothing will ever change.

Sylvia Ojeda is an author who has over a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.