Boomers are often known for their slightly dated opinions, but who said we can’t agree with them once in a while? After all, they made significant contributions to music (rock and roll!), led various social movements, and implanted many important work and family values into the upcoming generations.
So when reddit user Youssef4573 asked netizens what was something they agreed with Boomers, they shared without hesitation. Down below, you’ll find a list of things that the older generation was right about. From unnecessary abbreviations and store apps to learning how to DIY and socialize, there’s a grain of truth in each of these Boomers’ opinions.
Bored Panda also reached out to “The Greater Generation: In Defense of the Baby Boom Legacy” author Leonard Steinhorn, who kindly agreed to tell us more about Boomers.
There are plenty of articles online listing Boomers’ opinions that netizens find funny and absurd. But people are starting to agree with some of them, and it certainly raises the question: Is there anything else that we got wrong about Boomers?
We got in touch with author and expert in culture and media, Leonard Steinhorn who kindly agreed to tell us more about Boomers.
“In many ways, they are not all that much different from younger generations. Remember, this is a generation that championed or pioneered civil rights, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, social change, and environmental protection – that challenged their government over the Vietnam War.”
“Boomers reshaped the norms of society in the Sixties, and younger generations today have internalized those norms. That doesn’t mean all boomers or everyone younger have embraced those norms. But in many ways the culture war conflicts in society today are defined by how one views the legacy of the Sixties. “
“And yes, while there’s lots of chatter about the illiberal sides of Gen Z, particularly among progressives on college campuses, every generation has had its illiberal impulses, but for the most part, the critical mass of Gen Z, millennials, and boomers all maintain a liberal sensibility.”
Steinhorn added, “As Boomers grew up, what they found was a system, an establishment, that wasn’t always telling them the truth or living up to its principles. Think of Vietnam. Segregation. Being told that “duck and cover” was a legitimate way to respond to a nuclear war.”
“So Boomers developed an anti-establishment perspective on society. And they worked to replace the old establishment with a new one aligned with their norms. So in academia, media, culture, intellectual life, and even in business, families, and religion, boomers instilled a more liberal, less hierarchical worldview.”
It seems that the older generation shares more similarities than Millennials or Gen Z might think. Steinhorn reminds us that back then, Boomers also faced professional and financial difficulties.
“Do keep in mind that every generation has gone through difficult economic times. Younger generations don’t know much about the high inflation and unemployment boomers faced in the 1970s and early 1980s when many were starting their careers. Back then, pundits were bemoaning a society and economy in which the American dream seemed much more distant for young people than it was for their parents. So for all the struggles people are facing today, please know that it’s nothing new—that boomers faced it too.”
The expert concluded by saying “I have no problem with younger people poking fun at their boomer elders these days. After all, boomers did the same with their parents. Just pick up an old issue of MAD magazine and see the satire. We all have to take this with good cheer.”
“But if there’s one thing that should unite these generations, it should be this: the inclusive, liberal-minded, sustainable society that boomers began to chart out in the 1960s, even if they have not always implemented it practice.”
Not letting your children rule the roost. When did it become acceptable to let your kids back talk to you, slap you, climb all over s**t in public places? etc etc etc. As we’ve gone about raising ours I’ve witnessed so many parents around us just let these behaviours slide. It’s kind of sad when I’m the one saying things like “Did I just hear you just say that to your mom?!?!?!?! That is not ok. You go and apologize right now!!”. Then I get this stunned “deer in headlights” look back that tells me they aren’t used to someone calling them out on their behaviour.
Kids/teens are statistically spending *far* more time indoors since the 2000s and it is absolutely terrible for their physical and mental health. The cause of this is predominantly addictive indoor entertainment media, including social media and video games. And as a result youth are having their social and physical development stunted.
I think there is a lot of shame and denial in regards to this one. It makes the new generation sound a bit lame and pathetic. But… its true. Every single study ever done on this topic has largely come to this conclusion. It’s happening, its bad, and we know what is causing it.
For the love of all that is holy, can we fix the audio in movies so that the music and sound FX aren’t drowning out the dialogue?
A kid in 2024 should have the same freedom to exist unsupervised and move about their community independently as a boomer did growing up.
Physical bound paper books vs. electronic. I’m staring at screens all day for work and play, I’d like at least one (effortless) pass time to not involve a screen.
I just want something I can jam into the meat that gives me an instant temperature reading on the thing itself. Absolutely no need to reinvent the wheel.
Sometimes you just need to “suck it up, buttercup.” Not everything has to be accommodated because you don’t like it or it makes you slightly uncomfortable.
Be aware & courteous in your behaviour in public & social settings:
Don’t yell-talk while a musician is playing at a concert. Talk between songs or go to the lobby.
Wait for a whistle/stoppage of play at a sporting event to get out of your seat, it you can.
Don’t talk on speakerphone in public.
Use headphones for phone songs/games/videos.
If the waiting room/subway/bus is crowded, you bag does not get its own seat.
Don’t douse yourself in perfume before a flight.
Being considerate of how we affect others around us is basic manners and bare-minimum-level empathy.
Wearing your waistband down around your thighs just looks silly. I have trouble not assuming a person wearing their pants like this is an imbecile.
Also, absolutely no social media scrolling/listening to music/playing games on speaker.
I appreciate people being self aware or even going to therapy but so many people just jump on these trendy bandwagons or just want to feel special or different. I think social media obsession probably propagates this.
As a teacher, actually disciplining your kids, and holding them accountable. This gentle parenting bs is not it.
My dad (a solid boomer) has been saying that ALL politicians are crooks since he became disenchanted with politics around the Nixon era. He was starry eyed before that, trying to make social change, yada yada. He still votes, but holds his nose. Can’t say I disagree with him.
Maybe I’ve just been lucky but literally everywhere I’ve worked where I can actually say I’ve been happy with my own performance, I’ve been rewarded and put forward for promotions.
People in our generation are far, far too sensitive.
Don’t get it twisted, empathy is by and large a good thing and it takes some *serious* doing for me to say it’s gone too far. But collectively we’ve become people who are willing to throw every last bit of energy fighting against every slight, and making sure *our* pet cause gets top billing to the point of fighting amongst each other *even if we’re in almost complete agreement otherwise*. Emotional energy – like any other kind of energy – is very much a finite resource. Whereas boomers could at least generally agree to disagree and get on with things (obvious cross-wielding exceptions doth apply).
Culturally we’ve lost sight of the adage of “winning the battle, losing the war”.
Discipline in schools is a good thing. Used to be any adult could discipline a misbehaving child. Kids have no fear of adults these days.
Car keys being apps on phones. No thanks, keys have been around a long time. There is a reason.
You should be married before you even consider the idea of having a baby with another person.
Do we really need all of these abbreviations? Does anyone know how to punctuate or use proper grammar anymore? Can these kids today read cursive?
I don’t want an electronic ticket on my phone, Give me a paper ticket.
*puck Ticketmaster!*
Social Security, if you’re paying/paid into it, you deserve the returns when you retire.
The power button shouldn’t be camouflaged black on black and hidden in the most inaccessible place.
Digital Parking Meters
So rather than throwing a few coins in your meter, you have to now get your license plate #, get your meter number, go to the meter station, stand in line with everyone waiting to pay their meter, then you’re set.
It’s an unnecessary amount of extra steps.
I don’t carry cash much anymore, but I can hide a small amount of coin in my car to quickly pay a meter.
A lot of the problems that Gen Z worries about are 1st world problems and indicate how distorted our reality is.
Having culture wars and a mental health crisis means you don’t have to deal with actual wars or a literal health crisis. Doesn’t mean those things aren’t real or serious, but not nearly as serious and it worries with me how poorly so many young people handle it.
There comes a point where obsessing about your mental health is harmful. And avoiding life in order to ‘deal’ with is counter productive. Often the solution is to keep yourself active and make smaller changes than just throwing your hands up and saying you need to stop working and go on benefits.
Writing thank you notes. My generation this has gone by the wayside but I really like it.
Also keeping up with phone calls. My mom is great about keeping up with her friends. I just sent them texts or comment on their social media photos.
Searching for a short question on Google should quickly and easily get me to a short answer. IN TEXT. Plainly and simply.
Go away YouTubers with fifty reaction emojis. P**s off blogs with fifty ads and a 500-word essay before even beginning to get to the point.
Learning how to work on/maintain your cars. People are really getting to a point of reliance on shops because they simply can’t do basic maintenance. Sure, it takes a few tools as well, but that’s a one-time (typically) and multi use expense.
Ironically, you can look up pretty much any job on any vehicle on YouTube and get a pretty good idea of how to do it. Saves you a ton of money, and you are learning something new.
You don’t need to know how to disassemble the whole engine to get to the crankshaft or anything, but learn to do your own oil, change your own filters, etc. Your pocket book will thank you, and on most cars, this is still a 20-minute job.
A lot of millennials really do need to grow up. Not in the sense of being some six-figure earner with a house, family, two cars, white picket fence, etc. but in the sense that they need to stop behaving like sweaty, insecure teenagers in their 30’s. Introspect and be a little considerate already.
Blaming boomers in general is crazy. You’re basically participating in generation wide ageism. They invested into the country and worked their asses off. People online act like out generations care anymore about politics. If they did we’d be doing better.
Social politeness. Dressing nicely.
Does it really drain the life out of you to say “hello” or “good morning”? No extra convo needed. I am all for sweatpants outside, and I wear a nice set when I do for medical reasons BUT wearing straight up pajamas to go shopping? Pants below your a*s? Rollers in hair?
The newer generations being winy and offended by everything.
And “wokeism” being an ironically authoritarian cancer to society.
I gotta agree that nobody wants to work anymore.
Boomers are often known for their slightly dated opinions, but who said we can’t agree with them once in a while? After all, they made significant contributions to music (rock and roll!), led various social movements, and implanted many important work and family values into the upcoming generations.
So when reddit user Youssef4573 asked netizens what was something they agreed with Boomers, they shared without hesitation. Down below, you’ll find a list of things that the older generation was right about. From unnecessary abbreviations and store apps to learning how to DIY and socialize, there’s a grain of truth in each of these Boomers’ opinions.
Bored Panda also reached out to "The Greater Generation: In Defense of the Baby Boom Legacy" author Leonard Steinhorn, who kindly agreed to tell us more about Boomers.
There are plenty of articles online listing Boomers’ opinions that netizens find funny and absurd. But people are starting to agree with some of them, and it certainly raises the question: Is there anything else that we got wrong about Boomers?
We got in touch with author and expert in culture and media, Leonard Steinhorn who kindly agreed to tell us more about Boomers.
"In many ways, they are not all that much different from younger generations. Remember, this is a generation that championed or pioneered civil rights, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, social change, and environmental protection – that challenged their government over the Vietnam War."
"Boomers reshaped the norms of society in the Sixties, and younger generations today have internalized those norms. That doesn't mean all boomers or everyone younger have embraced those norms. But in many ways the culture war conflicts in society today are defined by how one views the legacy of the Sixties. "
"And yes, while there's lots of chatter about the illiberal sides of Gen Z, particularly among progressives on college campuses, every generation has had its illiberal impulses, but for the most part, the critical mass of Gen Z, millennials, and boomers all maintain a liberal sensibility."
Steinhorn added, "As Boomers grew up, what they found was a system, an establishment, that wasn't always telling them the truth or living up to its principles. Think of Vietnam. Segregation. Being told that "duck and cover" was a legitimate way to respond to a nuclear war."
"So Boomers developed an anti-establishment perspective on society. And they worked to replace the old establishment with a new one aligned with their norms. So in academia, media, culture, intellectual life, and even in business, families, and religion, boomers instilled a more liberal, less hierarchical worldview."
It seems that the older generation shares more similarities than Millennials or Gen Z might think. Steinhorn reminds us that back then, Boomers also faced professional and financial difficulties.
"Do keep in mind that every generation has gone through difficult economic times. Younger generations don't know much about the high inflation and unemployment boomers faced in the 1970s and early 1980s when many were starting their careers. Back then, pundits were bemoaning a society and economy in which the American dream seemed much more distant for young people than it was for their parents. So for all the struggles people are facing today, please know that it's nothing new—that boomers faced it too."
The expert concluded by saying "I have no problem with younger people poking fun at their boomer elders these days. After all, boomers did the same with their parents. Just pick up an old issue of MAD magazine and see the satire. We all have to take this with good cheer."
"But if there's one thing that should unite these generations, it should be this: the inclusive, liberal-minded, sustainable society that boomers began to chart out in the 1960s, even if they have not always implemented it practice."
Not letting your children rule the roost. When did it become acceptable to let your kids back talk to you, slap you, climb all over s**t in public places? etc etc etc. As we've gone about raising ours I've witnessed so many parents around us just let these behaviours slide. It's kind of sad when I'm the one saying things like "Did I just hear you just say that to your mom?!?!?!?! That is not ok. You go and apologize right now!!". Then I get this stunned "deer in headlights" look back that tells me they aren't used to someone calling them out on their behaviour.
Kids/teens are statistically spending *far* more time indoors since the 2000s and it is absolutely terrible for their physical and mental health. The cause of this is predominantly addictive indoor entertainment media, including social media and video games. And as a result youth are having their social and physical development stunted.
I think there is a lot of shame and denial in regards to this one. It makes the new generation sound a bit lame and pathetic. But... its true. Every single study ever done on this topic has largely come to this conclusion. It's happening, its bad, and we know what is causing it.
For the love of all that is holy, can we fix the audio in movies so that the music and sound FX aren’t drowning out the dialogue?
A kid in 2024 should have the same freedom to exist unsupervised and move about their community independently as a boomer did growing up.
I just want something I can jam into the meat that gives me an instant temperature reading on the thing itself. Absolutely no need to reinvent the wheel.
Sometimes you just need to “suck it up, buttercup.” Not everything has to be accommodated because you don’t like it or it makes you slightly uncomfortable.
Be aware & courteous in your behaviour in public & social settings:
Don't yell-talk while a musician is playing at a concert. Talk between songs or go to the lobby.
Wait for a whistle/stoppage of play at a sporting event to get out of your seat, it you can.
Don't talk on speakerphone in public.
Use headphones for phone songs/games/videos.
If the waiting room/subway/bus is crowded, you bag does not get its own seat.
Don't douse yourself in perfume before a flight.
Being considerate of how we affect others around us is basic manners and bare-minimum-level empathy.
Wearing your waistband down around your thighs just looks silly. I have trouble not assuming a person wearing their pants like this is an imbecile.
Also, absolutely no social media scrolling/listening to music/playing games on speaker.
I appreciate people being self aware or even going to therapy but so many people just jump on these trendy bandwagons or just want to feel special or different. I think social media obsession probably propagates this.
As a teacher, actually disciplining your kids, and holding them accountable. This gentle parenting bs is not it.
My dad (a solid boomer) has been saying that ALL politicians are crooks since he became disenchanted with politics around the Nixon era. He was starry eyed before that, trying to make social change, yada yada. He still votes, but holds his nose. Can’t say I disagree with him.
Maybe I've just been lucky but literally everywhere I've worked where I can actually say I've been happy with my own performance, I've been rewarded and put forward for promotions.
People in our generation are far, far too sensitive.
Don't get it twisted, empathy is by and large a good thing and it takes some *serious* doing for me to say it's gone too far. But collectively we've become people who are willing to throw every last bit of energy fighting against every slight, and making sure *our* pet cause gets top billing to the point of fighting amongst each other *even if we're in almost complete agreement otherwise*. Emotional energy - like any other kind of energy - is very much a finite resource. Whereas boomers could at least generally agree to disagree and get on with things (obvious cross-wielding exceptions doth apply).
Culturally we've lost sight of the adage of "winning the battle, losing the war".
Discipline in schools is a good thing. Used to be any adult could discipline a misbehaving child. Kids have no fear of adults these days.
Car keys being apps on phones. No thanks, keys have been around a long time. There is a reason.
You should be married before you even consider the idea of having a baby with another person.
Do we really need all of these abbreviations? Does anyone know how to punctuate or use proper grammar anymore? Can these kids today read cursive?
I don't want an electronic ticket on my phone, Give me a paper ticket.
*puck Ticketmaster!*
Social Security, if you’re paying/paid into it, you deserve the returns when you retire.
The power button shouldn't be camouflaged black on black and hidden in the most inaccessible place.
Digital Parking Meters
So rather than throwing a few coins in your meter, you have to now get your license plate #, get your meter number, go to the meter station, stand in line with everyone waiting to pay their meter, then you're set.
It's an unnecessary amount of extra steps.
I don't carry cash much anymore, but I can hide a small amount of coin in my car to quickly pay a meter.
A lot of the problems that Gen Z worries about are 1st world problems and indicate how distorted our reality is.
Having culture wars and a mental health crisis means you don't have to deal with actual wars or a literal health crisis. Doesn't mean those things aren't real or serious, but not nearly as serious and it worries with me how poorly so many young people handle it.
There comes a point where obsessing about your mental health is harmful. And avoiding life in order to 'deal' with is counter productive. Often the solution is to keep yourself active and make smaller changes than just throwing your hands up and saying you need to stop working and go on benefits.
Writing thank you notes. My generation this has gone by the wayside but I really like it.
Also keeping up with phone calls. My mom is great about keeping up with her friends. I just sent them texts or comment on their social media photos.
Searching for a short question on Google should quickly and easily get me to a short answer. IN TEXT. Plainly and simply.
Go away YouTubers with fifty reaction emojis. P**s off blogs with fifty ads and a 500-word essay before even beginning to get to the point.
Learning how to work on/maintain your cars. People are really getting to a point of reliance on shops because they simply can't do basic maintenance. Sure, it takes a few tools as well, but that's a one-time (typically) and multi use expense.
Ironically, you can look up pretty much any job on any vehicle on YouTube and get a pretty good idea of how to do it. Saves you a ton of money, and you are learning something new.
You don't need to know how to disassemble the whole engine to get to the crankshaft or anything, but learn to do your own oil, change your own filters, etc. Your pocket book will thank you, and on most cars, this is still a 20-minute job.
A lot of millennials really do need to grow up. Not in the sense of being some six-figure earner with a house, family, two cars, white picket fence, etc. but in the sense that they need to stop behaving like sweaty, insecure teenagers in their 30's. Introspect and be a little considerate already.
Blaming boomers in general is crazy. You're basically participating in generation wide ageism. They invested into the country and worked their asses off. People online act like out generations care anymore about politics. If they did we'd be doing better.
Social politeness. Dressing nicely.
Does it really drain the life out of you to say “hello” or “good morning”? No extra convo needed. I am all for sweatpants outside, and I wear a nice set when I do for medical reasons BUT wearing straight up pajamas to go shopping? Pants below your a*s? Rollers in hair?
The newer generations being winy and offended by everything.
And “wokeism” being an ironically authoritarian cancer to society.
I gotta agree that nobody wants to work anymore.
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