In all honesty, Gen Z didn’t ask for this mess. They were born into it. Between rising rents and insane job expectations, there’s a long list of things that didn’t exactly start with them. It’s no surprise they hold older generations responsible for these. Here are 17 things Gen Z will continue to blame older generations for, whether it’s their fault or not.
Letting Infrastructure Fall Apart
Gen Z is walking across bridges that were built before their grandparents were born. They didn’t cause any of it, but now they’re the ones losing hours on broken trains and dodging construction delays. These fixes should’ve happened 20 years ago. Every time they ask why things weren’t updated sooner, they just get told something about budget cuts and tax breaks.
Destroying Union Power
Back in the day, unions actually got stuff done, like higher pay and better hours. Gen Z has heard those stories, but the problem is, they didn’t inherit any of that, as many of those protections vanished before they showed up to work. Boomers and older Gen Xers voted for leaders who made union-busting completely normal. That means that when Gen Z tries to organize, HR is breathing down their neck, and there’s a real chance they’ll just get replaced.
Killing Affordable Housing With Zoning Laws
Trying to build a tiny duplex or an apartment in most suburbs is a struggle, as you’ll hit a wall of zoning laws from the 1950s. Older generations helped pass these rules to “preserve neighborhood character.” That sounds nice until you realize these rules stopped affordable housing from being built. Gen Z is still stuck paying $1,800 for a windowless studio, and when they ask why more places aren’t being built, they run into rules banning multi-family units.
Ruining the Climate With Leaded Gasoline and Plastic Everything
Boomers literally drove leaded cars and wrapped everything in plastic, like TV dinners or furniture. Recycling wasn’t really a thing yet. Now Gen Z’s stuck on TikTok trying to save the ocean with metal straws while half the planet is on fire. Even now, many older leaders still question climate science or refuse to vote for emissions laws, while Gen Z grew up doing school projects about carbon footprints.
Ignoring Climate Warnings
Similarly, by the time Gen Z was in school, climate change was already a known problem. It wasn’t new or surprising, but just ignored. Boomers and older Gen Xers had decades to act, yet many didn’t, despite the fact that oil companies knew and scientists warned. But still, nothing big happened.
Making Unpaid Internships Seem Normal
Boomers said things like, “experience is its own reward,” and offered young people full-time internships with zero pay and maybe a free bagel. These days, Gen Z is working side gigs just to afford rent while doing internships that still don’t lead to actual jobs. A lot of older professionals still treat unpaid work as a rite of passage. However, rent and food costs way more than they used to, which is why Gen Z is burning out early.
Telling People College is the Only Path to Success
For years, older folks drilled into young people that they should go to college and get a good job. However, the problem is that this worked when tuition was a few hundred bucks and jobs paid well right after graduation. Gen Z followed the advice and just ended up in debt. Where’s that job again? Degrees got more expensive, but salaries didn’t, and now you need a master’s just to get hired at places that used to take high school grads.
Blocking Student Debt Relief For Decades
Speaking of college, older generations got cheap degrees and low tuition, then slammed the door shut behind them. It’s pretty clear to Gen Z. They watched politicians from their parents’ era fight against every single attempt to cancel debt or lower interest rates, with the same line every time. “We paid ours, you should too.” Except they didn’t need $80k to get a bachelor’s, and they paid off college working weekends.
Making 9-To-5 Office Jobs the Default
Clock in and sit in a cube, then count the minutes. Older generations made this the gold standard. But Gen Z prefers remote working or freelancing. They don’t understand why five days of commuting to sit at a desk is still considered productive, and they’re annoyed that some managers still think being in the building equals doing work. Gen Z can’t take “but that’s how we’ve always done it” as a real reason.
Keeping Healthcare Tied to Full-Time Jobs
If you want health insurance in the U.S., you had better hope you get a job with benefits. The whole system was built by and for Boomers. Gen Z’s working freelance or part-time, dealing with a bunch of insurance plans that make zero sense. They didn’t build this system, but they’re stuck in it, and one ER visit can wipe out a savings account. Getting a basic check-up? That’s a lot of paperwork, and sometimes begging a receptionist.
Letting Credit Scores Control Everything
Credit scores didn’t exist until the late ’80s, but these days, we use them for renting, buying, and even getting a phone plan. Missing a payment at 19 could mess you up until you’re 29. Gen Z didn’t ask for this to happen to them, and was instead just thrown in. They’re constantly being judged by a number that most people don’t even fully understand because the algorithms are secret. And the rules keep changing.
Building Schools Like Prisons
Zero-tolerance rules and metal detectors, along with closed campuses, are designs that came from older policies in the ’90s. Gen Z went to schools where windows were practically non-existent and security felt like airport check-ins. Rather than learning, going to school felt like being managed, with hall passes and bathroom restrictions. A lot of those rules were approved by older school boards and voters. They claimed it was for “safety,” but never had to grow up under them.
Letting Public Schools Get Defunded
Speaking of schools, some Gen Z kids had iPads in kindergarten, while others didn’t have working heat. It’s not a mystery why. Older voters kept saying yes to tax cuts and no to school budgets, which eventually meant that those “small cuts” became giant holes. Gen Z remembers sharing textbooks with torn covers and teachers who had to buy their own printer paper. They care about school, it’s just that older people decided it wasn’t worth paying for.
Designing Cities Around Cars Instead of People
Most cities have sidewalks that go nowhere, with no benches or corner stores. It’s just parking lots and drive-thrus. Gen Z grew up seeing this in a lot of American towns, with car-first designs being the pride of older planners. Younger people just want somewhere to walk and maybe sit for five minutes, which is difficult since public transit barely exists in a lot of places.
Ignoring Indigenous Rights In Land Development
Older generations made decisions decades ago about land ownership and pipelines, which often steamrolled right over Native communities. Gen Z didn’t create that mess, of course, but they’re watching it play out in real life. They’re pointing the finger at the generations who approved the deals and passed the laws, then looked the other way when Native American land was taken without consent.
Voting For Mass Incarceration Policies
Gen Z didn’t vote for mandatory minimums or three-strikes laws, but they grew up seeing their impact. These policies increased the prison population massively, especially in marginalized communities. Guess who pushed them through? It was the politicians that Boomers and Gen Xers supported, which Gen Z is upset about. They’re also mad at the voting records that kept it going.
Allowing Wages to Stagnate Since the 1970s
Ask Gen Z how much their parents paid for rent or groceries, and you’ll get a bad reaction. Older generations ran businesses and passed laws while people’s wages stayed the same. Meanwhile, the cost of everything, like housing and healthcare, shot up. Gen Z has seen the receipts. They’re putting the blame firmly on people who kept saying, “Well, back in my day…” without improving anything.
17 Things Millennials ‘Canceled’ According to Boomers
Ask a boomer, and it was the millennials who destroyed all that was good and pure. Irrespective of whether you miss them or you are glad they’re gone, these are 17 things Boomers accuse millennials of killing, burying, and dancing over their graves.
17 Things Millennials ‘Canceled’ According to Boomers
15 Things Gen Z Thinks Are New But Boomers Did First
The difference is that they did it without the phone cameras or hashtag energy. Let’s look at 15 things Gen Z thinks are new, but boomers did first. If you thought your latest aesthetic discovery was brand new, you might want to check with your grandparents first.
15 Things Gen Z Thinks Are New But Boomers Did First