It's just the feeling of nostalgia and getting old. Every generation feels this way and every generation has it's progressives and traditionalists. I think the biggest X factor in our generation was the internet. We went to bed teenagers with game boys and woke up to the entire world in our pocket, for better AND worse. Our parents didn't know how to keep us from seeing 2 girls 1 cup, or some dude getting shot. They used the childblocks and checked our browser history. They were involved!
Our parents generation love to talk about the new opportunies we had, but not the new threats. Especially not the ones they didn't know about. Nobody wants to feel like they failed.
They worked hard and got what they got, all while listening to our grandparents belittle them. Now they are sad and old and don't understand why their kids don't have better qualities of lives. It was never the pizza parties, it's the infrastructure.
That's what I see at least. A bunch of people just trying to do the best for them and theirs. I'm glad to at least be part of a union and have a chance at making a living wage outside of construction.