Judging people en masse by "when" they were born is as useful as judging others by their gender or skin color. Political history, even when accompanied by mass killings/genocide attempts, is a continuum, not a solo event.
It has become popular over the past couple of decades to divide people up into these tribes called "generations" and give them silly names: "boomers", "X", "millennials", "Z", ad nauseum. It's got so absurd, it seems just about every new high school graduating class is now a "generation". Everyone in each tribe is said to behave the same way. Almost all of the people older than "boomers" are dead, so "boomers" are now taking the brunt of blame for everything wrong in the world, and even for what in reality are younger people's personal failures. It's all asinine.
It will be amusing to see if the young ever get around to blaming GenX for all the worlds problems since we were such a small cohort that we barely had any effect at all.
I've already read references here and there to "X" and even "millennial" people being responsible for this or that problem in the world. Rest assured, when most of the "boomers" are dead, "X" will take the rap. The same nonsense has been going on for 100,000 years, although cave men probably didn't have silly names for every new batch of people.
As Christopher Caldwell points out in the excellent The Age of Entitlement, much of the policy for which Boomers are blamed was put into place way before they showed up, or when they were too young to have enacted it. An example would be no-fault divorce and de-stigmatization of divorce. Deregulation was unfolded as many Boomers were just graduating high school and going to college.
That said, my parents, inlaws, and step-inlaws are all Boomers, and they can be difficult to tolerate. (We’re Xers.) They think money and cheap real estate are out there for the picking, and that those of us who came after them have a lot more choices in life than we do. “Just leave your job and find another higher-paying one.”
They’re all earlier Boomers (born before 1955) and think college is still “putting on a pink sweater and going to the ice-cream social with Bill in the sportcoat who’s going somewhere in the plastics industry.”
As for the rest, I have plenty of relatives that are "difficult to tolerate" and most of them are Gen Z and Millennials. I try not to blame everyone in their generations for the quirks I find annoying in the individuals.
It’s not quite clear why they are “difficult to tolerate.” Because they are positive in their worldview and you’re not? Because you think hard work is a myth? I’m genuinely mystified when I hear Gen X’ers say stuff like this.
Well, at last month’s “Boomer” meeting we discussed how to really screw the millennials!
Aside from all the nonsensical accusations, as you briefly outline, the thing that bugs me the most is the stupidity of imagining 80 million or so people are monolithic. I’m a young boomer (65yrs old) and my colleagues range from MAGA to middle of the road to outright communist. Some are rich, some are poor, and most are in-between; some are greedy, and some give away all their possessions to charity. To think that there’s a philosophy that binds us is absurd.
The best point I’ve ever heard about this “generational” nonsense is a quote about a particular generation being self-absorbed, immature, unserious, and lacking purpose. When was this? In the 1930’s—the ones who won WW2, the “Greatest Generation”!
Well, every previous generation is right, in a way.
My grampa considered the boomers lazy bums because they were still turning on, tuning in, and dropping out at shamefully old ages like, oh…19. An age at which he had been probably been working at his dad’s store for 10 years. I can imagine what he’d have thought of subsequent generations.
So..we ARE lazy bums compared to him. Then again, he retired at 55.
Agreed, although the picture is complicated by taxpayer-funded guaranteed lifetime defined-benefit pensions. Kill those with fire-so “retirement” means getting to spend what you saved while you’re working- and I’d be right where you describe.
I'm pushing 70, and I remember my first 2000-word essay assignment was about pollution. That was in 1971. So, yes, we were well aware of what was going on with the environment. We were taught that we were entering an Ice Age, and the Club of Rome insisted that we'd all die of starvation before the year 2000. We were urged by ZPG not to have children...but if we must, please no more than two per couple. We recycled pop, milk and beer bottles. We saved money. And our houses might seem cheap now, but $55,000 was a lot of money back then -- five times my salary. When I finally could buy one, my mortgage was 18%. Like most boomers I know, I didn't have it easy. I worked hard because I didn't have a choice. I didn't go out to restaurants, take vacations, get manicures. I made most of my own clothes. I didn't plot to destroy the next generation. I was only trying to survive -- just like my parents and their parents and their parents before them. I wish this generation would understand that there has been no conspiracy against them. The boomers had our challenges, we struggled to overcome them, we whined that life wasn't fair. It's not our fault that housing prices skyrocketed, but we're grateful as hell to be the beneficiaries of increased equity because unless we worked for the government, we didn't get decent pensions. Most of us got over the injustices we felt...and made the best of our lives. If this generation has any brains at all, they will, too.
I'm Gen X and everyone I know did the same thing. I graduated as a recession was starting but within a few years the economy took off as a result of the dot com boom (which later crashed). Put your head down, work hard, save and sacrifice, and life will work out.
Thanks for speaking to one of my pet peeves. One of the issues I get most annoyed with is "climate crisis is the Boomers fault". I'm a boomer (70) and vividly remember the first Earth Day (9th grade) when we all pledged to "clean up America". That implies two things: pollution preceded us and we were on the ground floor of the cleanup. You kids are very welcome, now step up to the plate.
In SoCal I am treated to weekly demonstrations by boomers in affluent area protesting Trump's fascism. Somehow I don't think any of them were at the demonstrations trying to undo all the truly fascists measure implemented including vax passports. What I would add is that the Cultural Marxism of victimhood has spread to affluent first generation immigrants. I noticed this about 5 years ago from someone who was a multi-millionaire. Recently, I overheard relatively well-off first generation immigrants say ICE only when after non-whites. Well, that kind of makes sense when you consider that those of European descent came well over a 100 years ago in boats dubbed the floating coffin to be thrown into working/housing hellholes. And, well, Black Americans, we all know that their situation was even worse. Much of their lineage pre-date almosts all of the European immigrants who came in 1880s and later. I remember a time when we were grateful the suffering others endured so we could have a better life.
But there is something particularly galling about a boomer protesting. Hearing young people earnestly say illogical things is normal. To hear a boomer complain about 'who will pick the vegetables,' protest against ICE or now pretend they are patriotic makes me want to vomit. But LA is its own universe driven by narcissism.
This is the best essay on the "everything is the boomers' fault!" phenomenon that has grown recently. The strange modern day practice of separating everyone into named tribes based on what year they were born is idiotic to begin with. Blaming one of those groups for one's own problems and failures is childish. As you said: grow up.
As far as "the counterculture movement of the 60s, for which the boomers were responsible" is concerned, yes, those were "boomers". However, the hippies, protestors, and irresponsibles were the minority. The greater majority of people of the age now called "boomers" looked down on those counterculture clowns as freaks, and laughed at them. Overwhelmingly, the people you see today who were born between the end of WWII and 1965 were not going around when they were young sticking flowers in National Guardsmen's rifle barrels or living in squalid communes. It's more likely that, as they went about trying to become responsible adults, they had contempt for those characters. The annoying elderly you see today protesting and making noise are the same fools who did the same thing when they were young, or who missed out on the fun back in the '60s and are trying to recreate it now. But now, as then, they are the minority.
It wasn't a joke, but it's a great joke that you read it as one.
I'm pretty tech-competent FOR A BOOMER (low bar), but one thing that confounds me about Substack is that occasionally it will ask you to "sign in" to a particular little Substack (even though you are already signed in to big Substack) and create a little profile. Is this like an extra hurdle for nonpaying subscribers and visitors? There's a box which subscribes you if you don't uncheck it.
Well my apologies but putting your question in the comments (not what comments are for) as you did is such a stereotypical Boomer thing to do that I assumed it was a joke.
I'd have put it in notes but couldn't do anything without signing in, so put it in comments out of frustration. Then left it there because I'd already wasted too much time. Now wasting more.
However, from what little I've read, it's restricted to about 350 volunteers and there is no government plan to forcibly “vaccinate” the general public via aerosol.
Judging people en masse by "when" they were born is as useful as judging others by their gender or skin color. Political history, even when accompanied by mass killings/genocide attempts, is a continuum, not a solo event.
You know what they say about people who generalize; they're all the same.😉
Yes, I call it “generational nonsense.”
It has become popular over the past couple of decades to divide people up into these tribes called "generations" and give them silly names: "boomers", "X", "millennials", "Z", ad nauseum. It's got so absurd, it seems just about every new high school graduating class is now a "generation". Everyone in each tribe is said to behave the same way. Almost all of the people older than "boomers" are dead, so "boomers" are now taking the brunt of blame for everything wrong in the world, and even for what in reality are younger people's personal failures. It's all asinine.
It will be amusing to see if the young ever get around to blaming GenX for all the worlds problems since we were such a small cohort that we barely had any effect at all.
I've already read references here and there to "X" and even "millennial" people being responsible for this or that problem in the world. Rest assured, when most of the "boomers" are dead, "X" will take the rap. The same nonsense has been going on for 100,000 years, although cave men probably didn't have silly names for every new batch of people.
I guess being a moron transcends generations.
Well said!
As Christopher Caldwell points out in the excellent The Age of Entitlement, much of the policy for which Boomers are blamed was put into place way before they showed up, or when they were too young to have enacted it. An example would be no-fault divorce and de-stigmatization of divorce. Deregulation was unfolded as many Boomers were just graduating high school and going to college.
That said, my parents, inlaws, and step-inlaws are all Boomers, and they can be difficult to tolerate. (We’re Xers.) They think money and cheap real estate are out there for the picking, and that those of us who came after them have a lot more choices in life than we do. “Just leave your job and find another higher-paying one.”
They’re all earlier Boomers (born before 1955) and think college is still “putting on a pink sweater and going to the ice-cream social with Bill in the sportcoat who’s going somewhere in the plastics industry.”
At least you can tranquillize them with a TV set.
Your first paragraph makes a good point. Thanks!
As for the rest, I have plenty of relatives that are "difficult to tolerate" and most of them are Gen Z and Millennials. I try not to blame everyone in their generations for the quirks I find annoying in the individuals.
It’s not quite clear why they are “difficult to tolerate.” Because they are positive in their worldview and you’re not? Because you think hard work is a myth? I’m genuinely mystified when I hear Gen X’ers say stuff like this.
At least you didn't say "all Gen X'ers."
I'll take that as progress.
Well, at last month’s “Boomer” meeting we discussed how to really screw the millennials!
Aside from all the nonsensical accusations, as you briefly outline, the thing that bugs me the most is the stupidity of imagining 80 million or so people are monolithic. I’m a young boomer (65yrs old) and my colleagues range from MAGA to middle of the road to outright communist. Some are rich, some are poor, and most are in-between; some are greedy, and some give away all their possessions to charity. To think that there’s a philosophy that binds us is absurd.
The best point I’ve ever heard about this “generational” nonsense is a quote about a particular generation being self-absorbed, immature, unserious, and lacking purpose. When was this? In the 1930’s—the ones who won WW2, the “Greatest Generation”!
It's funny how (almost?) all generations are considered "self-absorbed, immature, unserious, and lacking purpose" when they're young.
And every generation blames previous generations when they're young.
The difference with millennials and boomers is that they were both such big cohorts that everyone listened.
Well, every previous generation is right, in a way.
My grampa considered the boomers lazy bums because they were still turning on, tuning in, and dropping out at shamefully old ages like, oh…19. An age at which he had been probably been working at his dad’s store for 10 years. I can imagine what he’d have thought of subsequent generations.
So..we ARE lazy bums compared to him. Then again, he retired at 55.
Retirement isn't laziness. We work because we have to. As soon as we don't have to we stop and "work" on things we like rather than for money.
Agreed, although the picture is complicated by taxpayer-funded guaranteed lifetime defined-benefit pensions. Kill those with fire-so “retirement” means getting to spend what you saved while you’re working- and I’d be right where you describe.
I'm pushing 70, and I remember my first 2000-word essay assignment was about pollution. That was in 1971. So, yes, we were well aware of what was going on with the environment. We were taught that we were entering an Ice Age, and the Club of Rome insisted that we'd all die of starvation before the year 2000. We were urged by ZPG not to have children...but if we must, please no more than two per couple. We recycled pop, milk and beer bottles. We saved money. And our houses might seem cheap now, but $55,000 was a lot of money back then -- five times my salary. When I finally could buy one, my mortgage was 18%. Like most boomers I know, I didn't have it easy. I worked hard because I didn't have a choice. I didn't go out to restaurants, take vacations, get manicures. I made most of my own clothes. I didn't plot to destroy the next generation. I was only trying to survive -- just like my parents and their parents and their parents before them. I wish this generation would understand that there has been no conspiracy against them. The boomers had our challenges, we struggled to overcome them, we whined that life wasn't fair. It's not our fault that housing prices skyrocketed, but we're grateful as hell to be the beneficiaries of increased equity because unless we worked for the government, we didn't get decent pensions. Most of us got over the injustices we felt...and made the best of our lives. If this generation has any brains at all, they will, too.
I'm Gen X and everyone I know did the same thing. I graduated as a recession was starting but within a few years the economy took off as a result of the dot com boom (which later crashed). Put your head down, work hard, save and sacrifice, and life will work out.
Thanks for speaking to one of my pet peeves. One of the issues I get most annoyed with is "climate crisis is the Boomers fault". I'm a boomer (70) and vividly remember the first Earth Day (9th grade) when we all pledged to "clean up America". That implies two things: pollution preceded us and we were on the ground floor of the cleanup. You kids are very welcome, now step up to the plate.
People are responsible for their actions as individuals, not as members of arbitrarily created groups.
Thanks for reading and for the comment!
This is the fix for all the problems for those generations who consider themselves victims of Boomers or anyone else.
https://youtu.be/bcSAQyzPcl0?si=UR7lLQYMOE7VJxwb
Thanks for this article. Well said. I also wrote about blame. https://thetranstrain.substack.com/p/misplaced-blame
I will check it out.
Thanks!
In SoCal I am treated to weekly demonstrations by boomers in affluent area protesting Trump's fascism. Somehow I don't think any of them were at the demonstrations trying to undo all the truly fascists measure implemented including vax passports. What I would add is that the Cultural Marxism of victimhood has spread to affluent first generation immigrants. I noticed this about 5 years ago from someone who was a multi-millionaire. Recently, I overheard relatively well-off first generation immigrants say ICE only when after non-whites. Well, that kind of makes sense when you consider that those of European descent came well over a 100 years ago in boats dubbed the floating coffin to be thrown into working/housing hellholes. And, well, Black Americans, we all know that their situation was even worse. Much of their lineage pre-date almosts all of the European immigrants who came in 1880s and later. I remember a time when we were grateful the suffering others endured so we could have a better life.
I'm not saying there aren't boomer at protests, I'm just saying that assuming all boomers support X because you see some boomers is a mistake.
If you want to blame someone blame individuals, or society in general. Most of us aren't victims unless we chose to be.
But there is something particularly galling about a boomer protesting. Hearing young people earnestly say illogical things is normal. To hear a boomer complain about 'who will pick the vegetables,' protest against ICE or now pretend they are patriotic makes me want to vomit. But LA is its own universe driven by narcissism.
I find them all equally annoying.
This is the best essay on the "everything is the boomers' fault!" phenomenon that has grown recently. The strange modern day practice of separating everyone into named tribes based on what year they were born is idiotic to begin with. Blaming one of those groups for one's own problems and failures is childish. As you said: grow up.
As far as "the counterculture movement of the 60s, for which the boomers were responsible" is concerned, yes, those were "boomers". However, the hippies, protestors, and irresponsibles were the minority. The greater majority of people of the age now called "boomers" looked down on those counterculture clowns as freaks, and laughed at them. Overwhelmingly, the people you see today who were born between the end of WWII and 1965 were not going around when they were young sticking flowers in National Guardsmen's rifle barrels or living in squalid communes. It's more likely that, as they went about trying to become responsible adults, they had contempt for those characters. The annoying elderly you see today protesting and making noise are the same fools who did the same thing when they were young, or who missed out on the fun back in the '60s and are trying to recreate it now. But now, as then, they are the minority.
Thanks.
Yes, my blaming all of them was somewhat tongue-in-check. I know plenty of boomers and not one of them was a hippie.
I try to restack this and Substack says "Please sign in." What does that even mean??
As a boomer, I get the joke.
It wasn't a joke, but it's a great joke that you read it as one.
I'm pretty tech-competent FOR A BOOMER (low bar), but one thing that confounds me about Substack is that occasionally it will ask you to "sign in" to a particular little Substack (even though you are already signed in to big Substack) and create a little profile. Is this like an extra hurdle for nonpaying subscribers and visitors? There's a box which subscribes you if you don't uncheck it.
I have no idea. I have never experienced this.
Sorry.
Well my apologies but putting your question in the comments (not what comments are for) as you did is such a stereotypical Boomer thing to do that I assumed it was a joke.
😂
I'd have put it in notes but couldn't do anything without signing in, so put it in comments out of frustration. Then left it there because I'd already wasted too much time. Now wasting more.
So, what are your thoughts about this?
https://open.substack.com/pub/dee746/p/canada-avances-plan-to-vaccinate?r=1qdxoh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
I'm not sure what this has to do with boomers.
However, from what little I've read, it's restricted to about 350 volunteers and there is no government plan to forcibly “vaccinate” the general public via aerosol.
https://brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/made-at-mcmaster-inhaled-covid-19-vaccine-begins-phase-2-human-clinical-trial/?utm_source=chatgpt.com