I’m not sure why genx is surprised by the “nobody wants to work anymore” mentality from boomers. They were our parents. We were latchkey kids. We were the first generation with both parents out of the house regularly and had to fend for ourselves. We were the first generation with the explosion of the microwave (and instant meals). While kids always played until dark, boomers had the benefit of mother’s watchful eye from the kitchen window or a strong social network (so, you knew neighbors also kept an eye out).
Why are we so shocked that these people turned around and became our bosses, who expect us to be 100% autonomous, expect us to fill the gaps, and offer little guidance/support?
I think the problem is that we are so used to it, we always did it. It took millennials/genZ to say, “um, this is not always ok…”