Discontent Towards Boomers

[SW15]

Going slightly off topic of Boomers......Boomers can cry about bootstraps and hard work all they want to because that probably worked for them, but we will never relate to it because that was mostly irrelevant to our generations.

There were differences between the Boomers born earlier in the generation (think 1946-1954) and the late era Boomers (1960-1964).

The earlier Boomers had the better deal overall and got more of the Boomer privileges. Even the later Boomers still had a pretty good deal on a lot of levels as compared to subsequent generations.

Me and @SW15 are the same generation, but our birth years made a huge difference between graduating college during a recession or Job boom.

The earlier Millennials (1981-1988) were more affected by the recessionary conditions around the late 2000s/early 2010s than the 1990s born Millennials. The 1990s born Millennials were fortunate to still be in junior high or high school while the worst of that was going on. At worst, maybe one of their parents got laid off during that era.

Most of the 1980s born Millennials had a really bad time during the 2008-2011 era. Either they graduated into poor conditions or they finished their educations prior to 2008 and took a "last in, first out" type layoff in that era. No age group was more affected by the 2008-2011 era than the 1980s born Millennials. When 2008 hit, most of the Boomers were senior level management doing the layoffs and not the ones being laid off. Some Boomers were laid off in the 2008-2011 era, but they were mostly near the end of these careers and got to experience privilege for the preceding 2-3 decades. Some Boomers taking layoffs in that era got early retirement.

Same thing for Gen Z right now, if you graduated before the pandemic, you are way better off than someone graduating afterwards.

Very few Gen Z'ers graduating before the pandemic if we considered only college graduates. The number would expand if you include high school graduates that didn't pursue college, or the earliest of Gen Z'ers who went straight from high school to a 2 year trade certification program.

You realize why baby boomers are called that, right? Because they were born during a time when there were a LOT of children being born. Did you ever stop to think that perhaps the size of that generation alone was always going to be a drain on resources, especially if it were followed by smaller generations?

The parents of Boomers were GI Generation (1910s-early 1920s) and some of the earlier members of the Silent Generation (late 1920s-1945). Most Boomer parents were born before 1935 and the earlier Boomers had parents mainly born in the late 1910s-1920s. The typical Boomer story of a late 1940s/1950s birth was a late 1910s/early 1920 World War II veteran and his wife having babies.

Immediately after the Boomers, Gen X (1965-1980) was smaller for 2 main reasons....

1. In the earlier part of the generation, most of the women of prime fertility age were Depression/World War II era born women. That was a small group of available women to give birth.
2. The US economy boomed from 1946 through the end of the 1960s. By the 1970s, economic conditions had worsened. People don't want to have babies in a lousy economy. Earlier Boomers started to reach child bearing ages at some point in the 1970s but many were postponing children due to the promotion of birth control from 2nd wave feminism and the lousy economy of the day.

With the Millennials (1981-1996), there was a spike in births overall because a large cohort of Boomer women were in prime fertility ages during this time. On a per woman basis, the typical Boomer woman had fewer children than the typical Silent Generation or typical GI Generation woman. This trend was masked to an extent by the big number of Boomer women.

 

[SW15]

Some resent boomers because they say it was easier to get a date in my day. Well, that is probably true. And the reason is because in the days when feminism hadn't completely taken over yet, there was still something called gender roles. Men and women were recognized to be different, and had different roles to play. So the feminine could still be attracted to the masculine. The guy didn't have to be over six feet with six pack abs and a six figure income. But boomers aren't the ones who want to get rid of gender, we're fighting against it. It's the younger kids who want to get rid of that, aside from the leftist professors and assorted screwballs.

@zekko is the only actual Boomer participating in this thread. That's valuable.

Not a lot of 60-75 year old men are spending time on the SoSuave forums.

When the Boomers were younger adults (20s & 30s), feminism was less of a force than it is now. It was certainly heading in the direction due to the second wave feminism movement of the 1960s-1980s, led by Silent Generation member Gloria Steinem. The Boomers born in the late 1940s and 1950s were still raised with gender roles, even though that was evolving in the 1970s.

The normie range Boomer woman still had respect for the normie range Boomer man and didn't have ridiculous expectations for one. Now, normie range Millennial and Gen Z women don't want much to do with normie range Millennial and Gen Z men.

The influence of leftist activists and leftist professors has grown in the decades since the 1960s. In the 1960s-1970s, fewer people went to college so they didn't get exposed to screwball leftist professors mainly from the Silent Generation then. Academia as a whole moved to the left once Boomers started entering academia and then more Gen X'ers and beyond started entering colleges.

 

[SW15]

There are 3 cultural occurrences that are closely associated with Boomers that didn't originate with Boomers or weren't majority Boomer things initially. The reason that they are associated with Boomers is that they were the largest generation that came after these things happened and they adopted the trends that came out of these.

1. The birth control pill and the growth in use of contraception.

The birth control pill launched in 1960. In 1960, the oldest Boomers were 14 years old. During most of the 1960s, the women using birth control pills were women who were members of the Silent Generation (1930s-early 1940s births). It really wasn't until the 1970s that more of the women using the birth control pill were Baby Boomers.

Condoms had been around for many decades prior to the 1960s. There was some growth in condom use in this time, but I don't think condoms became more of a thing until HIV/AIDS in the 1980s. Later Boomers and early Gen X were more affected by this.

The original use case for birth control was for established, monogamous couples to delay a pregnancy. This could be seen in this fictional representation of the era from the pilot episode of "Mad Men" taking place in March 1960. The Peggy Olson character (born 1939 - Silent Generation) goes on birth control soon after getting a secretarial job at an advertising agency. Peggy is sent by co-worker and manager of the secretarial pool Joan Holloway (born 1931 - Silent Generation) to get birth control.

While the scene is fictional, it does touch upon relevant parts of the birth control experience of the earlier part of the 1960s and how it started in the Silent Generation.

2. Woodstock

Woodstock happened in August 1969. At that time, the oldest Boomers were 23 years old. While I think there were many 18-23 year old attendees of Woodstock who were Boomers, more of the attendees of Woodstock were 1939-1945 late Silent Generation born people. A lot of the Woodstock musicians were late Silent Generation, like Joe Coccker, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, and the members of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Carlos Santana and his band members were actual early Boomers.

Woodstock was held in a rural area in Upstate New York, only about 100 miles from New York City. The people who attended Woodstock generally lived within driving distance of the southern part of Upstate New York. These were mainly Northeasterners (Boston and New York-New Jersey area people). People who lived in places Texas, Florida, and California did not have the ability to attend Woodstock.

A greater percentage of the population of the US lived in the Northeast, Pennsylvania, and Ohio in 1969 as compared to 2000-present. Florida and Texas were smaller states back then. California had a significant population in 1969.

A lot of Boomers were too young and lived too far away to attend Woodstock.

The free love and promiscuous spirit of Woodstock did influence Boomers into the 1970s though. There is a relationship between free love, promiscuity, and the next item.

3. No fault divorce

California became the first US state to have liberalized, no fault divorce laws starting in 1969. During the 1970s, most other US states liberalized their divorce laws following the model of California.

In the 1969-1975 era, most Boomers were either too young to be married or were in the earliest stages of marriage and yet to be unhappy enough to want to divorce. The earliest people who got divorced under the new, no-fault divorce laws were people from the Silent Generation.

Boomers didn't start becoming the biggest divorce group until the 1980s, when more of them were old enough to be married and want to be divorced.

 

[CornbreadFed]

Very few Gen Z'ers graduating before the pandemic if we considered only college graduates. The number would expand if you include high school graduates that didn't pursue college, or the earliest of Gen Z'ers who went straight from high school to a 2 year trade certification program.

Plus, I feel like we get our egos bruised by experiences boomers hyped up to us failing to meet expectations. For example, I was told college was going to be the best 4 years of my life, I would find my first wife in college after sleeping around, and all I needed was a diploma to get a job. In addition, same with career & working experience too. Instead, I found my university experience to be the exact opposite and everything else a complete lie.

 

[SW15]

Plus, I feel like we get our egos bruised by experiences boomers hyped up to us failing to meet expectations. For example, I was told college was going to be the best 4 years of my life, I would find my first wife in college after sleeping around, and all I needed was a diploma to get a job. In addition, same with career & working experience too. Instead, I found my university experience to be the exact opposite and everything else a complete lie.

I can identify with all of the feelings that you mentioned from your college experience. I think a lot of Boomers and Boomer-run media hyped college up like that and that college failed to live up to the hype. For a lot of Millennials, the college experience was a bit of a disappointment from a social standpoint and an even bigger disappointment from a career development standpoint.

These themes you mention were discussed by posters other than you in the famous college sex thread below. You have made a few posts in that thread. The college sex thread below is mainly Millennials talking about their college sex experiences in the 2000s and 2010s. In the 1975-2000 era, a lot of Boomers and Gen X'ers found longer term relationships in colleges. Once the Millennials started to get to college campuses around 2000, longer term relationships formed from college became rarer. In the Millennial generation, most college formed relationships ended without marriage and without children only a few years after graduation at the latest.

Observations about college sex life from someone that went to a party school.

I thought I'd share this as someone who went to a party school and was in a fraternity there as well. Not wanting to give too much about myself but I went to UGA and graduated a few years ago. While Athens has its hot girls, I do feel like the quality got worse every year due to the admission...

www.sosuave.net

While Boomers might have been able to meet spouses in college, their Millennial children didn't meet their spouses on college campuses. Boomer males might have been able to use the "free love" mantra to get a few extra notches before finding a spouse in college, a lot of Millennial males had to fight through feelings of being ignored by women on campus.

The first observation in that college sex thread was that "most college guys are not scoring at all." The more normie range guys that are scoring in college are doing so not from random casual sex but from getting into LTRs.

 

[LTG71]

Plus, I feel like we get our egos bruised by experiences boomers hyped up to us failing to meet expectations. For example, I was told college was going to be the best 4 years of my life, I would find my first wife in college after sleeping around, and all I needed was a diploma to get a job. In addition, same with career & working experience too. Instead, I found my university experience to be the exact opposite and everything else a complete lie.

You were told college was just going to be a 4 year party? You’re there to learn and prepare YOURSELF for the future. You are going to be working for the next 30+ years. You need to find something you enjoy doing for that duration. Sounds like you were oversold on what the experience was all about.

I have Gen-Z kids and I worry about their future. There has always been social issues and economic fluctuations over my lifetime, but it does seems to be getting worse. The rich keep getting richer, the poor remain poor, while the middle class continues to get fvcked. I’d start with removing the boomers in our government. There is too much corruption and money involved. Look at Diane Feinstein (90) and Mitch McConnell (81), these two can barely function but the Parties need their votes to drive their agendas so they keep them in office. 90 for fvck sake. She has no business running anything other than to the bathroom before she sh!ts her pants. Same goes for grandpa Joe.

 

[CornbreadFed]

You were told college was just going to be a 4 year party? You’re there to learn and prepare YOURSELF for the future. You are going to be working for the next 30+ years. You need to find something you enjoy doing for that duration. Sounds like you were oversold on what the experience was all about.

I cannot help that I was fed all of this BS when I was a youth.

 

[SW15]

I’d start with removing the boomers in our government. There is too much corruption and money involved. Look at Diane Feinstein (90) and Mitch McConnell (81), these two can barely function but the Parties need their votes to drive their agendas so they keep them in office. 90 for fvck sake. She has no business running anything other than to the bathroom before she sh!ts her pants. Same goes for grandpa Joe.

The median age of a US House member in January 2023 was 57.9, which made the median U.S. House rep a borderline Boomer/Gen X'er. The median age of a US Senator is 65.3 years old as of January 2023, which is squarely in the Boomer range.

House gets younger, Senate older in 118th Congress: Age and generation of members | Pew Research Center

The median age of voting House lawmakers is 57.9 years, while the new Senate’s median age is 65.3 years.

www.pewresearch.org

Dianne Feinstein, Mitch McConnell, and Joe Biden are all pre-Boomers (Silent Generation). Chuck Grassley is another prominent Silent Generation member of the US Senate and he turned 90 earlier in September.

Dianne Feinstein won't be running for re-election in 2024 and her term expires in January 2025. She is in poor health and some are concerned about her ability to even finish her current term.

There's a valid concern that some people have with putting more Millennials in elected, legislative positions. Millennials hold a more favorable view towards socialism. Some may not like that if more socialistic Millennials are elected.

 

[EyeBRollin]

There's a valid concern that some people have with putting more Millennials in elected, legislative positions. Millennials hold a more favorable view towards socialism. Some may not like that if more socialistic Millennials are elected.

Millennials have a more tolerant view of socialism because boomer’s version of capitalism has failed millennials. Pro-capitalists need to make capitalism work for the masses rather than the few.

 

[SW15]

Millennials have a more tolerant view of socialism because boomer’s version of capitalism has failed millennials. Pro-capitalists need to make capitalism work for the masses rather than the few.

This is a valid point. I have been one of those Millennials who has seem Boomer capitalism fail in my own life. What I went through when 2008 hit and I was graduating was really bad.

I believe that Boomer-era capitalism has been more of crony capitalism than pure capitalism. There needs to be a pure model of capitalism rather than the perverted crony capitalism we've seen of the last 20-30 years. I believe this is closer to the real answer than moving more towards non-free market socialism.

 

[EyeBRollin]

I believe that Boomer-era capitalism has been more of crony capitalism than pure capitalism. There needs to be a pure model of capitalism rather than the perverted crony capitalism we've seen of the last 20-30 years.

Cronyism is a feature of capitalism, not an aberration.

 

[CornbreadFed]

This is a valid point. I have been one of those Millennials who has seem Boomer capitalism fail in my own life. What I went through when 2008 hit and I was graduating was really bad.

I believe that Boomer-era capitalism has been more of crony capitalism than pure capitalism. There needs to be a pure model of capitalism rather than the perverted crony capitalism we've seen of the last 20-30 years. I believe this is closer to the real answer than moving more towards non-free market socialism.

Capitalism is in trouble due to the unreplaceable baby boom equity and population decline crisis.

 

[The Duke]

In 1963 the average college tuition was $4400. In 2020 it was $19,000. That is an increase of 4.3 times.

In 1963 the average house was $18,000. In 2020 it was $391,000. That is an increase of 21.7 times.

In 1963 the median family income was $6200. In 2020 it was $78,500. That is an increase of 12.7 times.

Damn boomers should have raised the price of college tuition more than they did to keep up with everything else. ;-)

 

[zekko]

Let me just say this regarding all the bitterness towards boomers: Sure, at the moment we hold most of the money (you guys will too when you get to be our age). But as we die off, the next generation will be inheriting it. So be patient, and keep hoping we're dead I guess. The other thing is it's the Gen Zers who seem to be the angriest. Seems like they could be just as angry at the Gen Xers or Millenials.

The normie range Boomer woman still had respect for the normie range Boomer man and didn't have ridiculous expectations for one. Now, normie range Millennial and Gen Z women don't want much to do with normie range Millennial and Gen Z men.

That is true. Another observation I can make is that back then, guys weren't as obsessed with being ripped and shredded like they are now. Sure, we had Arnold Schwarzenegger as a movie star, but look at the actors then compared to actors today. Today, it's like even the waiter working in the background has 20 inch biceps. That wasn't the case then. But on the other hand, we didn't have the obesity epidemic either, so most guys were more in the middle. Now days it's like most guys fall into either two groups: The fat, out of shape guys, or the obsessed gym rats. All this obviously has something to do with why women now want the ripped guys.

I lifted back then, so it was a thing, but it wasn't to as much an extreme. An example of an in shape guy from back then would be like Michael Landon, who would just be considered to have a normal physique by today's standards.

 

[CornbreadFed]

Let me just say this regarding all the bitterness towards boomers: Sure, at the moment we hold most of the money (you guys will too when you get to be our age). But as we die off, the next generation will be inheriting it. So be patient, and keep hoping we're dead I guess. The other thing is it's the Gen Zers who seem to be the angriest. Seems like they could be just as angry at the Gen Xers or Millenials.

I am not sure for Gen X, but for later millennials like myself, we will be nowhere near y'all's wealth level at your age unless a miracle happens. If you could tell me during a time of Boomers in the workfroce that making six figures could still have you living paycheck to paycheck then please inform me.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

In 1963 the average college tuition was $4400. In 2020 it was $19,000. That is an increase of 4.3 times.

In 1963 the average house was $18,000. In 2020 it was $391,000. That is an increase of 21.7 times.

In 1963 the median family income was $6200. In 2020 it was $78,500. That is an increase of 12.7 times.

Damn boomers should have raised the price of college tuition more than they did to keep up with everything else. ;-)

You make a very disingenuous point with your stats here though and you probably dont even know why, so I won't say you are doing it purposefully, but in 1963 I would almost guarantee you that a very large portion of that family income was made by a single person, that being the man alone.

In 2020, do you know the amount of families that can create the median income off a single stream of income? Significantly less than it would of been in 1963. Average man today makes an income of just over 30k I believe.

 

[SW15]

Average man today makes an income of just over 30k I believe.

https://www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/average-income-in-us-14852178#:~:text=Different%20people%20with%20different%20factors,%24958%20or%20%2449%2C816%20per%20year

.

The median weekly earnings for men in 2022 was $1,154 or $60,008 per year. The weekly median earnings for women was $958 or $49,816 per year.

 

[zekko]

I am not sure for Gen X, but for later millennials like myself, we will be nowhere near y'all's wealth level at your age unless a miracle happens. If you could tell me during a time of Boomers in the workfroce that making six figures could still have you living paycheck to paycheck then please inform me.

Your generation is making more than mine did. What's robbing you is inflation. I would argue that larger government is a big factor in driving inflation, but the younger generations are more in favor of large government than we are.

 

[EyeBRollin]

Your generation is making more than mine did. What's robbing you is inflation. I would argue that larger government is a big factor in driving inflation, but the younger generations are more in favor of large government than we are.

Bigger population needs a bigger government. The demands of infrastructure grow exponentially, not in a linear fashion.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

Bigger population needs a bigger government. The demands of infrastructure grow exponentially, not in a linear fashion.

Lolz because those demands are coming from the gov't itself in the form of budgetary hunger. We're all going to die if we don't use the entire budget every year!