If you find yourself frowning upon something someone younger is doing, that most likely means one of two things: you’re either too old to understand what the current youth is up to—as most of us probably are—or you’re simply a grumpy person in general, which is an entirely different matter.
If you belong to the former category, find comfort in the fact that you are far from the only one baffled by all sorts of youngster trends. Be it a new hairstyle every other male under insert a certain age here is walking around with or activities teenagers are taking part in, it might not be easy to identify with a generation that grew up in an entirely different world. But we should probably at least try to understand them, no matter how confusing it all is. (Goodness knows, we’ve gone through a phase of trends our parents found odd, too.)
If you’re curious about what are some of the things young people do that absolutely baffle those older than them, scroll down to find netizens' answers to an ‘Ask Reddit’ thread on the matter started by u/Fyre-Bringer to find out.
If you scroll down, you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center of Innovation in Social Science, Dr. Deborah Carr, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions regarding generational differences.
#41
One thing that baffles me is how much time and energy the younger generation spends on social media. It's amazing to see how much they are constantly on their phones, checking notifications, posting updates, and scrolling through endless feeds. I can't imagine being so connected to technology all the time and not taking breaks to be present in the moment. It's a completely different way of living that I struggle to understand.
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60points
#42
Giving up. I work with some twenty-somethings, and many of them are completely defeated. They don't think they'll ever own a home or have a meaningful career or get out of debt. They just throw up their hands and resign themselves to a life of drudgery, bills and the occasional weekend bender.
They don't want to be astronauts or engineers or rock stars, they just want to escape reality by way of d***s, videogames and endless screen time.
Who is going to rule the world?
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54points
#44
Wearing earbuds at work during a shift on an active, collaborative team. (I think earbuds aren't a problem at all for quiet, focused work, or work where there's not much need to speak with others at a moment's notice.)
I understand that many of them can easily hear things, but in my brain, earbuds carry a strong "do not talk to me" message that makes it hard not to see them as inappropriate at work unless someone is hunkering down for a longer, quieter solo task.
At worst , I see them being a hazard in certain workplaces (my own workplace for example, a metal fabrication lab, a lack of full attention could lead to nasty consequences), and at best, I think they send a less than respectful message to coworkers.
I suppose that people have no obligation to treat their coworkers with more than the minimum of respect and courtesy, but I figure that having some friendly connections at work could make each shift more enjoyable for everyone.
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51points
#46
I can't understand why today's kids want to watch YouTube videos of kids or adults opening up new toys and playing with them! Why would any kid want to watch someone else play with toys instead of their own?
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48points
#47
Children as young as 12 drinking coffee before school. Wearing fake nails and fake eyelashes.
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46points
#48
Refusing to learn to drive. I absolutely understand not wanting to, preferring to live places where you don't have to because of good walkability/transit/bikability, etc. But just being unwilling to learn at all? It's an important life skill and there might be an emergency where you have to!
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40points
#50
Bringing back those thin 90s brows again… its a lesson we all must learn the hard way, it seems.
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34points


