I have to admit it; I’m getting old. But I like to think that I’m still in touch with the youth. I may be a little washed up, but I’m hip enough that I can translate what young people say and do for adults. So when I found myself mildly irked by something a teenager did this morning, I felt compelled to make a vastly sweeping claim about their entire generation based on that one single interaction.
When I picked up coffee today, I learned from my teenage barista that the price rose to $5.69. Naturally, I said, “Heh heh, sixty-nine,” in response. To my surprise, my young barista did not chuckle. They just waited until I paid for my order, thanked me, and moved on to the next customer. That’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks: teenagers just don’t have a sense of humor anymore.
When I was a teen, my friends and I laughed at “sixty-nine” all the time. It never got old! Decades later, everyone thinks the exact same joke is still funny to say over and over again. I bet I wasn’t even the only middle-aged person to say it to them this morning, and wouldn’t be the last of everyone in line waiting behind me. It’s an unfortunate example of how teens today just don’t want to loosen up like we used to.
In fact, I’ve read that Gen Z doesn’t drink. Good for them, honestly, but I can’t help but feel a little judged when I come to the café hungover at eleven a.m. on a weekday. I may have trouble seeing the sun before I’ve had my morning pick-me-up, but I sure can see those uppity eyes waiting for me to finish my transaction. It only takes two seconds to laugh, even during a busy shift. Heck, I’m on the clock too, and I can find time to have fun while dodging remote work. Why can’t they? I suppose today’s young people are just more serious than we are.
Look, I know I sound old. I know I sound out of touch. I know that my parents complained about people my age when I played video games on a single sunny afternoon. And that their parents complained about kids their age when they got caught smoking weed one single time. But I really think this generation is different. I can’t speak for everyone my age, but I personally choose to accept that everyone their age behaves this way, and I won’t let it ruin my late-morning coffee.
Oh look at that, she just laughed at someone saying “six-seven.” They’re trying, I guess.
