A viral roundup titled “7 times boomers proved they’re completely out of touch with reality” has reignited a global conversation about a widening generational divide — not just about attitudes, but about economics, mental health, work and the basic rules of adulthood VegOut. What began as a punchy listicle that lampooned tired advice — “just buy a house,” “college fixes everything,” “toughen up” — quickly exposes deeper structural shifts that make many older-era playbooks impractical or even harmful for younger generations. For Thai readers, the piece is more than internet schadenfreude: it holds up a mirror to similar tensions in Bangkok apartments, Chiang Mai co‑working spaces and family dinner tables across the country, and prompts a look at evidence from housing data, labour reports and mental‑health research that explain why younger people are frustrated, anxious and changing their life plans.
The VegOut article gives seven bite‑size moments where boomer thinking clashes with today’s realities — housing affordability, entry‑level job requirements, frequent job‑hopping, the rising cost of higher education, stigma around mental health, naïveté about modern media, and a misplaced faith in a neat, secure retirement. Each anecdote in the list connects to measurable trends. Housing affordability has deteriorated in many countries as prices and mortgage costs outpaced incomes, a pattern noted repeatedly by economists and real‑estate analysts National Association of Realtors commentary and market reports. Wages and hiring patterns today favour different strategies than the “start in the mailroom” narrative: data from payroll processors show job‑changers achieving larger pay gains than stayers, underlining a labour market in which mobility and skills often beat long tenure ADP pay insights. Meanwhile, the cost of higher education has risen for decades — the College Board documents how tuition has climbed faster than inflation over long stretches College Board Trends in College Pricing — leaving many graduates with heavy debt burdens and lower returns on investment. Polling shows that confidence in institutions once assumed reliable — from mainstream news outlets to government retirement systems — has eroded: roughly half of non‑retirees in a 2023 Gallup survey said they do not expect Social Security to pay them a benefit when they retire Gallup, and other research documents shrinking trust in the media Pew Research Center. On mental health, behavioral scientists argue that “tough it out” mindsets are outdated; modern resilience emphasizes therapy, workplace adjustments and prevention Dr. Kristen Lee profile and work.
Why this matters in Thailand is obvious but worth spelling out: Thai young adults face parallel structural pressures and cultural expectations that leave them caught between traditional advice and present realities. Bangkok real‑estate and affordability metrics show pressure on first‑time buyers and renters alike; the ULI Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index and local reporting documented high house‑price‑to‑income ratios in recent years, and Thai news outlets have covered the “first home blues” among millennials ULI Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index and The Nation Thailand coverage of Thai housing ratios. Employment patterns in Thailand — a mixture of gig work, contract roles and uneven wage growth — mirror global shifts that reward flexibility and skills rather than long tenure in one firm [NESDC social report / ILO trends]. The result is a generational friction that is not merely rhetorical: it shapes marriage timing, living arrangements (many young Thais continue to live with parents), and plans for education and retirement.
The VegOut list’s first point — the “just buy a house” refrain — underlines a simple mismatch between lived memory and current economics. In the U.S., a combination of decades of real‑estate appreciation, supply constraints in key cities, and higher mortgage rates has pushed median prices to multiples of median incomes; NAR economists have repeatedly described affordability as unusually weak in recent years NAR commentary and market articles. In Thailand, while Bangkok is not San Francisco, many central neighborhoods command prices out of reach for early‑career workers. International indices and local reporting show Bangkok among major cities where property per unit and square‑metre prices can put home ownership beyond households earning typical early‑career wages Numbeo property price rankings and Knight Frank market reports. The cultural touchstone — that young people should move out, get a mortgage and buy a condo near the BTS — ignores a reality where down‑payments, transfer fees and monthly mortgage obligations can consume the majority of an entry‑level salary. For Thai readers, this translates to practical choices: delayed marriage, multi‑generational households, longer commutes from suburbs or provinces, and increased reliance on rental markets.
The second and third points in the list — entry‑level roles demanding experience, and frequent job moves as a rational strategy — are supported by labor data and career‑market studies. Recruiters and platforms have documented that many “entry‑level” jobs list one to three years of experience, or specific software skills, a trend that frustrates graduates and young hires LinkedIn and Coursera analyses of entry‑level postings Coursera explainer. At the same time, payroll series have shown that job‑changers often achieve faster nominal pay growth than job‑stayers — a structural reality that makes career mobility attractive even at the cost of appearing disloyal to older generations ADP Pay Insights and employment reports. In Thailand this dynamic shows up in rising contract roles, the islanding of permanent full‑time posts into more precarious forms, and in business practices where on‑the‑job training is less common than in past decades. HR commentators in Bangkok and regional employers increasingly speak of “skill pipelines” and competency over long institutional tenure; young Thai professionals often switch companies to gain salary increases and new responsibilities, a move that can be misunderstood by older relatives expecting single‑company loyalty.
The list’s item on higher education warns against the reflexive “college solves everything” advice. The College Board and other analysts track decades of tuition growth that outpaced inflation, and the return on investment for some degrees is no longer automatic College Board Trends in College Pricing. In the U.S., student debt is a national issue; in Thailand the problem takes different forms — rising tuition at private institutions, growth in loan programmes and the pressure of bridging high‑cost majors with a limited domestic job market. Financial educators argue that the decision to study should be accompanied by careful planning about debt, expected earnings and alternative pathways such as vocational training or skill certificates [financial education commentary]. For Thai families — where tertiary education remains a status marker and an investment — the message is to weigh course choice, scholarship options and realistic market prospects, not just prestige.
Mental health is one of the most consequential divides flagged by the list. The “tough it out” ethos common in older generations often treats stress and burnout as moral failings rather than health issues. Behavioural‑science experts and clinicians emphasize that resilience is not just ruggedness; it’s the capacity to adjust systems, seek help and practice prevention Dr. Kristen Lee on resilience and clinical practice. In Thailand there is rising public conversation about anxiety, depression and workplace burnout, but stigma and under‑resourcing of services remain barriers. Workplace culture, filial expectations and “saving face” norms can make it hard for young Thais to seek care. That dynamic echoes the VegOut piece’s point: when older relatives respond to therapy with “we just got on with it,” they discount the benefits of treatment and the real risks of untreated mental distress. Practical steps include normalising care, expanding employer mental‑health coverage, and using local community resources and telemedicine to improve access.
The article’s observations about media trust and information literacy are another area with clear policy and personal implications. Older generations grew up with a small set of mainstream news sources that carried a certain gatekeeping authority; today’s information ecosystem is vast and fragmented, with social platforms amplifying both niche journalism and misinformation. Surveys show falling trust in mass media alongside higher reliance on social feeds, a context that creates confusion and polarization Pew Research and Gallup reporting on media trust Gallup on trust trends. Thai audiences feel this too: social platforms are a primary source of news for many young people, but the quality and bias of content vary. Media literacy — learning to cross‑check sources, understand incentives behind outlets, and identify deepfakes — has become a life skill. Rather than dismissing younger people’s scepticism as cynicism, it helps for older people to learn basic verification habits and for schools and employers to teach digital literacy.
Finally, retirement expectations have shifted. The confidence many boomers have in a tidy retirement — pensions, stable health costs, and government safety nets — is less universal today. Gallup polling showed sizeable scepticism among non‑retirees about receiving future benefits in some countries Gallup Social Security expectations. In Thailand, public pension coverage is limited for informal workers and many private‑sector schemes have become less generous; rising healthcare costs and longer life expectancy complicate planning. The VegOut list pushes the point that telling young adults simply to “save more” ignores structural constraints — stagnant wages, precarious jobs and the costs of care — and overlooks the need for policy adjustments. For Thai policymakers, expanding pension coverage, incentivising employer contributions, and improving access to affordable healthcare are practical ways to narrow the generational gap in retirement security.
Experts quoted or cited in coverage of these themes help translate anecdote into evidence. NAR chief economist commentary and ADP research provide the economic scaffolding for claims about housing and wages NAR ADP. Financial educators and behavioural scientists — like the financial educator mentioned in the VegOut piece and clinicians such as Dr. Kristen Lee — stress that advice must be grounded in current realities rather than memory. Gallup and Pew polling give us a sense of public sentiment on safety nets and media trust Gallup Pew. For Thai readers seeking local context, regional housing indices and national social reports show how global trends land at home ULI Asia Pacific report NESDC Thailand social report.
Understanding these structural shifts helps explain why the VegOut list resonates. It’s not merely that boomers are “out of touch” by temperament; it’s that their lived calibration of risk, reward and institutional reliability was formed under different macro conditions. When they advise “buy a house, get a steady job, save, and you’ll be fine,” that counsel made practical sense in a period of expanding manufacturing employment, affordable mortgages and more predictable higher‑education returns. Those conditions have changed: globalisation, technological automation, the shift from defined‑benefit pensions to defined‑contribution systems, and persistently unequal wage growth have rewired the economic landscape. The solution is not to vilify either generation, but to recognise the mismatch and update the playbook.
For Thai families and young professionals, this means translating intergenerational friction into productive conversations and concrete actions. Practical recommendations that follow the evidence include: strengthen financial literacy for students and families so educational and housing decisions are informed by realistic cost‑benefit analysis College Board and financial education resources; encourage employers to offer transparent career ladders and on‑the‑job training so “entry‑level” does not become a trap; support mobility and skills upgrading but also protect workers moving between jobs with portable benefits; expand mental‑health access and normalise care in workplaces and schools with support from clinicians and public campaigns Dr. Kristen Lee resources; teach media literacy in schools and workplaces so Thais of all ages can better evaluate sources Pew research on media habits; and for policymakers, consider measures to improve housing attainability — supply incentives, targeted subsidies, or alternative tenure models — and to widen pension coverage for gig and informal workers ULI Asia Pacific and local housing coverage.
Culturally, Thailand’s strong family networks give young people resilience many Western contexts lack — extended families often provide housing, childcare, and financial buffers. But that safety net can also mask systemic problems and delay policy responses. If families privately subsidise housing or support adult children indefinitely, the public urgency to address affordability or insecure careers may be dulled. Conversely, family solidarity is a resource: intergenerational dialogue, combined with shared learning about modern labour markets and finance, can produce hybrid strategies that blend cultural strengths with updated knowledge. Older relatives can help younger ones with savings habits or negotiating family support, while younger people can help elders learn digital verification, remote care options, and modern budgeting tools.
Looking ahead, the generational gap highlighted in the VegOut piece will not vanish without structural reforms and social adaptation. Expect continued tension around major life milestones — home buying, marriage, parenthood and retirement — as economic forces and cultural norms realign. For Thailand, the key policy levers lie in housing supply and planning, labour market supports for upskilling and portable benefits, and public investment in mental‑health services and media literacy education. Private sector actors — employers, lenders, universities — also have roles: revise hiring language to value potential and learning, design degree and certificate programmes aligned to market demand, and underwrite employee wellbeing.
In the short term, Thai readers can act on several fronts. Young professionals should prioritise skills that employers value (digital literacy, communication, data skills), shop for education with clear return‑on‑investment thinking, build emergency savings, and explore multiple housing options — shared living, provincial commuting, or co‑living models. Parents and older relatives should listen to younger family members’ economic constraints without defaulting to moralising advice; a practical family conversation about budgets, career pathways and mental‑health expectations can be liberating. Employers should audit their “entry‑level” postings for realistic requirements and create pathways for early‑career training; policymakers should accelerate housing policies that increase supply and protect renters.
The VegOut list succeeds because it mixes humor with real grievance; its punchlines land because they’re grounded in structural truth. The generational divide it lampoons is not solely a matter of etiquette or taste — it reflects changed economic ground. For Thai society, the task now is to translate cross‑generational irritation into practical learning: younger people need institutional reforms and realistic advice, while older people can update the stories they tell about work, health and security. That two‑way patience and fact‑based conversation will be the real antidote to the “we’re not even speaking the same language” moments that the article so memorably collects.
Sources used in this report include the original VegOut article summarising the seven examples VegOut list; commentary and market data from the National Association of Realtors on affordability NAR; ADP payroll and pay‑insights analysis showing job‑changer pay gains ADP Pay Insights; long‑term tuition and pricing trends from College Board research College Board Trends in College Pricing; polling on Social Security expectations and media trust from Gallup and Pew Gallup Social Security expectations Pew Research on media habits; discussions about the entry‑level experience from LinkedIn and Coursera LinkedIn discussion Coursera explainer; behavioural‑science and resilience resources from Dr. Kristen Lee Dr. Kristen Lee; and regional housing and social reports relevant to Thailand, including the ULI Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index and national social development reporting ULI Asia Pacific report NESDC Thailand social report. Additional local coverage on Thai housing pressures was referenced from national outlets documenting first‑home challenges The Nation Thailand.