What does your generation consider to be cool/lame?

[WhiteSteve]

I was talking with my little cousins who are becoming impossibly cool friends as they grow from kids to adults. I’m kind of the cool older cousin to them, at least for now, but that should fade any day now😂 But I like to stay at least a little bit up on what’s going on, and I’ll ask them about Gen Z stuff and they’ll be like “we didn’t even know about that”, haha.

Around the time I turned 30, there was a changing of the guard, and the young Gen X people got phased into “old”, and the older Millenials were dictating what was hot (think early 2010s). All of a sudden what was cool for me became uncool, and the younger kids, who just a few years ago were literal children whose opinions I wouldn’t even consider, let alone care about, are now showing up in all their neon colors and listening to EDM, or they were hipsters with beards and flannel shirts and craft beers, or for us hip hop heads, the baggy clothes got traded in for skinny jeans (thanks, LiI Wayne😒), and they’re clowning on us people who were still cool like two months before, lmao.

Now I’m seeing another changing of the guard, and the Gen Zs are paying back the Millenials who tried to big time me 10-12 years ago…. THANK YOU🙏😂 Eat a dick sandwich, millenials, it’s your turn now…. not so funny now, is it?😝 I kid, I kid….

Anyhow, my cousin, who’s 20, I was commenting on how she and her sister were wearing baggier pants and that they look a little more like what I’d have worn in the 90s. We were just generally talking about style shifts, and I was saying when I was her age we wanted to get away from what people dressed like in the 80s, then we did the same in 2000s about the 90s, and so on.

She said “oh yeah…. like 2016, that’s totally out.” That kind of blew my mind because your perception of time passage changes as you age, at least for me, and 2016 is practically yesterday, lmao. Two years to her is like ten years passage of time to me.

So how old are you, what was your heyday, and what’s peak lame?

[DaBiggestBird]

Anthropologically speaking what they consider to be a hip person or cool is anything that resembles the Satanic agenda from rocking slutty attire which sometimes is borderline nothing or being a wannabe gang banger who messes with real Italian mafia members and then get humbled like a week after entering that douche bag phase. At least here in California where apparently most of the weirdos come from. And then of course, there are the rare ultra Giga Chads such as myself who have some class a d are into normal stuff like Pokémon, Transformers, Dragon Ball (despite how washed it is), Avatar (The Last Airbender AND James Cameron, I really am just classy like that. Da Biggest Bird is straight up built different like a real life Diamond that’s blue like in Minecraft), Apex Legends + TitanFall, Jurassic Park, OG Family Guy, LEGOs and many more awesome things. One day my Conga series which will be the greatest can be added to that list. Stuff is going to shake the world and make other franchises look like dogsh*t. Just look at Dragon Ball, people in real life be dying their hair a new color every other day saying they rediscovered themselves and DBZ wants to pass that off as a transformation, Omega Lol. Then there’s Pokémon which hard PEAKED in the XY era. Basically everything was revolutionary or at least innovative with the anime, Serena being the best Pokémon waifu, Gen 3 remakes, introduction of Mega Evolution, new tiers to the TCG as well as overall improving the general quality of it, Serena being the best waifu from Pokémon, Zygarde being epic, Ash-Greninja. Now, that is all good stuff so why am I ranking Pokémon with DB? Well in terms of the mainline anime, it was not NEALRY as good as XY, specifically Sun and Moon. Pokémon have you lost your bloody mind? EVERYTHING that was great about XY/Z was tossed out the window quicker than Joe Biden will get tossed out the White House. The tone had a slightly mature shift, the vibe was serious in parts where it needed to be, animation quality SKYROCKETED like never before, battle choreography was INCREDIBLE, and the lore regarding Mega Evolution really allowed a well crafted story to be played, and all flaws are more forgiving since we are talking about Pokémon which is supposed to be taken so seriously. After ALL of those achievements were made, Sun and Moon had to come in like that one family member who just always ruins the good mood wether they act like a sarcastic asshole or are too stupid to understand anything that requires an IQ over 12. Some short series were released like Evolutions which was actually FANTASTIC, oh my goodness you wouldn’t believe you’re watching Pokemon if I showed that to you, holy fish paste. Zinnia also being Platinum’s favorite waifu, though for some reason they retconned her skin color light brown which looked great by the way. Who knows, maybe there wasn’t enough R34 and Pokemon company can’t do that themselves for obvious reasons.

[AaronKrieger]

The internet increasingly influences each newer generation, so I think for us, we partly see the world through the lens of the internet. It's apart of why it's a different world now. 2016 was barely different, but on the internet it's significant.

Now what we see through those lens is going to depend on the person, so what we consider cool/lame is different. Also, a large portion of what dictates that is your upbringing.

For me, my father's interests who is almost 40 years older mixed with my unmonitored access to to games, movies, and the internet as a child. I am into a lot of older shit due to that, which a lot others experienced too, but not everyone. So it's bound to vary just due to something like that.

[WhiteSteve]

Interesting. I have some friendly acquaintances your age because I play hockey and depending on the venue I play with people who are like 12 all the way up to almost 80. One of my buddies in a skills class I take is a senior in high school, he’s 18, couple years younger than you. I was asking him what he gets into for music, and told me Slipknot. He’s always chirping me that I’m even older than his dad lmao (secretly hurts😂), but his dad is probably like 42, so I’m guessing he’s a Slipknot guy and he just got his kid into it. Even when I was in high school…my teenage years were LEGENDARY for music. Nirvana, 2Pac, Biggie, Dr. Dre, Smashing Pumpkins…. the list goes on and on…. and during that time, I had people my age who were like “Nah, this new shit sucks, man…. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd…THAT’S real music! I wish I grew up in the 70s!”, and I assume that influence came from their parents.

That’s a good point about the internet. I have a very young soul, I don’t feel my age at all, I feel closer to your age…but now is when I’m starting to truly feel out of the loop, haha. I was able to blend in with the Millenials to some degree when I was in my 30s, but I think Gen Z is just so internet-heavy that I can’t relate. Like this site is about the extent of anything I do in terms of social media. I don’t have Facebook or Instagram or TikTok, none of that. I can’t be found online, lmao, and I LOVE IT THAT WAY. I have a cousin your age and I can hang with her like a peer nowadays, except where we disconnect is when she and her sister start talking about needing to take B-roll for a TikTok video they want to make. That’s when I’m like “oh, ok…. I’m an old now😔”😂

[AaronKrieger]

You were in a pretty good decade as a teenager now thinking about, since a lot of bands from the 60's/70's weren't too old to stop touring yet like Steven Tyler, so it'd be cool to see them live. Every genre of music changed and not in a bad way either whether it's country, rap, hip-pop, rock, or metal. Also, it was an awesome decade for movies that came out (Unforgiven, Heat, Pulp Fiction, Tombstone, Get Shorty, etc.). Also, WWF during the Monday Night Wars if you were into that. It's weird to think of people saying "I wish grew up in the 70's!" 😂 their parents would've heard the same in the early 70's about 50's, since a lot of people began saying rock was dying by that point.

Yeah, you definitely are going to relate to Millennials more than Gen Z, since they were the last generation to have a relatively normal childhood before the internet and phones being so prevalent. I experienced some of it, but it's not the same. You having a young soul, I know it must weird the hell out of you thinking about when my people my age were born or older 😂 For me, I'm 20 and it feels weird thinking about how now there are 14-year-olds that were born in 2010. Hell anyone after 2005 I do not even recognize as being the same generation as me, lmao. The Social media stuff too makes sense, since social media has changed a lot over the years.

[AaronKrieger]

You know, it's ironic the topic we are talking about, as I have recognized you over the years and when I started I think it said 37/38? You've kept the same profile picture too, but some reason I always paid attention to what your age updated to if I saw you replied somewhere. This would be when I would reawaken from my inactivity on here every year (I do shit like this for other people too).

[WhiteSteve]

Yeah, man, I’m definitely biased, but I swear the 80s were the best time to be a child, and the 90s were the best time to be a teenager, and I hit it PERFECT. I didn’t quite understand all the 70s guys back then, but a few years later in college I was exposed to more of that stuff, and I think that was a great decade for music too. They weren’t wrong about the 70s, the were just wrong about the 90s, haha. But we had some TOUGH stuff that came out back then too that didn’t make the highlight reel that people your age see, so there was more cause to reject some stuff, whereas we were currently watching the 70s highlight reel, missing the trash. I thought this was awesome when I was 14, because of the music video, but this is the HOTTEST of garbage lmfao…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtffv9bpB-U

But yeah, I’m just like a medium internet guy, and the Gen Zs are heavy. That’s the real disconnect.

And yeah, man, been here a long time, 12 years now (sad, lmao), and I’ve probably had like 3 or 4 pics, I don’t bother changing them much. I look the same as that, just with dickhead hair right now😂

[Anonymous]

i'm 23, so practically past my heyday 😭😭 in terms of being cool & young. would say for me that would have been really 2015-2022 (so 14-21 years old). for clothes stuff, though a lot of people my age (myself included) still dabble a lot in this stuff i dont think people two years older really do not as much for a lot of these: baggy jeans (though i feel like skinnier jeans are coming back) especially ones with cargo pockets or lowrise, skirts & pants with a double waistline (like a faux peaking underwear thing for ex), bootcut leggings with a slit at the bottom, y2k fashion, bows everywhere, coquette fashion, belted skirts & dresses, oversize tops, sheer clothes, metallics, crop tops, opium style, blazers esp matching blazer & skirt/bottoms sets, chunky sneakers, 2000s kitten heels, 2000s fashion in gen, rose details chokers, cutout tops, ripped sweaters, dyed hair, multiple ear piercings, akubi fashion, etc

i think lame rn would be aesthetics and trends from 2014-2022 basically

for non clothes stuff i think indie artists & just indie stuff in gen (like clothes labels, movies, etc), rap & the big pop names, the typical social media apps from the last couple years, whatever is trending on netflix, reality shows like 90 day fiance, youtube channels like cut or jubilee, etc

lame would be boomers, fortnite, andrew tate, onlyfans

[WhiteSteve]

See, this is why you always save your old clothes. I used to work at Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister Co in the 00s (not to scare you, but it feels like five years ago, time is absolutely zooming), but I luckily have stayed in shape and all my old stuff fits me. I don’t know if the idiot frat boy t-shirts with obnoxious slogans have come back, but if so…. I’ll sell them for top dollar as vintage, because there’s no way I’m walking around at 44 in a t-shirt that says “I’ve seen better” or “My other t-shirt is on your girlfriend.”🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ But yeah, a lot of these stuff is all things the ladies of my day were wearing. But it’s kind of fused with 90s stuff if it’s baggy, in the 2000s the big thing was low-rise flare jeans that fit tight. Oh man….. what a time to be a young man, I count my stars that it timed out like that for me😍😅🙏

[WhiteSteve]

Also striking to me…. something as recent as 2022 is out. That totally tracks. I was 13 in 1992. By 1994, when I was 15, I was wearing different clothes. I feel like the early part of a decade is dragging old stuff from previous years plus attempts at innovative new styles for the new decade, the middle of the decade truly defines what the decade is in retrospect, and the late decade is weird extensions of mid decade styles, plus early stabs at next-decade innovation. Like in rock music terms, up to 1992, there was hair metal, dudes in tight jeans or leather pants with long teased hair, Motley Crue, that kind of thing. After 1992, everyone was like “FUCK THAT, I’m onto the grunge scene”, and everyone had scraggly hair and flannel shirts with cargo shorts and boots. Full on Pearl Jam, Nirvana, all that. Absolutely huge. Rap was changed too. Early 90s rap had a lot of weird stuff. There was early gangsta rap like NWA, then conscious rap like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, etc…. but then there was this weird pop rap that was like almost R&B or almost dance music. That fell off, and gangsta rap kind of became West Coast and East Coast, LA and NYC, primarily, by ‘94. Wu-Tang Clan came out, they were game-changers too.

Last thing…we’re saying the indie stuff is lame or it’s cool? I think you’re saying it’s cool, but just making sure, haha.

Glad to Andrew Tate is lame, that should be a slam dunk, haha

Also, please let the other yout’s know that boomers are like 65-plus, don’t lump us Gen Xers in with them, those are our parents, we think they’re lame too😝

[NathanDavis]

I just never bothered with trends or these tags... and still don't

never heard of being uncool or something either... lol

but, among other things I'm a tutor and a coach too, so... I just know the younger generations as they are and they see me as I am, there is no pretending to belong or anything like that... we just are. Without all these tags or trends too

[WhiteSteve]

I feel that. That’s how we SHOULD look at it. I definitely try to transcend it. I’m a big clothes guy, haha, so I’m kind of tethered to what’s current, not what’s trendy and will be gone in a year or two, but more general stuff like “how are our pants going to fit for this next decade?”, haha. What’s available in stores takes some of the guesswork out. But I like to wear looks that might be from another time. One of my favorite pieces I own is an old letterman’s SWEATER, like what they wore before the letterman jacket we’ve seen more recently, this is a wool cardigan from the 1960s. People legit shout to me from passing cars about it, haha. I also kind of like the “disheveled frat boy” look with jeans, an untucked dress shirt, not buttoned all the way, and a striped tie, worn loosely…. but I feel like that’s from the early 90s. Or maybe Ellen DeGeneres could pull it off, lmfao.

But yeah, I hear ya, man, I wish we all just lived and didn’t focus so much on our ages and who wears what, listens to what, talks like however, etc…

[NathanDavis]

I've always been known for being that "cool guy that doesn't give a..." lol

[BlissfullyCurSed]

Anyone over 40 is lame🙃🙃🙃.

[WhiteSteve]

Pretty much what I feared😂

What’s the mood on 40-something’s who pass for 30-something, and are wicked cool kids who waste time on GAG?⚖️🤔 Surely that can’t be lame🤓

[BlissfullyCurSed]

You are still over 40, Steve. Roll with it🤡🤡🤡

[WhiteSteve]

Womp-wahhhhhhh, lmao

[Massageman]

72.

Learn, work, earn.

Laziness and a "the world owes me a living" attitude.

[WhiteSteve]

I respect that. Old school🫡

[Phoenix98]

Well my generation was the 90s so grunge, punk rock, suit jackets that were way to big, cigarettes, Tamagotchi's, gameboys, the internet man younger kids just don't know the pain of dial up internet and having tell yell at your family to get off the phone because your trying to use the internet.

[getwiththepg]

You can thank Jay Z for getting rid of the throwback jerseys that were running the early aughts.

[WhiteSteve]

True. “I don’t wear jerseys, I’m 30-plus” hit hard, haha. I had an OJ Simpson Jersey I wore to court a couple of times when I was a young knucklehead😂

[getwiththepg]

Braaahhh wearing a jersey much less an OJ one to court is wild lmfao

[WhiteSteve]

Strolled out with a CWOF once, and the other I only got six months probation unsupervised. White privilege like you read about💀💀💀

[getwiththepg]

Lmao. Yeah no way in hell I’d ever try that

[turnpost]

Asking this sort of question loll

[WhiteSteve]

I don’t know, man, I was bored. Isn’t that why we’re here? Lmao

[turnpost]

Lol your open to ask this question. I am sure I have asked more lame questions lol.

To truly answer your question I dont know what my generation likes or dislikes it seems. I think nostalgia bating, MCU (as it is getting over saturated)

[Malwi93]

probably the whole hip hop aesthetic