20 Things That Will Disappear With Baby Boomers

[The Late Night Gourmet]

The definition of a Baby Boomer is someone born between 1946 and 1964. This describes quite a few people on this forum, including me. The exact birth years aren't what matter here...there are certainly people who were born after 1964 who remember all the things on the list below. I don't like that this is presented as a scrolling picture show instead of a list, but I do agree with a lot of what's on the list:

Saying Goodbye: 20 Things That Will Disappear with Boomers

Here's my manual listing of what's shown in the link:

1. China Cabinets - I've never had one, but they were a feature of every house I visited when I was younger.
2. Workers Standing - this refers mostly to retail businesses; the cashier (or bartender) is expected to stand the entire time they're on their shift.
3. Strip Clubs
4. Smoking - this means cigarettes specifically...there's a frightening rise in vaping, particularly among younger people
5. Writing Checks - I still use them in rare cases; my wife's mom still uses them all the time.
6. Suits for Work - I dress up on the rare days I go into the office, but I have never worn a suit to work, even back when a tie was required.
7. Landline Phones - As with many people in the US, I have a land line because it's cheaper to pay Xfinity for a bundle including a land line, internet, and TV than it is to just get the internet and TV. Strange, but that's how it is.
8. Hands-on Service - meaning customer service; most things are handled via "chatbots" or self-service these days.
9. Toxic Masculinity
10. Bridge - the card game, not the architectural structure
11. Phone Calls - I find myself texting when I want to send a quick message, but I do still call my mom once a week.
12. Retirement - one that I can certainly appreciate!
13. Newspaper - I subscribe to the Detroit Free Press on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. They don't have a 7-day printed paper anymore.
14. Gender Roles
15. Ability to Buy a Home
16. Ironing - I used to do this for work maybe 20 year ago. Also, shoe shining is something I rarely do anymore.
17. Dads Doing the Bare Minimum
18. College
19. Church/Religion
20. Getting Buried

 

[The Velvet Curtain]

Sadly number 9 might be on the rise, there are a number of 'influencers' who are nasty pieces of work - see Andrew Tate for example, infecting young men with some vile notions.

 

[Windigo]

Sadly number 9 might be on the rise, there are a number of 'influencers' who are nasty pieces of work - see Andrew Tate for example, infecting young men with some vile notions.

Might be? It's proven to be by science.

Spoiler: Not on topic

But let's not derail the thread. Also not sure how any American can think toxic masculinity is dissapearing when the biggest set back in women's rights since the 70's has taken place.

2. Normal. 3. Nothing changed here, probably even more of then than ever. 6 is still normal here. 8. Not quite dissapearing. 11 too for anything formal. 13. Still normal. 16. Still a weekly chore. 20. Normal.

Guess we're still in the stone age or something. But these things are far from dissapearing here. What is dissapearing and missing from this list is paying with cash, that's a real big one here!

 

[TastyReuben]

I’m not a boomer, but early Gex X, just for reference:

1. China Cabinets - we have one.

2. Workers Standing - currently, I don’t know of any workers who sit, except for office workers, medical receptionists, etc. Retail, banks…everyone stands.

3. Strip Clubs - there are a few in my area, including one that’s members only.

5. Writing Checks - the only time I write one now is when an independent repair person comes to the house, like an electrician or appliance repair person.

6. Suits for Work - required when I first joined the private sector in 1996. Stopped in 2006.

7. Landline Phones - got rid of that probably 10 years ago.

9. Toxic Masculinity - good luck with that.

10. Bridge - there’s a card game called Bridge?

11. Phone Calls - my absolute bottom-last choice for interacting with someone, to the point that if a phone call is the only option, I really question the necessity of the communication to begin with.

12. Retirement - broke or wealthy, I’m done at 62 (thanks, pandemic)…earlier if possible. I’ll be 57 in a few months.

13. Newspaper - We haven’t subscribed to a paper newspaper since 1992.

14. Gender Roles - see Toxic Masculinity.

15. Ability to Buy a Home - I thought it was hard enough for my generation (the only way we could afford our first home was with a VA loan, which made having the usual 20% or so downpayment unnecessary), but yeah, it seems worse now.

16. Ironing/shoe shining - I regularly do both.

17. Dads Doing the Bare Minimum - see Gender Roles

18. College - I can see that. They’ve priced themselves out of the market.

19. Church/Religion - one can onl… - no comment!

20. Getting Buried - I know we won’t be.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Might be? It's proven to be by science.

Spoiler: Not on topic

But let's not derail the thread. Also not sure how any American can think toxic masculinity is dissapearing when the biggest set back in women's rights since the 70's has taken place.

Guess we're still in the stone age or something. But these things are far from dissapearing here. What is dissapearing and missing from this list is paying with cash, that's a real big one here!

I agree with what you and The Velvet Curtain say here...my thinking on this "disappearing" is that there's more awareness now than there was 30 years ago. This might have seemed true maybe 10 years ago, but it's definitely headed in the wrong direction now.

And, as for cash? That should have been the top entry on the list!

 

[TastyReuben]

And, as for cash? That should have been the top entry on the list!

Amen to that!

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

One thing that mostly went away a long time ago was the paper paycheck...I wonder if younger people know why it's called a paycheck? I've had direct deposit for at least 20 years. I remember payday was on Friday, and someone would drop off your paycheck at your desk. Then, I'd go to the bank and wait in line to deposit my paycheck with all the other people who got their paper checks.

 

[Windigo]

One thing that mostly went away a long time ago was the paper paycheck...I wonder if younger people know why it's called a paycheck? I've had direct deposit for at least 20 years. I remember payday was on Friday, and someone would drop off your paycheck at your desk. Then, I'd go to the bank and wait in line to deposit my paycheck with all the other people who got their paper checks.

I'm not sure here is the place to ask, I am one of the youngest members and 20 years ago I was 15 ( almost 16) . I had a coin piggybank to save in as a kid and indeed, the bank worked with checks. We also had no computers, mobile phones or tv with more than 3 channels. And a rotary phone. ( older) Millenials didn't grow up very different to gen X.
All the big technological changes came after my 15th birthday at least for me.

 

[TastyReuben]

One thing that mostly went away a long time ago was the paper paycheck

I got a paper paycheck back when I was a teen, employed at a Christmas tree farm.

As soon as I joined the military, that went away. That was in 1985. I was direct deposit from that day forward, except for one short break in 2003-2004, when I was hired at a place that didn’t offer direct deposit. That should have been a huge red flag that it wasn’t a stable company.

 

[medtran49]

1. China Cabinets - we have 1, but it's a small corner 1. The glass door top has my fish and scallop sushi type dishes on 1 shelf, and my green leaf and crawfish dishes on a second, plus our alcohol on the third. The bottom is crammed full with my mothers china service for 8.
2. Workers Standing - only time i see service/retail workers sitting is when they are disabled.
3. Strip Clubs - still very prevalent in certain areas.
4. Smoking - rarely see cigarette smoking, but have gotten the strong odor several times recently, older people though. Vaping, the worst was what smelled like MaryJane outside an office, and the guy wouldn't move away when told we could smell it inside and asked nicely that he move a few feet down where there was an unoccupied place.
5. Writing Checks - I still write them for our little business and 1 other thing.
6. Suits for Work - I had to dress up for work back when I still worked in a proper office, but that was around 30 years ago, and I went to WFH.
7. Landline Phones - we haven't had a landline in years, but I'm going to check out the Xfinity bundle TLNG mentioned because our current bill is outrageous for our Xfinity internet and TV.
8. Hands-on Service - i try to handle things via chatbot, but always seem to end up with a person.
9. Toxic Masculinity - i shut that down immediately if some man tries it.
10. Bridge - Canasta and Rook were the card games me and my friends played, because our parents did.
11. Phone Calls - I'd rather text for the most part, but do speak with family.
12. Retirement - already there
13. Newspaper - we got Sunday only for years but not since smart phones
14. Gender Roles - kind of. I did house cleaning mostly, though Craig did help. When Craig was super busy and working 6 or even 7 days a week, I'd mow the lawn for him, but trimming and edging were on him. I always pulled weeds. We both used to cook fairly evenly, but not since his accident and stroke.
15. Ability to Buy a Home - yeah, it's getting more and more out of reach.
16. Ironing - I had a few outfits for work back in the day that had to be ironed, and I would iron Craig's dress shirt on the rare times he wore a suit.
17. Dads Doing the Bare Minimum - DD's bio father never even changed a diaper.
18. College - i don't know about this going away. Certain things society needs require a college education. Something is going to have to give on tuition though.
19. Church/Religion - we've got a couple of mega churches that we pass when we go out for breakfast. The used to have attendants and off duty police directing cars. Now, after the pandemic, the lots are a quarter full, maybe.
20. Getting Buried - more and more people i know are chosing cremation.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

15. Ability to buy a home.

I’m not sure boomers disappearing will make that harder.
Being the larger demographic of home owners (and second home owners) when they shuffle off there will be an increase of properties on the market and the only people willing or wanting to buy them are going to be the millennials and gen Z
Either properties prices will have to come down or a new buying structure put in place otherwise they’ll be a lot of empty properties on the market unable to be sold.

Of course gen X will likely be inheriting a lot of these so may well rent them out (or perhaps even hand them straight down) but the new rules on renting in the UK have seen a mass exodus of landlords with rental property, it’s just too much hassle. They currently estimate in the UK there are 10 people for every 1 rental property

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

7. Landline Phones - we haven't had a landline in years, but I'm going to check out the Xfinity bundle TLNG mentioned because our current bill is outrageous for our Xfinity internet and TV.

One thing I find whenever I call Xfinity to change my service is that there's always some great bundling deal that I didn't know about because I added services separately. I'll call because, say, I want to remove Showtime because I'm not watching it much, and they'll tell me about ways I can keep Showtime and save money if I bundle it differently. Even if that's not the case for you, it's worth asking if there are ways you can save some money on your bill.

 

[caseydog]

3. Strip Clubs.... probably not in Dallas. Where would the Baptist men go on Saturday night before taking the family to church on Sunday morning.

CD

 

[kaneohegirlinaz]

I would add "traditional TV watching"
We stopped doing that and only have "streaming TV" and pay nothing for most of our content.
I would agree with "cash" going by the way side too.
DH & I are true-blue 'Boomers and shake our heads at the younger generations... I kinda feel sorry for them because they will never know some of the joys that we experienced growing up. The simple things in life.
Like a rotary dial telephone, party lines (wow, that was fun!), Drive-In movie theatres ($1 per car load-and no one ever knew about the kids in the trunk ), vending machine cigarettes (that's if you still smoke-which here in Cowboyville loads of folks do )
HEH! The Ice Cream Man! We had one in our neighborhood back in Hawaii and as soon as all the kids heard that "music" you could hear echoing down the street, "MOM! It's the Ice Cream Man!" and we all came running out to the street.

 

[Morning Glory]

HEH! The Ice Cream Man! We had one in our neighborhood back in Hawaii and as soon as all the kids heard that "music" you could hear echoing down the street, "MOM! It's the Ice Cream Man!" and we all came running out to the street.

We still have that here in the UK. There is an ice-cream woman who calls around this area in her van.