24 Things That Baby Boomers Got Right All Along, According To People From All Different Generations
People will always criticize and poke fun at other generations. And, of course, the Baby boomer generation is not exempt from ridicule. But there are some things that the boomers got completely right. Here are some boomer opinions even non-boomers totally agree with.
1."You don't need a smartphone in grade school. I can understand a simple flip phone for emergencies, but not a smartphone."
2."Screw fast fashion, My clothes should be made to last. I’m not rich that fast fashion is completely avoidable, but I’m willing to spend extra on clothes that aren’t made of plastic, and I do my best to repair my damaged clothing instead of just throwing it out."
3."I can't stand the loss of ownership. Everything's moving to a subscription, lease, or rental model. I fear someday we'll own nothing, and we'll subscribe, sign a lease, or rent everything."
4."It’s much more convenient to write things down on paper instead of a on a notes app."
5."If I have to leave my seat to order or get my food, I’m not leaving a tip."
6."People are way too loud in places they should be quiet. The last time I went hiking, I passed groups of people with speakers in the middle of the woods. What is the logic? It's as if they were thinking, 'Hey, let's go to a place where people come to get away from noise and show them how awesome our tunes are!' I understand the appeal of walking with music, but if you want to listen to yours out loud, stroll around a crowded beach or something."
7."Googling recipes while cooking and having to read everyone’s life story and family history to get to the ingredients drives me insane. I’ve gone back to reading cookbooks."
8."I believe employee loyalty should be rewarded. You need to change jobs every couple of years to stay competitive with your pay, but that whole concept seems backward to me. An employee you've had for ten years should be worth significantly more than one just starting."
9."Most things from appliances to clothing and even homes, really were built much better quality back in the day."
10."People need to do more things for themselves. We're becoming too reliant on services and technology. Parents aren't even teaching their kids to change a tire anymore. We have more resources today than boomers ever had. Being capable enough to pull up a YouTube video would save a hell of a lot of money."
11."The internet is diminishing people’s ability to interact face-to-face."
12."That Gen Alpha is just as bad with misinformation and tech as Boomers are. They only deal with tech in its streamlined, easy form, and they never dealt with the early Internet as an untrustworthy source where you needed to do actual research to determine if something on a site wasn’t nonsense."
13."Face-to-face communication is important. Something is still much more special about real conversations, and it isn't the same as talking through a screen."
14."You should really put your phone down when you're out to eat with people. Maybe it's because I grew up with this rule, but if I'm getting lunch with a friend who is on the phone while we eat, I find it incredibly irritating."
15."I wish people would stop giving young kids iPads. My mom gave me a LeapPad, which can still have an addictive quality, but it’s not the same level of 'bad' as an iPad. I got my iPad at 13 after saving for a whole summer (plus my birthday/Christmas money from that past year), and I still saw things I probably didn’t need to see at 13. I truly can see a difference in the emotional regulation of iPad kids vs other kids."
16."Please get these freaking touch screens out of my car. Give me knobs and buttons!"
17."Stop making apps for everything. I want to put money in a parking meter, look at a menu at a restaurant, and just hand over cash when paying the bill."
18."I miss the AUX port on my phone :( I don’t like AirPods or Bluetooth earbuds, I want the wired ones!"
Ezra Bailey
19."Not everything needs to be digital. My health insurance recently provided me with just an image of a digital insurance card. I requested they mail me a physical one… Most boomer thing I’ve ever done, but where do you store a digital insurance card? It’ll get lost in my photos app, and frankly, the text is damn small on the digital card."
20."The sheer number of younger people I’ve seen with horrible people/social/conversational skills blows my mind, and I firmly believe it is greatly in part due to phones and social media. Boomers always say shit like, 'Go play outside, interact with the world, spend less time on your phone,' and I wholeheartedly agree."
21."Internet should be on my phone and my computer only. I barely allow my TV to have it. My fridge, toaster oven, washer and dryer do not need an internet connection."
22."If a burger is $10+, it should come with fries and a soda fountain cup. No, I'm not tipping if I see a service charge on the receipt, especially if you didn’t tell me upfront. I’m especially not tipping more than 10% if you just get a can out of the fridge or throw a bagel in the microwave."
Deleted
23."There are way too many labels today. I'm a trans guy, don't get me wrong, I get wanting to find the group you fit into, but as far as 'out in the wild,' I feel like there should be an expectation that not everybody's going to know what everyone else's sexuality/pronoun is. It's not that people shouldn't use them; they should, but they shouldn't take somebody's head off for not knowing. Plus, when I was still figuring myself out, all the different labels honestly confused me more than helped, not that they won't be helpful to someone else."
24."I read physical books rather than audiobooks or e-readers, and don’t get me started on newspapers."
Do you have something to add? What is a "boomer" opinion that you're actually totally on board with? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
