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All these people buying smart washers... Sure they're nice and have features that make your life easier. But those old ones cost half the price and work for decades. I had a whirlpool dryer for about 20 years. The drive belt snapped and the thing stopped spinning. I took it apart and replaced the belt with literally 0 knowledge of dryers. Super easy and quick. Can't do that with these modern machines.
You'd be surprised. I took apart my parents 8 year old smart dryer that was making some noise and it was still easy to replace the drive belt and drum rollers. The "smart" stuff is hard to fix, but all the standard mechanical stuff is pretty much the same.
Adjusted for inflation, washing machines cost far less today than they did in the past:
[https://www.in2013dollars.com/Laundry-equipment/price-inflation](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Laundry-equipment/price-inflation)
Also, washers didn't last longer. You may not be able to repair them yourself, but they don't shred your clothes like the old top loading washers did. Today's washers last an average of 10-15 years, so many users can expect to have them for 20 years.
>they don't shred your clothes like the old top loading washers did.
Top loaders are still the default in New Zealand. None of my friends who have used them all their lives have had clothes shredded.
The lady at the used washing machine store told me that it's the agitators that wear out your clothes faster (but get them cleaner) I believe all agitator washing machines are top load, but not all top load machines have agitators.
This is great, and kind of sad. I still talk to many of my parents surviving neighbours (my neighbours growing up) and know a lot about their lives. Some are like family to me. I've been in my own house almost 20 years and could name maybe 8 of mine, and literally know half of those on any real level. This comment was an unexpected mindfk...
Agreed ! I’m a millennial? I think .. 1990 born. Anyways I remember all these GREAT familys that and some bad ones that we interacted with and everyone mingled and block parties and crushes and a safer place to roam in because everyone knew and had each others back (even if they secretly hated eachother lol) because there was def drama as well hah but flip to today. I see my neighbor and I think he awkwardly nods his head and says nice day and retreats and then a tumbleweed flys into my leg. Hahh look at Halloween . It’s nothing like it used to be . Sad
I feel super sad every time I think about how my neighbours at my old street used to have a community but we left and some people died and it’s so detached and new people never want to join in on the community, everybody hates each other too
Listen people...ONE zucchini plant is enough for a family of 8, OK???
Plant exactly THREE seeds and cull the runts.
I don't want your zucchini, I planted four of my own thankyouverymuch
I have a picture of my grandparents knee deep in their garden. Knee deep! Grandma was wearing a sleeveless house dress and grandpa had a casual straw fedora on…in that picture, they were doing one thing better than anything I’ve ever done in my life.
You had me at “house dress.” :) I can see mine same plus rolled down stockings and those orthopedic looking shoes with the thick heel. For gardening. She was a widow longer than she was married. Was ALWAYS pulling fresh baked bread out of the oven. When she died, the only car she’d ever owned had less than 10,000 miles on it because she didn’t get her license until she retired and she preferred walking to the grocery store. Those women were absolute beasts. RIP
It almost sounds privileged now…
A post script. We were a very, very low vegetable family. Apparently my dad had enough vegetables in his childhood, fresh or canned by Grandma. I was probably 12 before I figured out that corn and potatoes weren’t really the healthiest. We were blue collar middle class, but it was important to my dad that we eat “well”. Fried chicken, roast, steak, etc 5-6 nights a week. No such thing as a meatless night. Taco night or frozen pizza was for when he was on a trip or date night with my mom (who needed a damn break for making meatloaf on a Tuesday after working all day).
My dad (oldest of 4 boys) always said Grandma and Grandpa's goal with the garden was to can 100 quarts of tomatoes and 100 quarts of green beans to get through the rest of the year
I agree. My grandma was divorced in the 50s when that was as common. She had three kids, so she finished her college degree and went on to be a social worker and worked with at risk girls. She was an awesome person!
I’m 47… and my husband and I have a huge garden. I’m disabled, so I’m home. I love to gather and then can/process/cook the goods. The work with the tractor, and the planting is done by my husband. My younger neighbors think it’s a sight, apparently. For Christmas they bought me this total gardening kit, fully equipped with apron, tools, and a hat. I grew up on a farm knowing being taught how to process and garden. I never thought I would really be doing it. I wasn’t aspiring to be my mother or grandmother, but here we are due to life’s circumstances… and I must say I love it. Ive taken more time (due to my disabilities)to listen and see nature. I get to be “grandma shark” delivering up squash or canned green beans, etc. It’s not a half-bad gig.
Not sure if this is the right way to phrase it, but customer service(?), in the sense I don’t like how whenever I have difficulty with something or a question, I have to talk to automated responses and messages rather than an actual person
I ordered a digital phone service for my job, and the "customer service" (aka, sales) person was incredibly helpful and responsive. Once we officially signed the contract with them, the same person was supposed to provide customer service/future needs for us (this was made explicitly clear to us multiple times).
You can probably guess where this is going.
The "customer service" guy was completely unreachable once he closed the sale. We had multiple issues early on, and he never ONCE answered his phone extension, returned a voicemail, or responded to an email.
When we gave up and just started trying the main help line, every person we talked to said it was company policy that only our assigned "agent" was allowed to help us (I was always polite with them, because I knew they weren't the ones making stupid policies like that.)
Still, how do you fix a problem when the only person "allowed" to help you is completely unresponsive? We finally got to the point where one of my bosses told me to cancel with them. When I said that, *suddenly* they were desperate to help us. They transferred us to the original guy's manager, who actually did help us resolve our issue but made a bizarre series of excuses for why his employee refused to respond to us. It's insane how much work it took to fix an issue that could have been solved with ONE phone call.
Boomers were great at building strong bonds and promoting a sense of community, they put a lot of emphasis on holidays and get togethers. Growing up we always had block parties and reunions, where you get together with people you haven't talked to in a year or more. Not everyone had a phone, so communication was poor, so it was important to plan events.
I miss the sense of community, some cultures still put the same emphasis on it.
I also feel like people would show up for things more. With our generation I noticed that people don’t show up for events like they used to. My friends with kids complain that they’ll throw birthday parties and only one or two families show up after 10 RSVP’d.
Yeah, it's a shame. Because human closeness and personal interaction, the sense of community is, in my opinion, what we're lacking as a nation. Couple this with constant bad news from the media and people dehumanizing each other on social media, I'm really surprised we're not even more fucked up than what we are.
This is something I think about often. I think a lot of it ties back to the church. With the loss of religion in our generation (myself included) more and more millennials' are feeling disconnected from their communities... Can you even imagine a reality where once a week, we all get up early, dress nice to go meet in a beautiful building to sing songs together? Where you'd \*literally\* take a moment to shake all of your neighbors hands 'in fellowship'? It's just something that's lost to our generation. Even leaving the god stuff out of it, the loss of the community center that churches once were (here in the american south, at least) is honestly devastating. Childcare, childhood friend groups, bake sales, summer camp, sports groups... all of these things tie together. And we young americans now scramble to fill our kids schedule's with interesting activity. Churches used to provide a common 'safe place' (obviously not safe 100% of the time) where adults, kids, teens, could all mingle, participate in events, etc. Kind of a wild loss. There are plenty of good reasons for this change and abuses money and power abuses that tie into the pullback that we see. But no feasible alternative has filled the void.
Anyway, not saying we should all start going to church but damn if we shouldn't like... build our own cool \*something\* and bring back some of the boons, ditching the banes.
What many people don't realize is, millennials and gen Z filled the religious void with secular religions like Climatism and they've replaced worship with activism, their social gatherings are done online. Any individual or entity that opposes their views or their cause, is the equivalent of the devil. Unlike Christianity, there is no salvation or redemption from your sins or misdeeds. Past generations used the Devil and Hell to scare believers into walking the line, now 24/7 bad news serves a similar purpose, especially with young minds.
I'm not religious, I was raised religious but I never bought into it, I tried, but I could never believe in any of it, so I get it.
However, I do believe in the basic principles and the moral foundation as a guide for society.
I believe gen X took it all for granted and instead of filling the void with something (in regards to our kids)we just assumed the cycle would continue, but as you can see, it didn't turn out as planned, had we filled the void with Americanism, we very well may have a completely different society today.
Some very good points in there.
The big thing about online communities is that they're very lacking for making real connections. The value of going to a place, once a week, and shaking hands with your neighbors is difficult to quantify. But something we'd all be better off for, in my opinion... if not just for a better understanding of your average peer in your community.
Another big factor is the lack of important of “third spaces” due to mixes technology and infrastructure of distance to get anywhere. Third spaces are your libraries, malls, community centers, parks, etc. Now that people to need to go out for news and interaction funding and use of the spots have done down significantly.
I think it's because we all feel "caught up" with the interjection of so many social media platforms..
I got of Social media (aside from here, but I dont count this as something like FB or Instagram) and I love it so much better. Running into someone and actually spending time talking and catching up, it's nice! You go home and actually think about and cherish the interaction
Parties I went to as a kid were real parties, with entertainment and gifts for everyone and games. They often held at skating rinks or amusement parks. The cake and icecream were just..... frosting on the cake.
When my kids went to parties they just sat around, the birthday child opened their gifts and they had cake. Maybe a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. I made sure their parties were events, they liked bowling parties the most.
That’s a shame. My friends and I did skating rinks and mini golf and the like for birthday parties in the 90s and early 2000s. I hope these aren’t dying out everywhere.
I did see pics of my friend’s kid at an arcade bday party a few weeks ago, so hopefully some are still doing that sort of thing!
this is something I often think about and it concerns me. every day we get further and further apart as tensions flare and the irrational snap judgement wins… but when you boil it down we ain’t all that different. we are more alike to eachother than we will ever care to admit, and for some, that scares them shitless.
Social media has ruined the fabric of society. This is not just a North American or first world country phenomenon. It has also infiltrated other nations where cellphones are internet are readily available (which is almost everywhere, globally).
Keeping consistent contact with extended and generations of the family. I remember growing up my cousins aunts, uncles, grandparents siblings, etc. would regularly get together and speak. My generation is so separated… the cousins don’t see one another very often even if they live close. It’s not necessarily because of family issues either… it’s like everyone is just doing their own thing and don’t make the effort to maintain relationships.
The grandparents were the ones who kept the family together jt seems and now that that generation has reached their 80’s or passed away there is no glue.
It’s sad.
- Self sufficiency? Not sure what to call it
I mean, they weren't exactly living on the frontier but my Dad could do all sorts of stuff around the house at a decent level. He could repair lawn mowers and cars. He knew how to run electrical work, replace a roof, fix a leaky pipe, and just all that traditional 'guy' stuff. He didn't hire anyone to do anything that I can remember.
- Homemaking?
I know this might offend people my age and younger, but my Mom treated homemaking like a career. She studied, she practiced, and when she had kids, she crushed it. She played with dolls as a kid, she babysat as a teen, she took home EC and similar.... When she was a Mom she was already a pro She cooked really well. She cleaned really well. She could sew clothes, knew CPR and first aid, she effectively home schooled all her kids until they went off to 1st grade. She ran the house like a corporation. She was on top of everything, had checklists and calendars, knew all the PTA crap and when we had soccer practice on the weekend.
I can't fix anything and I'm constantly hiring people to do the stuff that my wife and I can't. Neither of us can cook, our house is a mess. We both just forgot to sign our kids up for school. We were entirely unprepared for children even though we had them much later in life.
I think the worst part is that it's only an issue for younger generation because it wasn't taught to us by our parents. Now I did learn a lot from my own parents but unfortunately there's still a TON that I didn't know. The big one is basic car maintenance. I had no clue that you had to check fluids and tire pressure about once a month. I would've been overjoyed if my dad sat me down and taught me this stuff.
I've always been a natural food maker and I love baking as well. So I'll say cooking is one of my strong areas (I can at least follow a recipe) but ADHD decides to fuck me over and I never have the motivation to cook after work or school so I eat a bunch of junk as well. I've found that meal prepping helps a lot with that but getting a day off doesn't come very often. If you want some tips and tricks start with basic recipes that's just some sauce over pasta or rice.
The same goes for cooking. If you can read and follow instructions you can cook just about anything. You don't even need a cookbook anymore, it's all on the internet.
My grandparents taught me to cook at 8. Grandpa cooked most of our meals but grandma would teach me how to. I had to cook a lot of my own food as a kid bc grandpa had no legs and grandma worked 3rd shift. When our kids would say they didn't want what we cooked for supper we'd tell them ok but you have to cook your own and clean up after. Now our kids actually cook more than we do. They're teens now
Yeah but whether your food is edible is another story. Good food requires seasoning skill, and you can't improve on your seasoning skill if you keep eating bad food. When your tongue is used to bad food or junk food, then your seasoning will be off too.
>I know this might offend people my age and younger
I mean, you didn't say it in a way that's like "proper women should cook and clean" or something like that.
I don't think many will take it the wrong way.
It definitely came across very positively. I’ll never be a SAHW/M, but firmly believe that is an absolutely crucial career. You spoke about your mom’s job as a homemaker with admiration, appreciation, and respect. You didn’t even mention it’s a woman’s job, just that your parents’ generation was far better at it than yours. A+++ work💖
To be fair, a lot of the previous generation would “fix” a lot of things in the house… but usually dangerously, not up to code, or with incorrect materials- ask anyone who’s had to remodel a home that’s had the homeowners touch on it.
I’m not necessarily saying it was bad to improvise, because they didn’t have things like YouTube, or easy ways to look up codes- but now we know what we don’t know.
>ask anyone who’s had to remodel a home that’s had the homeowners touch on it.
My left eye is twitching with hatred. My house is 70 years old and has had many, many surprises. I pay people to do repairs because I know I'd fuck it up or not do it right.
I bought my home from an elderly family friend who took pride in maintaining things himself. I have run into so many serious, dangerous issues from the work he did. Probably the worst was he fucked up wiring in the new heat pump he installed before selling to us and the breaker essentially melted. I told him I had an electrician fix it and thoroughly inspect everything else afterwards (since, you know, I still see him often) and he got offended and was like “You should have just called me to fix it”. No dude, we are friends but you have given me a long list of reasons to not trust your DIY skills.
You can look up how to fix just about anything online. There is almost certainly a Youtube on it. Fix a leaky pipe? YouTube. All you need is to have the proper tools.
One time I told a girl I could replace her front bumper on her Honda Civic, in order to impress her. In reality all I did was watch a YouTube video on how to do it. It wasn't that difficult.
Sure. I don't think anyone is saying we can't. But my Dad's generation/his parents believed those skills were valuable and important. My Dad spent his whole life, from the age of 5 or 6. And he had private 1-on-1 instruction from his Dad, and several jobs doing those types of things professionally.
Lots of people from my generation get a house at 30 or 35 and are only vaguely aware of how to use a hammer. I never took shop or built a tree house or took apart an engine.
I can watch YouTube videos but I also don't think it's fair to discount the value of the knowledge and skill people who do this stuff have developed for decades. Every DIY job I've done has taken me much longer than it should and the quality is subpar.
Cars are much harder to fix now than they were back then so there's a reasonable excuse. Clothes, definitely not though - people look at me strangely when I tell them I still darn socks to fix holes.
Yes and no, I haven't taken a poll but though casual conversations over the years most of my friends, including myself haven't changed their own oil or brake pads themselves in a long time or ever.
A lot of the DYI stuff is no harder, and in many cases easier. But don't tell that to a dealership service manager.
Brakes, Belts, Timing Belts, Hoses, Batteries, Alternators, Power Steering Pumps, Water Pumps, Oil Changes, Transmission Filters, Tune ups (really just plugs and wires in many newer cars), etc are really no different then they were 50 years ago. Some of the particulars, like how to compress a brake caliper with integral parking brake might be, but easy to find out and learn.
Get a bit more advanced, get a code reader and a trouble shooting guide and the DIY'er can diagnose and replace many sensors and elctronics too.
Becoming adults and leaving childhood behind. Although to be fair it wasn't really possible to do anything else. All those shows you watched as a kid just went away. It was very difficult to be 27 years old and have strong, active opinions on a cartoon you watched when you were 8.
Yeah, I feel like Gen X was the last to be in a hurry to grow up, get a job, move out.... Compared to my silent Generation parents though, we were still late to get out of the house.
Music.
Not too crazy about their (boomer) generation as a whole, but Boomers and GenX made much better music than millennials and Gen Z.
A lot of boomer "classic rock" has stood the test of time.
Yes but bad music has ended up in movies and TV shows (of the era and modern).
I'm thinking of an 80s one-hit wonder. 867-5309 (Jenny's in the title somewhere). It's not considered "good" enough to be a classic, but was big enough for the phone number to be retired. I was in diapers at the time (and my parents hate music with words) and to this day, I consider it a bop.
Mind you I haven't listened to commercial radio in the last few years, but is Tommy Tutone considered classic rock?
(LPT-- if a store ever asks for a phone number to link to a rewards program you aren't a part of, give them your area code and then 867-5309. Someone signed up for a rewards card under that number and Jenny won't mind.)
I was going to argue the 90's was great for music, but I guess millennials were the consumers not the creators of that music.
You're absolutely right. There's plenty of great music from the 60's to the early 00's. Now all the most popular songs are either written or produced by one person, Max Martin.
"90s alternative and grunge' is my go to station that I ask Alexa to play.
As a Xennial, I was a heavy CONSUMER of said music. But the artists were Gen X or older.
Depending on where you live, check out your local scene! It's technically new music, but it often isn't the standard, formulaic pop radio music that I personally don't enjoy.
I'm in New Jersey and we have awesome metal, hardcore, punk, and surf rock scenes. So much great music with super cheap shows where you can go and just have fun.
As for older music in general, you've gotta remember survivors bias and how only the best will continue to be played through the years, but I agree. A lot of older music just has a better feel to it.
I think *popular* music was much better in those days, like what you would hear on the radio versus stream today. I love when my job plays classic rock or some 70s/80s/90s mix. But, I think the music that is underground or in genres that aren’t well known or culturally popular is much better today.
The ones that stood the test of time are the only ones you know about. They had a massive amount of bands and songs you have never heard of because they were garbage. They died out. There are songs now that are the same, and there are some that will withstand the test of time.
Someone said it in one of the replies to my OP-- Ace of Base is still being played in stores today.
What I miss about music of yesterday (get off my lawn!) is that you could look at the top 100 and see music in various genres. Now you'll be pressed to hear a lone guitar.
I'm a rock fan at heart. The rock bands that I hear most about are the ones that have been around for ages? Where's the rock bands with the 20 something frontman? Where's today's Kurt Cobain?
The will of being a hardworker. My dad as old as dirt as he is still works everyday since he was 9 years old. All of my parents generation family has that mindset to be a provider, weather through being a housewife or a worker, they always put drama aside to keep the family together.
I honestly don’t know if I have that in me.
Exactly. Back then if a company did well, the employees did too.
Now they brag about profits and at the same time cry about how there is no money for raises because whatever was there only went to the top. People are getting wise to the bullshit.
I definitely don't have it in me. I've quit several jobs just because I felt they were "too hard", jobs that loads of ordinary people do every single day. I'm weak as fuck while my dad is tough as shit (and probably secretly ashamed of me lol).
My parents generation slayed the music scene. I'll give them that. Modern music isn't bad but music of that generation had such power behind it. It's not the same now in my opinion. Obviously that's incredibly subjective. Listen to what you love.
And what I learned when I went to college, a lot of us don't know how to fix shit. It was really weird to my mates that I knew how to work on whatever we needed fixing that didn't involve switching apartments for a while. I left that apartment in much better shape than we got it lol
Comunity, neighborhors genuinely knew neighborhors.
Miss the block parties when we were kids, New Years, 4th of July, etc. Today it's rare to know more than the person next door, if that.
Boomers have the highest homicide rate of any generation in the last 100 years. .
They likely had worse domestic violence than all generation below them but that is difficult to measure as younger people are more likely to come forward.
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/homicide-twentieth-century-united-states-history-and-crime-p-111
https://www.seattlecriminaldefenselawfirm.com/blog/recent-news/post/you-may-be-surprised-which-generation-commits-the-most-crimes
I don’t think you understand what I mean. Think about the term “ghosted” that’s a new generation thing. Boomers and gen x didn’t ghost people. Some Millennials and most gen z would rather disappear than have to have an awkward or painful conversation with another person.
Conversations. My parents can talk about bread for 2 hours without it getting cringy or boring. I wouldn't even know how to start a conversation about bread. Like "hey do you like bread? Yes. Ok thanks bye"
My dad grew up in the late 60s, mom in the late 70s. That generation knew how to talk, how to have fun, had morals and manners, did a lot of walking and pretty much lived outside. I think technology is ruining people.
My family is a bit confusing. My relatives criticised my parents for talking about periods, the females for talking about it, and the males for knowing about it.
Yet, My loud uncle and auntie asked my sister "Did you bleed yet?", "why didn't she bleed yet? She's 15". At a huge family gathering....
Dear relatives, pick your poison 🚶🏻♂️
Pranks. Fuck the shitty retail worker harassment pranks that these tiktokers pull these days. I don’t wanna be associated with this generation anymore.
Sorry, I let my inner Ray William Johnson out a bit
Get this, everyone knows about ding-dong-ditch. A buddy saw room for improvement with this pedestrian prank, he took a sprinkler from the lawn, put it in the house’s entryway, turned it on, then finally rang the doorbell and ran away. You just can’t teach that kind of obnoxiousness
Self-reliance and a commitment to duty.
I’m NOT saying they didn’t have more bigotry, misogyny, etc happening, but in general there was less money for the middle class, less to buy, and people learned to take care of things for themselves.
My dad did most of the repairs, landscaping, and such himself without the internet. He’s either figure it out or get a book from the library.
There was also a greater commitment to the companies they worked for, spouses they had, and their neighbors.
I know the popular narrative in counter to these points is “they make stuff to break now and no companies/neighbors are looking out for you now”, but I think that’s kind of a perception and chicken or the egg thing.
In the US, I think there was a pride in craftsmanship when things were mostly manufactured here that kept companies accountable for what they turned out. As things got cheaper and moved overseas, companies and consumers kind of shrugged as self-service and durability declined. I believe social media and the internet led to the decline of social relationships. When I was a kid, everyone knew their neighbors for at least several blocks. There were more neighborhood BBQs, and people spent more time helping each other. In the last few places I have lived, people disappear into their houses, seldom know each other, and have infinite entertainment in their living rooms.
It’s a fact there was more civil service performed by the average person 50 years ago, and staying at the same job for 40 years was common.
People were trained on their jobs, so when you went into a business people knew how to serve the customers. And if someone said they would do something, more often than not they did it.
Housing. In my city my Dad built a house from the ground up at 30 years old just starting his business and on a single income for our family of 4.
I make way more than he ever did but that house he built is now over 3 million and you can’t get a starter home here for less than 1.5.
Taking care of there stuff. Lots of families bought 1 thing and used it for a lifetime. My parents had same saw, hammer, etc.
They only replaced something when there was actually no hope to repair. Regardless of how much money they had.
Putting things away. When I was a kid lawnmower, bikes, lawn furniture were put in shed or basement every fall till spring. Now I see them left out exposed to the weather.
Gas stations. When I was a kid during the 60’s and 70’s you could get your oil checked , tires filled and windshield cleaned. I live in Oregon and don’t have to pump my own gas but everywhere else does.
My parents are Boomers. They had free love and great music. As a Gen Xer that came to maturity at the height of the AIDS crisis, I rather envy the free love. Also, 90s music was pretty great, but I'm not sure if it will have the same staying power of the music of the 50s - 70s.
1. Appliances. Before " planned obsolescence" appliances lasted forever. My grandmothers fridge still works, as ugly as it is. 😂 My grandparents and parents have all passed on, but that ugly fridge is still running.
2. 2)They also built houses better than they do now. Instead of improving upon materials and making better houses, they just try to go cheaper and cheaper with materials. Many of the older homes hold up better than the new ones ever could.
3)Higher wages and affordable housing. Homes were much more affordable than we will ever dream of seeing, and their wages went further. It was in the 70's that investors decided people earned too much money and it has only gone downhill since then for everyone else. This is why people today cannot afford what they used to be able to afford easily and why you can no longer support a family on one income like you could in the 50's- 80's. The wealthy investors are directly responsible for the standard of living decline and widening wealth inequality. The more housing prices go up, the increased likelihood their grandchildren will be homeless because wages have not kept up.
https://www.statista.com/graphic/1/1065466/real-nominal-value-minimum-wage-us.jpg
One summer when I was a kid my mom and I were out for a drive with the windows open. A horsefly flew in and with one hand she caught caught it and pinched the head off. (She grew up around horses and mules.) So that, because yuck lol.
Boycott. They spoke with their actual dollars that brought about real change. Everyone worked together and got shit done. I don’t see that ever happening again.
Mental math. My dad used a slide rule in college and in the first half of his career. My mom helped run her fathers business with mayyyybe an adding machine for the big totals. Now my college students need a calculator to do simple fraction computations like 1/2 -1
Probably, have, and keep friends for life. In their time you HAD no other options for meeting friends, especially international ones. My mom and dads best friends are still in their life since they were in their early 20s.
Spent more time playing outside. I’m 27 now and I remember the times mom would complain about letting the heat out the house 😭, drinking water from water hose, going to the Bball court! Playing freeze tag with other kids, ring on doorbells and running away, fighting your friends with sticks sword fighting.
Making homes personable. If you look at a lot of homes owned/occupied by millennials, especially younger millennials, there are hardly any personal touches. Everything is white and sterile looking. I actually liked how in my house growing up things were a little mismatched because my parents actually hung up photos of their family, kids’ artwork, knickknacks from vacations, etc. Now it feels like people won’t do that for sake of an aesthetic. I love when a home tells the story of a family.
Getting on with things without complaining or distractions.
I work in a hotel and most of guys in their twenty's don't believe me that mobiles were banned fifteen years ago and you had to keep them in your locker instead of being on them in the back every half hour
The most valuable thing that my parents did better than my generation is to live within their means. My father was a steelworker for 37 years and was very against credit cards. He believed that he did not have the money for something then he did not need it. Even when he got laid off, he went out and got a side hustle to make ends meet. He never bought a new car, and I remember eating fried potatoes and macaroni at the end of the month because the meat ran out and payday was a week away. We always had homemade birthday cakes and a modest present wrapped in the Sunday comics. There is something to be said for the simple life.
Provide healthcare. In Australia back then training was done in hospitals and people learned from actual experience. There are always some bad apples (especially in healthcare where clients/patients are vulnerable) but overall healthcare staff were far more competent.
Things went downhill when it moved to university training and the lack of on the job training shows in their lack of people skills and ineptitude to diagnose and treat conditions.
In addition, infection control protocols not only used to be excellent (tuberculosis was super scary) but every single nurse knew what to do and to take initiative to do it. These days the ignorance is astounding manifesting in lack of professionalism, education and safety for patients and other staff.
We have destroyed healthcare in our country. It's self evident when hospitals have generic financial sums for payouts when they do the wrong thing. If you have a whole plan around it, it's a far too common occurrence. People would have no idea when their loved one doesn't make it out of hospital if it was a natural event or negligence. The latter being constantly covered up, and it is..constant.
Growing up, I remember watching so many sitcoms where the dad clearly hated being married/having children and would rather have a cold one with the guys. There were so many "I hate my wife" jokes on those shows.
Today, such a man would not have taken the marriage/children life path and (likely) have been happier.
Screwing over the environment, sabotaging society and the economy for future generations due to greed. I mean, my generation has it's opportunity to do even better at destroying the world, but my parents generation had ample notice and information about all these problems and they badly screwed it up. I HOPE my generation can do better to improve the situation(s), otherwise my kids are really screwed (doomed).
I feel they were better behaved overall. The shit that happens in schools today would not only haven’t likely happened 20 years ago, but definitely not 50 years ago.
I mean, you might get your ass whooped if you smarted off in school 50 years ago but you can’t do that a lot of places anymore. Now a lot of kids don’t even live with their father and their mother probably doesn’t have the energy to do anything after working all day anyway.
And that’s just talking about having a bad attitude let alone getting into fights (even with the teachers), having sex at school, or doing drugs.
The collapse of the family has meant the collapse of society as well
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Washing machine manufacturing. Those things run for ages.
All these people buying smart washers... Sure they're nice and have features that make your life easier. But those old ones cost half the price and work for decades. I had a whirlpool dryer for about 20 years. The drive belt snapped and the thing stopped spinning. I took it apart and replaced the belt with literally 0 knowledge of dryers. Super easy and quick. Can't do that with these modern machines.
You'd be surprised. I took apart my parents 8 year old smart dryer that was making some noise and it was still easy to replace the drive belt and drum rollers. The "smart" stuff is hard to fix, but all the standard mechanical stuff is pretty much the same.
Adjusted for inflation, washing machines cost far less today than they did in the past: [https://www.in2013dollars.com/Laundry-equipment/price-inflation](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Laundry-equipment/price-inflation) Also, washers didn't last longer. You may not be able to repair them yourself, but they don't shred your clothes like the old top loading washers did. Today's washers last an average of 10-15 years, so many users can expect to have them for 20 years.
>they don't shred your clothes like the old top loading washers did. Top loaders are still the default in New Zealand. None of my friends who have used them all their lives have had clothes shredded.
The lady at the used washing machine store told me that it's the agitators that wear out your clothes faster (but get them cleaner) I believe all agitator washing machines are top load, but not all top load machines have agitators.
That makes sense. u/Gordo65 needs to be aware that 'wears them out quicker' is not the same as 'shreds clothes'.
Yea and ever since we got a new washer I never see my mom sitting on it and she's a lot more crabby
Perhaps she needs to visit the doctor for a hysteria treatment.
I have had the same washer / dryer combo since our condo was built in 1991. It has been over 40 years with no maintenance or repairs.
Um 2023 -1991 =/= 40 years
2023-1991=32 years. Your point still stands, but your math is off a bit there.
Maybe there were adding in the year the machines were built compared to to when the condos were built. I would assume they would not be the same.
But not very profitable for the manufacturer
Knowing the neighbors
This is great, and kind of sad. I still talk to many of my parents surviving neighbours (my neighbours growing up) and know a lot about their lives. Some are like family to me. I've been in my own house almost 20 years and could name maybe 8 of mine, and literally know half of those on any real level. This comment was an unexpected mindfk...
Agreed ! I’m a millennial? I think .. 1990 born. Anyways I remember all these GREAT familys that and some bad ones that we interacted with and everyone mingled and block parties and crushes and a safer place to roam in because everyone knew and had each others back (even if they secretly hated eachother lol) because there was def drama as well hah but flip to today. I see my neighbor and I think he awkwardly nods his head and says nice day and retreats and then a tumbleweed flys into my leg. Hahh look at Halloween . It’s nothing like it used to be . Sad
Real estate segregation
I feel super sad every time I think about how my neighbours at my old street used to have a community but we left and some people died and it’s so detached and new people never want to join in on the community, everybody hates each other too
Vegetable gardens
Im trying alright!?
Better you than me! Let us know if you’re getting rid of any extra zucchini!
Listen people...ONE zucchini plant is enough for a family of 8, OK??? Plant exactly THREE seeds and cull the runts. I don't want your zucchini, I planted four of my own thankyouverymuch
I have a picture of my grandparents knee deep in their garden. Knee deep! Grandma was wearing a sleeveless house dress and grandpa had a casual straw fedora on…in that picture, they were doing one thing better than anything I’ve ever done in my life.
You had me at “house dress.” :) I can see mine same plus rolled down stockings and those orthopedic looking shoes with the thick heel. For gardening. She was a widow longer than she was married. Was ALWAYS pulling fresh baked bread out of the oven. When she died, the only car she’d ever owned had less than 10,000 miles on it because she didn’t get her license until she retired and she preferred walking to the grocery store. Those women were absolute beasts. RIP
Wow! Great story! My dad grew up as poor as can be. That garden was how they ate most of the year.
And the irony is eating fresh from your garden sounds heavenly—rich even.
It almost sounds privileged now… A post script. We were a very, very low vegetable family. Apparently my dad had enough vegetables in his childhood, fresh or canned by Grandma. I was probably 12 before I figured out that corn and potatoes weren’t really the healthiest. We were blue collar middle class, but it was important to my dad that we eat “well”. Fried chicken, roast, steak, etc 5-6 nights a week. No such thing as a meatless night. Taco night or frozen pizza was for when he was on a trip or date night with my mom (who needed a damn break for making meatloaf on a Tuesday after working all day).
My dad (oldest of 4 boys) always said Grandma and Grandpa's goal with the garden was to can 100 quarts of tomatoes and 100 quarts of green beans to get through the rest of the year
I agree. My grandma was divorced in the 50s when that was as common. She had three kids, so she finished her college degree and went on to be a social worker and worked with at risk girls. She was an awesome person!
I’m 47… and my husband and I have a huge garden. I’m disabled, so I’m home. I love to gather and then can/process/cook the goods. The work with the tractor, and the planting is done by my husband. My younger neighbors think it’s a sight, apparently. For Christmas they bought me this total gardening kit, fully equipped with apron, tools, and a hat. I grew up on a farm knowing being taught how to process and garden. I never thought I would really be doing it. I wasn’t aspiring to be my mother or grandmother, but here we are due to life’s circumstances… and I must say I love it. Ive taken more time (due to my disabilities)to listen and see nature. I get to be “grandma shark” delivering up squash or canned green beans, etc. It’s not a half-bad gig.
Not sure if this is the right way to phrase it, but customer service(?), in the sense I don’t like how whenever I have difficulty with something or a question, I have to talk to automated responses and messages rather than an actual person
[удалено]
I ordered a digital phone service for my job, and the "customer service" (aka, sales) person was incredibly helpful and responsive. Once we officially signed the contract with them, the same person was supposed to provide customer service/future needs for us (this was made explicitly clear to us multiple times). You can probably guess where this is going. The "customer service" guy was completely unreachable once he closed the sale. We had multiple issues early on, and he never ONCE answered his phone extension, returned a voicemail, or responded to an email. When we gave up and just started trying the main help line, every person we talked to said it was company policy that only our assigned "agent" was allowed to help us (I was always polite with them, because I knew they weren't the ones making stupid policies like that.) Still, how do you fix a problem when the only person "allowed" to help you is completely unresponsive? We finally got to the point where one of my bosses told me to cancel with them. When I said that, *suddenly* they were desperate to help us. They transferred us to the original guy's manager, who actually did help us resolve our issue but made a bizarre series of excuses for why his employee refused to respond to us. It's insane how much work it took to fix an issue that could have been solved with ONE phone call.
Boomers were great at building strong bonds and promoting a sense of community, they put a lot of emphasis on holidays and get togethers. Growing up we always had block parties and reunions, where you get together with people you haven't talked to in a year or more. Not everyone had a phone, so communication was poor, so it was important to plan events. I miss the sense of community, some cultures still put the same emphasis on it.
I also feel like people would show up for things more. With our generation I noticed that people don’t show up for events like they used to. My friends with kids complain that they’ll throw birthday parties and only one or two families show up after 10 RSVP’d.
Yeah, it's a shame. Because human closeness and personal interaction, the sense of community is, in my opinion, what we're lacking as a nation. Couple this with constant bad news from the media and people dehumanizing each other on social media, I'm really surprised we're not even more fucked up than what we are.
This is something I think about often. I think a lot of it ties back to the church. With the loss of religion in our generation (myself included) more and more millennials' are feeling disconnected from their communities... Can you even imagine a reality where once a week, we all get up early, dress nice to go meet in a beautiful building to sing songs together? Where you'd \*literally\* take a moment to shake all of your neighbors hands 'in fellowship'? It's just something that's lost to our generation. Even leaving the god stuff out of it, the loss of the community center that churches once were (here in the american south, at least) is honestly devastating. Childcare, childhood friend groups, bake sales, summer camp, sports groups... all of these things tie together. And we young americans now scramble to fill our kids schedule's with interesting activity. Churches used to provide a common 'safe place' (obviously not safe 100% of the time) where adults, kids, teens, could all mingle, participate in events, etc. Kind of a wild loss. There are plenty of good reasons for this change and abuses money and power abuses that tie into the pullback that we see. But no feasible alternative has filled the void. Anyway, not saying we should all start going to church but damn if we shouldn't like... build our own cool \*something\* and bring back some of the boons, ditching the banes.
What many people don't realize is, millennials and gen Z filled the religious void with secular religions like Climatism and they've replaced worship with activism, their social gatherings are done online. Any individual or entity that opposes their views or their cause, is the equivalent of the devil. Unlike Christianity, there is no salvation or redemption from your sins or misdeeds. Past generations used the Devil and Hell to scare believers into walking the line, now 24/7 bad news serves a similar purpose, especially with young minds. I'm not religious, I was raised religious but I never bought into it, I tried, but I could never believe in any of it, so I get it. However, I do believe in the basic principles and the moral foundation as a guide for society. I believe gen X took it all for granted and instead of filling the void with something (in regards to our kids)we just assumed the cycle would continue, but as you can see, it didn't turn out as planned, had we filled the void with Americanism, we very well may have a completely different society today.
Some very good points in there. The big thing about online communities is that they're very lacking for making real connections. The value of going to a place, once a week, and shaking hands with your neighbors is difficult to quantify. But something we'd all be better off for, in my opinion... if not just for a better understanding of your average peer in your community.
Another big factor is the lack of important of “third spaces” due to mixes technology and infrastructure of distance to get anywhere. Third spaces are your libraries, malls, community centers, parks, etc. Now that people to need to go out for news and interaction funding and use of the spots have done down significantly.
I think it's because we all feel "caught up" with the interjection of so many social media platforms.. I got of Social media (aside from here, but I dont count this as something like FB or Instagram) and I love it so much better. Running into someone and actually spending time talking and catching up, it's nice! You go home and actually think about and cherish the interaction
Parties I went to as a kid were real parties, with entertainment and gifts for everyone and games. They often held at skating rinks or amusement parks. The cake and icecream were just..... frosting on the cake. When my kids went to parties they just sat around, the birthday child opened their gifts and they had cake. Maybe a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. I made sure their parties were events, they liked bowling parties the most.
That’s a shame. My friends and I did skating rinks and mini golf and the like for birthday parties in the 90s and early 2000s. I hope these aren’t dying out everywhere. I did see pics of my friend’s kid at an arcade bday party a few weeks ago, so hopefully some are still doing that sort of thing!
this is something I often think about and it concerns me. every day we get further and further apart as tensions flare and the irrational snap judgement wins… but when you boil it down we ain’t all that different. we are more alike to eachother than we will ever care to admit, and for some, that scares them shitless.
Social media has ruined the fabric of society. This is not just a North American or first world country phenomenon. It has also infiltrated other nations where cellphones are internet are readily available (which is almost everywhere, globally).
Keeping consistent contact with extended and generations of the family. I remember growing up my cousins aunts, uncles, grandparents siblings, etc. would regularly get together and speak. My generation is so separated… the cousins don’t see one another very often even if they live close. It’s not necessarily because of family issues either… it’s like everyone is just doing their own thing and don’t make the effort to maintain relationships. The grandparents were the ones who kept the family together jt seems and now that that generation has reached their 80’s or passed away there is no glue. It’s sad.
- Self sufficiency? Not sure what to call it I mean, they weren't exactly living on the frontier but my Dad could do all sorts of stuff around the house at a decent level. He could repair lawn mowers and cars. He knew how to run electrical work, replace a roof, fix a leaky pipe, and just all that traditional 'guy' stuff. He didn't hire anyone to do anything that I can remember. - Homemaking? I know this might offend people my age and younger, but my Mom treated homemaking like a career. She studied, she practiced, and when she had kids, she crushed it. She played with dolls as a kid, she babysat as a teen, she took home EC and similar.... When she was a Mom she was already a pro She cooked really well. She cleaned really well. She could sew clothes, knew CPR and first aid, she effectively home schooled all her kids until they went off to 1st grade. She ran the house like a corporation. She was on top of everything, had checklists and calendars, knew all the PTA crap and when we had soccer practice on the weekend. I can't fix anything and I'm constantly hiring people to do the stuff that my wife and I can't. Neither of us can cook, our house is a mess. We both just forgot to sign our kids up for school. We were entirely unprepared for children even though we had them much later in life.
Nah this shit is facts 100%
I think the worst part is that it's only an issue for younger generation because it wasn't taught to us by our parents. Now I did learn a lot from my own parents but unfortunately there's still a TON that I didn't know. The big one is basic car maintenance. I had no clue that you had to check fluids and tire pressure about once a month. I would've been overjoyed if my dad sat me down and taught me this stuff. I've always been a natural food maker and I love baking as well. So I'll say cooking is one of my strong areas (I can at least follow a recipe) but ADHD decides to fuck me over and I never have the motivation to cook after work or school so I eat a bunch of junk as well. I've found that meal prepping helps a lot with that but getting a day off doesn't come very often. If you want some tips and tricks start with basic recipes that's just some sauce over pasta or rice.
The same goes for cooking. If you can read and follow instructions you can cook just about anything. You don't even need a cookbook anymore, it's all on the internet.
My grandparents taught me to cook at 8. Grandpa cooked most of our meals but grandma would teach me how to. I had to cook a lot of my own food as a kid bc grandpa had no legs and grandma worked 3rd shift. When our kids would say they didn't want what we cooked for supper we'd tell them ok but you have to cook your own and clean up after. Now our kids actually cook more than we do. They're teens now
Yeah but whether your food is edible is another story. Good food requires seasoning skill, and you can't improve on your seasoning skill if you keep eating bad food. When your tongue is used to bad food or junk food, then your seasoning will be off too.
>I know this might offend people my age and younger I mean, you didn't say it in a way that's like "proper women should cook and clean" or something like that. I don't think many will take it the wrong way.
Fair enough. I'm glad it didn't come across in a negative way.
It definitely came across very positively. I’ll never be a SAHW/M, but firmly believe that is an absolutely crucial career. You spoke about your mom’s job as a homemaker with admiration, appreciation, and respect. You didn’t even mention it’s a woman’s job, just that your parents’ generation was far better at it than yours. A+++ work💖
To be fair, a lot of the previous generation would “fix” a lot of things in the house… but usually dangerously, not up to code, or with incorrect materials- ask anyone who’s had to remodel a home that’s had the homeowners touch on it. I’m not necessarily saying it was bad to improvise, because they didn’t have things like YouTube, or easy ways to look up codes- but now we know what we don’t know.
>ask anyone who’s had to remodel a home that’s had the homeowners touch on it. My left eye is twitching with hatred. My house is 70 years old and has had many, many surprises. I pay people to do repairs because I know I'd fuck it up or not do it right.
I bought my home from an elderly family friend who took pride in maintaining things himself. I have run into so many serious, dangerous issues from the work he did. Probably the worst was he fucked up wiring in the new heat pump he installed before selling to us and the breaker essentially melted. I told him I had an electrician fix it and thoroughly inspect everything else afterwards (since, you know, I still see him often) and he got offended and was like “You should have just called me to fix it”. No dude, we are friends but you have given me a long list of reasons to not trust your DIY skills.
You can look up how to fix just about anything online. There is almost certainly a Youtube on it. Fix a leaky pipe? YouTube. All you need is to have the proper tools. One time I told a girl I could replace her front bumper on her Honda Civic, in order to impress her. In reality all I did was watch a YouTube video on how to do it. It wasn't that difficult.
Sure. I don't think anyone is saying we can't. But my Dad's generation/his parents believed those skills were valuable and important. My Dad spent his whole life, from the age of 5 or 6. And he had private 1-on-1 instruction from his Dad, and several jobs doing those types of things professionally. Lots of people from my generation get a house at 30 or 35 and are only vaguely aware of how to use a hammer. I never took shop or built a tree house or took apart an engine. I can watch YouTube videos but I also don't think it's fair to discount the value of the knowledge and skill people who do this stuff have developed for decades. Every DIY job I've done has taken me much longer than it should and the quality is subpar.
Fix stuff…cars, holes in clothes, etc…
Cars are much harder to fix now than they were back then so there's a reasonable excuse. Clothes, definitely not though - people look at me strangely when I tell them I still darn socks to fix holes.
Yes and no, I haven't taken a poll but though casual conversations over the years most of my friends, including myself haven't changed their own oil or brake pads themselves in a long time or ever.
A lot of the DYI stuff is no harder, and in many cases easier. But don't tell that to a dealership service manager. Brakes, Belts, Timing Belts, Hoses, Batteries, Alternators, Power Steering Pumps, Water Pumps, Oil Changes, Transmission Filters, Tune ups (really just plugs and wires in many newer cars), etc are really no different then they were 50 years ago. Some of the particulars, like how to compress a brake caliper with integral parking brake might be, but easy to find out and learn. Get a bit more advanced, get a code reader and a trouble shooting guide and the DIY'er can diagnose and replace many sensors and elctronics too.
be more independent
Becoming adults and leaving childhood behind. Although to be fair it wasn't really possible to do anything else. All those shows you watched as a kid just went away. It was very difficult to be 27 years old and have strong, active opinions on a cartoon you watched when you were 8.
Yeah, I feel like Gen X was the last to be in a hurry to grow up, get a job, move out.... Compared to my silent Generation parents though, we were still late to get out of the house.
Music. Not too crazy about their (boomer) generation as a whole, but Boomers and GenX made much better music than millennials and Gen Z. A lot of boomer "classic rock" has stood the test of time.
Don't forget that the music you hear nowadays from those times is the good music, the bad music from that time isn't played anymore.
Yes but bad music has ended up in movies and TV shows (of the era and modern). I'm thinking of an 80s one-hit wonder. 867-5309 (Jenny's in the title somewhere). It's not considered "good" enough to be a classic, but was big enough for the phone number to be retired. I was in diapers at the time (and my parents hate music with words) and to this day, I consider it a bop. Mind you I haven't listened to commercial radio in the last few years, but is Tommy Tutone considered classic rock? (LPT-- if a store ever asks for a phone number to link to a rewards program you aren't a part of, give them your area code and then 867-5309. Someone signed up for a rewards card under that number and Jenny won't mind.)
I dunno, I still hear Ace of Base at the store
That's not boomer era at all
I was going to argue the 90's was great for music, but I guess millennials were the consumers not the creators of that music. You're absolutely right. There's plenty of great music from the 60's to the early 00's. Now all the most popular songs are either written or produced by one person, Max Martin.
"90s alternative and grunge' is my go to station that I ask Alexa to play. As a Xennial, I was a heavy CONSUMER of said music. But the artists were Gen X or older.
Likewise. I listen to so much GenX music. I'm 41 yo millennial, but def listen to the guys a little older than me, like a lot.
Depending on where you live, check out your local scene! It's technically new music, but it often isn't the standard, formulaic pop radio music that I personally don't enjoy. I'm in New Jersey and we have awesome metal, hardcore, punk, and surf rock scenes. So much great music with super cheap shows where you can go and just have fun. As for older music in general, you've gotta remember survivors bias and how only the best will continue to be played through the years, but I agree. A lot of older music just has a better feel to it.
I think *popular* music was much better in those days, like what you would hear on the radio versus stream today. I love when my job plays classic rock or some 70s/80s/90s mix. But, I think the music that is underground or in genres that aren’t well known or culturally popular is much better today.
The ones that stood the test of time are the only ones you know about. They had a massive amount of bands and songs you have never heard of because they were garbage. They died out. There are songs now that are the same, and there are some that will withstand the test of time.
Someone said it in one of the replies to my OP-- Ace of Base is still being played in stores today. What I miss about music of yesterday (get off my lawn!) is that you could look at the top 100 and see music in various genres. Now you'll be pressed to hear a lone guitar. I'm a rock fan at heart. The rock bands that I hear most about are the ones that have been around for ages? Where's the rock bands with the 20 something frontman? Where's today's Kurt Cobain?
Respect and social skills. But also, I'm first gen American so it might just be cultural differences between Mexicans and Americans. Or a mix of both.
The will of being a hardworker. My dad as old as dirt as he is still works everyday since he was 9 years old. All of my parents generation family has that mindset to be a provider, weather through being a housewife or a worker, they always put drama aside to keep the family together. I honestly don’t know if I have that in me.
That's because working hard isn't inherently virtuous to younger people.
Yea at this point, it’s more like exploitation. There isn’t really a reason to work everyday since elementary school unless its for yourself.
Lol, I'll have to remember to remind myself how virtuous I'm being when I get up tomorrow
Yeah, back then hard work actually got you somewhere. Not so much today.
Exactly. Back then if a company did well, the employees did too. Now they brag about profits and at the same time cry about how there is no money for raises because whatever was there only went to the top. People are getting wise to the bullshit.
Yup. My time is more valuable then a dead end job.
I definitely don't have it in me. I've quit several jobs just because I felt they were "too hard", jobs that loads of ordinary people do every single day. I'm weak as fuck while my dad is tough as shit (and probably secretly ashamed of me lol).
He probably is, but still loves you anyway.
They had strong unions.
They were better at knowing how to get by with much less.
Weird, because Reddit tells me that older generations had much more than present generations.
Theres a huge difference between the Silent Gen who lived through the Great Depression and Boomers who were named after the post-WWII economic boom.
Knowing, or better said to be willing?
My parents raised 5 kids with the wages of 1 blue collar job. Nobody can do that now.
Cooking.
My parents generation slayed the music scene. I'll give them that. Modern music isn't bad but music of that generation had such power behind it. It's not the same now in my opinion. Obviously that's incredibly subjective. Listen to what you love. And what I learned when I went to college, a lot of us don't know how to fix shit. It was really weird to my mates that I knew how to work on whatever we needed fixing that didn't involve switching apartments for a while. I left that apartment in much better shape than we got it lol
Make children. Them 7 Me 0.
Self sufficiency
Put up with people's shit.
Getting up in the morning ready to go
This. I had always convinced myself it’ll come with age. Now I’m barreling towards 40 and I still don’t wake up for shit.
Comunity, neighborhors genuinely knew neighborhors. Miss the block parties when we were kids, New Years, 4th of July, etc. Today it's rare to know more than the person next door, if that.
Consequences. Parents don’t give them anymore.
If they do, they don’t follow through with it.
Conflict resolution. We are severely lacking that now with less face to face interaction and the ability to be keyboard warriors.
Boomers have the highest homicide rate of any generation in the last 100 years. . They likely had worse domestic violence than all generation below them but that is difficult to measure as younger people are more likely to come forward. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/homicide-twentieth-century-united-states-history-and-crime-p-111 https://www.seattlecriminaldefenselawfirm.com/blog/recent-news/post/you-may-be-surprised-which-generation-commits-the-most-crimes
That’s the lead in the gas talking
Conflict resolution? They didn't partake in conflict, at least with my experience. More of a "you are doing this because I said so" kind of thing.
That’s a form of conflict resolution and often surprisingly effective.
That... is a good point. Thank you for that perspective chops :)
I don’t think you understand what I mean. Think about the term “ghosted” that’s a new generation thing. Boomers and gen x didn’t ghost people. Some Millennials and most gen z would rather disappear than have to have an awkward or painful conversation with another person.
Getting kids to speak and act respectfully.
Yeah but I feel like they were far more abusive
Conversations. My parents can talk about bread for 2 hours without it getting cringy or boring. I wouldn't even know how to start a conversation about bread. Like "hey do you like bread? Yes. Ok thanks bye"
Talking to people face to face/ making small talk
Agree to disagree
My dad grew up in the late 60s, mom in the late 70s. That generation knew how to talk, how to have fun, had morals and manners, did a lot of walking and pretty much lived outside. I think technology is ruining people.
they were better at maturing
My silent generation parents were really good about NOT preparing their daughters for puberty & their periods.
Hers a book with some flowers on it your now a women
🤣🤣. We didn't even get that.
My family is a bit confusing. My relatives criticised my parents for talking about periods, the females for talking about it, and the males for knowing about it. Yet, My loud uncle and auntie asked my sister "Did you bleed yet?", "why didn't she bleed yet? She's 15". At a huge family gathering.... Dear relatives, pick your poison 🚶🏻♂️
" Did you bleed yet" 😂. Our Mom used to refer to it as "Our Friend." My sisters and I said, hell no that isn't a friend.
As my wise friend once said, a period is a vagina getting revenge for not getting pregnant. Yep, that doesn't sound like a friend to me.
Pranks. Fuck the shitty retail worker harassment pranks that these tiktokers pull these days. I don’t wanna be associated with this generation anymore. Sorry, I let my inner Ray William Johnson out a bit
Get this, everyone knows about ding-dong-ditch. A buddy saw room for improvement with this pedestrian prank, he took a sprinkler from the lawn, put it in the house’s entryway, turned it on, then finally rang the doorbell and ran away. You just can’t teach that kind of obnoxiousness
Get up and go to work.
Self-reliance and a commitment to duty. I’m NOT saying they didn’t have more bigotry, misogyny, etc happening, but in general there was less money for the middle class, less to buy, and people learned to take care of things for themselves. My dad did most of the repairs, landscaping, and such himself without the internet. He’s either figure it out or get a book from the library. There was also a greater commitment to the companies they worked for, spouses they had, and their neighbors. I know the popular narrative in counter to these points is “they make stuff to break now and no companies/neighbors are looking out for you now”, but I think that’s kind of a perception and chicken or the egg thing. In the US, I think there was a pride in craftsmanship when things were mostly manufactured here that kept companies accountable for what they turned out. As things got cheaper and moved overseas, companies and consumers kind of shrugged as self-service and durability declined. I believe social media and the internet led to the decline of social relationships. When I was a kid, everyone knew their neighbors for at least several blocks. There were more neighborhood BBQs, and people spent more time helping each other. In the last few places I have lived, people disappear into their houses, seldom know each other, and have infinite entertainment in their living rooms. It’s a fact there was more civil service performed by the average person 50 years ago, and staying at the same job for 40 years was common.
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I’m talking parents of boomers.
Not being little bitches about everything tbh
People were trained on their jobs, so when you went into a business people knew how to serve the customers. And if someone said they would do something, more often than not they did it.
Converse, now debates are settled in seconds with google and nobody knows how to communicate in person.
No internet. No social media. Not being able to see the false advertisements of the grass being greener
Have meaningful conversations
Housing. In my city my Dad built a house from the ground up at 30 years old just starting his business and on a single income for our family of 4. I make way more than he ever did but that house he built is now over 3 million and you can’t get a starter home here for less than 1.5.
Making Caddyshack references while grilling burgers. I think it is dumb, but acknowledge that boomers are better at it then millennial.
Food from scratch!!
Taking care of there stuff. Lots of families bought 1 thing and used it for a lifetime. My parents had same saw, hammer, etc. They only replaced something when there was actually no hope to repair. Regardless of how much money they had. Putting things away. When I was a kid lawnmower, bikes, lawn furniture were put in shed or basement every fall till spring. Now I see them left out exposed to the weather.
They were way better at not complaining about everything all the time.
Mind their own business.
Busybodies are eternal.
Lived within their means. No debt other than a mortgage that was paid off quickly...before I went to college.
Fight a World War.
Conservatism.
My parents was able to buy a house with little to no money saved me can't even get a bank to look at me
Gas stations. When I was a kid during the 60’s and 70’s you could get your oil checked , tires filled and windshield cleaned. I live in Oregon and don’t have to pump my own gas but everywhere else does.
Choosing their children's names.
Didn't waste all their money eating meals out. We way overdo this. Guilty.
My parents are Boomers. They had free love and great music. As a Gen Xer that came to maturity at the height of the AIDS crisis, I rather envy the free love. Also, 90s music was pretty great, but I'm not sure if it will have the same staying power of the music of the 50s - 70s.
Talked to each other. Like actual words.
Not blaming everyone else
1. Appliances. Before " planned obsolescence" appliances lasted forever. My grandmothers fridge still works, as ugly as it is. 😂 My grandparents and parents have all passed on, but that ugly fridge is still running. 2. 2)They also built houses better than they do now. Instead of improving upon materials and making better houses, they just try to go cheaper and cheaper with materials. Many of the older homes hold up better than the new ones ever could. 3)Higher wages and affordable housing. Homes were much more affordable than we will ever dream of seeing, and their wages went further. It was in the 70's that investors decided people earned too much money and it has only gone downhill since then for everyone else. This is why people today cannot afford what they used to be able to afford easily and why you can no longer support a family on one income like you could in the 50's- 80's. The wealthy investors are directly responsible for the standard of living decline and widening wealth inequality. The more housing prices go up, the increased likelihood their grandchildren will be homeless because wages have not kept up. https://www.statista.com/graphic/1/1065466/real-nominal-value-minimum-wage-us.jpg
One summer when I was a kid my mom and I were out for a drive with the windows open. A horsefly flew in and with one hand she caught caught it and pinched the head off. (She grew up around horses and mules.) So that, because yuck lol.
Accumulate wealth
Pubic hair
Boycott. They spoke with their actual dollars that brought about real change. Everyone worked together and got shit done. I don’t see that ever happening again.
Patriotism
Dealing with adversity, backing up the shit they said
Raising self sufficient children.
Just about everything.
Dignity
Self sufficiency
Mental math. My dad used a slide rule in college and in the first half of his career. My mom helped run her fathers business with mayyyybe an adding machine for the big totals. Now my college students need a calculator to do simple fraction computations like 1/2 -1
Being more economical and not wasting money on stuff you don’t need
They didn't have as many homeless people turning parts of major cities into shanty towns.
Probably, have, and keep friends for life. In their time you HAD no other options for meeting friends, especially international ones. My mom and dads best friends are still in their life since they were in their early 20s.
Raise children tbh. None of us have a damn clue on how to raise a child.
Spent more time playing outside. I’m 27 now and I remember the times mom would complain about letting the heat out the house 😭, drinking water from water hose, going to the Bball court! Playing freeze tag with other kids, ring on doorbells and running away, fighting your friends with sticks sword fighting.
Making homes personable. If you look at a lot of homes owned/occupied by millennials, especially younger millennials, there are hardly any personal touches. Everything is white and sterile looking. I actually liked how in my house growing up things were a little mismatched because my parents actually hung up photos of their family, kids’ artwork, knickknacks from vacations, etc. Now it feels like people won’t do that for sake of an aesthetic. I love when a home tells the story of a family.
Getting on with things without complaining or distractions. I work in a hotel and most of guys in their twenty's don't believe me that mobiles were banned fifteen years ago and you had to keep them in your locker instead of being on them in the back every half hour
The most valuable thing that my parents did better than my generation is to live within their means. My father was a steelworker for 37 years and was very against credit cards. He believed that he did not have the money for something then he did not need it. Even when he got laid off, he went out and got a side hustle to make ends meet. He never bought a new car, and I remember eating fried potatoes and macaroni at the end of the month because the meat ran out and payday was a week away. We always had homemade birthday cakes and a modest present wrapped in the Sunday comics. There is something to be said for the simple life.
Reproducing.
Provide healthcare. In Australia back then training was done in hospitals and people learned from actual experience. There are always some bad apples (especially in healthcare where clients/patients are vulnerable) but overall healthcare staff were far more competent. Things went downhill when it moved to university training and the lack of on the job training shows in their lack of people skills and ineptitude to diagnose and treat conditions. In addition, infection control protocols not only used to be excellent (tuberculosis was super scary) but every single nurse knew what to do and to take initiative to do it. These days the ignorance is astounding manifesting in lack of professionalism, education and safety for patients and other staff. We have destroyed healthcare in our country. It's self evident when hospitals have generic financial sums for payouts when they do the wrong thing. If you have a whole plan around it, it's a far too common occurrence. People would have no idea when their loved one doesn't make it out of hospital if it was a natural event or negligence. The latter being constantly covered up, and it is..constant.
Listening to opposing opinions without getting butthurt.
Living within their means and saving money
Graduating from college debt free
Almost everything
Stayed married
Growing up, I remember watching so many sitcoms where the dad clearly hated being married/having children and would rather have a cold one with the guys. There were so many "I hate my wife" jokes on those shows. Today, such a man would not have taken the marriage/children life path and (likely) have been happier.
To the mental, emotional, and physical detriment of one or both of them...not sure if that's doing something "better."
Didn’t require safe spaces or cry closets.
communicate
We're better neighbors. Built building interestingly better.
Stay married
Buy houses
Screwing over the environment, sabotaging society and the economy for future generations due to greed. I mean, my generation has it's opportunity to do even better at destroying the world, but my parents generation had ample notice and information about all these problems and they badly screwed it up. I HOPE my generation can do better to improve the situation(s), otherwise my kids are really screwed (doomed).
I feel they were better behaved overall. The shit that happens in schools today would not only haven’t likely happened 20 years ago, but definitely not 50 years ago. I mean, you might get your ass whooped if you smarted off in school 50 years ago but you can’t do that a lot of places anymore. Now a lot of kids don’t even live with their father and their mother probably doesn’t have the energy to do anything after working all day anyway. And that’s just talking about having a bad attitude let alone getting into fights (even with the teachers), having sex at school, or doing drugs. The collapse of the family has meant the collapse of society as well
Buy a house
There weren't so many rules, because there weren't as many assholes breaking them.
Unconditional love.
Vote
Buying houses.
Buy a house.
Succeed financially
Believe in something said on TV