Boomer Remover

[OreoRosies86]

Younger people need to remember that they, too, will be seniors someday. Their own kids are watching and learning from them. As they treat their elders, so will their children someday treat them.

This is true but goes both directions. I have young kids. I consider my mom (their Mimi) a goddess among mortals. She’s amazing, she made my whole life happen so many times over and when she passes away I fully anticipate falling into a deep depression from which I will never recover.

However, I have had to (multiple times) interject when she says things in front of my little ones like “I don’t know what people are complaining about. We had a black President!” or be totally rude and dismissive to a server for no reason. I think she’s probably just at an age where she speaks more freely because she’s tired.

The trend I notice with boomers is a pretty common one. If they haven’t personally experienced it (racism, insane college tuition, outrageous home price inflation, internships that never lead to jobs...) it simply doesn’t exist and they will not hear otherwise. And ultimately this is why people like me in their 20s and 30s developed the “ok boomer” attitude. There’s not a ton of open discussion or changing anyone’s mind. Yup, we are self absorbed narcissists who don’t want to work hard and had everything handed to us. Excellent story.

:::This is a pretty broad and general summary. I cherish the older generations for much more than I fault them.

 

[Elizabeth35]

I think generalizing about any large age group population is pretty meaningless. Saying all Millenials have the same viewpoints is as ludicrous as saying all Boomers have the same viewpoint.
They are different generations with different life experiences.

I'm a Boomer with 6 Millenial kids. I know full well what some Millenials feel about Boomers in a general sense. I also know what some Boomers say about Millenials.

I encourage everyone to have some meaningful dialogue with the 'other side'. Try listening and understanding a different viewpoint. This is where Boomers are irritating Millenials. We (boomers) can sometimes not close our mouths and open our ears.

Millenials don't want to hear that you had your first house at 22. Millenials have had a different experience than boomers. Many graduated during the 2008-2009 recession. They witnessed 9/11 as children. They are now watching the US be led by old, white men who are blatantly racist and mysognynistic. They are unhappy with the status quo. Do any Boomers remember the protests they led during the Vietnam Era? Part of the idealism of youth is protesting what they want changed.
I view that as normal and welcome.

So I don't in any way think that Millenials as an entire generation want Boomers to die.
And if my memory serves me, I believe that it was a southern Republican politician who called for older people to 'sacrifice' themselves to save the economy. He was a Boomer.

 

[LLJsmom]

Speaking generally, every generation has its virtues and has made its mistakes. But not to consider the whole picture and why they are what they are and what they have done, the good as well as the bad, in totality is a disservice to humankind. And racism and prejudice are not attributed solely to a particular generation but that should be obvious.
Again, speaking generally, It is a wonderful And right thing that the younger generations are more sensitive and inclusive. But it’s important to recognize the contributions the boomers have made. Many of the boomer generation, especially immigrants, have lived through, survived and escaped (and many fought in) war and occupation, seen it and experienced it during their lifetimes. Think “draft”, and literal hand to hand combat in a time that when wars were completely fought differently. Think about the fear of turning 18 knowing that your name may be called to go fight in Vietnam. Think about women that had very few options, motherhood or maybe a secretarial job. What does that do to a person? How does that form your thinking? And think about who raised the boomers? The “greatest generation” did, and those are the people who lived through two world wars and a Great Depression within 31 years. They didn’t have it easy and probably didn’t raise their kids to take it easy. Thus the hard driving ways of many boomers and what many call “their lack of empathy”. Maybe They didn’t have time to focus on the modern form of empathy. They needed not to starve and have a roof over their heads. Read Boys in the Boat. Great book about the first American Olympic rowing team that won gold. But it details what these people needed to do to survive.
These people, these boomers, built this country. It’s why everyone has a cell phone and social media and computers and so many other modern conveniences that aren’t just conveniences anymore. They are essentials. And the younger generations, maybe it’s their contribution to the ages, to right the wrongs. To repair and improve. But without what previous generations have done, a bunch of us probably would not even exist. And to just wish them all away is the saddest, most “unempathetic” thing I have ever heard.

 

[pearlsngems]

My husband is turning 74 soon and I am 64 so we are both Boomers, but I trust we are not like what you are describing, @OreoRosies86. I can see why it would turn you off that some of the Boomers you know are like that.

Our daughter is 24 and I can see the difficulties she is going through, 2 years out of college, graduated from an honors program with a GPA of 3.97 and yet unable to find work other than a coffee shop job. Has to live at home because can't afford anything else. She has to be extra careful about COVID-19 because of living with us-- she goes only to work and comes straight home. This is no life for a 24 y.o. but so it is.

 

[qubitasaurus]

Guys there's also a bunch of people consumed/poisoned themselves with disinfectant because trump incoherently rambled about it helping with coronavirus. A shocking number of people who think coronavirus is a hoax instigated by Bill Gates so he can put elextronic chips in everyone's heads (disturbingly including a not insignificant cohort of news readers). If you selectively listen to a small number of people whose radical opinions have been amplified by media attention (probably mostly because they were so radical they seemed attention grabbing) but who have absolutely no qualification in the topic theyre talking about -- then there is no end to the bat shit crazy. For instance you can find genuine neo nazis (However I am not sure it is worthwhile spending your life being upset about their absurd world views.).

 

[House Cat]

Not all parents should be regarded as wonderful. There are some severely messed up people out there and they had kids! It is my belief that good parents don’t produce kids who wish them dead. Abusive, neglectful parents do.

 

[SallyB]

" ... shoves them in a nursing home against their will"
Really?

If I don't want to end up in a nursing home I should save up enough money over my 50 working years to pay for the end-of-life living arrangement that I prefer.

Having kids ain't cheap so perhaps that means, instead of having kids, investing that money, or having only 1 kid instead of 3, or doing a zillion other things to live well below my means over my entire life.

I think taking responsibility for myself (instead of blaming my child, or anyone) is the right thing to do.

Good points, @kenny, but I’m not sure you fully understand what even one adult child can do to you. Once you reach, say, your 70’s and start to mentally slip even a little bit he/she can fairly easily have you declared incompetent, with dementia, etc. Then establish financial power of attorney over you and your estate. All that money you’ve saved for retirement can be EVEN MORE of incentive to do so. Then he/she can put you in a cheap bottom-of-the-barrel nursing home. You can guess what happens next to you and your money. I’ve seen it happen time and again, and not just to bad parents. If you don’t want to risk it I propose not having ANY kids.

 

[Rhea]

Speaking generally, every generation has its virtues and has made its mistakes. But not to consider the whole picture and why they are what they are and what they have done, the good as well as the bad, in totality is a disservice to humankind. And racism and prejudice are not attributed solely to a particular generation but that should be obvious.
Again, speaking generally, It is a wonderful And right thing that the younger generations are more sensitive and inclusive. But it’s important to recognize the contributions the boomers have made. Many of the boomer generation, especially immigrants, have lived through, survived and escaped (and many fought in) war and occupation, seen it and experienced it during their lifetimes. Think “draft”, and literal hand to hand combat in a time that when wars were completely fought differently. Think about the fear of turning 18 knowing that your name may be called to go fight in Vietnam. Think about women that had very few options, motherhood or maybe a secretarial job. What does that do to a person? How does that form your thinking? And think about who raised the boomers? The “greatest generation” did, and those are the people who lived through two world wars and a Great Depression within 31 years. They didn’t have it easy and probably didn’t raise their kids to take it easy. Thus the hard driving ways of many boomers and what many call “their lack of empathy”. Maybe They didn’t have time to focus on the modern form of empathy. They needed not to starve and have a roof over their heads. Read Boys in the Boat. Great book about the first American Olympic rowing team that won gold. But it details what these people needed to do to survive.
These people, these boomers, built this country. It’s why everyone has a cell phone and social media and computers and so many other modern conveniences that aren’t just conveniences anymore. They are essentials. And the younger generations, maybe it’s their contribution to the ages, to right the wrongs. To repair and improve. But without what previous generations have done, a bunch of us probably would not even exist. And to just wish them all away is the saddest, most “unempathetic” thing I have ever heard.

I was quite specific that feelings spanned generations, using the boomers and the silent generations as examples as well clarifying what was originally posted was incredibly disrespectful.

I'm not sure why your quoted my post, nothing in it disagreed with you. Your post would have made an excellent stand alone contribution to the on-going conversation.

 

[OreoRosies86]

My husband is turning 74 soon and I am 64 so we are both Boomers, but I trust we are not like what you are describing, @OreoRosies86. I can see why it would turn you off that some of the Boomers you know are like that.

Our daughter is 24 and I can see the difficulties she is going through, 2 years out of college, graduated from an honors program with a GPA of 3.97 and yet unable to find work other than a coffee shop job. Has to live at home because can't afford anything else. She has to be extra careful about COVID-19 because of living with us-- she goes only to work and comes straight home. This is no life for a 24 y.o. but so it is.

Keep being empathetic! Difficulty after college graduation is definitely one area where my boomer parents have “seen the light” so to speak. Gone are the days of a stable job awaiting as soon as the diploma is in hand.

 

[LLJsmom]

I was quite specific that feelings spanned generations, using the boomers and the silent generations as examples as well clarifying what was originally posted was incredibly disrespectful.

I'm not sure why your quoted my post, nothing in it disagreed with you. Your post would have made an excellent stand alone contribution to the on-going conversation.

You’re right. That’s why I deleted your quote. It is no longer in my comment. Please see above. When I initially read your post I read it one way. I read it several more times and think my first reading was a misunderstanding. So I corrected it.

 

[lovedogs]

Good points, @kenny, but I’m not sure you fully understand what even one adult child can do to you. Once you reach, say, your 70’s and start to mentally slip even a little bit he/she can fairly easily have you declared incompetent, with dementia, etc. Then establish financial power of attorney over you and your estate. All that money you’ve saved for retirement can be EVEN MORE of incentive to do so. Then he/she can put you in a cheap bottom-of-the-barrel nursing home. You can guess what happens next to you and your money. I’ve seen it happen time and again, and not just to bad parents. If you don’t want to risk it I propose not having ANY kids.

This viewpoint is baffling to me. Dont have kids do you dont "risk" being put into a nursing home??? What?

 

[Queenie60]

This viewpoint is baffling to me. Dont have kids do you dont "risk" being put into a nursing home??? What?

I plan to decide well in advance where I will live out my life - my children will honor that, especially due to the fact that it will be in writing with our estate tax planning attorney. It's absurd to think that your children can control you to that degree.

 

[lyra]

I'm (just barely!) a boomer, and my daughters are millenials. After covid, they say they would never put us in a home. Haha, whatever. I hate the popular terms, I think they are all disrespectful. This also includes "Karen". Where is the male equivalent?

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

My first thought If you suddenly saw an influx of younger posters on the NextDoor app, Are they real people? I can’t imagine the age demographic you are talking about posting on that app that I see. Maybe it’s just the area I am in?

Are the Nextdoor posts by bots? I don't know of anyone under 30-35 who is on Nextdoor. Most people on there seem to be retired, and I'm in a suburb-y area by Pasadena. Seems this type of stuff comes out during election years and the bots have gotten pretty sophisticated....

I don't think they're bots as they were being very specific about the protests and their individual opinions. For many of them, it was their first or second postings. Our ND has a lot of younger people on it because we live in an area with a lot of young families. We also get the coyote warnings, fireworks complaints and homeless griping as well.

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

Dont hate me but this entire thread is very "boomer" of you! I think one can be classified as old when you can complain about the younger generation and how they're all spoiled idiots

& On another non-sarcastic note yes some kids are idiots. But there's idiocy and evil in every generation...

I am squarely in the GenX camp so I'm not a boomer by definition. I don't know what you mean that starting a thread over something I found abhorrent is "boomer" of me, but you are using that term in a clearly pejorative and derogatory manner. Your poor attempt at sarcasm could be considered offensive to some of our older posters, but then again, being of a younger generation, you likely don't care about offending older folks.

 

[LemonMoonLex]

I am squarely in the GenX camp so I'm not a boomer by definition. I don't know what you mean that starting a thread over something I found abhorrent is "boomer" of me, but you are using that term in a clearly pejorative and derogatory manner. Your poor attempt at sarcasm could be considered offensive to some of our older posters, but then again, being of a younger generation, you likely don't care about offending older folks.

I think it's very common for the older generation to gripe about the younger one(s) while using a few bad apples to label the bunch.
My joke made commentary of this.
Not all will find it funny especially if they uphold the believe that most of the younger generations are terrible.
Theres no prejudice here though, with time you can bet you'll see me creating a very similar post about the newest generation

 

[nala]

Can I just say that it’s really cliche to argue over which generation is better or worse? The minute you engage in this debate, you have become like your parents or you are still acting like a kid. When will people accept that there are all kinds of people in every generation? Stop blaming and stop romanticizing!

 

[Missy]

Can I just say that it’s really cliche to argue over which generation is better or worse? The minute you engage in this debate, you have become like your parents or you are still acting like a kid. When will people accept that there are all kinds of people in every generation? Stop blaming and stop romanticizing!

Agree completely. Just another reason I prefer animals to (many) people.

 

[AprilBaby]

I think the younger generation gets accused of being narcissistic and entitled, but I gotta say... after working two service industry jobs in the last decade, I would rather deal with a 20-something college student than a boomer 9 out of 10 times.

I absolutely adore my parents and don’t wish ill on anyone. I have no issues with any decent person. But there is a empathy microchip missing in a lot of the older lot. Doesn’t mean they deserve a virus, but an education on how to live in a diverse world? A little perspective on the different challenges facing each generation? Probably!

Just calling it like I see it. It’s pretty funny though when I was younger and I would read comments I see circa today like “WHO RAISED THESE KIDS!” Um... you did?

No, the kids I see doing this now are not millennials, they are the post millennials. Raised by Gen X.

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

At the crux of what bothered me in those ND comments aimed at older people, and the term Boomer Remover, is that there appears to be a group of young people who want to make a difference regarding racism primarily, in addition to police brutality, and I am on board with that all the way. But then they take it further and espouse ageism as an erroneous philosophical tool to further their argument, as if people over the age of 55 are the cause of racism and police brutality, and as such, should be eradicated in order for racism and police brutality to end and peace and justice to reign throughout the land. Not only is this a dangerous argument, but it is fallacious on its face, and completely illogical at its core.

Unless I am misremembering history, it was the Spaniards that brought slavery to the Americas, centuries before the British arrived here. The Spaniards are thought to have been practicing slavery since the time of the Roman Empire. As a matter of fact, upon finding the island of Hispaniola in the late 1400s (what is now Haiti/Dominican Republic), the Spaniards enslaved ALL of its indigenous people and worked every single last one of them to death in an effort to exploit the island's resources and send the goods back to Europe. After devastating the island's populace, they brought in African slaves to continue the work, which didn't work out so well. Some of you may have heard of François Dominique Toussaint L’Ouverture? He was the leader of the Haitian independence movement during the French Revolution. I read a book about him and the history of the island some years ago, and was shaken to the core by the ferocity and casual bloodthirstiness of the Spaniards, all in the name of money and greed. Slavery was not invented by Americans, but it was practiced by them, which was wrong. No creature should be exploited because it is weaker or has been placed into a situation where it cannot defend itself, but that is really another argument for another day

Ageism is no better than racism or sexism. But what does it say about a group that wants to abolish one "ism" yet advocates for another? A few words come to mind....

 

[SallyB]

I'm (just barely!) a boomer, and my daughters are millenials. After covid, they say they would never put us in a home. Haha, whatever. I hate the popular terms, I think they are all disrespectful. This also includes "Karen". Where is the male equivalent?

I propose “Chad” as the male equivalent. Or maybe “Brad”.

 

[AprilBaby]

This is true but goes both directions. I have young kids. I consider my mom (their Mimi) a goddess among mortals. She’s amazing, she made my whole life happen so many times over and when she passes away I fully anticipate falling into a deep depression from which I will never recover.

However, I have had to (multiple times) interject when she says things in front of my little ones like “I don’t know what people are complaining about. We had a black President!” or be totally rude and dismissive to a server for no reason. I think she’s probably just at an age where she speaks more freely because she’s tired.

The trend I notice with boomers is a pretty common one. If they haven’t personally experienced it (racism, insane college tuition, outrageous home price inflation, internships that never lead to jobs...) it simply doesn’t exist and they will not hear otherwise. And ultimately this is why people like me in their 20s and 30s developed the “ok boomer” attitude. There’s not a ton of open discussion or changing anyone’s mind. Yup, we are self absorbed narcissists who don’t want to work hard and had everything handed to us. Excellent story.

:::This is a pretty broad and general summary. I cherish the older generations for much more than I fault them.

You think we had it easy? My first mortgage was 21 5/8%. My husband made $17,000/ yr. lots of people were drafted for the Vietnam war. We had race riots, we realize there is division. I paid insane college tuition for my kids. My husband has been laid off three times. Ok Boomer.

 

[OreoRosies86]

No, the kids I see doing this now are not millennials, they are the post millennials. Raised by Gen X.

The kids doing what?

 

[AprilBaby]

Blaming boomers for everything and wishing us gone.

 

[OreoRosies86]

You think we had it easy? My first mortgage was 21 5/8%. My husband made $17,000/ yr. lots of people were drafted for the Vietnam war. We had race riots, we realize there is division. I paid insane college tuition for my kids. My husband has been laid off three times. Ok Boomer.

You’re taking this very personally considering I never said “Boomers had it made!” but you’re kinda proving my point.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Blaming boomers for everything and wishing us gone.

So... where in my post you quoted did I condone (or even address) any of that?

 

[AprilBaby]

We had it made compared to our parents who went thru the depression and the world wars. Or our grandparents who were first generation Americans from poor countries. But trust me, you had it better than us and your kids will have it better than you. I understand your pain because I’ve really been there.

 

[OreoRosies86]

We had it made compared to our parents who went thru the depression and the world wars. Or our grandparents who were first generation Americans from poor countries. But trust me, you had it better than us and your kids will have it better than you. I understand your pain because I’ve really been there.

I’m not sure to say “You had it better than us” is accurate. It certainly wasn’t better for gay people, trans people, women... Different, sure. I think broadly speaking there were more opportunities for people to make a living without needing three jobs or having to enter a housing lottery to live in a city. But like I said in my very first post, people of every generation have had their own unique sets of challenges. 9/11 happened my junior year of high school and half my graduating class was off to join the military by the end of senior year. Why is that an easier or any less traumatic experience than living through the Vietnam era?

 

[Tekate]

@OreoRosies86 said The trend I notice with boomers is a pretty common one. If they haven’t personally experienced it (racism, insane college tuition, outrageous home price inflation, internships that never lead to jobs...) it simply doesn’t exist and they will not hear otherwise. And ultimately this is why people like me in their 20s and 30s developed the “ok boomer” attitude. There’s not a ton of open discussion or changing anyone’s mind

As an early boomer you cannot imagine how many times I said this about my parents - the GREATEST GENERATION, they weren't and not by a long shot..

I have 2 millenial kids and both consider our problems as caused by boomers, I thought 'our' problems were caused by the WWII gen.. and so it goes.

Boomer remover? well pneumonia has always been a 'remover' as we age.

I think if I were in my 20s today I would not be worried about me getting the virus and I would not want my parents to die in their 50 or 60s+ because I'd grown up by then.

It's legit to be angry about lack of advancement for younger people, but younger people have to make their own way, the boomers did. We saw the end of pensions, LAYOFFs, costs rising, economic strife, racism that isnt moved an inch since then, but back then going to the doctor was a special occasion because it was too expensive to go, today it's crazy and any attempt to assist ANYONE with healthcare, not just the young, attempt to change this clusterF--k meets a big NO.. I'd say one big problem is that the rich don't suffer in our country, as of right now their taxes are less than mine, passthru income? sure no problem for the rich.. it's pathetic.. we need change BIG TIME.


I don't know one boomer who had it easy experienced so much. Of course I was an active young person politically and I came from a very political family where politics was spoke about constantly. My GREATEST GEN father was for a lot of the time I was a teen - he was a unwoken, believer in the craziest stupid stuff, it was embarrassing, but as he aged he become a much more tolerant and understanding guy. (he once called me a commie, not so I was a socialist ) Do you think we were all going to college for free? do you think we all had a car in high school like my millenial kids? (this one makes me laugh, only rich kids had cars and the car was a really old one). I came into the work force during the recession of the early 70s, I applied for one job and so did to my count 40 other women standing in line on LI NY.. Have you ever seen 18% mortgage rates? I have. It was very difficult to move up when we were young too if you stayed in your home town.. gotta move and gotta groove. it wasn't panacea or heaven, it was hard and doubly hard for me because I was a young woman. Managers rubbing my back yup happened to me at IBM of all places.. one place I worked at guys would pull my bra straps as they walked by.. fun fun NOT. it was horrible.. EVERY generation has their problems.

 

[hedgehog93]

There is a really good quote from Socrates which I think is relevant here:

‘The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.’

The complaints are different, but the sentiment over the next generation is the same... and has been for a very long time!

As someone young (but not 18 with perfect 18 year old skin so I have to wear eye cream ) I assure you this whole ‘boomer removal’ thing is not indicative of the mindset of ALL young people.

Ageism isn’t as talked about in the media as much as racism and sexism. I guess it isn’t glamorous enough a headline to sell a paper (or garner a click).

There are difficulties in every generation. The fact that the difficulties are different, and that everyone is different, with different upbringings and experiences just means it’s not possible to argue over who had it better or worse. It’s all subjective. Minus the statistics which show unemployment, etc...

Outside of that, it’s the most futile and pointless argument. I personally think there are a lot of aspects of my generation that I find soft. It’s almost impossible to not offend someone now with the reach of social media. On the flip side, I do also think the older generation had more opportunities to advance in their career. Wealth creation was easier then whereas real income now is relatively weak.

But it’s all give and take, at the end of the day, we’re all humans.