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Man explains how boomer parents are entirely out of touch with struggles of young workers today

No matter how much he tried to explain, his parents didn't understand the stress he was facing

Man explains how boomer parents are entirely out of touch with struggles of young workers today
Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Andrea Piacquadio, Reddit | u/quote_shoe_quote

Young people today are struggling more than ever to pay basic bills and live paycheck to paycheck. While the older boomer generation faced their own challenges, many fail to grasp the difficulties younger generations now face. A 24-year-old Reddit user, u/quote_shoe_quote, shared his frustration in a post about his boomer parents not understanding his hectic working life. The post has received 3.2K upvotes and 303 comments.

Representative Image Source: Pexels | Tim Gouw
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Tim Gouw

He starts by stating that boomers will never understand the "pitfalls of the 9-5 culture." He often explains to his parents how his job demands extra hours without extra pay, but they usually respond with, "Yup! Welcome to the real world!" or, "I've been doing this for 40 years, stop complaining." He also shares his disappointment that college hasn't led to better-paying jobs as he'd hoped.

His parents' responses often feel insensitive, like, "I was making so much less at your age. You should be grateful." He ends his post with, "How totally disconnected the boomer generation is from society. Yes, Mom, new tires cost a thousand dollars. No, I'm not getting ripped off. Yes, Dad, rent is at least $2K for me." Many people empathized with his situation, which resonated deeply.

Image Source: Reddit | u/i_am_harry
Image Source: Reddit | u/i_am_harry
Image Source: Reddit | u/sunntide
Image Source: Reddit | u/sunntide

 

 

u/SeaEstablishment5345 said, "Boomer here. I've lived paycheck to paycheck my whole life. The difference is I was able to buy a house, and my payment on a 500K house is only $1500/month. I feel for you." Another person, u/247cnt, shared, "My dad had a union job his entire career. He always tells me to push back on extra hours, etc., and I have to remind him I have zero employment protections." u/killmetruck highlighted, "I always phrase it in terms of purchasing power. Their salary probably bought them a house and provided them with food, clothes and a small bit of fun. That is no longer possible for most people, depending on where you are." 

Representative Image Source: Pexels | Fauxels
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Fauxels

There are many disagreements between younger and older generations. Employee u/WarmAge9940 posted about a controversial boomer at their workplace, which has about 25-30 employees of varying ages and views on remote work. The company policy requires employees to show up at the office two days a week, which most were happy to do. However, many older employees were not okay with this.

One man, described as an "old bully," always had something bad to say about younger generations. There was an incident where the boomer complained about the individual to their manager. So, the employee took a stand during a meeting where the boomer credited his generation for working harder and called the younger generation "lazy." The employee tactfully responded, "Well, back in the day, people could afford a house and support a family of a single person's income at 25." Other workers also chimed in and left the boomer speechless. 

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