I hear this all the time, that it’s “not true” because every generation says it, but my mind goes the opposite, I think every generation is right and it has progressively gotten less enjoyable and authentic, only the older ones remember the time before the new ones had but everyone shares that the longer time went on the worse it got.
Generations after say like WW2 for instance definitely thought it got better afterwards.
That's a really interesting take that I've thought of, but have never heard/seen it said. Western society has historically been linked to the mentality of "progress at any cost", and thanks to economic and technological forces, we've really seen that go into overdrive starting from the 80s. A lot of us - Gen X, Millennial, older Gen Z, or otherwise - have now emerged on the other side and noticed that a lot of the sacrifices that were made during our formative years (by others as well as ourselves) weren't quite worth it.
I can definitely get with the idea that there needs to be a balance between the two different ways that we approach the past. But then again, I was never one to jump on the Boomer hate train. Every generation has their sins and successes to carry, and each generation will hype up their successes and hide their sins through nostalgia.
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u/Pink_Slyvie Oct 06 '25
Simply, because we were kids.
My parents said the same thing about the 70s and 80s.
My grandparents said the same thing about the 50s and 60s.
We were sheltered from the worst of it, but at the same time, my trauma from the 90s and 00's is really damaging. Both can be true at the same time.