Why, when I was a boy... 

Da often-largely-bu**s**t "you think THAT'S difficult/meager/boring?? You coddled soft-livin' young people of today haven't a bleepin' CLUE about how dull/tough/harsh things USED to be for the common person!" retort given by arrogant elders to try to brush off a whiny-but-often-perfectly reasonable/legitimate request/complaint/excuse proffered by someone "from da newer generation".

Before you go sagely wagging your finger and snorting, "Why, when I was a boy..." anytime a younger person whimpers/protests to you about something, you should first seriously consider whether whatever "way back when" condition that you are referring to was truly fair/wise/healthy, or if it was merely based on the "unenlightened" prejudiced/close-minded/stereotypical thinking, unawareness/disregard for basic health/safety concerns, etc. which was so tragically rampant "back in the good ol' days", such as toxic building-materials, leaded gasoline, racial hatred, disregard for the dangers of radioactivity, lack of tolerance/sympathy/allowances for physically and/or mentally-challenged citizens, etc. Maybe the "young whippersnapper" who is bringing his dissatisfaction to your attention does indeed have a valid point which stems from modern-day knowledge and progressive thinking --- again, just because YOU had to put up with all of that "insipid/hard/agonized-living" crap during your formative years does **not** arbitrarily mean that it was fair or safe or reasonable, and therefore you should not blindly use it as a justifying example of what said youngster should think/tolerate nowadays.

Why, when I was a boy... by QuacksO August 4, 2019