OK Boomer! (looking for info)

[smityx]

There is a reason Mother Nature struck so many boomers severely with covid-19. Think of it as a type of planet ideological cleanse.

She's practicing her Thanos snap

[Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang]

Hmm younger than 25, as I am technically a Xennial, I can only provide an outsider's perspective, but I can at least add some data with my rather wide family sampling, with its western European side and its Asian side.

Being born and living in Switzerland, we were mostly exposed to an European environment, while our mother ingrained into us Asian family values much in contrast to immediate relatives.

Zoomers : limited direct sample with only 1 brother and 1 sister. They do fit the cliché of being on their screens a lot (even compared to the Millenial cohort). It is very hard to say what they really have in their heads, and while still in high-school, both want lucrative/secure careers yet are facing life-crisis wrecking their studies despite having no material concerns. Semi-direct sample, with 3 apprentices in my office displaying similar ambitions combined with a similar lack of focus.

Millennials : big cohort, with the big bulk (5) of my siblings and Swiss cousins (12), as well as my wife and her cousins. Probably 1/3 were focused all along, 1/3 took their sweet time a little more than necessary, while 1/3 ran into problems. All of them faced instability of some sort, be it in the family structure, economical hardships or drugs. Nowadays most are focused, while looking for some dose of meaning in their lives, I would say about 1/4th are in stable relationships with prospects/actual children.

Xennial : me and a pair of cousins I'm not too familiar with anymore. I'm just old enough to remember the events of Chernobyl to the Fall of the Berlin Wall shaping my childhood, 9/11 my adulthood, 2008 my graduation and 2020 my children's childhood...

Xers : no sample

Baby Boomers : all my parents and uncles and aunts. You won't find too many cookie cutter example among them. The sample is not so big but for men we have roughly 1/4 being just fine (disregarding the antics of their children), 1/4 divorcing (pretty much all of the outsiders, no male direct relative divorced except for maybe 1 over 8), 1/4 running into severe depression/health problems, and the remaining 1/4 dying. For women that would probably be about 1/3 being just fine and 2/3 following the housewife-turned-careerwoman-by-necessity.

Great Generation : our grandparents, which we revere as gods (almost). On my side all are deceased except for one so the Zoomers had very little to none exposure to them. I will do my best to treasure my wife's grandfather telling us, before Alzheimer caught him, about growing up in WW2 occupied Paris, foraging for scraps and being deported, oddly enough her other grandparents were child war refugee from no-longer-Germany-to-the-East.

For full disclosure both my family and work environment is predominantly right leaning and highly educated. We do have a few oddball cousins we like very much that happen to be in left politics, but they are also part of the less focused.

[shadowmouse]

but I can at least add some data with my rather wide family sampling, with its western European side and its Asian side.

Then you can probably imagine what I'm trying to get a better sense of after 20 years out of the loop, mainly in Beijing. Thanks for sharing some of the family stories!

Classes will be over soon enough, and after that I get to try to wrap my head around a world where I can easily have cheese, but I'll also have to handle physical money and won't have my WeChat stickers for signals in my messages. Small steps, small steps.

[Stelio Kontos]

I'm 38, I don't even know what that makes me in this idiot competition between age cohorts.

I think there's plenty of bullshit spewing forth from Boomers, Gen Xers, Millenials, Zoomers, and whatever else is out there.

My concerns are not tied to any particular generation, as, to quote Dr Cox from Scrubs, people are "bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling", and there are plenty of them, because when it comes to humans being bastards, age is just a number.

That being said, my concerns run the gamut from increasing authoritarian tendencies from both sides of the political divide, runaway corporations, 2-party systems that thrive off creating as many divisions and wedge issues as possible, changing weather patterns, the economy, my deciding which new career to jump into, how to continue to build up a solid financial base, starting a family, my constant night terrors/sleep paralysis/nightmares, and a lot of other things.

[shadowmouse]

@Stelio Kontos I used to be a lifeguard. I nearly drowned a couple of times. Once was because someone thought it would be funny to bounce the board as I was going for a dive and an old fashioned steel diving board paralyzed my diaphragm when I came down right across the edge then dropped into the water. Because of how it happened, I went in with my lungs sucking for air. It was an unfun moment. The other time was when someone panicked, lost control of their swimming, slammed into me and slammed me into a chain while they tried to climb up my shoulders to stay above water. No problem, we train for that -- oh, snap this is an old WPA pool and my finger is caught in the chain! OK, Shadowmouse, try to keep the student from drowning, don't get your finger ripped off, and think good thoughts about oxygen. Go figure, I still have horrible dreams about not being able to breathe that often recall flashes of those moments, BUT the kicker is that it turns out I have really bad obstructive and CNS apnea and stop breathing!

So, while medical advice is frowned on (and for good reason), you might look into those problems in case there are underlying reasons for your nightmares.

As for the generational stuff, I'd intended to give a nod to how damned old and out of touch it made me feel to ask for input. Otherwise, I tend to agree with you.

As far as weather, nyah, everything's just fine and it will balance out. OK, sure, last night we had a dust storm alternating with light rain, but that's not too weird, right?

[Ihavewaffles]

I'm confused, Shadowmouse is Endus irl father n this some kind of teen rebellion? I never figured more than one family member posts on the forums..

- - - Updated - - -

@Stelio Kontos I used to be a lifeguard. I nearly drowned a couple of times. Once was because someone thought it would be funny to bounce the board as I was going for a dive and an old fashioned steel diving board paralyzed my diaphragm when I came down right across the edge then dropped into the water. Because of how it happened, I went in with my lungs sucking for air. It was an unfun moment. The other time was when someone panicked, lost control of their swimming, slammed into me and slammed me into a chain while they tried to climb up my shoulders to stay above water. No problem, we train for that -- oh, snap this is an old WPA pool and my finger is caught in the chain! OK, Shadowmouse, try to keep the student from drowning, don't get your finger ripped off, and think good thoughts about oxygen. Go figure, I still have horrible dreams about not being able to breathe that often recall flashes of those moments, BUT the kicker is that it turns out I have really bad obstructive and CNS apnea and stop breathing!

So, while medical advice is frowned on (and for good reason), you might look into those problems in case there are underlying reasons for your nightmares.

As for the generational stuff, I'd intended to give a nod to how damned old and out of touch it made me feel to ask for input. Otherwise, I tend to agree with you.

As far as weather, nyah, everything's just fine and it will balance out. OK, sure, last night we had a dust storm alternating with light rain, but that's not too weird, right?

I did drown, n came back, seems u missed the good part, coming to realization u have passed point of no return, then accepting it, then the bliss of being beyond worry n nothing can hurt u anymore, have never felt more at peace, so in a strange way its one of the best moments in life with no stress. In a way on the edge of death u feel immortality, which can't be duplicated if people get in the future unlimited lifespan cuz there will always be something stressing you, even if you don't know what it is, expectations in life burdens the soul.

[Gaexion Ramza Beoulve]

Being a boomer is less about age and more about state of mind.

Boomer economics is shipping jobs overseas and fantasizing about a whole country full of middle managers and part-time baristas. An economy where everyone is rushing around serving each other designer coffee. Boomer.

Boomer politics is about saying nice words feigning politeness then doing everything you can to destroy the country. A politician who chides bad orange men while their spouse goes on raping sprees and takes expensive trips to crime island. Boomer.

Boomer engineering is about planned obsolescence, is means designing a car that breaks down after 6 months because they want you to buy your next 10 cars from them. It's technology that has to be upgraded and replaced every year like the iphone+++++. Boomer.

So who are we? Gen-X, Gen-Y, Gen-Z? What do we want?

We are the first of many generations to come that shattered the establishment. We are the first to break the chains of the main stream media. We are the ones who question authority, complacency, and narratives. We are the first generation who can sense the tide shifting and who know the storm is coming. It's terrifying and beyond the comprehension of the addle-brained nonsense of a person raised on sugarcorn cereal, disney vacations, and authoritative Newsmen who dictate their reality.

What do we want? The same things as every other human before us. Family, Housing, Dignity.

But unlike Boomers we are not willing to sell our children into slavery.

Burn in hell boomer.

[Krastyn]

You have to reframe @Forgettables response quite a bit to reach that conclusion. At the end of that, can you tell me what the hell *he* thinks about climate change? Is he worried about crops? Is he with the Waffle guy and worried that a giant block of ice is going to break off and cause a splash that will inundate the coasts?

Go look at my edit for why I've asked the question at all. I've used the "OK, Boomer" meme to highlight a disconnect. You guys aren't a perfect sample group, but you are closer in age than I am and more likely to talk to people closer to the age of my students. Telling me what you think about Boomers (in our day called Baby Boomers) is valid expression, but won't help me help my students connect patterns. Since that was the point of the question, that's the point I'm sticking to ... old guy, out of touch, looking for patterns that *might* help the nickle drop for students even younger than most posters here.

I rarely agree with @Endus, but he's right on this.

You want people to help you get in touch, with seemingly as little effort as possible from your end.

When @Forgettable says "Well I could rant about how both my parents to a degree, but mostly my dad, think that global warming/climate change is a hoax. And this is systematic, it's not just my parents, it's so many people.", your response was basically "Thanks for doing exactly what I told you not to do". Despite the fact they clarified it wasn't even just Boomer focused.

Your response easily could have been "Your response is more focused in issues that Boomers don't seem concerned with. That isn't quite what I was looking for. I'm looking for issues that are of concern for you/your generation. However, from reading your post it seems that climate change, waste, technological adaptation, and being open to different ideas seem important to you? Is that correct? What aspects of climate change are most pressing for you?"

But instead you gave pretty much the least possible effort you could in a response. You didn't seek to understand. You didn't try to get "in touch".

I'm a Gen X, and this is my top issue. People's unwillingness to have an actual exchange of ideas. It's the most important issue. It doesn't matter if climate change is a big deal (which it is). If people aren't willing to talk about it, it is monumentally harder to do anything about it. People too often hang out in their echo chambers, shout down anyone not in their tribe, and are not willing to take the time to understand what is being spoken to them.

[unfilteredJW]

This has turned out so boomer it hurts.

Are you trying to be a parody?

[StayTuned]

Oh my fucking god the people on this thread cause me a headache. If you really didn't get what the op was aiming for, just... Uhh.

Let me throw in some buzzwords in no particular order, since I'm on mobile and can't write essays.

I'm 31, here are my interests:

Instagram, mostly lurking
Ignoring annoying recruiters on LinkedIn
Playing video games, mostly RPGs
Playing the lottery once per month, because otherwise I'll never make a million, let's be honest here
Searching for a house to buy, only to abandon it because I lack half a million. Kinda ties to the point above
Most of my money is used on expensive vacations, because I at least want to have seen the planet before I get hit by a bus
Posting dank memes on my WhatsApp groups
Posting dank memes on my company's slack channel. I'm a meme king.


What annoys me:
Ignorant people
Pretentious people
Generally, people
Climate change
Fucking covid19
When I die to oneshot mechanics
Television
Ads on websites, which is ironic because that's part of my job

What I'm worried about:
Financial future. I tend to want more than I can afford but I'm restraint enough to keep myself in check. But I also know that my field will never allow me to have what I want, materialistically speaking
Climate. I still have some 40 years give or take to be here, I hope we don't screw it up
Children. Seems like my wife can't have any. Whatever I guess
That I'll never be a literal gaming god like I used to be at age 14.

Speaking of age 14. Tiktok. Google it. You won't understand it. I don't.

Eeh, this turned into an essay regardless. Lastly, just browse a bit through Urban Dictionary, that will help you understand the lingo better.

[shadowmouse]

You want people to help you get in touch, with seemingly as little effort as possible from your end.

Have you thought about format? Where are we? We're posting on Gen-OT on a gaming forum, where a significant number of threads are opened with a copy pasta article or a drop and run video, and maybe a line or two of text. Frankly, a significant number of replies in threads show that anything much longer than that is given the tl;dr treatment.

Your response easily could have been "Your response is more focused in issues that Boomers don't seem concerned with. That isn't quite what I was looking for. I'm looking for issues that are of concern for you/your generation. However, from reading your post it seems that climate change, waste, technological adaptation, and being open to different ideas seem important to you? Is that correct? What aspects of climate change are most pressing for you?"

Let's be honest, this servile, service oriented approach you seem to think Forgettable was owed ... right, where the hell do we see people in these forums communicating like that?

When @Forgettable says "Well I could rant about how both my parents to a degree, but mostly my dad, think that global warming/climate change is a hoax. And this is systematic, it's not just my parents, it's so many people.", your response was basically "Thanks for doing exactly what I told you not to do". Despite the fact they clarified it wasn't even just Boomer focused.

No, you are cherry picking and making a heck of a stretch to find something to reframe Forgettable's language. I wonder if you even bothered to read his whole post. Let me block quote it and add some highlighting.

FYI I'm 29. Most of the people I spend time with are in the 25-35 range. My parents are both almost 60.

Interests and concerns? Well I could rant about how both my parents to a degree, but mostly my dad, think that global warming/climate change is a hoax. And this is systematic, it's not just my parents, it's so many people. It's annoying that they think this way, but what's most frustrating is that they either aren't willing to look at the data that proves climate change, or they don't trust the people providing the data for... whatever the reason of the day is.

I live in a condo building full of mostly old people. We have 2 huge garbage dumpsters, 4 blue recycling bins, and 1 green compost bin. Every week they all get almost full up. Meanwhile every week I have a big bin full of recycling, a small compost bag, and half a bag of garbage. These people are so wasteful and I don't understand how or why.

Almost every "old person" I know has picked a political stance, and refuses to ever change because obviously they're right. Conservative, progressive, it doesn't matter the side. The problem is they're stuck in this tribalism and they spend more time fighting "the other side" than trying to work on solutions to make things better.

So many people, my parents included, are stuck in the past when it comes to technology. They don't know how to properly use phones/computers/whatever else. They don't believe self driving cars will ever be feasible. They don't adopt new technology to make their lives more efficient. They don't use the internet to research... Anything, when they could be using it to research... Everything.

I guess ultimately it comes down to a mentality of being resistant to change, being stuck in the past, and not looking forward to what the future will look like. And it's selfish.

Now, I suspect that you think you have a real live Boomer to chastise and aren't going to take a hard look at that language, but it is clear that Forgettable sets out from the beginning that he is going off on a rant. It doesn't go very far into the post before the target of the rant is obviously Boomers. That's the polite take, because his preferred expression is old people -- he isn't even talking in generational terms, he's being plain ageist.

Forgettable is 26, that puts him as probably a college graduate. He has written in the form of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. He introduces it as having the tone of a rant, he fills it with points about "old people", and he concludes with a summarizing stereotype. And from that, after I clearly laid out a polite request that people avoid that kind of rant, you then think he is entitled to have me try to play counselor for him and coax out relevant information. What alternate reality Gen-OT have you been posting in? What effort did he show himself making to write a response that deserved any more than he got?

Let's look at my actual language: "That's pretty much exactly the post I was asking people to avoid. You told me what you think about Boomers -- thanks, I am one, I hear that plenty -- I'm a Boomer asking what the heck you younger types are interested in/concerned about when you aren't talking about Boomers. And I even tagged it with a emoji to show a friendlier emotional tone and followed up with an edit of the OP.

People too often hang out in their echo chambers, shout down anyone not in their tribe, and are not willing to take the time to understand what is being spoken to them.

I wonder, do you think Forgettable did that? Did he bother to read what I asked for and write a clear reply on point? Or did he just fire off a rant about old people? Have you entered this discussion looking at both sides in a balanced way, or have you just picked your tribe and attacked what you see as the other? In doing so, are you perhaps trying to shout me down? Think about it.

@StayTuned Thanks! Were you abducted by aliens? It appears I'm writing in a foreign language that only happens to look like English, but somehow you managed to understand what I was asking, give clear examples, and even fed me something that you've observed an even younger set interested in. Facepalm moment over, but seriously, thanks.

Burn in hell boomer

Facilis descensus Averno. Copy that post, save it, and read it when you are older than 60. You are not the first generation to see yourselves in that light.

I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know, we'll never keep.

Land of Confusion, Genesis

You think you know Boomers, but heed history. What you see today is a generation that (at least in the US) defined itself as a reaction to the world after WWII (and to a lesser extent the Korean War). Instead of cocktail parties they were going to be about Woodstock, free love, resisting the Vietnam War and the draft, "Never trust anyone over 30", the environment, fighting racism and a bunch of other ideals. Timothy Leary popularized "Question authority" and Abbie Hoffman wrote "Steal this Book".

As a generation, at that time, that may have been true to some degree, and there really was some progress in various areas. Other areas, turned out to be like COVID-19 today -- sneakier, more widespread, and harder to fix than they were first thought to be. Some, however, had always been children of privilege, and when college was over they went to take their place in the family empire -- bone spurs might have kept them out of Vietnam in order to safely take their place. Others graduated, took their places in the world of suits, ties, business meetings, raising kids, paying mortgages, and the ideals slipped away. Many didn't make it to college, they took their places in factories and other businesses, but their pressure to fit in, raise kids, and the rest was much the same. Some didn't fit in, and many of them didn't come to a good end, they got pushed out to the edges, labeled as eccentric at best.

It isn't a new phenomenon: "Salad days" is a Shakespearean idiomatic expression to refer to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion that one associates with a young person. (attributed to Wikipedia)

When Boomers have passed, your tests will come. Right now, you have the luxury of getting to demand things in terms like "how dare you" but you haven't had to take your own turn in the hot seat. Get ready, have fun, and remember:

When I was a King and a Mason - in the open noon of my pride,
They sent me a Word from the Darkness. They whispered and called me aside.
They said - 'The end is forbidden.' They said - 'Thy use is fulfilled.
'Thy Palace shall stand as that other's - the spoil of a King who shall build.'

I called my men from my trenches, my quarries, my wharves, and my sheers.
All I had wrought I abandoned to the faith of the faithless years.
Only I cut on the timber - only I carved on the stone:
'After me cometh a Builder. Tell him, I too have known! '

Kipling, The Palace

That sentiment was written before ever there was a generation called Boomers.

[Neenaw]

Jesus. The level of self-importance on display is staggering.

You're hopelessly arrogant, condescending, close-minded and therefore, totally unaware of how you come across.

True, true arrogance.

[Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang]

You think you know Boomers, but heed history. What you see today is a generation that (at least in the US) defined itself as a reaction to the world after WWII (and to a lesser extent the Korean War). Instead of cocktail parties they were going to be about Woodstock, free love, resisting the Vietnam War and the draft, "Never trust anyone over 30", the environment, fighting racism and a bunch of other ideals. Timothy Leary popularized "Question authority" and Abbie Hoffman wrote "Steal this Book".

As a generation, at that time, that may have been true to some degree, and there really was some progress in various areas. Other areas, turned out to be like COVID-19 today -- sneakier, more widespread, and harder to fix than they were first thought to be. Some, however, had always been children of privilege, and when college was over they went to take their place in the family empire -- bone spurs might have kept them out of Vietnam in order to safely take their place. Others graduated, took their places in the world of suits, ties, business meetings, raising kids, paying mortgages, and the ideals slipped away. Many didn't make it to college, they took their places in factories and other businesses, but their pressure to fit in, raise kids, and the rest was much the same. Some didn't fit in, and many of them didn't come to a good end, they got pushed out to the edges, labeled as eccentric at best.

It isn't a new phenomenon: "Salad days" is a Shakespearean idiomatic expression to refer to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion that one associates with a young person. (attributed to Wikipedia)

When Boomers have passed, your tests will come. Right now, you have the luxury of getting to demand things in terms like "how dare you" but you haven't had to take your own turn in the hot seat. Get ready, have fun, and remember:


Kipling, The Palace

That sentiment was written before ever there was a generation called Boomers.

I confess that eons ago, when the news were chock full of School strike for climate and XR, here I was thinking : "Oh God, and here we got the wave New Baby Boomers and their antics..."

The definition of Baby Boomers is slightly different over here, for there is still to this day an establishment mystique focused on May 68 in France, which saw general University and then Workers strikes, during a time of economic plenty, reshape society to a significant extent, denouncing Authority and Consumerism, and promoting Youth Power and the Sexual Revolution (the spark for the Student Protest having been Girls Dormitories being off-limit).
It has considerably defined the left of the political spectrum here, notably leading to the formation of the various Green political factions, and by ripple the entire society and set of value was affected. At the same time occurred the Prague Spring, which saw the Red Army crush the liberalization of Czechoslovakia, and which in the end led to the decline of the then very powerful Communist Parties in a number of western European countries.
On the other hand, the huge mess created has led to others referring to them with a derogatory 68-tard.

With the hard times coming shaping my children now aged 6 to 1, I wonder how they will see the current generation as they come of age themselves.

[shadowmouse]

Why do so many boomers lack self awareness?

Do they? Or perhaps you haven't had to deal with the cumulative impact of decades. What is that self awareness to you, and how will I see that displayed by younger posters on this forum in their own threads and the manner in which they interact with others? Do you mean wonderful examples like Neenaw there?
@Neenaw Welcome to Gen-OT It is a well known den of humility and respectful, subtle debate. I'll look forward to seeing you comment similarly in half a dozen other threads in the next week, but you won't because it only becomes something you'll complain about with Boomers. Let me check ... this is you communicating:

It was a serious question. I had hoped to gain a better understanding of where your willful ignorance (I hope for your sake) was coming from.

I don't debate people like you. It's a waste of my time and I'm content with my position.

Pot, meet Kettle. Running your latest posts is a whole string of sneering, dismissive comments, so head back to your bridge.

I confess that eons ago, when the news were chock full of School strike for climate and XR, here I was thinking : "Oh God, and here we got the wave New Baby Boomers and their antics..."

The definition of Baby Boomers is slightly different over here, for there is still to this day an establishment mystique focused on May 68 in France, which saw general University and then Workers strikes, during a time of economic plenty, reshape society to a significant extent, denouncing Authority and Consumerism, and promoting Youth Power and the Sexual Revolution (the spark for the Student Protest having been Girls Dormitories being off-limit).
It has considerably defined the left of the political spectrum here, notably leading to the formation of the various Green political factions, and by ripple the entire society and set of value was affected. At the same time occurred the Prague Spring, which saw the Red Army crush the liberalization of Czechoslovakia, and which in the end led to the decline of the then very powerful Communist Parties in a number of western European countries.
On the other hand, the huge mess created has led to others referring to them with a derogatory 68-tard.

With the hard times coming shaping my children now aged 6 to 1, I wonder how they will see the current generation as they come of age themselves.

Lots of interesting bits in there. I'd suspected something similar, and I'm glad you were able to put specifics with the different views on what the Baby Boomers were/are in different places. Nice, I'll have to read up more on that.

"With the hard times coming shaping my children now aged 6 to 1, I wonder how they will see the current generation as they come of age themselves." Yes, you see precisely the point I was making. The anger and demands of a 16 year old today aren't that far away from a six year old, and they're sure to shape her world as schools try to incorporate current trends the same way I was expected to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull for class and to make posters about how we should drive 55 to reduce emissions and prevent the coming ice age. [Disclaimer: Yes, I realize that from today's perspective that is seen as an anomaly that can be hung mainly on a few magazine articles, but those were the articles that had *my* Life Sciences classes getting assigned projects.] It is a ten year window. The anger and the question of why answers haven't been found will probably leave the guys in their 70s in the hot seat -- they aren't stepping down and they're trailed by one heck of a baggage train -- but if those in their late 20s and their 30s today can't show a change when six turns to 26, I'd guess we'll see the cycle repeat again with little change in tone.

You have Asian family and might understand this question better. As I read the replies with younger posters saying they feel a lack of respect, I'm reminded of the current state of mianzi in China. It seems to be in flux, still important, still part of the cultural setting, but the old rules aren't working well and younger Chinese seem to be unable to explain what is replacing them. As population grows in NA/EU, is there a shift towards something closer to mianzi? I'm not over there, I'm just struck by how Chinese some replies sound, so xiao Huangdi.

[shadowmouse]

@Josuke Welp, actually, if you'd read the OP you should have noticed that I specifically asked that this not be derailed into a thread about why people don't like Boomers. There is a part there that is tagged in purple to help you see it. It reads as follows:

If it helps, think of your answer in term of "OK, Boomer, this is who we (and those younger) are!" For those who don't remember why I'd ask this, in the alternate reality where I'm not shitposting on Gen-OT, I'm Professor Shadowmouse and I teach abstract concepts to undergraduates. In particular, remote classes during COVID-19 mean that I need to make an effort to stay on top of things in order to help the poor bastards trying to learn something useful from me to make connections. I need to be able to ask questions and make points that have relevance to them in their own terms and perceptions, and living in China right now the Great Firewall is turned up from SNAFU to FUBAR. I cannot, for example, just go watch streamers and Youtube.

For extra points, some of the things the people who bothered to read and give replies that were more towards what I was hoping for may end up helping me fill in a 20 year gap. The last time I got off an airplane in the US, I was immediately struck by how much I had not missed gigantic pictures of crosses and such. That was shortly after the WTC was destroyed (three months or so). I haven't been outside of China since that and may have missed some of the nuances of subsequent years. Since I'll be moving to a more European location in a few months, that gap is going to be particularly noticeable. Now, it would have been a lot simpler to binge on Google and social media, but there is that Great Firewall problem.

Since those on this forum are from a variety of ages, social backgrounds, and cultures. I figured that there would be different things that people thought interesting and room for some discussion -- at least, as much discussion as threads generally get. So, what did I miss in the last 20 years that didn't make it into headlines but resonates with younger people?

[StayTuned]

@shadowmouse

I propose you take your input from places like quora. You ended up asking a question on a board full of massive social inepts who, with all due respect, act very arrogantly themselves for people who believe that you're the one being arrogant.

It should have been blatantly obvious what you were aiming for with your OP, but our resident dwellers had to take it all the wrong way and by now we're 4 pages deep into shitposting tbh.

I'll just report myself to make your life easier @Rozz

[shadowmouse]

@StayTuned
That one made me miss my WeChat stickers so much I had to do a Tuzki hunt. Quora and Reddit ... I hear they are places in exotic lands beyond the Great Firewall. That's part of the 20 year disconnect. See bunny, supra

[StayTuned]

@StayTuned
That one made me miss my WeChat stickers so much I had to do a Tuzki hunt. Quora and Reddit ... I hear they are places in exotic lands beyond the Great Firewall. That's part of the 20 year disconnect. See bunny, supra

Quora is behind the firewall??? What the hell China.

[shadowmouse]

@StayTuned I just double checked. TGF isn't really uniform, it might not be blocked somewhere else, but it ain't working for me right now. Like I said, things have been turned from SNAFU to FUBAR and if I had a VPN I could download a VPN that I then couldn't pay for without being able to use Alipay. More sobbing Tuzki needed.

It has been getting worse the last few years, that's why I'll be moving. Vodka, seafood, olives, CHEESE! Had I chosen Mongolia I figured I'd barely notice the AQI in winter because of my backlog of shows and movies.

[Unholyground]

It also depends on where they are from, in Canada and around where I live I see most of them are pretty level headed. Even my parents both being in their 60's soon have continued to change and accept things as they got older based on new information. Some people just are just not willing to change no matter what age.