Okay Boomer

I hate that phrase, but I see where it’s coming from. I’m generation boomer and I must admit that sometimes we are clueless. When you grow up in large cohort of boomers sheer numbers twist things. There were so many of us the world had to adjust to what we wanted -not so much the other way around. 

There were downsides. It wasn’t uncommon for my classrooms to have forty or even more kids. There were times we were all reaching for the same thing. In some markets that made job hunting or house buying tough. However, the economy expanded at such a rate that mostly our large numbers were absorbed. 

Thanks to an expanding economy we generally did pretty well for ourselves. Many mistook good luck for talent. A lot of us thought we did something special. Sure, it took effort, but effort was rewarded -and sometimes just bare minimum competence was rewarded. 

Too many of my generation have no idea how much conditions have changed. I had a blue collar job and money was tight, but I did raise three kids and bought a house in my 20s. That sort of thing is almost impossible with a high school education these days. It’s tough to do with a college degree. 

Boomers rode a good economic wave. Most of us are making it to retirement on the momentum from that wave. We don’t realize the follow up waves are pathetic little things. A college educated couple lacks the buying power of an old school boomer factory worker. 

Of course, it certainly helped to be while, straight and Christian. That’s another story. 

Younger generations blame boomers for using up all the good stuff and now they can’t have any. Maybe there is something to that. I’d like to think we were pushed along by social pressures at the time. That might be the case but the lack of compassion for younger generations is telling. 

When younger people want a functioning social safety net boomers yell Socialism as if it’s a curse. Many of us actually believe we pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps -which is hilarious. The original meaning of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” was to attempt to do something impossible. 

Boomers, because of their sheer numbers, had to be catered to. It made most of us think we were something special instead of just numerous. Younger people have it rougher than we did in a lot of ways. Frankly, I’m come to appreciate their attitude. Young people don’t put up with the crap at work we boomers did. Being a good little worker bee drone is not a virtue. Companies have no loyalty to the workers. 

Generational conflict doesn’t benefit anyone but the establishment bosses. When the generations pull together towards a common goal stuff gets done.

-Sixbears