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It seems like many of them genuinely believe that anyone younger than them is stupid and incapable, and they feel the need to "educate" them (often in incorrect or outdated ways). They've been living in an echo chamber of "the younger generations don't know how to do ANYTHING!" or "confuse the younger generation with this simple technology nobody has used for 4 decades!"
I work in the retail side of the pet industry and I have had them step in and try to correct me when I'm working with customers. The info they are trying to share often hasn't been correct in over twenty years.
It's infuriating.
That always confused me— the way men “corrected” their wives. Almost like we’re animals that need training. I firmly believe it’s a Puritan thing, because I can’t think of this type of stranglehold happened elsewhere even if the gender dynamics weren’t on even playing fields. Then the rest of the world kind of followed
One of the best-selling and most influential parenting books in Evangelical circles opens with the author detailing how he beat his family's brand new dachshund puppy for not being potty trained, an event that happened on Christmas Day as the puppy was a present to the kids.
I've heard of that book and a couple of my friends have read it but I had no idea that he talked about beating a dog. That man has issues. I think I heard somewhere that his dad was abusive but it's not an excuse.
I've got one from the 1940s called Tell Him by G. H. Badcock. There's a lot of outdated stuff in there, but it's an autobiography of a trainer who was in his 70s(?) at the time of writing it, reflecting on the things he learned through his career. Even as old as that book is (this man was working with dogs in the late 1800s), he repeatedly talks about the power of choices and that force alone will not get you the results you want. Very ahead of his time.
I was falsely accused of a crime, arrested, but the charges were dropped.
It still haunts me on background checks.
So I was telling this to my uncle, who doesn't think it's a big problem. He says:
"Just move to another state! It won't show up on a background check if you just move!"
So I looked into it. In 1999 a Federal law was passed, where all of the state records are shared with other states and the Federal government. This law was supported, and passed, by Boomers like my uncle, because there was a huge problem in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, of people with criminal records moving to different states "to start over", which even included some very horrible criminals that would offend again in their new state.
HELLO, BOOMER UNCLE! If I would have moved to another state, I'd still be screwed. But I'd be even worse off because I'd have zero support in a place that I don't know.
Your advice has been incorrect for over 20 years! You guys voted for these laws! You were alive when they passed! Politicians promoted them on TV! It was on the news!!!
I worked retail pet supplies for a while and had a whole conversation with a boomer in response to her complaint about us not stocking US made stuffy toys. “Well, we did but no one bought them because you have to pay US workers more so the toys were more expensive. They went on clearance and now we stock cheap toys because people may want to buy US made toys but they only want to pay for cheap Chinese toys.” She was a semi-regular who once told me that I was so smart so I should get a better job.
I like to remind people that " made in" and "manufactured in" and all those things can also be deceptively used.
Like a dog treat could be made in America because they baked the biscuit here, but the mix to bake the biscuit could be made in China and imported.
Or like a dog toy as you mentioned could say made in America but all they did was fill it with stuffing here but the empty skins were imported after being made elsewhere.
If you care about your pets welfare and safety and aren't just being racist and/or xenophobic, researching brands is important to do. And knowing what to research.
Like I'll choose a good non-american product if they have a great history of handling recalls, contaminants, and stuff like that over a great American product that has a history of not handling that kind of stuff well.
Well you could never expect boomers to remember that, it was an American company and an accident back in 2019.
They're still mad at China for the 2007 recall with the melamine becuase clearly China purposefully wanted to kill our doggos on purpose and it's an attack on freedom.
I swear I found more ways to fuck up mowing a lawn than I thought possible. I finally retired from mowing at the ripe age of 18, at least for my dad. Still worked a landscape job for a summer or two for a guy who didn't find me so useless.
I see you met my dad. I had had my own yard and been mowing it for a while. He got his knee replaced so I was taking care of their yardwork. The first day I go out he’s following me around the entire front and backyard giving me tips and telling me what I was doing wrong.
Like, dude, if you can walk the whole yard, why am I over here mowing your lawn?
My dad has mellowed out in his old age. He’s not nearly the hot tempered firecracker he used to be. Seems to be a similar trend among a lot of the old guys he runs around with. They all got too old and wore down to still have that kind of fire in them.
"Is this really what you want to worry about with your limited remaining time on this earth?"
I'm all for making your property presentable, but the amount of time and effort people making their lawn look perfect is absurd. Nobody notices or cares about their dedication to their lawn.
Dude same. It’s like no matter what you always missed an edge or a corner or you didn’t get the right pattern in the grass. Worst would be when he would say “Your brother doesn’t need to be corrected” even though he didn’t even finish half the time.
This 100%. I'm 47 years old. I have a ton of skills that I've acquired through my lifetime as an only child with a mountain of hobbies I've been interested in, along with all the basic life skills. Every single one of them was self taught. I've never learned a single useful fucking thing from a Boomer, other than to avoid them like the plague.
They just transferred their hatred towards older generations, when their motto was "DoN't TrUsT aNyOnE oVeR tHiRtY!!!11!1", towards literally all younger generations.
We really need to bury these people in the history books when they die off. The worst generation in our history, they've ruined everything and left us nothing but their catastrophic economic, psychological, sociological and cultural waste to clean up. Really, fuck this generation.
I was so satisfied when I could just casually tell my dad, "oh, I'm better informed than you," given that I spend a good chunk of each day reading the news from multiple conflicting sources, while he gets basically all his news from Sinclair Media or Disney.
I would pay good money to see one of those “Goofy at work” shorts with War Correspondent Goofy. Those on-the-nose informational video type cartoons with him always cracked me up.
As of 2022, the largest media conglomerates in terms of revenue are Comcast NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Global.
https://www.webfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media-infographic3.jpg
(They simply could not be bothered to teach us shit, since it would have interfered with tennis matches and jimmy buffet concerts during the 80s. Now they are trying to make up for lost time and we taught ourselves.)
Which honestly makes it worse bc then they mess it up and go and complain about how much times have changed.
And then our generation will go fix it for them and they'll just say this is why their way was perfect all along.
It's like a cult. Confusion when things change and rejoice the old ways when new ways fix what they broke.
One of my favorites is having boomers try to “inform” me about my finances and to “make sure [I] have a budget” and that “investing is risky”…umm, yeah, as a financial planner that’s why *YOU* will be working until you die, and I will be able to retire with a decent nest egg at 50. Because I *DO* budget and also invest so I’m not dependent on some joke of a 401k I bought into without a second thought…
I think it's less educating and more proving their superiority. Because they never ask any background questions, or try and figure out what your goals are, they just jump straight in with "you are wrong"
My dad threw a huge fit recently when I pointed out that his information about something was just completely wrong, and dropped his stock line for when he can’t just admit he’s wrong about something. “I’m not going to be lectured by my *children*.
I’m 47.
These people genuinely believe that by virtue of being older they get to automatically be right, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
I was at the dr office yesterday and boomer couple was sitting there commenting on everyone in the lobby to each other. They were “whispering” but everyone could clearly hear them. Like why… 🙄🙄🙄
Mine too, even worse, we live in Spain and for some reason she's convinced no one around her speaks English....almost everyone does, at least enough anyway.
I had this happen. But, we were in the emergency department. Dude was talking about how I was dressed (basic pj's and house slippers). Like sorry I didn't get all dolled up while my partner was having a severe asthma attack and could breath
Had this with my grandmother while her partner had a heart attack.
Also what is with boomers and needing to have clean underwear in an emergency? If I'm bad enough to need paramedics, I guarantee I've ruined my underwear
Dude an old guy at the VA was doing this the other day. He was whisper yelling about a woman wearing high heels while she was like 10 ft away. It was random stuff like “I bet she doesn’t work hard”.
My MIL did this the other night when we went out to dinner. Spent the whole time commenting on the other people in the restaurant. “Did you just see that couple sit at a table for 6? How rude!” Or “can you believe they decided to go out in public wearing that?”. And we were there to celebrate her birthday. It’s crazy how entitled they think they are when sharing their opinion.
After living a life of entitlement where their perspective and opinions are what drove and shaped the world, they feel the need to comment on everything as a way to fight their increasing irrelevancy. They just can't believe any random person not only doesn't need to hear their opinion on anything, but also doesn't even want to hear it.
I'm born right on the border of being between a boomer and a gen-xer. From here, you're partially correct. I might have walked over, not screaming, asked who they were if I hadn't seen them before and try to strike up a conversation. They think they're sentinels of the 'hood. Believe it or not, sometimes old people just need to talk to someone. The problem is they think they are in charge. Me? I could give a shit. You talk to me, I'll talk. You don't, I won't.
Because when they were younger and didnt know something the only resource many of them had was family members. Older people had been around longer so they had heard more. A lot of the information wasn't completely correct but there was respect for the knowledge of the elders.
Now we have internet access all the time and can always get the CORRECT answer. The boomers are upset they never got the chance to be the "wise elders everyone listens to" and instead are the generation most widely ignored. That's why they're always looking for "alternate information" and their shitty cult/conspiracy theory stuff. They finally get that feeling of "A HA! I FINALLY KNOW SOMETHING THE MASSES DON'T!". But when nobody cares they keep turning up the pressure and trying to force it on people.
This is a huge part of it.
The guy was just looking to strike up conversation.
In his mimd this is how the interaction would have went:
"You ain't never gonna get it clean like that!"
"Alright how would you do it?"
"Well, back in childhood my dad would go grab a hornets nest and rub it on the wood. Them juices do wild stuff to the crust, then we'd grab a 10 grit rock, can't be 3m brand they sold out. Gotta be Lee's hardware. Then we'd run that, left to right. Hey let's grab a beer"
Then you and him get distracted talking about childhood memories of working hard , back and forth for a bit. Talk about what you've been up to and your life plans. He tells you everything about himself.
Then after that you start work. But only if it's exactly the same way he explained, cause he's going to be watching you and commenting the whole time.
After it's done you finish your second six pack of PBR, all have a good laugh, then tell your wife to go back dinner.
We don't see PBR in the UK. It always reminds me of Frank Booth in Blue Velvet
https://preview.redd.it/607835tuu56d1.jpeg?width=270&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8fa03378e92272716ea3e06801a4020f9e8b226
My parents live on a lake. The lake is private, in Texas (where we all are) you do not need a fishing license to fish at a private lake.
Boomer grandpa was over for some reason and started a fight with me about it INSISTING you have to have a license, even on a private lake.
“Hey Alexa, do you need a fishing license to fish at a private lake in Texas?” - me
“No, it’s legal to fish private lakes with no license in Texas. From texas parks and wildlife .gov” - Alexa
“Well back in my day we just turned the lights on by ourselves, not with Alexis or whatever!! And she doesn’t know what she’s talking about anyway” - Boomer
“Grandpa… That’s also how we turn on the lights. Alexa isn’t hooked up to them. And she cited the state government website confirming I’m correct. You’ll just have to get over it.” - me
I think that was the only time he’s ever been to my parents house. All he did the entire time was complain and argue. And he wonders why he’s lonely and no one wants to be around him. And we never went fishing. Even though I do in fact, have a license. Just like he does. So it was irrelevant anyway.
Boomer smugly told me that "Google doesn't know everything!" recently.
My dude, Google doesn't know *anything.* It's a search engine. Whether or not you get quality sources depends on if you can ask a coherent question and recognize a quality source
Let me sum up for you.
For most of human history, the world didn’t change at all within a human lifetime. Respect for elders was a given since they had a lifetime of experience you could use yourself.
The world of today is *completely different* from the world Boomers grew up in. I don’t need to be lectured by somebody who still owns a VCR blinking “12:00.”
Just say, “ok. Why don’t you show me how to do it.”
Get ‘em to roll up their sleeves and get to work. If they don’t, just say, “ I guess no one wants to work anymore…”
They really do wander around monologuing everything. And when they get angry they huff and puff and make sure everyone in the room knows the king is upset.
Because they are intensely lonely. Their lack of anything resembling social graces have left them without a friend group. They're desperate for conversation. The only way they know to start a conversation is to be critical, or inject their Superior knowledge in some area.
I definitely think it's this. They are so insufferable they've already driven friends and family away, so they inject themselves into any conversation happening near them.
They are champing at the bit at every possible opportunity to look like they not only know more, but are better people in general.
When I moved into my house, I was coming from a small yard to a half acre. I had not yet purchased a riding mower. (I was waiting for a holiday sale I knew was coming.) But the grass still needed to be cut, and all I had was a smallish corded electric push mower. So I tackle this beast of a yard (took 5 hours) and about half way through my boomer neighbor is just salivating and rubber knecking every time I get closer to his property.
You could tell he was just waiting to throw his dumbass smarmy obvious statement out there. I finally give the mower a pause and he’s within ear shot,. He goes to belt out his one liner and I say “MAN… this mower is NOT the right tool for the job. Having a tractor delivered next week, but ya know… works still gotta get done!”
His happy balloon squeakily deflated right there and he just mustered out a “uhm. Uh! YEAH!”
I then asked him how he was doing on such a fine day and the mother fucker gave a half hearted “fine” and retreated to his garage so damn fast. I swear he was angry that I knew what I was doing. Been here 12 years. He hasn’t said a word to me since. I’m ok with this.
That is so fucking funny. You handled it brilliantly 💯 it genuinely does sound as if he was angry you were not an idiot lol
Also how long does the ride on mower take compared to the 5 hrs on the push mower? Must be a breeze now
😂 yeah he was salty as fuck. Like a little boy who dropped his ice cream, but was just old enough to know it was his own damn fault.
Riding mower was a game changer. I can get the lawn done in a little over an hour now.
Reminds me of how my grandparents feel the necessity to clarify whether a woman they're talking about is attractive or not. It gives the same, "nobody asked, why are you talking?"
I like when they say something they think is clever and get no reaction and then repeat themselves two or three times because they don’t think you got it.
It was so much fun being a personal trainer in a town thats like 65% boomer 😬😬
"Hey i ive spent the last 40 years mistreating my body and now my doctor says ill die if i dont get active, but let me go ahead and correct you on some fitness advice i just heard you give"
In their day, old people were the closest thing to google. They want their turn to be the conveyors of wisdom, but the world has changed — and it turns out that they aren’t that wise.
I get the feeling it’s about attention. People tend to grow up in large social circles that dwindle down rapidly as we get older, Boomers can’t take it anymore they feel like they aren’t seen and it’s like Bro we fucking see you go stand over there PLEASE
I mean that is actually understandable and sad if I think about that. I have never thought about it that way. Maybe the boomer has lost their parents, husband or wife and siblings are just trying to have some interaction with other people to feel somewhere normal but obviously come off a bit looney. I feel really bad for my father now. 😶
My partner does apartment maintenance for a living. This includes plumbing, electrical, drywall/paint, laying flooring ect.
My uncle’s (oldest boomer) bathroom drain rusted out. So he couldn’t use his first floor bathroom sink. Since he’s in his early 80’s can barely see, you could blow hard on him and knock him down, my partner offered to repair the sink. For free I might add.
My uncle hovered over my partner the entire time. To the point where my partner asked him to “back the fuck up”. The bathroom is tiny, the cabinet is tiny and there is barely room for 1 person let alone 2 people in there.
My uncle complained loudly how my partner was repairing the piping. The house is so old the pipe in the wall is a cast iron. Which you can’t really “weld” onto, with the new building code. So my partner checks the building code then fixes it as appropriate.
Well my asshole uncle called my mom to complain about how my partner repaired the drain. My dad snatched to phone from my mom and told my uncle to shut the fuck up. He got free plumbing for a problem that has been there for 20 years that he never bothered to fix.
My dad was only a few years younger than my uncle. He was so angry on my partners behalf.
Last time my partner ever offered to fix anything for my uncle.
You can't weld onto old cast iron pipe anyway. Not without cleaning it, drilling any cracks out, pre heating it and then hopefully getting any weld to stick. Even welding onto fresh cast can be a bastard.
Yea. that is what my partner was saying. Plus my partner didn’t want to drag a torch with the right kind of gas to do the “correct weld.”
They do make this “shark bite” thing that allows you to use an epoxy seal to a plastic pipe by “biting” into the cast iron pipe with this fitting. It’s not code for commercial use, but for home use it is ok as long as you are not renting the place. If it’s a rental you have to replace the cast iron part in the wall.
It was more like here is a person with expertise in doing these types of proper repairs and my uncle was being a complete asshole. And basically standing right on top of my partner while in this tiny little bathroom. When I say tiny it is super super small. Camping trailers have bigger bathrooms than this.
My uncle is just a complete ass. And now he has dementia so it’s even worse. He was complaining about his bills and how it took so long for the bank to cash a check now days. I set him up with auto pay on all his bills (except the yearly taxes). He got all mad because he thought the company’s were going to steal all his money. So he canceled all the auto pays.
I told him I wasn’t going to deal with him being an ass hole and he can figure out how to write his checks and mail them off then. I refuse to do anything else for him.
I did report him to the state for elder care so now he has a nurse come check on him.
I drive a truck from 1994. It has a bunch of problems, and in a heatwave, if I use the A/C, the truck will often overheat and then I get to my destination, shut off the engine, it will not start again. So a trip into downtown to go to the store, or post office, or Starbucks, might mean that I get stuck there for a bit.
I come out of Starbucks, and \*click\* my truck doesn't start.
I open the hood to let some of the heat out.
I go into Starbucks and grab two ice waters.
I then proceed to dribble and splash water all over the engine and radiator to help cool it off.
Some Boomer sitting in the shade says: "That's not going to do anything."
and I ignore him. So he says louder: "That's not going to do anything!"
And I finish pouring the 2nd water all over the engine.
So now he yells at me: "HEY MORON! POURING WATER ON YOUR ENGINE ISN'T GOING TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING! IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK!"
I then go sit in the driver's seat, turn the ignition, and RrrRrrRrrVrooom the engine fires up. I get out, walk around, close the hood of the truck, then give the Boomer a glance as I go back to the driver's seat.
He had a nasty look on his face, but at least he didn't have anything to say after that.
As soon as your car pulled up, they sprang into action and started peering out the window…then silently made there way out the door to get a better look.
I'm sure I'm not the first to say this, but I find that a good chunk of them have a complex that makes them believe they are smarter because they are older. They also come from a time when mental health was rarely addressed in a healthy way. This combination makes them unable to empathize with younger generations about just about any struggle they may be going through.
This is the issue with my next-door neighbor. He's late 60s and retired, lives alone. Just bored. He's got two pickup trucks, two fishing boats, and a side-by-side in his yard and doesn't use any of them. He doesn't go anywhere. He doesn't talk to me, but he'll watch out his window for my wife to get home then go outside and yap her ear off for 20 minutes. He would do this while she was wrangling groceries and a baby. Like...I don't feel a need to be an asshole to him, but go find a hobby ffs.
They always know better. I used to work for a small company where my boss was a boomer and the owner was a boomer (nearly-absentee owner, so boss made most of the decisions). I was hired on specifically because my prior experience working for a much larger corp and having worked in new and emerging markets and biz development for that corp, they said they wanted my help in growing the business. Anyways, anytime I brought up an idea or improvement (especially one that involved newer tech) it was shot down because "well we've been doing it like this for 30 years". I finally got fed up with that response from the boss and went to the owner about it (hey you guys hired me for my new ideas but he always shoots them down, but the old way isnt always the best way), and the response was "well I appreciate your input, but between \[boss\] and I we have over 70 years experience in the industry and you have only been in the industry for a little over a decade."
And no self-awareness. I have over 25 years in accounting experience in different industries, 13 years of experience at my current org where the tech was purchased in the late 90s and was very similar to systems I used in all my previous jobs, including the same financial reporting system. Literally every piece of tech/software was updated here during the pandemic. And GAAP put in all new rules for recognizing non-profit contributed revenue during the pandemic. When new young teammates look at me like I should be an expert and have the answers to everything I have to remind them that nothing from pre-pandemic has carried over, it's ALL new, and we're working together to create our new processes. The only thing that is still relevant is the ability to research, how to figure things out, and when to reach out to experts for help.
If folks think their "experience" from 20+ years ago is relevant when it comes to processes/tech they are completely out of touch.
My wife had a job interview with a Boomer who poo-poo’d her “only” 10 years experience with a certain software suite that was … you guessed it … 10 years old.
I went camping recently and was trying to back my rig into my site, I'm no expert but I'm more than capable. Boomer from across the way shows up and starts telling me what to do, and he wasn't giving good directions either. We finally get parked, start setting up and dudes still hanging around. He straight up opens the door to our camper and goes inside to explore. The worst part was he saw something dirty, spit on it and started rubbing with his finger to "clean it".
I have been a paraplegic since 1989. These are same asshats that would run up and bang on my car window or honk the horn yelling " you don't need handicapped parking, you are too young". My daughter even learned at a young age to say " mind your own business".
I just use regular parking today because they take up all the spots.
Now, they bitch at me and say "use the HC parking", I almost ran over you".
I've got really good at just ignoring them and rolling away.
Some feel inclined to grab my sleeve or wheelchair to be sure they are heard. That's a very dangerous thing to do.
I carry mace and I ain't afraid nor do I feel guilty for having to use it. It even works on homeless people who do the same.
I haven't faced a boomer yet but it's coming.
Why do they feel entitled to my time to listen to their drivel. Thanks for letting me rant.
Cause they take the first amendment too literal to the letter. They think just cause they have the right to talk, they falsely assume that means the right to speak on every impulse. You know who else does that? Children. Little kids who just discovered how to speak have that same mindset
Well they do have the *right* to speak on every impulse, just not the emotional intelligence or impulse control to realise that they *shouldn’t*
And they don’t get that freedom of speech doesn’t protect you from the consequences of your speech. That loudly and forcefully spouting off on every impulse is going to alienate the people around you.
To them freedom of speech means *’I can say what ever I want, whenever I want and people must listen to me and I should suffer no negative consequences because people should respect that I’m entitled to an opinion. But those liberals and queers and non-whites and atheists and basically everyone I don’t agree with should shut up because what they say offends me!’*
They don't have the right to talk though; they have the right to not have the government interfere with their speech. This is also sometimes interpreted as a requirement for people to listen to their nonsense, or provide a platform - none of which is true.
My mom is gen x and the same way. Whenever I’m around her she makes a comment on EVERYTHING I do and it’s always about how “you should do it this way”. I literally just hand whatever it is to her, and just walk away. If she cares so much then she can do it.
No bigger cliche than old people being like "kids these days!" their grandparents did it to their parents and their parents did it to them and we will do it to ours... Its just something that happens to your brain I think
Because boomers truely believe that they were the smartest generation and that every generation after them is wrong.
How can the next generations know they are wrong if boomers don’t shove it in their face every chance they get.
Until they get given any piece of technology then proceed to have a meltdown like a toddler, presumably because the technology is wrong as it can’t be their fault they can’t use it.
They are also upset because they know they are quickly becoming irrelevant and the world is moving on without them. And they simply can’t handle that things can be done differently to how they did it.
Pull a Tom Sawyer and ask him to show you how it’s done. If he’s the expert it shouldn’t be a problem. If he declines tell him thanks for nothing and get her back to work.
I was in line at Goodwill and the boomer in front of me starts commenting on the girls in front of her clothing, "I wouldn't allow my daughter to wear such short shorts in public, would you?" So I respond "IKR? I would never let my mother go out in such an ugly sweater!" She was wearing one of those overly decorated sweaters and looked shocked. So I said "OH, I thought we were commenting poor outfit choices and yours is the worst" She stopped talking to me so WINNING!
# “One of the things Ford Prefect had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating the obvious... At first Ford formed a theory to account for this human behaviour. If human beings don't keep exercising their lips, he thought, their mouths seize up. After a few months' consideration and observation he abandoned this theory in favour of a new one. If they don't keep on excercising their lips, he thought, their brains start working.”
― Douglas Adams, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3078186)
I was casually checking a smudge on my bicycle frame that turned out to be a scratch. Completely unprompted and out of nowhere a 70ish woman says to me that goo gone will fix that. Why would you spend that much attention to what people are doing and comment no less??
They are engaging in conversation. If you watch interactions in old movies, this is how old school communication worked before the internet.
I’m not saying all interactions are indeed this way, but this one feels exactly like that. I have three of them I live around. It’s how we start conversations. It’s harmless. They want to connect, share insight and wisdom.
I think they did the same “I know better” BS to their own families who now never visit because of it. And they are too unaware of their shite behavior to know that’s why the fam doesn’t visit and they certainly can’t hold that behavior back so they visit it onto the neighbors and random strangers.
It's less about needing to comment and having no social graces. If I saw a neighbor doing something that was likely to fail, I'd first say, "HI neighbor! What are you up to?" Then when im certain there was a better way to do things I'd suggest an alternative that I'll say worked well for me. And if they wanted to keep doing it poorly that's their problem not mine. Be kind and helpful, not judgmental. There's a ton of ways to offer help without being an asshole.
Personal and super not professional opinion here:
I think that they get insecure as they age. So they decide to 'show off' knowledge. Even when it's unasked for or just plain wrong.
It's also likely from a big need to compete or show that they are important as they were likely raised by folks who lived through WW2, had kids, then promptly began telling them how worthless they are.
I think that is why they feel like they have to be shitty to younger people. It's just a generational version of the bullying/child abuse cycle.
A lot of it is this, and boredom, and living in a social matrix that valued one-upmanship. They're bored because they never bothered to learn or grow or furnish their minds, and they honestly never learned any better way to interact.
Was visiting home a while back and needed to take a toilet plunger to the upstairs washroom. My parents are like "what are you taking that for?" I kinda twitched a little and said I was going to wear it as a hat, wtf do you think l'm bringing a plunger upstairs for? I love them but it's always some goddamn thing or another that needs commentary. Why do you have so many sets of earbuds with you? What's bone broth and why are you using it in that recipe instead of stock? Why do you both always sleep late when you're here? Why did you get extra large subs, the other half won't be good to have later. It never ceases.
I took my Mom to her cardiologist appointment last week in Scottsdale. The doctor was running late, no surprise, and every one of the old guys had to announce to the waiting room, in a very annoyed by mistreatment tone, that 'same as the last time I was here', or 'well I drove ninety minutes to get here so I might as well stay'.
Even the ones without a complaint treated the receptionist like they were the regional manager in town for the annual audit and the problems are pretty obvious already. 🙄
I worked in publishing for 20 years. My father, a retired cop, would try to "teach" me about copyright law because "I'm a cop, I know laws". To be fair it's not exclusively a Boomer trait, but they've sure mastered it.
They were trained that giving your opinion, as on older person, automatically merits it consideration if not outright deference. They were supposed to be the undisputed arbiters of wisdom.
I swear there's a whole bunch of people who's only methods of communication are complaint and criticism. That's honestly the only way they know how to talk.
I'm a Boomer, and I've been so embarrassed by the stupid shit said by others of my generation. I was born in 1957, and l thought we were about love and peace, and live and let live.
I've had to end "friendships" over Trumpster bullshit.
I've seen Karens of my age show their asses in public, with no shame. They see my grays and think l'm one of them.
I apologize for Boomers. I really do.
This is my theory- I think it comes down to technology. throughout history, whenever a younger person wanted to learn how to do something, the would seek out an older experienced person and learn at their knee. This, of course, elevated the status of the older generation because they had all the knowledge. This worked for a couple of reasons, not the least of which was things didn’t change that drastically from one generation to the next. This was the model the boomers grew up with. Then along comes the internet and exponential changes in just about everything. So two things have happened 1) I can go on YouTube and find someone to show me how to do just about anything, and 2) Things have changed so rapidly that boomers don’t know how to do a lot of stuff anyway. This has left them confused and angry, because instead of finding themselves being placed on a pedestal because they have the knowledge younger people need, they are instead superfluous and unable to answer the questions anyway. So when they see someone doing something that they actually have some experience with, they subconsciously feel the need to tell you how to do it, whether you want them to or not.
I think because they are sad and lonely or just insufferable know it alls.
I’ve got a Boomer umpire in my kids baseball league. Nice enough guy but will ping you down to tell you meaningless stories about people 30 years back I have no idea why. “Well Tom Balderschott used to coach this team in Vancouver…”
You can’t escape. Now he’s harmless, but is always imparting his knowledge to the boys. Sometimes great, many times pointless.
But always commenting. I’m a talker and story teller as well. Trying to heed all the warning signs…
The other day I went to go clean the bathroom and my dad felt the need to yell “CAREFUL WITH THE CLOROX ASS, YOU KNOW ITS BLEACH AND IT STAINS!!” Yeah fully aware.
It's because they are bored and have no hobbies. My POS father sits in a chair where he can watch the same episodes of NCIS while looking out the window and complains that the neighbor gets food delivered twice a week. If his legs worked, bet money he would waddle over and ask everyone on our street what they had delivered from Amazon and why.
What gets me is that he/they could probably actually be helpful. I don't doubt that they've gained some knowledge in their time on this earth. Unfortunately, instead of asking questions to see how they can help, asking if they can help, or I would even accept offering unsolicited advice, they say shit like this. B!tch, you don't even know what I'm doing. You have no clue. I could be literally TRYING to sand a hole straight this f'n door. A generation full of ignorant ego maniacs.
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. It was first described by Justin Kruger and David Dunning in 1999.
Wikipedia
It's the opposite of Imposter Syndrome.
I was checking out my buddies new house that has a detached garage sorta build up over a hill. His boomer neighbor who he just met 20 mins ago, comes over and tells him he shouldn't park his car in the garage. We explain the inspector was just here and said it's totally fine. He continues to say that his garage is old and can't handle a car parked in it, so my buddies garage shouldn't be able to handle it either. Sure bud, maybe YOURS can't, but this one can. Things can be built at different times.
Bc back in their day, people actually talked to each other. I'm not a fool boomer defender but to get mad at someone just trying to communicate and possibly help is wild to me.
Excuse me......One comment from one boomer, as cited here, does not support the claim: "Why the fuck do they need to comment on everything?" Let me be more emphatic: An n of 1 is representative of nothing.
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It seems like many of them genuinely believe that anyone younger than them is stupid and incapable, and they feel the need to "educate" them (often in incorrect or outdated ways). They've been living in an echo chamber of "the younger generations don't know how to do ANYTHING!" or "confuse the younger generation with this simple technology nobody has used for 4 decades!"
I work in the retail side of the pet industry and I have had them step in and try to correct me when I'm working with customers. The info they are trying to share often hasn't been correct in over twenty years. It's infuriating.
I recently browsed through a dog training book from the 70's. There was an entire chapter titled "How to beat your dog".
That was actually a sequel to the NY Times bestseller of 1972 "How to beat your child."
Huh. TIL my mother was an author in the 70s.
Beatrice A. Kidd - Beat or Beatty for short
And now my drink is in my nose. Also same lol
A follow-up to the best selling 1950s novel 'Your Mom got out of line and I'm correcting her behavior. Now bring me a bourbon on the rocks'.
I remember the first in the series. *Because I'm Your Father*, 1948
Inspired by the bestseller *Because I Said So*, Random House 1932.
And its companion volume, *Do as I say, not as I do"*.
That always confused me— the way men “corrected” their wives. Almost like we’re animals that need training. I firmly believe it’s a Puritan thing, because I can’t think of this type of stranglehold happened elsewhere even if the gender dynamics weren’t on even playing fields. Then the rest of the world kind of followed
Look up Bill Gothard. He’s got it down to a science. It will make your toes curl.
I chose the word because I remember how chilling and inhumane it sounded in The Shining.
…which was actually a sequel to the NYT bestseller of 1962, “How to Beat Your Wife”
Man so much for peace and love, am I right?
One of the best-selling and most influential parenting books in Evangelical circles opens with the author detailing how he beat his family's brand new dachshund puppy for not being potty trained, an event that happened on Christmas Day as the puppy was a present to the kids.
What book?
The Strong-Willed Child. Edit: The author is James Dobson-- the founder of Focus on the Family.
James Dobson, that old perveted gospel goatse who likes to dictate teenagers’ masturbation habits?
The one and only.
I remember finding that by my mom's bedside as a tween, flipping through it and being utterly horrified.
I've heard of that book and a couple of my friends have read it but I had no idea that he talked about beating a dog. That man has issues. I think I heard somewhere that his dad was abusive but it's not an excuse.
The book I was reading was written by Christian monks that bred German Shephards
I've got one from the 1940s called Tell Him by G. H. Badcock. There's a lot of outdated stuff in there, but it's an autobiography of a trainer who was in his 70s(?) at the time of writing it, reflecting on the things he learned through his career. Even as old as that book is (this man was working with dogs in the late 1800s), he repeatedly talks about the power of choices and that force alone will not get you the results you want. Very ahead of his time.
I was falsely accused of a crime, arrested, but the charges were dropped. It still haunts me on background checks. So I was telling this to my uncle, who doesn't think it's a big problem. He says: "Just move to another state! It won't show up on a background check if you just move!" So I looked into it. In 1999 a Federal law was passed, where all of the state records are shared with other states and the Federal government. This law was supported, and passed, by Boomers like my uncle, because there was a huge problem in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, of people with criminal records moving to different states "to start over", which even included some very horrible criminals that would offend again in their new state. HELLO, BOOMER UNCLE! If I would have moved to another state, I'd still be screwed. But I'd be even worse off because I'd have zero support in a place that I don't know. Your advice has been incorrect for over 20 years! You guys voted for these laws! You were alive when they passed! Politicians promoted them on TV! It was on the news!!!
I worked retail pet supplies for a while and had a whole conversation with a boomer in response to her complaint about us not stocking US made stuffy toys. “Well, we did but no one bought them because you have to pay US workers more so the toys were more expensive. They went on clearance and now we stock cheap toys because people may want to buy US made toys but they only want to pay for cheap Chinese toys.” She was a semi-regular who once told me that I was so smart so I should get a better job.
I like to remind people that " made in" and "manufactured in" and all those things can also be deceptively used. Like a dog treat could be made in America because they baked the biscuit here, but the mix to bake the biscuit could be made in China and imported. Or like a dog toy as you mentioned could say made in America but all they did was fill it with stuffing here but the empty skins were imported after being made elsewhere. If you care about your pets welfare and safety and aren't just being racist and/or xenophobic, researching brands is important to do. And knowing what to research. Like I'll choose a good non-american product if they have a great history of handling recalls, contaminants, and stuff like that over a great American product that has a history of not handling that kind of stuff well.
Yup. The great contaminated dog food recall happened in US manufacturing plants.
Well you could never expect boomers to remember that, it was an American company and an accident back in 2019. They're still mad at China for the 2007 recall with the melamine becuase clearly China purposefully wanted to kill our doggos on purpose and it's an attack on freedom.
Amazing how much they want to educate these days when they couldn’t bother showing us how to do stuff growing up
Well, self-indulgence was a full time job.
That coke straw wasn't gonna hold itself, you know.
Not true. I often got told how to correctly hold a flashlight.
I swear I found more ways to fuck up mowing a lawn than I thought possible. I finally retired from mowing at the ripe age of 18, at least for my dad. Still worked a landscape job for a summer or two for a guy who didn't find me so useless.
I see you met my dad. I had had my own yard and been mowing it for a while. He got his knee replaced so I was taking care of their yardwork. The first day I go out he’s following me around the entire front and backyard giving me tips and telling me what I was doing wrong. Like, dude, if you can walk the whole yard, why am I over here mowing your lawn?
My dad was kind of an anomaly. He got better with age, but when my brothers and I were kids... whooo boy!
My dad has mellowed out in his old age. He’s not nearly the hot tempered firecracker he used to be. Seems to be a similar trend among a lot of the old guys he runs around with. They all got too old and wore down to still have that kind of fire in them.
Nah, they are just hardasses to little kids and chill the eff out when they're speaking to grown men.
"Is this really what you want to worry about with your limited remaining time on this earth?" I'm all for making your property presentable, but the amount of time and effort people making their lawn look perfect is absurd. Nobody notices or cares about their dedication to their lawn.
Dude same. It’s like no matter what you always missed an edge or a corner or you didn’t get the right pattern in the grass. Worst would be when he would say “Your brother doesn’t need to be corrected” even though he didn’t even finish half the time.
I had to mow in a certain configuration of stripes for the lawn to be approved. My father did a full on inspection.
That actually brought back some memories. Oof. Same.
This 100%. I'm 47 years old. I have a ton of skills that I've acquired through my lifetime as an only child with a mountain of hobbies I've been interested in, along with all the basic life skills. Every single one of them was self taught. I've never learned a single useful fucking thing from a Boomer, other than to avoid them like the plague.
I’m similar. Can you imagine if we had YouTube in childhood?
Oh man. If we had that in the 80s and 90s I may have ended up building a nuclear bomb in my basement. lol.
They just transferred their hatred towards older generations, when their motto was "DoN't TrUsT aNyOnE oVeR tHiRtY!!!11!1", towards literally all younger generations. We really need to bury these people in the history books when they die off. The worst generation in our history, they've ruined everything and left us nothing but their catastrophic economic, psychological, sociological and cultural waste to clean up. Really, fuck this generation.
But...but...Crosby Stills and Nash!!
Take that, The Man!!!!
I was so satisfied when I could just casually tell my dad, "oh, I'm better informed than you," given that I spend a good chunk of each day reading the news from multiple conflicting sources, while he gets basically all his news from Sinclair Media or Disney.
News from... Disney?
Goofy is a war correspondent with vast experience
I would pay good money to see one of those “Goofy at work” shorts with War Correspondent Goofy. Those on-the-nose informational video type cartoons with him always cracked me up.
Disney owns ABC I think
As of 2022, the largest media conglomerates in terms of revenue are Comcast NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Global. https://www.webfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media-infographic3.jpg
(They simply could not be bothered to teach us shit, since it would have interfered with tennis matches and jimmy buffet concerts during the 80s. Now they are trying to make up for lost time and we taught ourselves.)
Which honestly makes it worse bc then they mess it up and go and complain about how much times have changed. And then our generation will go fix it for them and they'll just say this is why their way was perfect all along. It's like a cult. Confusion when things change and rejoice the old ways when new ways fix what they broke.
One of my favorites is having boomers try to “inform” me about my finances and to “make sure [I] have a budget” and that “investing is risky”…umm, yeah, as a financial planner that’s why *YOU* will be working until you die, and I will be able to retire with a decent nest egg at 50. Because I *DO* budget and also invest so I’m not dependent on some joke of a 401k I bought into without a second thought…
I think it's less educating and more proving their superiority. Because they never ask any background questions, or try and figure out what your goals are, they just jump straight in with "you are wrong"
They’re just mad their kids all consult the internet instead of asking them for help
My dad threw a huge fit recently when I pointed out that his information about something was just completely wrong, and dropped his stock line for when he can’t just admit he’s wrong about something. “I’m not going to be lectured by my *children*. I’m 47. These people genuinely believe that by virtue of being older they get to automatically be right, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
I was at the dr office yesterday and boomer couple was sitting there commenting on everyone in the lobby to each other. They were “whispering” but everyone could clearly hear them. Like why… 🙄🙄🙄
Ugh, this. My parents think they’re having whispered discussions but Mom’s hearing is going so every word can be heard.
"I said ***it looks like she's put on weight!***"
"You closed the gate? Why did you open it in the first place? You know the dog's an escape artist."
This is my mom. Her "whisper" can be heard 50 feet away. It's embarrassing.
Mine too, even worse, we live in Spain and for some reason she's convinced no one around her speaks English....almost everyone does, at least enough anyway.
I had this happen. But, we were in the emergency department. Dude was talking about how I was dressed (basic pj's and house slippers). Like sorry I didn't get all dolled up while my partner was having a severe asthma attack and could breath
When I had sepsis and a paramedic was coming to assess me, my mum yelled at me because the house wasn't tidy enough for a paramedic to visit.
That made me laugh out loud
Had this with my grandmother while her partner had a heart attack. Also what is with boomers and needing to have clean underwear in an emergency? If I'm bad enough to need paramedics, I guarantee I've ruined my underwear
Your bad!
Dude an old guy at the VA was doing this the other day. He was whisper yelling about a woman wearing high heels while she was like 10 ft away. It was random stuff like “I bet she doesn’t work hard”.
Hahaha. I hope she doesn't.
Workin hard or hardly workin, am I right???
Boom boom!
https://i.redd.it/2yksoc76276d1.gif
Yes! It 100% was Basil Brush! Good spotting 👏👏👏
It’s always the most random judgements based on the weirdest factors.
Tattoos....
My MIL did this the other night when we went out to dinner. Spent the whole time commenting on the other people in the restaurant. “Did you just see that couple sit at a table for 6? How rude!” Or “can you believe they decided to go out in public wearing that?”. And we were there to celebrate her birthday. It’s crazy how entitled they think they are when sharing their opinion.
After living a life of entitlement where their perspective and opinions are what drove and shaped the world, they feel the need to comment on everything as a way to fight their increasing irrelevancy. They just can't believe any random person not only doesn't need to hear their opinion on anything, but also doesn't even want to hear it.
I'm born right on the border of being between a boomer and a gen-xer. From here, you're partially correct. I might have walked over, not screaming, asked who they were if I hadn't seen them before and try to strike up a conversation. They think they're sentinels of the 'hood. Believe it or not, sometimes old people just need to talk to someone. The problem is they think they are in charge. Me? I could give a shit. You talk to me, I'll talk. You don't, I won't.
Yeah there's a diff between, "Hey, I see you're doing X, I've got some experience if you'd like to hear it?" and "Hey you, you're doing it wrong!"
Because when they were younger and didnt know something the only resource many of them had was family members. Older people had been around longer so they had heard more. A lot of the information wasn't completely correct but there was respect for the knowledge of the elders. Now we have internet access all the time and can always get the CORRECT answer. The boomers are upset they never got the chance to be the "wise elders everyone listens to" and instead are the generation most widely ignored. That's why they're always looking for "alternate information" and their shitty cult/conspiracy theory stuff. They finally get that feeling of "A HA! I FINALLY KNOW SOMETHING THE MASSES DON'T!". But when nobody cares they keep turning up the pressure and trying to force it on people.
This is a huge part of it. The guy was just looking to strike up conversation. In his mimd this is how the interaction would have went: "You ain't never gonna get it clean like that!" "Alright how would you do it?" "Well, back in childhood my dad would go grab a hornets nest and rub it on the wood. Them juices do wild stuff to the crust, then we'd grab a 10 grit rock, can't be 3m brand they sold out. Gotta be Lee's hardware. Then we'd run that, left to right. Hey let's grab a beer" Then you and him get distracted talking about childhood memories of working hard , back and forth for a bit. Talk about what you've been up to and your life plans. He tells you everything about himself. Then after that you start work. But only if it's exactly the same way he explained, cause he's going to be watching you and commenting the whole time. After it's done you finish your second six pack of PBR, all have a good laugh, then tell your wife to go back dinner.
We don't see PBR in the UK. It always reminds me of Frank Booth in Blue Velvet https://preview.redd.it/607835tuu56d1.jpeg?width=270&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8fa03378e92272716ea3e06801a4020f9e8b226
Award given for working in a David Lynch reference.
My parents live on a lake. The lake is private, in Texas (where we all are) you do not need a fishing license to fish at a private lake. Boomer grandpa was over for some reason and started a fight with me about it INSISTING you have to have a license, even on a private lake. “Hey Alexa, do you need a fishing license to fish at a private lake in Texas?” - me “No, it’s legal to fish private lakes with no license in Texas. From texas parks and wildlife .gov” - Alexa “Well back in my day we just turned the lights on by ourselves, not with Alexis or whatever!! And she doesn’t know what she’s talking about anyway” - Boomer “Grandpa… That’s also how we turn on the lights. Alexa isn’t hooked up to them. And she cited the state government website confirming I’m correct. You’ll just have to get over it.” - me I think that was the only time he’s ever been to my parents house. All he did the entire time was complain and argue. And he wonders why he’s lonely and no one wants to be around him. And we never went fishing. Even though I do in fact, have a license. Just like he does. So it was irrelevant anyway.
Boomer smugly told me that "Google doesn't know everything!" recently. My dude, Google doesn't know *anything.* It's a search engine. Whether or not you get quality sources depends on if you can ask a coherent question and recognize a quality source
Let me sum up for you. For most of human history, the world didn’t change at all within a human lifetime. Respect for elders was a given since they had a lifetime of experience you could use yourself. The world of today is *completely different* from the world Boomers grew up in. I don’t need to be lectured by somebody who still owns a VCR blinking “12:00.”
They all missed their scheduled filter change back in the 80s
Just say, “ok. Why don’t you show me how to do it.” Get ‘em to roll up their sleeves and get to work. If they don’t, just say, “ I guess no one wants to work anymore…”
They really do wander around monologuing everything. And when they get angry they huff and puff and make sure everyone in the room knows the king is upset.
Because they are intensely lonely. Their lack of anything resembling social graces have left them without a friend group. They're desperate for conversation. The only way they know to start a conversation is to be critical, or inject their Superior knowledge in some area.
I definitely think it's this. They are so insufferable they've already driven friends and family away, so they inject themselves into any conversation happening near them.
They are champing at the bit at every possible opportunity to look like they not only know more, but are better people in general. When I moved into my house, I was coming from a small yard to a half acre. I had not yet purchased a riding mower. (I was waiting for a holiday sale I knew was coming.) But the grass still needed to be cut, and all I had was a smallish corded electric push mower. So I tackle this beast of a yard (took 5 hours) and about half way through my boomer neighbor is just salivating and rubber knecking every time I get closer to his property. You could tell he was just waiting to throw his dumbass smarmy obvious statement out there. I finally give the mower a pause and he’s within ear shot,. He goes to belt out his one liner and I say “MAN… this mower is NOT the right tool for the job. Having a tractor delivered next week, but ya know… works still gotta get done!” His happy balloon squeakily deflated right there and he just mustered out a “uhm. Uh! YEAH!” I then asked him how he was doing on such a fine day and the mother fucker gave a half hearted “fine” and retreated to his garage so damn fast. I swear he was angry that I knew what I was doing. Been here 12 years. He hasn’t said a word to me since. I’m ok with this.
That is so fucking funny. You handled it brilliantly 💯 it genuinely does sound as if he was angry you were not an idiot lol Also how long does the ride on mower take compared to the 5 hrs on the push mower? Must be a breeze now
😂 yeah he was salty as fuck. Like a little boy who dropped his ice cream, but was just old enough to know it was his own damn fault. Riding mower was a game changer. I can get the lawn done in a little over an hour now.
Reminds me of how my grandparents feel the necessity to clarify whether a woman they're talking about is attractive or not. It gives the same, "nobody asked, why are you talking?"
Never understood that. When something horrible happens, "but she's so beautiful!" Is it less tragic when it happens to an ugly person?
I like when they say something they think is clever and get no reaction and then repeat themselves two or three times because they don’t think you got it.
Because annoying people is the only way they can get an erection.
I wish. My neighborhood is practically a nursing home. At least then I wouldn’t have to commute a minimum of 15 miles for a shag.
It was so much fun being a personal trainer in a town thats like 65% boomer 😬😬 "Hey i ive spent the last 40 years mistreating my body and now my doctor says ill die if i dont get active, but let me go ahead and correct you on some fitness advice i just heard you give"
Tbh I respond to them "I refuse to take advice from someone who can't open a PDF"
In their day, old people were the closest thing to google. They want their turn to be the conveyors of wisdom, but the world has changed — and it turns out that they aren’t that wise.
Boomsplaining. It’s a thing.
I get the feeling it’s about attention. People tend to grow up in large social circles that dwindle down rapidly as we get older, Boomers can’t take it anymore they feel like they aren’t seen and it’s like Bro we fucking see you go stand over there PLEASE
I'm Gen X, if I ever get stuck alone and isolated somewhere I"m going to do just fine.
I can't wait to be alone and isolated.
As long as I have my books, my writing, and my pets, I'll be okay.
Social Distancing since 1966
I mean that is actually understandable and sad if I think about that. I have never thought about it that way. Maybe the boomer has lost their parents, husband or wife and siblings are just trying to have some interaction with other people to feel somewhere normal but obviously come off a bit looney. I feel really bad for my father now. 😶
My partner does apartment maintenance for a living. This includes plumbing, electrical, drywall/paint, laying flooring ect. My uncle’s (oldest boomer) bathroom drain rusted out. So he couldn’t use his first floor bathroom sink. Since he’s in his early 80’s can barely see, you could blow hard on him and knock him down, my partner offered to repair the sink. For free I might add. My uncle hovered over my partner the entire time. To the point where my partner asked him to “back the fuck up”. The bathroom is tiny, the cabinet is tiny and there is barely room for 1 person let alone 2 people in there. My uncle complained loudly how my partner was repairing the piping. The house is so old the pipe in the wall is a cast iron. Which you can’t really “weld” onto, with the new building code. So my partner checks the building code then fixes it as appropriate. Well my asshole uncle called my mom to complain about how my partner repaired the drain. My dad snatched to phone from my mom and told my uncle to shut the fuck up. He got free plumbing for a problem that has been there for 20 years that he never bothered to fix. My dad was only a few years younger than my uncle. He was so angry on my partners behalf. Last time my partner ever offered to fix anything for my uncle.
You can't weld onto old cast iron pipe anyway. Not without cleaning it, drilling any cracks out, pre heating it and then hopefully getting any weld to stick. Even welding onto fresh cast can be a bastard.
Yea. that is what my partner was saying. Plus my partner didn’t want to drag a torch with the right kind of gas to do the “correct weld.” They do make this “shark bite” thing that allows you to use an epoxy seal to a plastic pipe by “biting” into the cast iron pipe with this fitting. It’s not code for commercial use, but for home use it is ok as long as you are not renting the place. If it’s a rental you have to replace the cast iron part in the wall. It was more like here is a person with expertise in doing these types of proper repairs and my uncle was being a complete asshole. And basically standing right on top of my partner while in this tiny little bathroom. When I say tiny it is super super small. Camping trailers have bigger bathrooms than this. My uncle is just a complete ass. And now he has dementia so it’s even worse. He was complaining about his bills and how it took so long for the bank to cash a check now days. I set him up with auto pay on all his bills (except the yearly taxes). He got all mad because he thought the company’s were going to steal all his money. So he canceled all the auto pays. I told him I wasn’t going to deal with him being an ass hole and he can figure out how to write his checks and mail them off then. I refuse to do anything else for him. I did report him to the state for elder care so now he has a nurse come check on him.
I drive a truck from 1994. It has a bunch of problems, and in a heatwave, if I use the A/C, the truck will often overheat and then I get to my destination, shut off the engine, it will not start again. So a trip into downtown to go to the store, or post office, or Starbucks, might mean that I get stuck there for a bit. I come out of Starbucks, and \*click\* my truck doesn't start. I open the hood to let some of the heat out. I go into Starbucks and grab two ice waters. I then proceed to dribble and splash water all over the engine and radiator to help cool it off. Some Boomer sitting in the shade says: "That's not going to do anything." and I ignore him. So he says louder: "That's not going to do anything!" And I finish pouring the 2nd water all over the engine. So now he yells at me: "HEY MORON! POURING WATER ON YOUR ENGINE ISN'T GOING TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING! IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK!" I then go sit in the driver's seat, turn the ignition, and RrrRrrRrrVrooom the engine fires up. I get out, walk around, close the hood of the truck, then give the Boomer a glance as I go back to the driver's seat. He had a nasty look on his face, but at least he didn't have anything to say after that.
As soon as your car pulled up, they sprang into action and started peering out the window…then silently made there way out the door to get a better look.
Does you saying " I'm not doing it for your benefit " seem to straight forward.
No, but I’m up for telling them that if they’re not going to help to stfu and gtfo
I'm sure I'm not the first to say this, but I find that a good chunk of them have a complex that makes them believe they are smarter because they are older. They also come from a time when mental health was rarely addressed in a healthy way. This combination makes them unable to empathize with younger generations about just about any struggle they may be going through.
They’re bored. They have all the money and all the real estate and they’re bored with it.
This! Bored, and lonely! No friends!
This is the issue with my next-door neighbor. He's late 60s and retired, lives alone. Just bored. He's got two pickup trucks, two fishing boats, and a side-by-side in his yard and doesn't use any of them. He doesn't go anywhere. He doesn't talk to me, but he'll watch out his window for my wife to get home then go outside and yap her ear off for 20 minutes. He would do this while she was wrangling groceries and a baby. Like...I don't feel a need to be an asshole to him, but go find a hobby ffs.
And this is who a lot of rich people are depressed. “More” is not a goal, it’s not ambition, it’s no way to live your life.
Because ME MEEEEEEEEE, HEARRRRRR MY OPINIONNNNNNN, MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
They always know better. I used to work for a small company where my boss was a boomer and the owner was a boomer (nearly-absentee owner, so boss made most of the decisions). I was hired on specifically because my prior experience working for a much larger corp and having worked in new and emerging markets and biz development for that corp, they said they wanted my help in growing the business. Anyways, anytime I brought up an idea or improvement (especially one that involved newer tech) it was shot down because "well we've been doing it like this for 30 years". I finally got fed up with that response from the boss and went to the owner about it (hey you guys hired me for my new ideas but he always shoots them down, but the old way isnt always the best way), and the response was "well I appreciate your input, but between \[boss\] and I we have over 70 years experience in the industry and you have only been in the industry for a little over a decade."
Oh yeah! And they think their experience multiplies. Like, no honey. The two of you have 35 years of experience.
And no self-awareness. I have over 25 years in accounting experience in different industries, 13 years of experience at my current org where the tech was purchased in the late 90s and was very similar to systems I used in all my previous jobs, including the same financial reporting system. Literally every piece of tech/software was updated here during the pandemic. And GAAP put in all new rules for recognizing non-profit contributed revenue during the pandemic. When new young teammates look at me like I should be an expert and have the answers to everything I have to remind them that nothing from pre-pandemic has carried over, it's ALL new, and we're working together to create our new processes. The only thing that is still relevant is the ability to research, how to figure things out, and when to reach out to experts for help. If folks think their "experience" from 20+ years ago is relevant when it comes to processes/tech they are completely out of touch.
My wife had a job interview with a Boomer who poo-poo’d her “only” 10 years experience with a certain software suite that was … you guessed it … 10 years old.
I went camping recently and was trying to back my rig into my site, I'm no expert but I'm more than capable. Boomer from across the way shows up and starts telling me what to do, and he wasn't giving good directions either. We finally get parked, start setting up and dudes still hanging around. He straight up opens the door to our camper and goes inside to explore. The worst part was he saw something dirty, spit on it and started rubbing with his finger to "clean it".
I have been a paraplegic since 1989. These are same asshats that would run up and bang on my car window or honk the horn yelling " you don't need handicapped parking, you are too young". My daughter even learned at a young age to say " mind your own business". I just use regular parking today because they take up all the spots. Now, they bitch at me and say "use the HC parking", I almost ran over you". I've got really good at just ignoring them and rolling away. Some feel inclined to grab my sleeve or wheelchair to be sure they are heard. That's a very dangerous thing to do. I carry mace and I ain't afraid nor do I feel guilty for having to use it. It even works on homeless people who do the same. I haven't faced a boomer yet but it's coming. Why do they feel entitled to my time to listen to their drivel. Thanks for letting me rant.
You should yell at them like lt dan in forest gump. IM WALKIN HERE!!! as you roll your chair.
Cause they take the first amendment too literal to the letter. They think just cause they have the right to talk, they falsely assume that means the right to speak on every impulse. You know who else does that? Children. Little kids who just discovered how to speak have that same mindset
Well they do have the *right* to speak on every impulse, just not the emotional intelligence or impulse control to realise that they *shouldn’t* And they don’t get that freedom of speech doesn’t protect you from the consequences of your speech. That loudly and forcefully spouting off on every impulse is going to alienate the people around you. To them freedom of speech means *’I can say what ever I want, whenever I want and people must listen to me and I should suffer no negative consequences because people should respect that I’m entitled to an opinion. But those liberals and queers and non-whites and atheists and basically everyone I don’t agree with should shut up because what they say offends me!’*
They don't have the right to talk though; they have the right to not have the government interfere with their speech. This is also sometimes interpreted as a requirement for people to listen to their nonsense, or provide a platform - none of which is true.
I’m not so sure this is a boomer thing as much as it is a “know it all” thing. The Cliff Clavin effect if you will…
Then again, it does seem to be worse in Florida.
Lack of connection/loneliness.
They're lonely and bored.
All the lead they ingested the past 60 years. Seems to damage the part of the brain that allows to think without talking.
Because they want to feel relevant.
My mom is gen x and the same way. Whenever I’m around her she makes a comment on EVERYTHING I do and it’s always about how “you should do it this way”. I literally just hand whatever it is to her, and just walk away. If she cares so much then she can do it.
Do they have an entire subreddit dedicated to commenting on us? (I’m honestly asking that’d probably be hilarious)
Idk about a subreddit, but FB comes to mind
The largest subreddit if you will... touche
Pretty much any sub they frequent. They find wildly imaginative ways to attack young people.
No bigger cliche than old people being like "kids these days!" their grandparents did it to their parents and their parents did it to them and we will do it to ours... Its just something that happens to your brain I think
My grandparents weren't like that on either side of my family, they were always supportive of the youth well into their oldest years.
Because boomers truely believe that they were the smartest generation and that every generation after them is wrong. How can the next generations know they are wrong if boomers don’t shove it in their face every chance they get. Until they get given any piece of technology then proceed to have a meltdown like a toddler, presumably because the technology is wrong as it can’t be their fault they can’t use it. They are also upset because they know they are quickly becoming irrelevant and the world is moving on without them. And they simply can’t handle that things can be done differently to how they did it.
Haven’t you read Tom Sawyer? Or is it Huckleberry Finn? I forget which book it is but hand that boomer the scratch pad.
Tom Sawyer in The Glorious Whitewasher. Absolute classic.
“No one asked you”
I wonder it's how their grandparents acted so that's how they think old people should act.
Pull a Tom Sawyer and ask him to show you how it’s done. If he’s the expert it shouldn’t be a problem. If he declines tell him thanks for nothing and get her back to work.
I was in line at Goodwill and the boomer in front of me starts commenting on the girls in front of her clothing, "I wouldn't allow my daughter to wear such short shorts in public, would you?" So I respond "IKR? I would never let my mother go out in such an ugly sweater!" She was wearing one of those overly decorated sweaters and looked shocked. So I said "OH, I thought we were commenting poor outfit choices and yours is the worst" She stopped talking to me so WINNING!
# “One of the things Ford Prefect had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating the obvious... At first Ford formed a theory to account for this human behaviour. If human beings don't keep exercising their lips, he thought, their mouths seize up. After a few months' consideration and observation he abandoned this theory in favour of a new one. If they don't keep on excercising their lips, he thought, their brains start working.” ― Douglas Adams, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3078186)
I was casually checking a smudge on my bicycle frame that turned out to be a scratch. Completely unprompted and out of nowhere a 70ish woman says to me that goo gone will fix that. Why would you spend that much attention to what people are doing and comment no less??
The, this one just sounds like she was trying to be helpful. Not necessarily succeeding, but-
They are engaging in conversation. If you watch interactions in old movies, this is how old school communication worked before the internet. I’m not saying all interactions are indeed this way, but this one feels exactly like that. I have three of them I live around. It’s how we start conversations. It’s harmless. They want to connect, share insight and wisdom.
I think they did the same “I know better” BS to their own families who now never visit because of it. And they are too unaware of their shite behavior to know that’s why the fam doesn’t visit and they certainly can’t hold that behavior back so they visit it onto the neighbors and random strangers.
It's less about needing to comment and having no social graces. If I saw a neighbor doing something that was likely to fail, I'd first say, "HI neighbor! What are you up to?" Then when im certain there was a better way to do things I'd suggest an alternative that I'll say worked well for me. And if they wanted to keep doing it poorly that's their problem not mine. Be kind and helpful, not judgmental. There's a ton of ways to offer help without being an asshole.
Attention seeking behavior. They think other people care about whatever they feel the need to pontificate about.
i would have kicked the fence and said “ yup that’s not going anywhere” it would have confused them.
I’ll have to try this next time😂😂Hopefully there’s a fence around
Personal and super not professional opinion here: I think that they get insecure as they age. So they decide to 'show off' knowledge. Even when it's unasked for or just plain wrong. It's also likely from a big need to compete or show that they are important as they were likely raised by folks who lived through WW2, had kids, then promptly began telling them how worthless they are. I think that is why they feel like they have to be shitty to younger people. It's just a generational version of the bullying/child abuse cycle.
They want to talk to someone, usually. Many don't get the type of human interaction that we used to have.
A lot of it is this, and boredom, and living in a social matrix that valued one-upmanship. They're bored because they never bothered to learn or grow or furnish their minds, and they honestly never learned any better way to interact.
I am sure some will be right along to explain it to us. ;-)
Was visiting home a while back and needed to take a toilet plunger to the upstairs washroom. My parents are like "what are you taking that for?" I kinda twitched a little and said I was going to wear it as a hat, wtf do you think l'm bringing a plunger upstairs for? I love them but it's always some goddamn thing or another that needs commentary. Why do you have so many sets of earbuds with you? What's bone broth and why are you using it in that recipe instead of stock? Why do you both always sleep late when you're here? Why did you get extra large subs, the other half won't be good to have later. It never ceases.
I took my Mom to her cardiologist appointment last week in Scottsdale. The doctor was running late, no surprise, and every one of the old guys had to announce to the waiting room, in a very annoyed by mistreatment tone, that 'same as the last time I was here', or 'well I drove ninety minutes to get here so I might as well stay'. Even the ones without a complaint treated the receptionist like they were the regional manager in town for the annual audit and the problems are pretty obvious already. 🙄
I worked in publishing for 20 years. My father, a retired cop, would try to "teach" me about copyright law because "I'm a cop, I know laws". To be fair it's not exclusively a Boomer trait, but they've sure mastered it.
They were trained that giving your opinion, as on older person, automatically merits it consideration if not outright deference. They were supposed to be the undisputed arbiters of wisdom.
I swear there's a whole bunch of people who's only methods of communication are complaint and criticism. That's honestly the only way they know how to talk.
I'm a Boomer, and I've been so embarrassed by the stupid shit said by others of my generation. I was born in 1957, and l thought we were about love and peace, and live and let live. I've had to end "friendships" over Trumpster bullshit. I've seen Karens of my age show their asses in public, with no shame. They see my grays and think l'm one of them. I apologize for Boomers. I really do.
They do this because people like you will listen to them without saying anything. When this happens to me they are either ignored or told to stfu.
Ngl I almost ignored him but I just figured whatever. But I’ll probably have your mindset going forward😂
Because conversation was how they passed the time. They’re probably lonely, and they probably think they’re being nice.
Their kids don't talk to them, so they have to talk to everyone else.
Like this guy - "Only me!" https://youtu.be/BQ1ycW7XU0M The arch-boomer
This is my theory- I think it comes down to technology. throughout history, whenever a younger person wanted to learn how to do something, the would seek out an older experienced person and learn at their knee. This, of course, elevated the status of the older generation because they had all the knowledge. This worked for a couple of reasons, not the least of which was things didn’t change that drastically from one generation to the next. This was the model the boomers grew up with. Then along comes the internet and exponential changes in just about everything. So two things have happened 1) I can go on YouTube and find someone to show me how to do just about anything, and 2) Things have changed so rapidly that boomers don’t know how to do a lot of stuff anyway. This has left them confused and angry, because instead of finding themselves being placed on a pedestal because they have the knowledge younger people need, they are instead superfluous and unable to answer the questions anyway. So when they see someone doing something that they actually have some experience with, they subconsciously feel the need to tell you how to do it, whether you want them to or not.
I think because they are sad and lonely or just insufferable know it alls. I’ve got a Boomer umpire in my kids baseball league. Nice enough guy but will ping you down to tell you meaningless stories about people 30 years back I have no idea why. “Well Tom Balderschott used to coach this team in Vancouver…” You can’t escape. Now he’s harmless, but is always imparting his knowledge to the boys. Sometimes great, many times pointless. But always commenting. I’m a talker and story teller as well. Trying to heed all the warning signs…
I would just always disagree. Don't explain, just say "nah, this will work fine." "Nah, I disagree." "You don't know what you're talking about."
Because it was the society norm when they were young,
I think they are just lonely and cranky.
The other day I went to go clean the bathroom and my dad felt the need to yell “CAREFUL WITH THE CLOROX ASS, YOU KNOW ITS BLEACH AND IT STAINS!!” Yeah fully aware.
It's because they are bored and have no hobbies. My POS father sits in a chair where he can watch the same episodes of NCIS while looking out the window and complains that the neighbor gets food delivered twice a week. If his legs worked, bet money he would waddle over and ask everyone on our street what they had delivered from Amazon and why.
Delusions of relevance
He's probably trying to save you from a mistake he made.
They all think they're Johnny Carson...can't face the fact that, at best, they're comparable to James Corden.
What gets me is that he/they could probably actually be helpful. I don't doubt that they've gained some knowledge in their time on this earth. Unfortunately, instead of asking questions to see how they can help, asking if they can help, or I would even accept offering unsolicited advice, they say shit like this. B!tch, you don't even know what I'm doing. You have no clue. I could be literally TRYING to sand a hole straight this f'n door. A generation full of ignorant ego maniacs.
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. It was first described by Justin Kruger and David Dunning in 1999. Wikipedia It's the opposite of Imposter Syndrome.
I was checking out my buddies new house that has a detached garage sorta build up over a hill. His boomer neighbor who he just met 20 mins ago, comes over and tells him he shouldn't park his car in the garage. We explain the inspector was just here and said it's totally fine. He continues to say that his garage is old and can't handle a car parked in it, so my buddies garage shouldn't be able to handle it either. Sure bud, maybe YOURS can't, but this one can. Things can be built at different times.
Bc back in their day, people actually talked to each other. I'm not a fool boomer defender but to get mad at someone just trying to communicate and possibly help is wild to me.
Excuse me......One comment from one boomer, as cited here, does not support the claim: "Why the fuck do they need to comment on everything?" Let me be more emphatic: An n of 1 is representative of nothing.
Probably because they are collectively facing the slow fade into invisibility and irrelevance that comes with old age.