The generational war between millennials and baby boomers has been ongoing for decades; millennials publicly mock boomers for being privileged and out of touch, but boomers have their own complaints about millennials. They blame the younger generation for killing off many things, including these 17 examples.
Cash
Boomers remember a time when the only way to pay for things was in cash, but thanks to the rise in card and mobile device payments, society is on its way to becoming cashless. Because they rarely use cash or checks and are the biggest generation of consumers, boomers blame millennials for this.
Chain Restaurants
Chain restaurants are declining due to a lack of patronage in America. According to Forbes, millennials want higher food quality, healthier options, and greater convenience, but restaurants struggle to keep up. This is precisely why boomers hold millennials solely responsible for dying chains.
Working 9 to 5
As Dolly Parton emphasized in her song, working 9 to 5 is frustrating and unfair, so many millennials choose not to do it. They still work 8-hour days but log on and off at different times. Regardless, boomers, who prefer the traditional 9-to-5, claim millennials are lazy for this.
Diamonds
Despite their beauty, millennials aren’t buying natural diamonds. Diamond mining releases harmful chemicals that destroy land and pollute water, so lab-grown stones are much more ethical. Millennials are far more eco-conscious than boomers and also have less money, so diamonds are starting to lose their shine for the younger generation.
Formal Dress Codes
Baby boomers practically invented formal dress codes for work and daily life, but millennials are actively killing them off. Gone are the days when people wore suits to the office or high heels to parties. Now, millennials and also Gen Z embrace casual dress codes for almost every occasion.
Cursive Handwriting
Unlike Gen Z, millennials did learn cursive handwriting in school, but few of them use it in their professional or personal lives. Baby boomers are big on cursive handwriting because it looks good, and they’re used to writing things down. In contrast, millennials now mostly send text messages and emails.
Bars of Soap
Everybody uses soap, but soap bars have become less common. CBS News claims that millennials prefer liquid soaps over bar soaps because they believe bar soaps are germy, and most bar soap consumers are over 60. Liquid soaps usually have more scents, too, so millennials choose them over basic bar soaps.
Wine Corks
It sounds strange to accuse a generation of killing off wine corks, but that’s exactly what boomers are saying. Lots of millennials aren’t buying expensive corked wines, and those who do are choosing reusable synthetic corks instead because they’re easier to use. As a result, boomer-approved wine corks are fading away.
Printed Newspapers
The days when newspapers were delivered directly to doors are over; now, only boomers prefer paper newspapers. Millennials find it more convenient to read news online, and while some boomers are following, most prefer the longer experience of physically reading a newspaper.
Cable Television
Due to the rise of streaming services, cable television is starting to die out. Traditional TV has been overtaken by on-demand content, and millennials love this variety and convenience. This leaves boomers as the biggest watchers of cable, who blame millennials for its decline.
Fancy Silverware
Fancy silverware sets are something we usually see during dinner with our grandparents, so it’s no surprise they’re a boomer favorite. Millennials don’t throw regular dinner parties like boomers, meaning they don’t need expensive silverware, so to the boomers’ dismay, this tradition is dying out.
Breakfast Cereal
Boomers say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and millennials agree, although they rarely eat cereal. Business Insider reports that 40% of millennials find cereal inconvenient because it takes longer to eat and clean up, so bizarrely, boomers blame millennials for killing off cereal.
Department Stores
How often do you shop in department stores anymore? If you’re under 60, it’s likely not often. Department stores were the ideal places to shop when boomers were young because they had massive selections of items, but nowadays, choices are limited, and inflation has made them too expensive for millennials.
Discipline
Parenting is another issue on which millennials and baby boomers regularly disagree. Boomers criticize millennials for being too ‘soft’ and not disciplining their children harshly enough. Most millennials despise physical punishments and screaming at children, favoring gentle parenting in an attempt to destroy old-fashioned discipline.
Handshakes
It sounds unlikely that one generation could kill off an age-old greeting like the handshake, but boomers regularly accuse millennials of doing just that. They prioritize personal space and comfort, so they’re less likely to shake hands, and boomers sometimes mock them for having weak handshakes, too.
Landline Telephones
Almost everyone has a personal cell phone, so landlines are now obsolete–simple; the only people who still have landline telephones in their homes are boomers due to habit. On the other hand, millennials are slowly killing off landlines by not buying them because they find them inconvenient, which boomers hate.
Marriage
Finally, it’s incorrect to say millennials don’t marry, but they marry far less than boomers. Research by the Pew Research Center found that 25% of 40-year-olds have never been married, which is a record high. These 40-year-olds are millennials, whom boomers also accuse of killing off traditional marriage.
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