Respecting your elders? Always a good idea. But that doesn’t mean older generations get a free pass to say whatever they want. Young people are speaking up about the cringiest, most out-of-touch things they keep hearing and honestly, some of these are wild.
Straight from the BuzzFeed Community, here are the comments that made young people collectively go, “please stop saying that”:
- "'Congratulations on the baby!' 'When are you due?!' 'What gender is the baby?' 'What are you going to name the baby?' 'Wow! You are glowing! I can tell, don't be shy!' (Nudges or looks toward my belly). NO, I am not pregnant."
- "I was at my friend's house, and we were having dinner with her 88 year old grandmother. Out of nowhere she says, 'You know, I think the Nazis had it right.' She also knows I am Jewish."
- "Any 'kids today' statements, as if young people today will be the end of society."
- "I’m a gay man and have been out for the last 15 years. I STILL get this from my parents: 'You know, there’s a woman out there that could love you'… I’ve been in a happy relationship for 10 years and married for 3. Even the day after my wedding, they texted me a quiz that said 'Are YOU ready for the rapture?'"
- "I have several relatives who comment on other people's bodies and eating habits. When told that it can be disrespectful, offensive or triggering to someone struggling, they always reply with: 'You can't talk about anything anymore because everything is offensive these days.' Well, no, it has always been offensive."
- "I was the receptionist and a single parent with a 4-year-old. When my son got sick, he either came to work, or I had to stay at home. The day after having to stay home with him, one of the executives asked me, 'Why don't you get a nanny?' Sir."
- "When I graduated from college in 2008, my grandfather said, 'Just go down to the placement office at the college and they'll find a job for you.' I told him I had worked in the mail room and was quite sure my school had no such thing as a 'placement office,' but he insisted that all colleges have them and all you had to do was go there and ask for a job and they'd set one up for you."
- "My boomer mom keeps telling me 'Oh, just send your resume to the places you want an internship at. Surely somebody will look at it?' even if I tell her every job and internship application is online. She cannot fathom that I can’t just walk in and get a job somewhere."
- "'You’re too young to be in that much pain' or 'too young to be having those issues.' I’ve had chronic migraines since I was 19 years old, back and knee pain from playing sports in high school, and foot problems from working a job that keeps me on my feet 10–12 hours a day. Pain isn’t generational. Don’t minimize mine just because I’m younger."
- "When anything goes wrong, their answer is to pray — every single time I bring up a challenge."
- "'It’s not going to kill you.' As if that’s the standard for everything."
- "'Oh, don't worry about finances. Just have a baby and you'll figure it out along the way.'"
- "I have to respect my elders because they're old. No, respect is earned, not given."
- "And finally: 'You can sleep when you’re dead.'"
Source: BuzzFeed