Mr Viral
It’s no secret that young people can be pretty clueless sometimes. As a young person myself, I’ll be the first to admit it. Particularly given the fact that Gen Z and Gen Alpha grew up with technology, our lack of experience in an internet-less world might make us a bit less wise on certain topics.
But that’s why we gotta swallow our pride and look to older generations (yes, like millennials) to teach us. Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the most out-of-touch things they’ve ever heard a young person say, and the answers were kinda mind-boggling. So here’s what people said…
1.
“I was helping my 16-year-old niece with her short story analysis essay for literature class. She kept complaining how dumb the assignment was, as ‘analyzing stories or even writing essays is a useless activity that no one does past college unless they are, like, writers or something. Like, who cares? Besides, you can literally find a TikTok that will explain a story or ask ChatGPT to write it for you.’ Oh, sweet child! Scary thing is, this is how a lot of young people think. But analyzing literature or essay-writing is literally how critical thinking skills are honed. Allowing AI to craft an argument for you or taking some rando on the internet’s word as gospel because it is the easy route is disturbing.”
“I really hope Gen Alpha and Beta push back on AI/smart tech, or we are doomed.
—georgiajaymes
2.
“We had training at work to help us avoid burnout. The trainer was in her early 20s, and said we should take a 15-minute break every hour. On top of our full lunch break. It did not occur to her that if we have time to miss one quarter of the working day, we would not be burnt out.”
—noimpillagingeverybody
3.
“I’m a teacher, and my students do not care about anything. They think they’re all going to be famous, so they don’t need math. I brought up how hard it is to be famous and they’re like, ‘My mom will support me.’ Also, they’re repeatedly shocked when I talk about how much I enjoy reading for fun.”
—suspiciouselephants
4.
“Someone in the Gen Z range told me ‘I didn’t consent to seeing a sex scene’ after watching Bridgerton. I was like, ‘So turn it off then…’. You’re responsible for your own media experience — it’s not like anyone is forcing you to watch.”
—michelangelofangirl
5.
“A kid said to me shortly after returning from COVID lockdowns, ‘You wouldn’t understand. My generation has lived through so much.’ It didn’t go over well when I pointed out that, as a person who was older than them and not dead, I’d actually ALSO lived through those things. Plus a few before!”
—aa24639
6.
“I had a kid ask me once if you had to go college to be a doctor. I said ‘Yes,’ and he said ‘Never mind then.'”
—crunchychicken676
7.
“My younger brother-in-law wanted to live off investments like I do. At that time he was in his early 30s and unemployed, while I was 65, retired, and receiving pension cheques as well as investment income.”
—rupert38
8.
“In general, whenever I say to some young person, ‘Thank you,’ they always say ‘No problem.’ WTF happened to ‘You’re welcome’? What problem? Am I annoying you, asking for something, or somehow offending you? It’s not even proper human communication, and reeks of condescension. It’s like saying ‘Hello,’ and they say ‘Whatever.'”
—sassyghoul20
9.
“I told a 17-year-old what my rent was, and she responded with, ‘Do you mean that you have to pay to live here?'”
—surprisedwolf541
10.
“When they say, ‘I voted for Trump because *insert dumbass reason they got from TikTok here*.'”
—lawyerlady1
11.
“I grew up going to parochial schools. With years of cursive training, my handwriting is excellent. Now I write notes to my children, now parents, in cursive. Their children cannot read the notes I write to them! They have to go to their parents to translate the notes I send to my grandchildren, all straight-A students. What a shame!”
–luckyship253
“I write in cursive all the time, and the amount of people who tell me to ‘write like a normal person’ is shocking.”
—deliciouskitten62
12.
“A lot of young people feel they’re entitled to very high salaries when they enter the workforce. I interviewed someone a few years ago for an entry-level or one step above entry level assistant position. It was 40 hours per week, no overtime, no weekends. This person was already working as an assistant (probably 23 or 24 years old), so when I asked what their salary expectation was (don’t @ me — it was listed in the description but people with more experience than others often deserve more), they told me they were looking for $120K. I was stunned. I finally managed to say, ‘If you’re making anywhere close to $120K now, stay at your current job.'”
—whatever19
13.
“It drives me crazy that the younger generation is using machines to do their thinking for them. In my junior year of high school, I quickly learned to use my imagination for critical thinking and writing skills — that and taking a composition class in college developed me into a writer. It doesn’t seem like the younger generation is the same way.”
—dazzlingsunflower777
14.
“When I was younger, if we had our phones out at school, they would take them and then our parents would have to come get it from the office. Every generation up until recently managed to survive going to school without a phone, but nobody seems to have any social skills anymore. It’s embarrassing.”
“They take what they do on social media and try to act the same way in real life, but of course, it doesn’t work that way.”
—bibblehedizzl
Now, tell us: what’s the dumbest, most ignorant thing young people need to stop doing? Fill out this quick form, or post a comment below!
And check out BuzzFeed Canada on TikTok and Instagram for more!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
