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Heh, I love these kinds of discussions. According to most sources I'm a boomer, my brother who is a year younger is a part of Gen X. I wonder if he realizes I ruined his life? And his retirement?
Stupid, shallow, greedy people exist in all generations, not just the boomers. When I was a teen I certainly didn't run around with the latest high tech gadget in my pocket that cost my parents half a weeks salary, just because all my friends had one.
I will say again that naming these generations is strictly a marketing game. Marketers have these neat categories with alleged generational names that lump people together strictly from birth years.
The demographic event of the baby boom (when each birth cohort was bigger than the previous one) was basically from 1946 to about 1957, and certainly came down in 1960+ with the advent of birth control pills. People born in 1946 were young adults when people were born in 1964. There is no cohesive connection except marketing
I was born smack in the middle of it, 1953, one of two kids, when the demographic transition from larger families (and few rights for women, little reliable birth control, and illegal abortion ruled the day and choices). My father was one of ten, my mother one of three, both from hardscrabble Slavic immigrants. I noticed that of my father and his siblings, the average child production was about 2.2 each, averaged out. Quite a transition.
Complex social trends, vast unsettling changes, threatening economic conditions, etc. etc....these things require a scapegoat for people to vent against in the face of feelings of helplessness.
Blame the Jews because you lost the war, and times are desperate, blame illegal immigrants because your plant closed, etc. etc. Fortunately the cohort(s) identified as Baby Boomers are mainstream, so it all fizzles out in silly sputtering rather than becoming a matter for vigilanteeism and thuggery.
I'm a Boomer - and I was taught by my depression-era parents to save, save, save. Not buy, buy, buy.
Thank you, Mom and Dad
I totally agree with you. I was taught by my parents how to survive even when times were bad. Also to save for a Rainy Day.
I think the baby boomers made one huge mistake. Giving too much to their children because they felt guilty that they were both working and their children were neglected emotionally. They made their children into monster consumers and those children carried that into their own families and now we have a generation of Entitlement rather than Survival.
Now that times are a little tough, the weakness we have created is surely showing.
When the government figures out how to destroy the majority of the baby boomers in the next few years, our wealth will be unleashed and we will have paid our debt.
I totally agree with you. I was taught by my parents how to survive even when times were bad. Also to save for a Rainy Day.
I think the baby boomers made one huge mistake. Giving too much to their children because they felt guilty that they were both working and their children were neglected emotionally. They made their children into monster consumers and those children carried that into their own families and now we have a generation of Entitlement rather than Survival.
Now that times are a little tough, the weakness we have created is surely showing.
When the government figures out how to destroy the majority of the baby boomers in the next few years, our wealth will be unleashed and we will have paid our debt.
And "X" is the generation complaining about Boomers, usually.
So - another question - does that mean that a lot of Boomers were bad parents and didn't prepare their children?
I have no children - can't blame me
Yes! IF the Baby Boomers have "ruined" anything its by raising children that who are weak and immature beyond their years. One of the things that made American great as luck of the draw - great resources - not hard to make a great nation with the riches we had. The second thing was the people. I'm afraid we are drawing low on both.
So now we see all those weak children who have there own youngsters moving back home.
Baby boomer women have the lowest birth rate per couple of any generation preceeding. Many of us have chosen to be childfree by choice. Birth control and divorce has worked wonders for the birth rate.
Sorry if some parents raise spoiled kids. It's not exactly a new event.
Boomers are the "Pig in the Snake" so they by there sheer numbers cause problems whether they want to or not. Employer based pensions under ERISA were no big problem but the actuarial prospect of that large a lump of retirees cause them to come up with the 401k scam. Medicare is the same, the politicians have spent the boomers contributions by raiding the Social Security trust and now the prospect of providing them medical coverage and retirement has brought us to where we are today.
If only we had known that they were going to grow old we could have removed the cap on the wage tax and been able to pay for all of this.
Actually our best hope is that the Grand Limburger will lead millions of his lemmings off a cliff and thin the herd
Most boomers I know were born mid to late 50's, early 60's and then IF they got married and had kids, that was in the 80's and 90's - most of the people I know still have kids in high school if not younger. One of my good friends is 48 - she has 4 boys (20, 17, 10 and 8) so she'll be working for a while.
I think we have a way to go, actually.
Most I knew grew up pretty grounded but there are groups that were spoiled. Our children seem to expect more and I think a lot of that is from the advertising and the media (you must have the latest....)
All boomers are not created equal just as Gen X and Y are not.
People who are materialistic and make poor financial decisions are of all ages. I would say that in my experience, those who are prudent with their money are in the minority.
I am watching my daughter and her husband, who are in their mid 30s, make the dumbest financial decisions you can imagine. They are in debt up to their eyeballs, yet they have a housekeeper, go off on foreign holidays, drive nice cars, etc etc. It is heartbreaking for me to watch when I know if they had played their cards right, they could have had their house paid for by now.
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