My attitude on boomers

9Feb/1110

My attitude on boomers

I may have posted this before, but just in response to some of the comments on my last post:

I am an Xer, born in 1974. My parents were born in 1952. My parents were just fine. They were of the older boomers... and my stepdad amongst the younger [my husband sometimes gets lumped with the young boomers, sometimes w/ the Xers...but he definitely wants nothing to do with the boomers].

A few divorces amongst my extended family, but not many, and not much in terms of going crazy on the debt and the like. [I'm not sure about their savings, but we're about to find out, eh?] They didn't have as many kids as the previous generation, but not much childlessness amongst that crowd [the only ones I can think of had major medical issues precluding parenthood]. 2-4 kids each family.

As well, my younger relatives aren't whiny above the usual obnoxiousness of youth. Going back to Socrates you hear about snotty adolescents.

There is an opportunity for those of us middle-aged Xers, in real life. The boomers can't hang on forever, and the Yers do not have enough experience for management.

I don't really have anything against the boomers or Ys. Most of the boomers weren't hippy-dippy-liberals-turned-yuppies-turned-old-farts-pretending-they're-young-farts. What I do have a problem with is the media coverage -- where the boomers who were/are hippies-turned-yuppies-turned-old-farts-pretending-they're-not are heavily represented. And so the coverage is coming from their own self-image.

So they're pretending that, while they may not be young, they're definitely not old [YES YOU ARE]. "Here's the latest fashion in bifocals!" "The hearing aid that looks just like a bluetooth earpiece!" Am I going to have to hear about how hip Depends are 20 years from now? ARGH.

Save me, please. Just sell the damn things without making it "trendy".

In any case, we are going to have to listen about the boomers retiring, the boomers' hip replacements, the boomers' slide into senility. The retirement coverage is starting now, and the others are to come. We're just going to have to get used to it.

Meep

Meep is a member of the Irish Catholic mafia, having a suspiciously high number of green-eyed, red-haired friends. While she doesn’t have red hair herself [except when she goes into the sun (rare for any vampire)], she does have green eyes. She’s a raving Papist and is a life actuary on the side [i.e., she counts dead people]. An amateur pain-in-the-ass [willing to go pro!], she likes covering retirement, mortality, math, and education issues.

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enoch_root
February 9th, 2011 - 10:56

you are far more kind than I. In general, I find Boomers – at least the ones I deal with on a professional basis – almost wholly self-centered, self-absorbed, self-aggrandizing, pompous asshats.

You are correct about the saturation of look-how-great-we-are coverage… the Boomer Generation’s ability to find themselves worthy of praise – reminds me of public masturbation. All the while presuming others want to watch it.

In one word: gross.

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- Meep
  February 9th, 2011 - 11:04
  
  Well, I tend to work and associate amongst geeks, and boomer geeks are my type of people.
  
  I love geeks of all ages.
  
  It would probably have been different if I had a “client-facing” job.
  
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jefferson101
February 9th, 2011 - 11:30

Not being particularly sure of what Enoch does for a living, or his geographical location, I can’t speak to the group of my generation that he deals with. In the absence of slightly more specifics, I can’t speculate.

I will note that he is not the only one who finds that some professions and groups among my generation have concentrated large numbers of self-inflated buffoons. I’ve noticed that myself, but I will also observe that the X’ers following on in those areas tend to be the same way. (Or worse.)

For the record, it should be noted that I don’t feel in the least abused by commentary on the ongoing issues caused by the retirement of the Boomers. Some of us (And I include myself in the “us”) have been having fits about that situation since the middle 1970′s.

It didn’t make any more impression on that group of ostrich imitating politicians that it seems to be making on this group, though.

So raise the retirement age, please! Means-test benefits, if we must. Do something! Anything!!

If something isn’t done, and soon, the whole system is going to crash. I don’t have much sympathy for the imprudent or improvident in any group, and those of my generation who didn’t see the issue coming and make some alternate plans are both of those things, as well as just being kind’a stupid.

Be that as it may, however, I hate to see them all living on Friskies. So I do wish for something to be done. If it means that I have to work for an extra five years or so, that’s no big deal. I don’t plan on retiring as long as I’m healthy enough to keep working, and my job doesn’t notably require any physical effort.

Just to set Enoch’s mind at rest, my plan to defer collecting Social Security for as long as possible is not in the least altruistic. It’s just far to expensive to entertain myself when I don’t have something to do for the 40 or 50 hours a week that I spend at work.

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richard mcenroe
February 9th, 2011 - 11:54

Hey! 60 is the new 30, buddy! Now shut up and pay my social security!

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- Meep
  February 9th, 2011 - 13:38
  
  Get offa my lawn!
  
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tree hugging sister
February 9th, 2011 - 14:36

Both Meep and ‘noch are gonna get their asses kicked, little snot nosed punks.

(“Older” Boomers? 1952? OLDER? Your gerifuckinatric parents must appreciate the hell outta THAT, sweet child. As opposed to, like, someone actually IN their dotage. Richard, for instance.)

I’m after you next, root. I just hafta open another Ensure first.

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- Enoch_Root
  February 9th, 2011 - 15:03
  
  ;)
  
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jefferson101
February 9th, 2011 - 16:25

Some of us have clearly made fairly good progress on our descent into senility.

Hanging around places like this instead of somewhere like the Senior Center or the AARP or some such? QED.

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Taxpayer
February 9th, 2011 - 21:01

I’m 49 years old, but I am NOT a Boomer. History is much more accurate than sociology. The Boomers are children born to WWII-era adults. My parents were 9 years old when WWII ended–a tad bit young to have kids.

The Boomers became adults during the 1960s, old enough to serve in Vietnam. I was learning my multiplication tables in elementary school.

When I became an adult, Jimmy Carter was president, the economy was in the toilet, and gas prices were astronomical. The Boomers were long out of college and morphed into Yuppies.

In other words, I have nothing in common with Boomers–and d*mn glad about it. Ronald Reagan, not Woodstock, was the defining event of my generation.

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Mark A
February 9th, 2011 - 21:58

Attention all Boomers: The Fat Lady is leaving the dressing-room and is headed backstage.

Don’t worry, the New Society (and economy) that you created has a good supply of illegal immigrant minimum-wage diaper changers to meet your nursing-home needs.

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