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Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
People Share The Most Out-Of-Touch Comments Their Parents Made
Ever had a parent say something that made you realize just how much the world has changed since they were your age? You're not alone. Between asking members of the BuzzFeed Community to share the exact comments their parents made that made them realize how differently older generations see adulthood today, and u/Roblson240YT asking about the most out-of-touch thing an older person has said, the responses range from painfully relatable to surprisingly eye-opening. Here are some of the most memorable below: "That 'AI art was the same as digital art.' I'm a digital artist, by the way, and I was pretty darn annoyed at that." —anime_otaku66 "When I was a teenager, my parents kept pressuring me to get a summer job. My dad claimed that it was as easy as going door to door and applying. When I was a junior (11th-year student for non-Americans), my dad lost his job and found no one wanted to hire him — in spite of his decades of work experience. He shut up about that soon afterward." "My grandpa's advice was: 'Your grandma probably said no to me 20 times before we went on a date. I made sure I was on her porch every day, knocking to see if she had changed her mind!' Yeah, Pop, I'm pretty sure I'm getting arrested on day two for that." "One that stands out to me right now is when my mom — who is full of these — told me not to 'encourage' my son to be gay. She said that it's 'not natural.' Like my kids listen to me anyway! Not to mention that babies are born that way ... or not!" "I was homeless a while ago, and my great-grandfather found out. He gave me $50 and said to rent a motel for a week. My heart completely broke." "'Why are you renting? Why don't you just buy a house?'" "Had dinner with my grandmother last week, and she genuinely asked why I don't just marry a doctor to solve my student loan problems." "My dad got one of my gay friends blackout drunk one night, hoping (in his words) 'he'd start acting more like a man.' I told him that was BS, and it scared me to think what sort of behavior he wanted to see from my friend." "My grandma (mid-80s) called me greedy and irresponsible for spending $250,000 on a house in 2024 ('affordable' in my area), when she only spent $10,000 on her first house and raised three children in it." "I was a junior in high school. My father and I got into a heated discussion about teen pregnancies, and I was making the case that a teen could choose to have the baby and put it up for adoption. My father blurted, 'Nobody wants someone else's mistake.' I'm adopted." "I was never a girly-girl and could never compete with my cute, flirty older sister. My mother was always sure that I knew my sister was the cute one and I was the smart one. My mother couldn't even let me have that either, going so far as to say that my sister could have done as well academically if she had studied. She also told me when I was 15 that no man would ever want me because I was too strong-willed. Well, I got a PhD, had a slammin' career, and more men than I could count. When I got married at 46 (had a brief marriage in my 20s), my mother then said she was relieved because I wouldn't be an old maid. I rolled my eyes and reminded her that I had been married and had a child, and that an old maid I was not." "Between homes owned after a divorce, I was forced to rent for a year. A single mother, even in a professional job, money was tight in that area of the US. My family had zero empathy that having to pay for a decent apartment ate up almost half my income. I can't remember the comments made 40 years later, but I just remember their smug attitude and cluelessness. Everyone is now gone, and their attitude just became a memory." —visionarybee33 "My daughter was 2 years old, and my marriage had been going downhill for the entirety of her lifetime. I knew I wanted and needed to get a divorce. I went to talk to my mom about it, telling her how miserable I was and how it was negatively affecting my parenting. She was not understanding at all. In fact, she said to me, 'Don't take that little girl away from her father!' She wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. She said if I went through with the divorce, she wouldn't accept it and would continue to treat him as her son-in-law, as would the rest of the family. In other words, they would choose him over me. She even said she wouldn't help me financially or with any childcare since I broke up the family and created my own hardship. I didn't have the courage to leave him after that, knowing I would lose my family as well. It was the biggest mistake of my life." "Them: 'Congrats on your $500 scholarship! That should cover one of your two classes this semester!' Me: 'I appreciate it! won't even cover a credit, which is $900. Each class is three credits.' Them: 'Are you serious!?' Cue the surprised Pikachu face." "I was jumped and assaulted during my junior year of college. While in the hospital, I called my dad, a police officer. His comment to me was, 'Well, what did you do to encourage him?' I still have flashbacks 28 years later." —savorypunk804 "About a year ago, I was being stalked by an ex-boyfriend. When I told my mom about it, she said that back in the day, his refusal to give up would've been seen as endearing. Like, no, Mom — that's harassment." "Not understanding how much childcare costs and thinking you should just have more children." Have your parents ever said something so out-of-touch it stopped you in your tracks? Share your thoughts or story in the comments below.
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
International Travel Mistakes American Tourists Make
Quite a while back, I rounded up some American tourist travel faux pas that non-Americans called out. In the comments, people from all across the globe shared even more examples of what American tourists really need to stop doing. Here are 27 of their top responses: "When in Japan, please, for the love of God, bring some white socks to wear when touring the inside of temples and shrines. No one wants your sweaty gaijin feet all over the tatami." —fishegg "Stop going to Africa and posing with citizens who have less than you! It's a HUGE continent with so many luxuries. You're not helping anyone with your narcissistic ass!" —jdnice "'Slum tours' in India are also very cringe." —kanelflixka "As an Australian, please, for the love of Gaga, stop screeching out, 'The dingo took my baby!' at every opportunity. That was a thing that actually happened, and it was literally that — a baby girl was eaten by a wild dog, and the mother unjustly served time for murder before she was acquitted. It's not funny. It was a tragedy." —perenti "American college-age men generally have a bad reputation in almost every city in Japan because of the way they treat local women and men — especially women. It's basically a paradise for misogynistic tourists. Such as talking shit to them, openly making fun of them, groping, spitting at their faces, slapping them around, or, as in many cases, sexually assaulting or raping them. Those tourists don't seem to understand that most people — male and female — were raised to 'protect' Japan by not reacting negatively to what a tourist says or does. Just because a local doesn't react negatively still doesn't mean they're 'letting' you treat them like shit. Here's a tip: The more polite and reserved they are to you, the more they're telling you to stop what you're doing to them." —superkay "In the Caribbean, please stop assuming everyone with locs has weed to sell you. This goes to everyone, not just Americans." —isola "Please don't ask for an Irish car bomb cocktail in Ireland. Some people have a sense of humour about it, but most people don't. This also applies to any predominantly English-speaking country. Just don't do it." —yukioaqualinekirko "I used to live in Paris, and I got called out by multiple people because I didn't dress to their standards (chipped nail polish, ripped hose), and I am not a t-shirt and jeans or sweats dressing person, haha. I dress nicely and present myself nicely. It actually helped me notice minor things like that, and I applaud them for that. So 1) they do care and notice 2) maybe yet elegant." —lillemexa "A big one for me that I've noticed with tourists of multiple nationalities is when you're in a busy museum, etc., don't get right up against the glass/display. When you do that, it means nobody else can see or read any of the information. Step back one or two feet so other people can also look. It keeps people flowing through a lot more easily. Whenever I've been to the British Museum, the crowds sticking their faces as close to the Rosetta Stone as they possibly can are ridiculous. You can't see anything else by getting right up to it (unless you need to get glasses) as opposed to standing a few steps back. It creates a huge backlog of people waiting to see it and an all-around more stressful visit." —kerryb4e7ff4e7a "I'm an Indonesian, and the one thing that makes me feel weird is when Americans think Bali is the only island or city in Indonesia. Dude, Jakarta is our capital city, and that's where we get our insight and view of the outside world; there are more sweet places in Indonesia besides Bali." —ditowidarto "When you ask an American abroad where they're from, they almost always say the city or state, as if the rest of the world should know where that is. Everyone else starts out by saying the country they're from, and then maybe narrows it if the conversation progresses." —eemlly "My American colleagues are often the loudest on the U-Bahn. They're lovely, but the loud conversation makes me want to get off at the next stop. The Germans don't give the stink eye, but you can feel the judgment." —eemlly "If you travel to any working city, remember that, whilst you're standing around gawking at skyscrapers and taking selfies, some of us are in a rush, stressed, and won't take kindly to you blocking our way whilst you get excited. Enjoy the city, of course, but avoid rush hour for doing touristy stuff!" —acc41121031 "If you're going to do touristy stuff during rush hour, pay attention to what you're doing, where you're going, and, for God's sake, have your ticket/Oyster card/etc. ready to go when you're getting on/off public transport. Personally, I don't know why anyone would want to travel during rush hour if they didn't have to. In London, if you wait half an hour and get a train that will get in at 9:30 instead of 9, there's a massive difference in how busy it is. Just wait a little and have a more relaxed journey." —kerryb4e7ff4e7a "A Brit here. Please, could Americans (serial offenders) keep their voices down on the tube? Also, when visiting museums, don't be so shocked at history and how far it stretches. I once heard an American say he didn't know about ancient Egypt while visiting the British Museum. Thanks in advance." —cosmicv1bes "Canadians do not say 'aboot.' Not even close. Stop saying we say it." —kimr4ac3db893 "Here's also another one — stop thinking Canada is just snow 24/7, because news flash, it's not!" —havaneseperson "I live in Edinburgh, Scotland, which attracts a LOT of international tourists, particularly during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. Sorry to say it, but American tourists are always, ALWAYS the loudest people around. Distractingly so. You lot have voices that could penetrate steel! If you're out and about, it isn't so bad, but pleeeaaase stop speaking so loudly in enclosed public spaces. Pay attention to the volume of the locals and adjust yours accordingly! Trust me, the entire pub/restaurant/train carriage, etc., does not want to hear about your Aunt June's hip replacement back in Omaha." —clothildedauphin "Stop comparing everything in our country unfavourably with the USA. If everything is bigger, better, brighter, cheaper, etc., back home, why did you travel in the first place?" —philipn4226793a2 "Don't go to American fast food chains when you're hungry. You can eat the Big Mac back home in Arizona. Try something local. Even if you don't like it, take it as a 'once in your lifetime' meal." —munze707 People from America need to stop pretending London is the only good place and Ireland is part of England." —17ajacob "Americans think all Swedes are tall, blonde, blue-eyed models, and a lot of times they assume we're all a bunch of idiots..." —em_bexelle "Stop assuming all Asian cultures are the same! Asia is a large continent made up of many different countries. Don't assume that just because you 'had a Chinese friend in high school,' you know everything about Korea, Vietnam, India, or anywhere else. (I'm an American expat living in Asia, by the way, and am always embarrassed and annoyed when tourists/foreigners of any nationality do this)." —marcieg4f525f4ad "Not only Americans, but all native English-speaking people: don't try to talk shit about people in a foreign country. You can't understand us, but [many people] speak English nowadays, seriously." —addictaed "Announcing that you're American in a voice that implies we're jealous of you. We're not." —kathew2 And finally, these last two places are part of the US, but many tourists from the mainland vacation there: "As a Puerto Rican I also have a petition for the tourist. PLEASE stop fighting and treating the workers like crap. Don't go to restaurants, cafes, etc., and complain about the food [or leave] without paying. Don't be so rude with locals, please. We love to have all of you on our beautiful island, but be a good tourist. Oh, and also, please don't shit or pee on our streets. It's disgusting and pretty rude!" —himemoonpie "If you are visiting Hawaii, one, do not joke about the missile scare a few years back. It was quite traumatic, and the islands believed that we were going to lose our lives. Two, please do not steal lava matter. It is a crime, and we believe you will have very bad luck should you do that." —mikaelajswanson What other American tourist travel mistakes would you add to this list? Or, if you're American, what's something you wish tourists knew before visiting your city or state from abroad? Let us know in the comments! Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.
Gulf Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
US suspends student visa processing in fresh swipe at foreign applicants
The US State Department has ordered the suspension of student visa processing in the latest escalation of a Trump administration crackdown on foreign students criticised on Wednesday by China. President Donald Trump's administration is seeking unprecedented control over leading US universities, including revoking foreign student visas and deporting some of those involved in protests against the war in Gaza. A cable signed Tuesday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and seen by AFP orders embassies and consulates not to allow "any additional student or exchange visa... appointment capacity until further guidance is issued." The government plans to ramp up vetting of the social media profiles of international applicants to US universities, the cable said. Rubio earlier rescinded hundreds of visas and the Trump administration has moved to bar Harvard University from admitting non-Americans. China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday said Beijing urged Washington to "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China." Graduation students, faculty, and family pose for pictures in Harvard Yard in Cambridge. AFP Hundreds of thousands of Chinese students attend US universities, long viewed by many in China as beacons of academic freedom and rigour. The sweeping US measures have resulted in foreign governments moving to snap up affected students, with Japan and Hong Kong urging local universities to take in more international applicants. In Taiwan, a PhD student set to study at the University of California told AFP they were left "feeling uncertain" by the visa pause. "I understand the process may be delayed but there is still some time before the semester begins in mid-August," said the 27-year-old student who did not want to be identified. "All I can do now is wait and hope for the best." Protests at Harvard The suspension of visa processing came as Harvard students protested on Tuesday after the government said it intended to cancel all remaining financial contracts, Trump's latest attempt to force the institution to submit to unprecedented oversight. Trump is furious at Harvard for rejecting his administration's push for oversight on admissions and hiring, amid the president's claims the school is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and "woke" liberal ideology. A judge issued a restraining order pending a hearing on the matter scheduled for Thursday, the same day as the university's graduation ceremony for which thousands of students and their families had gathered in Cambridge, Massachusetts near Boston. Graduation students, faculty, and family gather in Harvard Yard in Cambridge. AFP The White House, meanwhile, doubled down in its offensive, saying that public money should go to vocational schools that train electricians and plumbers. "The president is more interested in giving that taxpayer money to trade schools and programmes and state schools where they are promoting American values, but most importantly, educating the next generation based on skills that we need in our economy and our society," spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News on Tuesday. Some Harvard students were worried that the Trump administration's policies would make US universities less attractive to international students. "I don't know if I'd pursue a PhD here. Six years is a long time," said Jack, a history of medicine student from Britain who is graduating this week and gave one name. Harvard itself has filed extensive legal challenges against Trump's measures. Alumni plan to file a legal brief against Trump on June 9, filmmaker Anurima Bhargava told a virtual meeting staged by Crimson Courage, a grassroots alumni group. The group is gathering thousands of signatures to show the courts the depth of support for the existing legal action. The Trump administration is also piling financial pressure on Harvard. It has announced the cutting of Harvard's government contracts, estimated by US media to be worth $100 million. In the last few weeks, the elite educational and research powerhouse has already seen billions of dollars in federal grants frozen and millions of dollars of federal contracts torn up. The university has sued both to block the revocation of its right to recruit and sponsor foreign students, 27 percent of its total roll, as well as to overturn the withdrawal of federal funding. On Monday, Trump vowed he would prevail in the increasingly public struggle with Harvard, claiming that foreign students there include "radicalised lunatics, troublemakers." Agence France-Presse
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Chinese students lament US plans to block visas
Chinese students lamented Washington's latest tirade against them on Thursday, accusing the Trump administration of acting "recklessly" and tarnishing their once-sparkling image of an American higher education. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that authorities would "aggressively" revoke the visas of Chinese students, long a major revenue stream for American colleges. Washington will also tighten visa checks on future applications from China and Hong Kong, Rubio said, days after the US government moved to ban Harvard University from enrolling non-Americans. "This US policy may seem to be a hasty decision, but it has had an immeasurably devastating impact," Bi Jingxin, a student at a college in the Chinese capital Beijing, told AFP on Thursday. "If we Chinese want to study in the US, the most important thing is its faculties and cutting-edge academic achievements," Bi, 21, said. Rubio's proposals, he added, show that Washington was "not behaving in a way that's conducive to the spread of the United States'... international academic image". "It seems that Trump and his team are acting recklessly, without any thought for the consequences," Bi said. Elsewhere on the sun-dappled campus of Beijing International Studies University (BISU) -- one of the country's most prestigious -- the mood was unseasonably gloomy. "If (the US) is targeting us so strongly, it chips away at my best options (for studying abroad), as well as my impression of the United States," 23-year-old Zhang Yue said. While she may have considered a course at an American college before, "now, my expectations of (the country) have been lowered", she told AFP, adding that she might opt for a European adventure instead. In his Wednesday statement, Rubio indicated that officials would particularly go after students "with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields". Outside BISU's library, a student who asked to be identified by his surname, Wang, said that attitude "seemed a bit unreasonable". "Students go to (the US) purely for academic progress, so they shouldn't have to deal with these kinds of inconveniences," the 19-year-old told AFP. - Classroom chaos - Young Chinese people have long been crucial to US universities, with 277,398 attending them in the 2023-24 academic year alone, according to a State Department-backed report of the Institute of International Education. Beijing's foreign ministry on Thursday blasted Washington for acting "unreasonably" and said it had lodged diplomatic representations. Also affected are large numbers of Chinese high school students preparing to study in the United States later this year, as well as a thriving private industry that helps prepare them for their lives overseas. One teacher at a Beijing-based international school said it was "heartbreaking" to see "highly aspirational" pupils wracked with uncertainty over their international futures. "The timing and short-termism of this announcement means that many of our students... have had to make major changes to their potential pathways," the teacher said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Daniel Strom, co-founder and lead consultant at Elite Scholar Advising, an educational consultancy, said many clients "remain hopeful that Trump's proposals will be reversed in the courts". But, he added, some of them had begun to look at alternatives in Britain and Canada if their plans to go to America fell through. mjw/tc
France 24
3 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Chinese students lament US plans to block visas
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that authorities would "aggressively" revoke the visas of Chinese students, long a major revenue stream for American colleges. Washington will also tighten visa checks on future applications from China and Hong Kong, Rubio said, days after the US government moved to ban Harvard University from enrolling non-Americans. "This US policy may seem to be a hasty decision, but it has had an immeasurably devastating impact," Bi Jingxin, a student at a college in the Chinese capital Beijing, told AFP on Thursday. "If we Chinese want to study in the US, the most important thing is its faculties and cutting-edge academic achievements," Bi, 21, said. Rubio's proposals, he added, show that Washington was "not behaving in a way that's conducive to the spread of the United States'... international academic image". "It seems that Trump and his team are acting recklessly, without any thought for the consequences," Bi said. Elsewhere on the sun-dappled campus of Beijing International Studies University (BISU) -- one of the country's most prestigious -- the mood was unseasonably gloomy. "If (the US) is targeting us so strongly, it chips away at my best options (for studying abroad), as well as my impression of the United States," 23-year-old Zhang Yue said. While she may have considered a course at an American college before, "now, my expectations of (the country) have been lowered", she told AFP, adding that she might opt for a European adventure instead. In his Wednesday statement, Rubio indicated that officials would particularly go after students "with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields". Outside BISU's library, a student who asked to be identified by his surname, Wang, said that attitude "seemed a bit unreasonable". "Students go to (the US) purely for academic progress, so they shouldn't have to deal with these kinds of inconveniences," the 19-year-old told AFP. Classroom chaos Young Chinese people have long been crucial to US universities, with 277,398 attending them in the 2023-24 academic year alone, according to a State Department-backed report of the Institute of International Education. Beijing's foreign ministry on Thursday blasted Washington for acting "unreasonably" and said it had lodged diplomatic representations. Also affected are large numbers of Chinese high school students preparing to study in the United States later this year, as well as a thriving private industry that helps prepare them for their lives overseas. One teacher at a Beijing-based international school said it was "heartbreaking" to see "highly aspirational" pupils wracked with uncertainty over their international futures. "The timing and short-termism of this announcement means that many of our students... have had to make major changes to their potential pathways," the teacher said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Daniel Strom, co-founder and lead consultant at Elite Scholar Advising, an educational consultancy, said many clients "remain hopeful that Trump's proposals will be reversed in the courts". But, he added, some of them had begun to look at alternatives in Britain and Canada if their plans to go to America fell through.
