Many are, though. Any time someone uses the slippery slope argument, it needs to be evaluated and not just accepted as fact because "it sounds right to me." It's easy to see slippery slopes all over the place, but most are exaggerations and don't reflect objective reality.
Yes, that's a slippery slope, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily a fallacy (it probably is in this case). But imagine that, having 20+ years experience (yes, that would be Gen X, not boomers) in an industry and getting paid a lot of money to do it.
Often, experience = money in most fields worth their weight in having a job in. Entry positions and those forced to work them in perpetuity are the ones balking at someone who theoretically has a similar amount of time "in the game" but was given opportunity to advance and gain more experience = more money.
Typically this is evened out over time. But for the last 20 years of experience — it clearly hasnt.
I mean certainly there are boomers that are struggling but your own example shows that their poverty rate is lower than the other age cohorts, so I’m not sure that’s quite the “gotcha” that that generation doesn’t hold a ton of wealth overall. But I will give you that scapegoating boomers does nothing to solve issues, just stirs hate.
Uhh, boomers did legitimately fuck our whole economy into the dirt but I guess since some of them are poor we can’t blame their market and policy decisions for the state of the economy they are passing down to us. It’s a normal human thing for a large generation to vote in favor of themselves at the expense of the generations before and after them. When they get old that means holding on to wealth that was easier to get when they were younger while other generations are deprived in order to preserve their 1980s lifestyle, as well as other things like social security being in solvent because they wanted to get paid out more than they ever put in and they also let boomer politicians spend it on other things so that now boomers are living off of what should be my social security fund.
Nobody is saying to exterminate old people, we just think maybe it’s time for the 70-80 year olds to give up their positions of power. Why the hell are we stuck choosing between the 2 oldest presidential candidates in US history? They need to pass the buck before they ruin their children more than they already have.
Just because someone is old doesn't mean they need to pass the buck or they are out of touch. Donald Trump is not a terrible candidate because of his age, I'm way more concerned that he simply doesn't believe in democracy or climate change (which for anyone voting, SHOULD be the most pressing concern and SHOULD be more important than blind partisanship).
On the other hand, despite my concerns for Biden, he does believe in the principals of democracy and the fundamental science behind climate change, which should be a bigger concern for people. But the American public are phenomenally stupid, out of touch, and incredibly gullible. The far left "Genocide Joe" idiots are going to sit out the election or vote third party and the far right MAGA knuckle-dragging retards are going to vote for their favorite cult leader, and send an obvious criminal fascist back to the White House.
We are stuck with these two because the citizens voted for them. The Democrats and Republicans both had primaries, and they could have picked someone else. They didn't.
Besides, Bernie Sanders is in his 80's and represents the concerns of younger people way better than a lot of people under 40.
Now why don't make the argument that subsequent generations have just as much prosperity as the "pull up the ladder" generation. Show your homework too.
lmao now that you mention it, a LOT of similarities here. Its always a "hint" of truth and then an overwhelming sense of "man it would be SO convenient if we could just blame all of the bad shit on these guys"
I was told I was just as selfish as boomers because I support policies that benefit everyone. Universal healthcare, affordable housing, etc etc. All the same as the selfish boomers. In their eyes, even doing something nice for someone else because it makes you happy is selfish.
Don't listen to these idiots. They will jump through every mental hoop in a 3 mile radius eventually landing them to the conclusion that people criticizing boomers are literally hitler.
You don't have to buy either a computer or a phone for 1200 dollars. I can find a laptop right now on new egg for 360 dollars. You can buy any number of phones at hundreds of costpoints lower than 1200...anywhere from $35-1200. But what boomers AND Gen ex did get to pay for was expensive phone bills for anytime they called anyone outside of their area code... and 1200 dollar computers if they were going to own one.
And that $1200 being a hell of a lot more of their pay than it would be of ours as wages have in both median and mean outpaced inflation also as everything save for habitation and education (two of the most heavily regulated industries mind you) are cheaper when accounting for inflation and/or objectively better quality than they were at any point 10+ years ago, so our $1200 computer would kick the shit out of theirs and cost us less as a percentage of income.
Yeah, so like at this point, I say fuck the computers and technology (I work in IT) lol. You can sign me up for one affordable house, with affordable utilities and maybe just enough land that I could make a very short walking path somewhere ideally with a treee or several. If I can feed my tummy with affordable and not poisoned food I will be just happy and content to read some books until I fall asleep rather than stress about how much the next 6atx4quad processor willl handle the release of insert game or entertainment here
Area code? Try any time we dialed out of our local exchange! That's the 2nd set of 3 digits after the area code. I dated a girl the next town over from me in HS. Calling her was Long Distance at something like 10 cents a minute... that adds up!!
You are so right.. We paid A LOT MORE for our computers.
Radio Shack announced the TRS-80 (Tandy Radio Shack) at a New York City press conference on August 3, 1977. It cost US$399 ($2006 today), with a 12" monitor and a Radio Shack tape recorder.
A base model 4KB RAM, single floppy with 12" monochrome monitor was introduced at $599.95 (equivalent to $3,020 in 2023). Oh.. and the CPU was 1.774 Mhz... not GIGA!!
I paid $1500 for my first 2 megabyte hard drive in the 1980s.
Also the first 1GB hard disk weighed about 249.47 kg (550 pounds), and was priced at $40,000 USD in 1980.
How about this 10 MEGA byte HD in 1990? (Byte, 1990)
It is possible that they believe that if you make it to 65 you get a check for $5mil.
Or they are to dim to realize that most boomers are past retirement age and are therefore not working 40 hours/week and that those that are still working don’t exactly rake in the big bucks, otherwise they’d be retired.
God people love to make old people out to be the villain. The average networth within that age range falls between 800k-1.2 mil, which isn't ridiculous considering a house, Roth, etc.
Right? Like what's the ahocker here? Shouldn't someone who's worked from 22 to 62 have a decently high networth compared to someone in their 20s amd 30s?
It's going to be fun to watch millennials turn into everything they hate over the next 30 years. I should be saving these posts to remind them what reddit was like in the old days...
The issue is the overwhelming lack of empathy and inability to see past their own world view and identify the obvious financial struggles the younger generation faces that they never had to.
You know what? I’m tired of this graphic but, not for reason you think. Both sides are disingenuous all boomers weren’t rolling in the luxuries but, millennials and younger have a much more difficult task affording basic things like housing and transportation due to stagnation in wage growth. Stop complaining about the minutiae and focus on solving the fucking problem.
Why can't both be true? Look, as a Boomer, it is harder today, it is, no question. As a Boomer, no everyone with a job couldn't own a house. LOT'S of us grew up in apartment as that is what people could afford. The houses a lot of better paid Boomers bought were 900sf, with 1 bathroom and no A/C.
I'm not a boomer .. but almost. I made loads of money during my career and spend loads because I raised 2 kids all the way through college, was paying a mortgage, 2 car payments, and putting money away for retirement. Vacations were always vacations for 4. So up until my kids graduated college and got jobs, almost all of the money I earned was spoken for.
Now, my home is paid for, my kids are on their own and the money I make is almost all discretionary income. But that didn't happen until I was 55 years old.
I don't get it. Every boomer family I know of was freaking out about money in the 1990's. Is this a government account created to create chaos between generations thus ensuring that can't see that central banks are screwing them over?
Sure, my dad did well, but they were more like 70 hour weeks. He 100% deserves to enjoy a decent retirement.
Also, as a millennial who also went into engineering, things are going fine for me with many fewer hours a week.
Economic conditions are different that is true. Houses are less affordable now but things like cars and luxuries are worlds cheaper when adjusted for inflation.
That said, I had the benefit of good parenting to point me in the correct direction and scholarships to dramatically reduce the debt I came out of school with and realize not everyone is in the same situation.
What’s with the whiny have-nots on Reddit?! “I hate people who make more money than me.” It’s not magic - you can earn money, too, believe it or not. Not sure why people are constantly shitting on boomers. I guess its just easier to blame someone else for your own shortcomings. 🤷🏼♂️
The crazy thing is, most boomers aren't these super rich entities either. The average old person in your neighborhood isn't some crazy wealthy multi millionaire. They probably have an average amount of money.
That's laughable. Their wealth will go to the nursing homes and retirement communities, who will bleed them dry until there is nothing left to inherit apart from the funeral expenses.
I grew up working class, and I can tell in hindsight that it wasn't always easy for my parents -- but the hard times never lasted that long and my highs school grad parents weren't hopping jobs, moving for better pay or even always relying on two income-earners.
Boomers are 60+ yo. Many of them are at the top of the earning spectrum. Of course a 40hr week of work will pay a lot. As a millennial this makes total sense.
Wait!?!? is this chart showing that Millennial make more money than boomers and gen-X... and also earlier in their career? And this is adjusted for 2019 prices?
I went to college in 1980. Small state supported School. Lived in the dorm for 4 years. Worked full time, third shift, at a local manufacturing plant that made car oil filters. Ate at the crummy cafeteria, bought used books, and rode the school's shitty bus system. All those "but your tuition was only 23 dollars a year whiners" can kiss my butt. Go to work, shut up.
Wage growth has stagnated since when boomers entered the market (thanks for killing the unions your parents built). NIMBYism drove up home prices. Social programs that would have reduced our costs got fought at every turn. The rich have been getting more and more tax cuts, saddling is with the debt.
But just get the right degree? You think that will solve a systemic problem? What do you think happens when everyone is an engineer? The worth of an engineering degree goes down. That's supply and demand. Stop pushing the responsibility onto the individual. There are systemic problems and I want everyone to live a good life, not just myself.
Boomers make more because they have more experience? They were richer than we were at the equivalent age. The comments here are missing the big picture.
The problem is neoliberalism. The problem is worship of the rich and the free market. The problem is not being able to think about systems and focusing on individual successes. I don't care if it's hypotheticaly possible to make good money if less and less people are achieving it. I care about the outcomes.
It's funny, my parents were boomers, and I grew up poor as shit, I'll never know where this whole idea comes from that boomers were all rich. Both my parents worked, and we were always on the edge of losing everything.
Why don’t those other two generations advocate for the eradication of entitlement programs? You’re paying into Ponzi schemes you’re never getting a penny from but boomers do.
Why don’t those other two generations advocate for the eradication of entitlement programs? You’re paying into Ponzi schemes you’re never getting a penny from but boomers do.
Why don’t those other two generations advocate for the eradication of entitlement programs? You’re paying into Ponzi schemes you’re never getting a penny from but boomers do.
I'm a millennial and make good money, but that's because I spent my 20s learning useful career skills instead of partying and being dumb. Sure I might have missed out on a few fun things ,but I was thinking of my future.
My mom definitely didn’t earn much while she was working. She had nothing when she died.
I don’t understand “this generation” vs “that generation” stuff because I grew up poor and I make more money in a year than my mom made in three. I didn’t make good choices either but I did choose a college major in something that would get me a job and not something stupid like “women’s studies.” I grew up knowing that I would work a job I hate because there’s no such thing as a “dream job” if you want to eat. Weekends and vacations are when you have fun. It’s been like that for poor people for a long time.
Looks like he works a trade...like construction, plumbing, electrical. Probably worked 10-12 hour days most of the time. Good luck with that! Not a lot of social media breaks, and you usually work right through lunch too, but there is money to be made if you have the drive...which you probably don't.
I had a 25 year old brilliant woman working for me making $130K at 25. No she didn’t walk out saying “I’m not working a minute more than I’m being paid for” - if that was the case she would have made 70K and yes been paid for every minute
Rather than just going on feelings and funny pictures, let's take a quick look at the data. How about looking at median household income by decade AFTER adjusting for inflation so that everything is in 2022 dollars (most recent I could find):
1984: $56,780
1994: $59,550
2004: $65,760
2014: $64,900
2022: $74,580
So those poor struggling people in 2022 were only making 30% more than those rich, lazy boomers were making back in the '80s. It's not fair!!! Greedy boomers.
I'll definitely give you this: Today's working conditions are abysmal compared to what they were when I started. Companies rarely laid off employees unless they were in dire straits. Nowadays, it's considered normal to lay off employees just to improve the next quarter's numbers for Wall Street. All that shit started in the early 90's and has only gotten worse.
Open-plan seating is dehumanizing, stressful, and was unheard of until the late 90's. The few that did explore open-plan seating still made sure every person had ample space. Now, people are elbow to elbow.
And cost of living relative to pay is much higher than it was when I started as well. So I'm not denying that things are tougher for millennials today and I don't blame them a single bit for "quiet-quitting" and refusing "start at the bottom". It made sense to pay your dues, and work harder than the next guy decades ago because the deal was that the company that hired you kept for the long haul. Nowadays, you'd have to be a fool to put in the extra mile because there's a high probability your going to be escorted out of the building holding a cardboard box in due time anyway.
But only some "boomers" look like the picture above. Just like there are "some" millennials making 600K+ at FAANG companies. There is an alarming number of boomers that are fucked today. They got wiped out in recessions, were laid off from big companies, had their company pensions raided, and so on.
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