20 Little Things That Will Die off With the Boomers

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Boomers: love or hate them, they’re a generation famous for their idiosyncrasies like their love of Bruce Springsteen, preferring physical possessions, and ruining the housing market (we’re just kidding. Don’t run off.)

Still, we all know there are several differences between the boomers and the younger generations. If nothing else, the advent of the internet has change culture and society as a whole; there’s no going back to just the way things were before. So in this post, we’re looking at some of the little things that will probably just quietly disappear as the boomer generation gets older and is eventually replaced.

Keep scrolling if you’re looking for some nostalgia, and a little light-hearted, intergenerational teasing!

1. Yahoo News

Yahoo News. We’re bound to agree. The only reason any of us have a Yahoo account is that our boomer parents signed us up for one when we were about nine years old. Admittedly, this is more of a regional thing because a Japanese commenter insists Yahoo is still the predominant service in Japan. That said though, it’s probably going to lose some popularity in America, and we’re not going to be too sad to see it go.

2. Affordable Housing, Groceries, and Tuition

Affordable housing might just be the number one thing that will die off with the boomers, though, to be fair, this has already happened, and the boomers are still here.

There’s some truth to the idea that starter homes no longer exist in this economy. And to some degree, it doesn’t end with housing; everything is more expensive and difficult to obtain, from groceries and tuition to getting jobs.

3. The Inability To Use a Card Reader

Real talk: why don’t boomers seem to understand how to use card readers, especially since the advent of chipped credit cards? Granted, it can be frustrating to have to learn new technology just to get along in the world, and the boomers have our sympathy for that. But there’s also the fact that if you just read the screen and follow the instructions, card readers will tell you exactly what to do.

4. Workplace Loyalty

Workplace loyalty will probably go out right the window, as this is an outdated boomer mentality. To clarify, some of us think this is a good thing because workers don’t owe their employers anything. But to add some nuance to this debate; the boomer mentality makes more sense when you realize they were brought up in a different economy and workplace environment, including things like a pension and early retirement.

Boomers were less jaded for a reason; they had it pretty good. Millennials and Gen Z are rightfully cynical and don’t want to put in more work than they have to because it just means being taken advantage of with no perks.

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5. Covering Hardwood Floors With Carpet

Most of us Millennials and Gen Zers are really hopeful that the trend of covering hardwood floors with carpet will die out completely with the older generation, but some of us are willing to admit that we’ll probably replace that trend with a trend of our own that’s just as stupid. Case in point; Millennials are known for painting over brick fireplaces and wood kitchen cabinets. Hardwood can at least be restored more easily than a kitchen cabinet!

6. Cable TV

Many people believe cable has overstayed its welcome and we’d be happy to see its exit from our lives. Some call cable a scam, while others insist streaming is already halfway to becoming what cable was unless you pirate everything you watch.

The early days of streaming were a massive threat to cable, and streaming was preferable in most ways. We’re now getting cable functionality but with millions of separate subscription fees.

7. QVC

This one is accurate. When did you last see a young person order something from QVC or watch that channel? However, are we genuinely immune to the marketing and sales tactics of QVC, or are they just coming in different forms?

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8. “I Hate My Wife” Jokes

Okay, seriously, are boomer marriages okay? Why do so many boomer men joke about how they hate their wives while the women talk about drowning their sorrows in wine? Someone claims it has to do with newer generations of parents being more involved with the family because they place a higher value on things outside of work.

We’re not fans of the “I hate my wife” brand of humor, but there’s also a twinkle of charm when you realize they at least stuck it out in relationships instead of running at the first sign of conflict.

9. Newspapers

Despite many users agreeing that newspapers will die off as we shift from the physical to the digital world, some of the younger generation regret it. There’s some nostalgia for us in reading the Sunday comics and attempting to get at least one word right on the crossword puzzle. While this is still doable on your phone, it isn’t the same as holding a piece of paper that won’t track all the websites you visit. One of the most significant divides between the older and younger generations is the value placed on physical possessions versus apps or virtual services, but in this case, we might just come down on the side of physical possessions. 

10. Social Security as We Know It

When we were in high school, all our teachers stressed the importance of saving money because our generation likely won’t be able to rely on social security payments in retirement.

Social security these days don’t feel so secure. Some users are skeptical that anything will happen to social security, insisting the government will print more money, and besides that they’ve warned that social security could disappear for multiple generations, yet it remains.

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11. Keeping a Set of Fancy Dishes

We’re willing to bet you can still remember what color or pattern your grandma’s fancy dishes were. Or maybe even your mom had some! But Millennials and Gen Z don’t have fancy dishes. It’s probably partially that we’re hosting fewer and fewer dinner parties in our own homes, and also that as food has gotten more convenient, we don’t have need for as many fancy serving dishes, etc.

12. Specialty Repairmen

There will always be blue-collar workers of course, but the specialty repairmen are disappearing. How often do you meet someone (or just “know a guy”) who repairs grandfather clocks, for example, or knows how to maintain the old, wooden windowsills when they rot out? Repairing things isn’t as common as it used to be, and if we’re honest, this is kind of a big loss. These days it’s almost cheaper to buy a new watch than to simply replace the battery. How sad is that?

13. Checkbooks

There are still a select few who use checkbooks among the younger generations, but for the most part, it’s faded out. We’re not really mad about this one. Chip cards and things like Apple Pay are easier and more secure, and it’s getting harder (in some cases) to forget payment at home. We’re not advocating for the disappearance of cash by any means, but it’s nice to pay for things conveniently!

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14. Traditional Burials

Strange as it may sound, there are trends even in death and burial. Cremation or even composting are options that a lot of young people prefer, especially with the high cost of funerals, coffins etc. Besides all that, there’s something so meaningful about having your ashes somewhere meaningful, whether it’s with your loved ones, or scattered in a place you used to love.

15. Applebee’s

No shade to Applebee’s or anyone who loves them, honestly. It just seems this restaurant is frequented much more by Baby Boomers than anyone else. As mid-grade restaurants go, there are lots of other option that generations Y and Z prefer. We love the local cafes and small businesses, or our prime fast-food options, or steak-houses to the old Applebee’s and Perkin’s style restaurants.

16. Huge Weddings

This one seems like a bit of a gray area. There will always be people who love big weddings, but at the moment, elopements and cheaper weddings, or even destination weddings with just a few select people are becoming a lot more popular. We can’t say we blame the Millennials; weddings are getting more and more expensive; if you want a nice dress and a nice venue, that’s already a huge budget in itself! If you decided to keep the guest list to something small and intimate like 50, you’re saving tons on food alone.

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17. Cursive Handwriting

Some of you are going to protest that Millennials still write in cursive, and it’s true, we often do. But we simply don’t write as much as the generations before us did, at least not by hand. And besides, we were one of the last steps in making cursive more casual; we practically invented the trend of dotting our i’s with little hearts and such. So yes, this one will probably disappear with the Boomers.

18. Constant Pressure To Get Married

Most of us know the feeling of bracing ourselves when we walk into Grandma and Grandpa’s house, because they’re always going to ask if we’re dating anyone. And regardless of where you land on the whole idea of wanting to get married, answering that question over and over gets a little old. We’re not going to be sorry to see it go.

19. Collectible Figurines

I know a lot of Millennial kids who loved collecting things when they were kids; maybe bottle caps (a bit old fashioned, we know) or teacups, or rocks or anything else. But largely, it seems that personal collections like that are mostly a thing of the past. In particular, there are the willow figurines, or the old ceramic ones like Precious Moments, etc. Most of those seem to be in the thrift stores these days.

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20. Generation-Wide Basic Repair Knowledge

If you were to ask a series of men how to change a tire or the oil on their car, your odds of getting a good tutorial would increase with their age. Most of us these days just don’t have the basic repair knowledge that our forebears had; whether it’s changing a tire on the car or mending a dress or darning a sock. A lot of that knowledge is also at our fingertips though, via video tutorials or online forums, etc. So while these things aren’t exactly common knowledge, they’re easy to access!

21. Background TV

Honestly, we’ll be kind of glad to see this one go. It seems like mostly Boomers who kept the TV on in the background all day. I mean, if you’re paying for Cable, sure, why not use it? But Millennials and Gen Z are much more likely to simply pay for the streaming services they want, and then turn the TV on when they actually want to watch something. To be fair, we’re on our phones enough that the actual screen time we get might be almost the same, but we’re still taking the side of no background TV.

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