Yahoo Lifestyle "Millennials Are The New Boomers." Gen Z Is Calling Out Things They Wish Millennials Would Stop Doing
We recently asked the Gen Z'ers of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what they wish more millennials knew or would stop doing, and they were so honest, it's kind of brutal. Here's what they had to say:
Note: Some responses were pulled from this Reddit thread by u/slappywhyte.
1."We don't care about how you dress. We don't care about your trends. Not in a mean way, but we just genuinely do not care. We're not gonna judge your socks."
—22, USA
2."Many millennials are angry with the state of American consumerism yet heavily contribute to it by being massive consumers when prices climb."
3."In my opinion, the way a lot of millennials parent their kids is very lazy — especially with a lack of discipline and unlimited device usage at a young age. I think Gen Z can be guilty of this as well, but I see it a lot with millennial parents."
—None
"They TEND to raise poorly behaved spoiled brats to the point where seeing a well-behaved child is a rarity rather than the norm. My Gen Z wife quit her preschool career because millennial (Gen A) children made it hell on Earth. Gentle parenting and tablets/cell phones have completely mind-rotted Gen A."
4."Stop the pet worship. Like, sure, pets are nice, but a lot of millenials seem to think they are exactly the same as human children."
—None
5."They're way too obsessed with how great their '90s childhood was, sometimes to the point of refusing to move on with their lives and be a functioning adult."
"The '90s obsession. Modern media glorifies a lot of the '90s, and even the good projects have sooooo many scenes that are basically, 'Hey! Remember this thing from when you were a child? Wasn't it so cool?' No. I don't remember the 90s. I was born at the tail end of the 90s. I lived in a decade that didn't really know what it was yet. The '90s things were there but were quickly being replaced with new media, playthings, and fads. I only have a vague memory of a few of these things, and since I don't get the nostalgia kick from them, I just find them mildly obnoxious with how much they keep getting brought up again and again."
6."The overly curated Instagram feeds and the obsession with avocado toast probably seem pretty cringey to Gen Z. Gen Z tends to value authenticity and spontaneity more, so they might find these millennial trends a bit too polished and predictable."
7."Stop saying, 'We did a thing!'"
—26, California
8."We need millennials to stop acting like a Disney character on social media. Or kissing the Magic Kingdom ground. One instead of the other would be fine, too."
—21, South Carolina
9."Hipster culture and all this upscale, old town, faux folksy type of stores, restaurants, etc. need to go. You sell soap and knickknacks — I don't care how artisanal the process is or where you source it; it's not worth half the price you are charging it."
"Same with breweries; you’ve just made another lager or light beer. Now, the entire block smells like piss whenever you’re making a new batch."
10."What really bugs me is the way millennials still try to act hip, especially online. I believe there comes a time in a person's life when they need to accept that they are not 'cool' anymore and start to take on that older person's role. Millennials don't do that, and it shows, especially with words like 'adulting' or saying things like, 'I'm a ___-year-old kid' or something."
"It's embarrassing to see these 30+-year-old adults hop on trends and or use social media in a way that isn't just posting about your family, etc., like still sh*tposting at that age. Time to grow up."
11."Stop making those cringe TikToks with the faces. They think the faces they lipsync with are funny...they're not."
—21, Ohio
12.The 'Jim and Pam' style relationships they love broadcasting. Quirk Chungus stuff. Millennials love telling you they fart in front of their girlfriend of 11 years."
13."Millennials have this aloof, generic snarkiness to them like they feel so clever and funny for repeating the same beaten-to-death quips over and over again. Gen Z does this, too, but it's way less pretentious."
—None
"Millennials need to stop doing that style of communication where they're desperate to come off as aloof and cynical, but they are obviously very, very mad about whatever they're talking about."
14."Millennials are the most intolerant generation."
"I get it, though. You want to start beef so you can change things, and that is respectable if you believe in debate."
15."We are not obsessed with homeownership like y'all are."
—26, California
16."Stop idolizing celebrities. I'm sure Gen Z do it, too, but I feel like we're starting to get away from it a little."
17."They need to stop their obsession with Harry Potter. I'm a part of several fandoms, but I would never walk around and say things like, 'Ugh, I'm such a Hufflepuff,' or still have very real crushes on teenagers 30+ years old."
18."Stop the brand loyalty, particularly with fashion. Having an iPhone and a Gucci handbag is not a personality trait."
19."Millennials generally take the internet too seriously. Like, they missed the memo that social media is a hellish, nothing place where people go to be a-holes. That's pretty much ALL it is, and there's very little value. Nobody will ever change their minds on these apps, and we'd all be better off if we didn't use them — but millennials ALWAYS want to dig into some granular debate about some topic that both sides will forget about five minutes after it's over."
"But when I say, 'This is Reddit; I'm not gonna argue with you ☠️,' they smugly declare themselves intellectual victors. Like, bruh, no. I'm just not gonna waste my time arguing with a stranger I will never meet about things that don't matter."
—None
20."I swear millennials are the new boomers. Sitting on the internet hating on an entire group of people you've likely never met. I can't wait to see what Alpha has to say about you."
And finally...
21."I wish that millenials knew that Gen Z isn't trying to steal their thunder. Not everything has to be made into a generational competition, and we could get so much more done if we could quit bickering about things that don't matter."
"Ultimately, all Gen Z and millennials want is to make it through the day, week, or year. We don't hate y'all! We wish less of you hated us."
—21, USA
WHEW. Millennials, what do you think of this? And fellow Gen Z'ers, what are some other things you think millennials should know (or stop doing)? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below, or you can use this anonymous form below.
