Social Norms

This article is a great illustration of the differences between Gen X and thier kids: 9 social rules Gen X learned as kids that completely confuse Gen Z today. Here they are:

1. You must answer the phone—every single time it rings
2. You never call someone after 9 p.m.
3. You show up exactly when you said you would
4. You don’t interrupt adults—ever
5. If you borrowed something, you returned it in better condition
6. You don’t talk about money, politics, or personal problems in public
7. You respect the privacy of others (even if it’s inconvenient)
8. You keep your problems to yourself and “tough it out”
9. You don’t question authority publicly

Let’s talk about those: Rule 1 was because there was no such thing as caller ID. You answered the phone because people generally called because it was important, and you didn’t want to miss a call.

Rule 2 is about courtesy. My ass is in bed at some point just after nine. I don’t want some ass calling me at 2345, asking me what potato chips to buy. In fact, my phone is in “Do Not Disturb” mode at 9, and it doesn’t come out until 8 the next morning. Use a trick to bust through my DND mode for stupid shit and find yourself on the block list, because you are an inconsiderate ass.

Rule 3. Punctuality. That’s a sign that you respect (or don’t) the person’s time. If you tell me that you are going to meet me somewhere at 4 and you don’t show up on time, what you are saying is that your time is valuable but mine is not. Wasting my time is a guarantee that I won’t want to have anything to do with you- in a professional or personal capacity.

Rule 4: Children shouldn’t involve themselves in adult conversations. It’s unlikely that you have anything meaningful to contribute. You’re a child, and your life experience is exactly zero. That’s just a fact. However, as adults, we shouldn’t even be HAVING adult conversations in your presence. To this day, I don’t know how much money my father made, or even how much they paid for their house. It wasn’t my business to know. This concept also ties in to rules 6, 7, and 8. Mind your own business. If I want your opinion, I will ask you for it. Running around offering unwanted advice, or crying like a little bitch is a sure way to find yourself without any friends.

Circling back to rule 5: If I loan you something, it had better come back in the same condition that I loaned it to you. If it doesn’t, I expect you to make it right. If you don’t, don’t ever come back and ask to borrow anything, because I won’t loan you anything, not even a stick of gum.

Rule 9: There is a way to question authority, and screaming about it while you stamp your feet and shout about how things aren’t fair isn’t the way to do it. The person who wrote this article obviously doesn’t know that, which means he is still a tactless child who likely doesn’t get his way very often.

Gen Z needs to learn what manners are.