“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve,” Jon Krakauer writes in his bestselling book about adventurer Chris McCandless, Into the Wild, “to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it.”
And since the rest of us have to interact with them every day, whether it’s at work, in school, or simply in a line at the store, we decided to collect a list of things young people have said that made them seem a little disconnected from reality.
Not to suggest that the new generation is somehow worse than the older ones, but simply to remind ourselves that figuring out the world takes time and requires a bit of patience from everyone around.
#1
A 15-year-old told me she wanted to join the army when she was older because she didn't like being told what to do.
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50points
#2
Told me he wanted to become a farmer because that seemed like a "chill, easy job". I think his only experience was from playing Farmville on his phone.
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47points
#3
I was asked if I wanted the senior discount at 36 years old. Yes, I took it.
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46points
#4
A teenager once told me, “I don’t understand why you don’t have TikTok.” I explained that I prefer to spend my time reading books, and they responded, “But... Why?” The sheer lack of understanding of alternative interests was pretty out of touch.
41points
#5
I’ve worked in education since 2008. The number of kids who literally think they’re going to make it to the NFL, be a TikTok star, etc., is mind-blowing.
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40points
#6
The 27-year-old parent of a 13-year-old student told me that she was the only one allowed to tell her child what to do, and if her daughter didn't want to do her math homework, then I was not to "punish her with bad grades."
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39points
#7
A teenage girl told me that she wasn’t worried about her GCSE/exam results because she would just marry a rich man. She wasn’t very happy when I asked her what would happen if she couldn’t find anyone who wanted to marry her.
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36points
#8
Little cousin thought fast-food jobs were easy. Then he got one to make his own money. He quit in a week.
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35points
#9
That they feel sorry for us, AI does all their homework and reports, we didn't have that. I responded with, "True, but we actually learned things." The kid said, "Why does that matter?"
34points
#10
I work at a university. A 20-year-old student came to see me to ask if I would be his dissertation supervisor in the next academic year. I said I couldn't, since I would be leaving at the end of the semester (to work at another university). He looked me up and down with dawning realization and said, 'Oh, right, yeah, I guess you are retiring?'.
I was 35 at the time.
I was 35 at the time.
34points
#11
Some people think earning $80,000 - $100,000 a year is ‘average’.
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32points
#12
I was struggling to pay bills, and a friend was like, "Don't worry, your mom and dad care about you, they'll pay them for you". I told her I wanted to be a self-sufficient adult, and my parents didn't have the money to cover my bills anyway. Her mind was blown.
32points
#13
It just blows my mind how many people under 30 complain online about feeling old and used up, or they feel like it’s too late to find another path in life. Apparently, feeling old is something for young people to do. I’m 40+ and feel like my life has just begun.
31points
#14
‘You guys need to learn to adapt.’
A new colleague said to us. DURING a management/staff meeting about her atrocious work ethic.
A new colleague said to us. DURING a management/staff meeting about her atrocious work ethic.
31points
#15
I told a couple of 18-year-olds that I don't have Instagram. They called me a liar and said if I didn't want to be friends, I should just say so.
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30points
#16
We had a young guest speaker at work who was there to speak to us about mental health. She advised us that if there was a task that we weren’t up for, we should tell our bosses that we weren’t mentally equipped to complete that task that day.
For the record, we’re teachers. And her examples were tasks such as lesson planning, grading, and talking to students - the main point of our jobs.
For the record, we’re teachers. And her examples were tasks such as lesson planning, grading, and talking to students - the main point of our jobs.
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30points
#17
"You wouldn't have been laid off if you were good at your job. Layoffs don't affect the ones who are good at their work."
Pipe down, Ashleigh. You just focus on showing up on time before throwing those stones.
Pipe down, Ashleigh. You just focus on showing up on time before throwing those stones.
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30points
#18
I had to stop using cursive at the last place I worked because most of the staff, who were all under the age of 25, didn't know how to read it.
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29points
#19
Overheard from 19-year-old coworkers, “I think I’m going to wait to get Botox until I’m old, like 25.” I’m not sure what they think is going to happen in 6 years, but if they lay off the tanning beds and the vapes, they should not need Botox.
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28points
