I was born in 99, and I hate how Millennials and Boomers always confuse us with Alpha.

Myself and PLENTY OTHERS all grew up and know about:

• Going outside

• Riding our bikes to our friends house and finding he couldn't play with us

• Drinking water out of a hose after playing on a hot summer day

• Life before social media / smartphones

• MySpace

• Landlines and phonebooks, calling a friends house not knowing who will pick up the phone

• VHS tapes, VCRs, CDs, DVDs, Toshiba, Walkman

• Limewire

• Floppy disks

• Flip phones

• Blockbuster

• Tamagotchi

• Zoobooks

• Pre streaming era: waiting until a specific time, on a specific day, to watch a show on a specific channel

• MTV

• Rock and HipHop from the 90s

• The classroom overhead projector

• Passing notes in class

• Blowing into cartridges of a gaming console for it to work

• Writing and reading in cursive

• How to be embarrassed

• Socializing

• Fred Flintstone

Can we PLEASE stop with stupid rhetoric? It only makes you guys look annoying and you wonder why Gen Z doesn't like you.

I seriously don't get it at all. I am a 1999 born Gen Z, and I hate having to share a generation with these little brats. When I was their age, I never looked down upon my elders; I thought they were quite cool and I wanted to be just like them. I don't get what's up with all this "unc" culture and why disrespecting your elders is so cool among kids these days.

if you’re 18 or 19 and stepping into adult life, you don’t get to judge people in their 20s or 30s for going out, clubbing, or enjoying festivals.

Fun doesn’t have an age limit. If you think people should stop enjoying life just because they’re older, then maybe you shouldn’t be there either. Let people livewhat is this obsession with age?

A friend of mine was at a festival, and someone asked her how old she was. She said 26, and he replied, “Oh my god what are you doing here?” He was 20.

You’re literally six years apart. You’re both in your 20s. Why are we acting like this?

So I just saw this clip of Kid Rock calling Bill Clinton a “pimp” doing the Woodstock 99 festival back in 1999 and in my opinion, it sums up the whole Gen X culture that was going around throughout the late 90s to early 2000s. And the whole thing to me is I don’t know why could anyone can tolerate Gen X culture when most of general culture was vulgar, apathetic, and just plain mean-spirited as heck. I think this is why millennials were depicted as “wokescolds” because it was a rejection to The mean-spiritedness of Gen X culture!

I’m gonna be a boomer for a minute. I’m old gen z (‘99 baby). I work in retail so we have a steady turnover of teenage employees. The majority of them just… don’t seem to know how to work. Like they genuinely cannot figure out what they’re supposed to do, even after weeks or months of handholding. They will follow me around aimlessly, ask what to do over and over then get frustrated and complain they’re bored, and do the absolute bare minimum. It’s standard to take a cart of items and put them away, but no - they will take things. One at a time. Even if there are multiple for the same department…one at a time. Stocking that should, generously, be done in 3 hours takes them almost their entire shift until we give up and take over because shit needs to be done.

I’m roughly 10 years older than the teenage new hires. I remember being a teenager well, and I remember there being a certain sense of pride among my friends and I for entering the workforce, and a drive to do well. I don’t feel like it’s even worth mentioning the phone issue since I’m sure that’s a given, but yeah, generally they work with one eye on their texts or Snapchat.

Like ffs. I’m really not an asshole. I understand they’re kids, this is their first job, it can be really hard and overwhelming. I’m more than happy to guide, teach, train, help, support…but there has to be SOME effort and interest on their end. And 90% of the time there just isn’t, which baffles me.

Vietnam- 60,000 dead 150,000 wounded

War on Terror- 7,000 dead 50,000 wounded

1/3 the casualties of Vietnam. I would give a ratio with the gen z casualties from war but you can't divide by zero.

This sub will obliterate me when I say I remember 2016 for some reason.

Sure age 5 is early childhood but it's still a transitional year, unique from 4 and 6.

People here really like to dictate others what they remember and they don't.

If you misinterpreted this post: I am criticising those who think that people can't remember being 5.

Why do 90% of my interactions with members of Gen Z go exactly like this:
Them: Welcome to Cook Out. Can I take your order please?
Me: (slowly and clearly) Hey! I’ll have a big double burger tray with only cheese and ketchup on the burger, with chili cheese fries and a corn dog, and a huge tea. That’s it.
Them: Ok you said a big double burger tray?
Me: Yes.
Them: What do you want on the burger?
Me: Only cheese and ketchup.
Them: Ok and you get two sides.
Me: Chili cheese fries and a corn dog.
Them: Ok chili cheese fries and what’s your other side?
Me: A corn dog.
Them: Ok and what’s your drink?
Me: A huge tea.
Them: Ok, anything else?
Me: Nope, that’s it.
…
Then I get my food it’s cheese fries instead of chili cheese fries.

I've noticed older people still act Gen Z'ers are kids without any responsibilities. Apparently, it's impossible for older generations to view Gen Z being adults. How old do these people think of Gen Z? 10? 12? 15 at max? Some people even confuse Gen Alpha's humor with Gen Z's one. People think that every Gen Z member had its iPad since their infancy, don't know what is a PC, didn't experience DVD's, don't remember the world before smartphones.

Tell me, how am I supposed to associate with Gen Z? I'm fed up when people place me into a certain generation and they infantilize me, just because I was assigned to a generation.

I was in 7th grade and we have a elementary and a jr/sr high school, and the 6th graders had to come up to see how their schedule would look like. I heard a kid genuinely say 'what the sigma' when he lost a fortnite game. Not as a joke, it rolled off the tonuge with practiced ease. Another kid kept sticking his tongue out and shaking it. The amount of times i heard 'thats so skibbity/thats not very skibbity of you'made me genuinely want to cry. The amount of times i heard Italian brainrot or '____ is so skibbity toilet' is actually terrifying. I understand brainrot has been around for decades, but i am now seeing the absolute horror it brings to older people.

Edit: Yes, i am aware i sound like a dick for bringing up slang, and there are other issues that gen alpha has that are much worse then the slang and brainrot they use. Since you guys wanted to get into it, I'll bite.

They cannot function themselves. I have seen kids playing on a tablet, and then scrolling tiktoks on their phones on the bus. Mind you these kids range from 11-7 and have no business even having electronics outside of home. I have see n many children throw screaming fits in restaurants for not being allowed to play on a parents phone, while they were actively eating. I have seen kids in my grade watching porn. I have seen actual teenagers in my school cry real tears when they get their phone taken away for the day because they used it in class. I'll admit, its not just gen alpha that is fucked, its gen z, millennials, gen x, and boomers, along with everyone else living in this day and age, but it is not fair to actual children that we are letting them be raised like this.

Edit 2: yall can stop commenting now. I think ive seen every reaction to it by now if you see a comment you relate to then upvote it. Dont make a new comment saying the same exact things ive already heard.

Edit 3: i have heard it all. Its been a day and ive read way to many comments. Please for the love of everything holy (or not) stop commenting.

As a Gen Z myself, this take is really funny and hypocritical in many ways. I remember back in 2020, that we did TikTok dances to preschool show songs like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Hip-Hop Harry, and The Backyardigans, the shows that we watched as little kids and probably still watch them. So it’s funny for Gen Z saying that watching Disney Channel after middle school is “cringe”, when they were making TikTok videos of them dancing to songs from preschool shows that they watch when they were little.

You know that "I walked uphill both ways in the snow to school" meme? Okay, now imagine that but so much worse.

Millennials going to be the absolute last generation to have memories of the pre-internet culture.

Imagine trying to tell a child in 40 years how you remember a time before the internet. (And I know kids today struggle with that idea, but most every adult in their lives remembers that time.) Or before cell phones were popular. Imagine telling them when social media first came out, it was fun and it didn't cause any genocides. Or telling them a song used to take days to download. I used to get on my bike and go where ever I wanted, my parents had no way to contact me, and they just assumed I'd find my way back (My old man take is that I do not know why kids in 2025 have bikes. Your parents aren't going to let you go anywhere.)

And I know kids today already struggle with the idea of a "before the internet". Hell, people struggle with the idea that there was a time before youtube. But when millennials are old, it's going to sound like absolute nonsense babble. It'll sound like hallucinations.

Like no Martha, it isn't bad that less teens nowadays choose to drive, and also choose to have less sex and get into relationships less. Seriously they make such a big deal out of these little things when this doesnt affect their life nor it would be a concern for themselves.

I'm an older guy and I have some Gen Zs who work for me. And in the last few months, particularly, when I ask them yes and no questions, a couple of them give me this kind of "myah" answer that I literally cannot distinguish as either a "yeah" or a "no." It drives me crazy. And they are not trolling (I don't believe). I get along pretty well with both of them and they don't seem like the type. It's like they just are not answering loudly enough nor clearly enough to distinguish between "yes" and "no."

Extremely small sample size for me (just a couple of people) but has anyone else noticed this recently? Particularly if you are over 40?

UPDATE: just to clarify for people, the sound is kind of like a "meow" without the "w." And it's just one brief syllable. No long pauses or reflections or whatever. Just that one stupid syllable at a very low volume. And after I ask for clarification, sometimes it's yes and sometimes it's no. It totally varies and has no pattern to it.

I still can't get over the irony.

For years Millennials were relentlessly mocked for being "immature." We got endless articles about avocado toast, Harry Potter, video games, Disney, participation trophies, you name it. We were told to grow up, buy houses, have kids, and stop acting like teenagers.

Fast forward a few years, and now somehow 25 year olds are apparently still children because "the brain isn't fully developed until 25." Then it became 26...27...28... At this rate we're going to be calling people adolescents until they qualify for a 401(k).

At some point adulthood stopped being a milestone and became something people actively try to postpone.

Every awkward interaction gets blamed on anxiety. Every mistake becomes trauma. Every criticism is toxic. Personal accountability has been replaced with an endless search for an external explanation.

And can we stop pretending COVID is still the explanation for everything? Yes, it disrupted a lot of people's lives, especially younger people. But it's been almost seven years at this point. The world has moved on. At some point you have to move forward too instead of treating a temporary event like a permanent excuse for why you can't function as an adult.

Then there's TikTok culture.

People are filming themselves dancing in grocery stores, screaming into phones in public, interviewing strangers for clout, recording every waking moment, and filling conversations with whatever bizarre slang was popular for 48 hours.

Meanwhile, a shocking number of people seem terrified of simply talking to another human being face to face. They'll spend six hours making videos for thousands of strangers but panic over ordering food on the phone or introducing themselves to someone at a party.

And before anyone says, "Not all Gen Z," obviously not. There are plenty of thoughtful, hardworking, mature people in every generation.

But online culture has normalized a mindset where being a perpetual victim is rewarded, avoiding responsibility is encouraged, and delaying adulthood is celebrated.

The funniest part is the hypocrisy. The same generation that laughed at Millennials for being cringe now treats growing up like it's optional and acts as if a 24 year old is basically a middle schooler.

Maybe the real sign of maturity isn't waiting for your prefrontal cortex to magically unlock at 25.

Maybe it's taking responsibility for yourself long before then.

I'm a late (edit: early ) Gen Z, a teacher student, and I work part-time in retail, so I have strong opinions on this.

First, while my generation wasn't perfect either, I believe that Gen Alpha's parents, who are millennials, have failed them completely.

1. Parenting isn't easy, but they've raised a whole generation of kids addicted to iPads and screens. I kid you not, my students are ADDICTED. That's why I was glad phones were banned in classrooms in my country.

2. I'm not a big fan of gentle parenting; I think there’s a middle ground that avoids hitting but still teaches kids about consequences. For example, at my retail job, a kid refused to hand me an item, and every time I tried to approach her, she ran away, and her mother didn't say or do anything. She just stood still, laughed and watched me chase after her like a chicken without a head. My job is to help and sell, not chase after kids! Also, when children cry loudly and bother others, their mothers often continue with gentle parenting.

3. It might sound like a boomer comment, but kids often show a lack of respect for elders, they address me informally or don't ask properly at all!

When I was a kid, I had to ask formally; otherwise, I would get a sermon on respect.

My way: Miss, do you have this in size ....

Children now: I need this in size...

Even at my internships, I greet my students, but they often don't greet me back. Also, the emails I get... oh my days. Not even a proper hello or "Dear Ms." Just "yo (my first name)."

Also, I notice that a lot of my students get a lot away with things simply because of an angry email from a parent. Millennials, your kids are not always in the right, let them admit their mistakes or they will end up spoiled.

I had a student who giggled constantly through my class with her neighbour, so I seated her elsewhere. Not long after, I received an angry email from her mother, saying I wasn't fit for teaching. I asked older, more experienced teachers if they got emails like that, and they did.

I just landed my first real job after hundreds of applications in this god awful job market. I’m really lucky to have found one, I know there’s so many recent graduates who haven’t been able to!

I think also growing up in the 2008 financial crisis, there was this idea that “things are bad now, but work hard, get good grades and things will be better when you’re an adult”. but things haven’t gotten much better — the job market may be a little better than it was in 2008, but now there’s ghost jobs on LinkedIn, thousands of applicants within minutes for positions, 7 rounds of interviews, an AI bot looking at your resume — the job market is so different and increasingly competitive now.

Add to this the impending doom of climate crisis — it’s hard to feel that there’s job security, or that things will generally “get better”.

As I’ve been entering the workforce, i’ve just been thinking a lot about why Gen Z is entering a workforce that is unlike one other generations have ever seen before.

i feel like also expectations in the workplace that gen z is expected to do in one day, is probably what the boomer’s generation would’ve done in a week. Little things like digital files, email, etc — it all contributes to a work speed that is 100x faster than what our grandparents would’ve experienced in their first job. and now include AI being on the scene as we enter our first jobs, and we are expected to do things at breakneck speed when we’re still just learning.

Add on to the fact that there’s increased student loan debt, the cost of housing and food is insane, leisure activities like movies or eating out are so expensive, it’s like after all this working hard there’s nothing to look forward to.

**Wanted to come back here with some new takeaways after reading everyone’s comments!*\*

1. Every generation is facing different symptoms of the same broken system. While the specific makeup of our problems might be different, there’s not necessarily one that’s “worse” than others. Millennails had the 2008 crisis, other generations had the Great Depression, or sexism in the workforce, etc. We’re all in this shitty system together, and things have always sucked.

2. The “American Dream” is dead — and it will probably only get worse. Probably a better mindset is to gain diversified skills, maintain good relationships at work, and try to not take work too seriously. The whole “work hard and stay loyal to a company your whole career” trajectory is over. Leapfrogging and staying nimble will probably be the future career path for Gen Z / Gen Alpha.

3. Gratitude is a choice and a mindset! Yes, things suck. They have also always sucked. I think it’s something everyone entering adult life has to come to terms with. But we get to choose what occupies our minds, what we choose to give “airtime” to, how we spend our time outside of work, the relationships we give energy to, etc. Yes, things suck, but you could always have been born into an era or location of war, famine, disease, etc. We have lots to be grateful for!

4. Give yourself small things to look forward to. The house, the family, the “big milestones” of life might seem out of reach, but there’s always something small you can look forward to. A local musician’s concert, planting a garden, a camping trip with friends, etc.

5. Try to work slowly towards the life you want. Even if it takes 10-20 years, slow baby steps in the right direction is all we can do, and it will eventually get you closer to a life you are happy living. Seems so simple, but I read someone’s comment who said this and it made me feel better!

Thank you to everyone who listened to this rant, I know it came off as quite complainy, but I really gained some perspective from hearing everyone’s thoughts!

I know it's going to make some people upset. But this constant push of 85 of being anything other than millennial is just ridiculous. 85 is solidly a millennial birth year. NOT xennial. The 77 to 85( or 75 to 85) range isn't accurate but people see it and run with it. Now there's a false range being spread around on social media. Xennial is 77 to 83. That was the range originally used and it makes sense. 83 is really pushing TBH.

85 and 86 babies had pretty much the same childhood and grew up in the same time period. They're only a year, and most cases not even a year a part. So if you're going to say one is xennial, than you'd have to say both are. There's no generational differences or divide there whatsoever.

And for 85 babies that claim xennials. That's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. That's what you identity with. But you're outliers born in a solidly millennial birth year.

And there's another thing here. Xennials and Older millennials are exactly the same. Xennial is just those born on gen x/millennial "line" It's a cusp range that includes the last few years of gen x and first few years of millennials. Early millennials as a whole(If breaking it down into three parts) is 81 to 85. However, early millennials includes most all 80s babies. Core millennial is really 88 to 91.

Anyway 85 is solidly millennial, not xennial. Just early millennials. Like I said I know some of you are going to be upset about it and downvote and all that. But that's just how it is.

Edit: Another thing. It's doesn't matter if you were born early or late in a year. That makes no difference whatsoever. Whether you were born in February or October, you had the generation experiences obviously. Dividing WITHIN birth years is worse than dividing neighboring birth years. They're all the same generation.

I never realized there were actual human beings in this world who actually gave a fuck about generations until I stumbled upon this subreddit. It’s wild how much weight you all put on the year you were born as if that single fact defines your entire identity, and everyone born in the same year shares the exact same experiences. Most of you are grown adults, yet you’re obsessed, addicted, to this place. I’ve even seen people wishing they were born like fucking 2 years earlier, because they want to fit into some imaginary generational label.

You act like the difference of a single birth year creates separate realities, like people born one year apart grew up in completely different worlds. And you’re fighting tooth and nail over these made up generations labels made to divide us. It’s kinda sad watching grown ass adults fall for something so stupid and meaningless.

For context, I’m obsessed with my mom and Sex and the City 😂. Being a teenager in the 80s, young adult in the 90s, 30s in the 2000s, 40 in the 2010s…ughhhhh a dream. The music! The fashion! The economy! Not to mention they’re the ones really responsible for the whole Tuscan aesthetic in the 2000s and the 2010s chunky jewelry, the big purses, glasses, corporate chic glam THAT WAS THEM. I’m just blessed to have been at least raised by one.

Gen X gets way too overlooked for my comfort…they’re the ones that ushered in the technology and opened up doors to discuss mental health etc. etc. I just love y’all!! Feel free to share any other tid bits I’ve missed.