86% of Gen Z and Millennials have 'menu anxiety'

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

1 hour ago, Charlie said:

Given all the questions here about different providers on Rentmen, I'd say that most members here--regardless of generation--have their own version of menu anxiety among expensive choices.

[Rudynate]

12 hours ago, soloyo215 said:

I don't think so. I grew up with computers (first PC I had was in 1985, first mobiule phone I had was in 1987). Been using electronic devices for over four decades. Those differences are just cultural. This presenting an issue that all people have regardless of age. Indecision and anxiety about reading a menu is not a generation problem.

I often have difficulty deciding what I want in a restaurant - but it isn't anxiety provoking.   When I'm in that frame of mind, I choose something on impulse. 

[Rudynate]

13 hours ago, Pensant said:

They’re also whining about basic training and mean drill sergeants and shitty food on TikTok and other social media.

I didn't think mean drill sergeants even existed anymore.  When I was in the Army (in the 70s), I was surprised at how "not mean" our drill sergeant and the cadre sergeants were.  I admired them actually - they were all really snappy black men who had all done at least one tour in Viet Nam.

[BonVivant]

On 12/18/2023 at 10:40 AM, soloyo215 said:

Why on Earth do we keep acting as if Gen Z-ers and Millennials are some kind of human mutation, different from the rest of the human race?

Umm… they’re allergic to peanuts. When did that happen?

Edited December 20, 2023 by BonVivant

[BonVivant]

On 12/19/2023 at 12:41 PM, Charlie said:

Given all the questions here about different providers on Rentmen, I'd say that most members here--regardless of generation--have their own version of menu anxiety among expensive choices.

Not me… I know exactly what I want. Price can influence who I pick. But then again I’m Gen X and we had to navigate the world on our own from a wee young age. Life and death decisions were made in a blink of an eye. 

[Ali Gator]

On 12/19/2023 at 8:00 AM, maninsoma said:

Apparently anxiety is the "in" condition, and it certainly isn't limited to Gen Z and Millennials.  Just look at the normalization of "emotional support animals."  It must be terrible to be so emotionally fragile that you cannot shop for groceries without your dog.

I see the normalization of 'emotional support animals' only among Zoomers and Millennials on the college campus where I work. I don't see the Boomers and Gen Xers (who make up the faculty and staff) walking around with support animals. 

[+ tassojunior]

Boomers see a menu and read down the list of 20 in order.

Gen Z sees that menu and tries to open 20 windows at once. 

[marylander1940]

I would share this wisdom with most millennials and generation z:

Just because you have a phone in your hand, and you see when your Uber is coming...

[Ali Gator]

I blame Starbucks for 'menu anxiety'. How can these fragile millennial minds know how to order off the menu ? 

[Guest]

[Ali Gator]

This past week in my office (I work at a University), we had to mail some packets out to welcome new students for the upcoming Spring semester. Unfortunately, our printer was down (it was acting up the past week or so - time for a new one when we return in January), so we had to hand-write the addresses on address labels (including the University address for a return address). We had about 2 dozen to do, so I asked two the student workers (a Junior - 20 years old / a Senior - 21 years old) to help out.

Never mind the fact that they can only 'print' since they never learned 'cursive' (and a few years ago, an email went out from the President's Office instructing faculty and staff NOT to write in cursive when hand-writing something down - such as instructions - to a student).  These students (Gen Z) DO NOT know how to address an envelope. They stared at the address on the paper I gave them, printed out clearly. They then looked at the white address label where they needed to write the address (then detach it and stick it to the envelope).  I had to teach them how the person's name goes on the first line, street address on the second, and city / state / zip on the third line. Then I had to show them how to do the return address on the smaller label to attach to the top left corner. 

 

When I asked, they both said they never had to address a piece of mail before. They've received mail, but never paid attention to the front of the envelope where the address is. (The Junior student told me she was getting anxiety trying to figure this out - so could I assign her something else ? )

We're so doomed. 

 

[CuriousByNature]

41 minutes ago, Ali Gator said:

This past week in my office (I work at a University), we had to mail some packets out to welcome new students for the upcoming Spring semester. Unfortunately, our printer was down (it was acting up the past week or so - time for a new one when we return in January), so we had to hand-write the addresses on address labels (including the University address for a return address). We had about 2 dozen to do, so I asked two the student workers (a Junior - 20 years old / a Senior - 21 years old) to help out.

Never mind the fact that they can only 'print' since they never learned 'cursive' (and a few years ago, an email went out from the President's Office instructing faculty and staff NOT to write in cursive when hand-writing something down - such as instructions - to a student).  These students (Gen Z) DO NOT know how to address an envelope. They stared at the address on the paper I gave them, printed out clearly. They then looked at the white address label where they needed to write the address (then detach it and stick it to the envelope).  I had to teach them how the person's name goes on the first line, street address on the second, and city / state / zip on the third line. Then I had to show them how to do the return address on the smaller label to attach to the top left corner. 

 

When I asked, they both said they never had to address a piece of mail before. They've received mail, but never paid attention to the front of the envelope where the address is. (The Junior student told me she was getting anxiety trying to figure this out - so could I assign her something else ? )

We're so doomed. 

 

I hope you told them to suck it up and get the job done.

[Ali Gator]

1 hour ago, CuriousByNature said:

I hope you told them to suck it up and get the job done.

I told them. Then I heard them huff and puff and sigh while they were doing it. 

I checked the envelopes when they were done (and they were done correctly), and I said: "See - you learned something new today. Now you know how to address an envelope or even a package if you're sending something out in the future. The mystery of mail is over." 

They rolled their eyes. 

Last night at dinner I was telling a friend of mine (we both turned 60 this year). She reminded me that we learned how to write out an envelope in the fourth grade. The art teacher 'made a mailbox' out of a cardboard box and brought it into each 4th grade room - and we had to address the envelope and put a (fake) stamp on it, and put it in the mailbox to be mailed.  It was part of a basic lesson on how the mail works.

So sad those days are gone.  

[prof]

3 hours ago, Ali Gator said:

This past week in my office (I work at a University), we had to mail some packets out to welcome new students for the upcoming Spring semester. Unfortunately, our printer was down (it was acting up the past week or so - time for a new one when we return in January), so we had to hand-write the addresses on address labels (including the University address for a return address). We had about 2 dozen to do, so I asked two the student workers (a Junior - 20 years old / a Senior - 21 years old) to help out.

Never mind the fact that they can only 'print' since they never learned 'cursive' (and a few years ago, an email went out from the President's Office instructing faculty and staff NOT to write in cursive when hand-writing something down - such as instructions - to a student).  These students (Gen Z) DO NOT know how to address an envelope. They stared at the address on the paper I gave them, printed out clearly. They then looked at the white address label where they needed to write the address (then detach it and stick it to the envelope).  I had to teach them how the person's name goes on the first line, street address on the second, and city / state / zip on the third line. Then I had to show them how to do the return address on the smaller label to attach to the top left corner. 

 

When I asked, they both said they never had to address a piece of mail before. They've received mail, but never paid attention to the front of the envelope where the address is. (The Junior student told me she was getting anxiety trying to figure this out - so could I assign her something else ? )

We're so doomed. 

 

You'll be happy to know that grade schools resumed teaching cursive around 10 yrs ago (at least in the Chicago area). 

[Ali Gator]

5 hours ago, prof said:

You'll be happy to know that grade schools resumed teaching cursive around 10 yrs ago (at least in the Chicago area). 

Not in my area. It's very sad. They also don't understand Roman numerals. Or telling time on an analog clock (that completely stresses them out). 

Everything I learned by fourth grade (early 1970s) they don't understand in college.

[BSR]

2 hours ago, Ali Gator said:

They also don't understand Roman numerals.

So they have no idea which Super Bowl they're watching??  Horrors

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

12 hours ago, prof said:

You'll be happy to know that grade schools resumed teaching cursive around 10 yrs ago (at least in the Chicago area). 

California will begin teaching cursive as a mandate next year!

[Ali Gator]

10 hours ago, BSR said:

So they have no idea which Super Bowl they're watching??  Horrors

They do not. They just know they are watching a Super Bowl game. Which one it is - they don't really care. (They are too busy betting on their phones).