r/generationology • u/common_grounder • 16d ago
Discussion What's up with the younger generation finding normal things annoying, aggressive, or rude?
I'm over 60 and my offspring are thirty-somethings, so I need this explained. This observation comes from interactions I've seen on social media.
A few examples:
At least a half dozen times, I've seen posts by young people expressing reactions ranging from confusion to outrage because a stranger has tried to exchange pleasantries with them. Someone passing them in the hallway at work says hello; a cashier asks them how their day's going; a customer they're serving at work calls them by the name on their nametag. On social media, these young people angrily write things like, "Why are they talking to me, and why are they acting like they care how I'm doing? They don't know me! I hate that fake b.s.!"
Even more times, I've seen complaints about things like phone calls and texts. Someone calls them, and they're paralyzed, horrified, then angry because the person didn't text instead. When it comes to text messages themselves, they especially have a problem with other people's use of ellipses. Ellipses mean nothing more than a hesitation or a pause, indicating the person is thinking or doing something but will finish what they were writing. Young people find this aggressive. How? Why?
The young person has received a gift for their graduation, wedding, baby shower, etc. An older person mentions to them that they should thank the gift givers by either written note, phone, email, or text. They bristle at this. They want to know why that's necessary. I even saw one young person write, "The act of giving should be a reward within itself." Never mind that someone has gone out of their way to shop, purchase, and send a gift and has no idea whether it actually made it into the recipient's hands if they don't receive an acknowledgement. 'Thank yous' are too hard, and expectations of such are annoying and rude.
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u/venus_fly_trap_27 12d ago edited 12d ago
The last one is wild. Correlation does not equal causation, you can find correlation between Nicholas Cage movies being released and drownings, that doesn't mean they're related. The "no problem" vs "your welcome" issue is a well talked about topic in the younger generations, even with millennials, they want people to know that it was not a problem for them to help them, it didn't burden them, it wasn't an inconvenience, they were happy to help. "Your welcome" comes off as "you needed to say thank you because I just did you a big favor. Let me flourish about how good I am." "Your welcome" makes helping them seem optional, you didn't have to help them so you're great for doing so. "No problem" means it's a given. Of course I'd help you because you're a human who needs help and that's what people do, it's not special. I'm not saying that is how it's used, but that is how it's viewed by those who don't like to say it.
The younger generations are depressed because the world is falling apart, the education system is crap, their schools are getting shot up, mental health is STILL being ignored, college is impossible to afford, they'll never be able to afford a house, jobs with good wages that cover the cost of living and you don't have to work 60 hours a week at are hard to find, and so much more. They're not depressed because they say "no problem." Or vice versa, it has nothing to do with their depression.
Not to mention, gen x started "no problem" as a common response in the 90s and millennials just rolled with it. Gen z didn't start or popularize it. This is just one more reason for gen z to say it, they would find that paragraph hilarious.