Why do people think Boomers had it so good?

[Anonymous]

Other than being drafted into Vietnam, boomers had it the best. Cheap college and the ability to develop good paying careers without college. Low housing prices on top of that. Then they turned conservative and pulled out the rug from under everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Boomers live in an echo chamber - nothing will penetrate it. More than these arguments about mortgages the real bitterness is over the feeling that the boomers pulled the ladder up behind them after enjoying things like pensions, unions, well funded state schools, etc.

I'll bite.

Sucks being you. Too bad; so sad

eh I'm GenX, got a job with no real qualifications, a college degree with small loans, a house during the 2008 crash, and going to retire early with plenty.

My parents are Silent Generation so I've not a big stake in this fight, other than be pleased that on the whole boomers are fading from the public eye.

So is Genx who are close to retirement age. Younger boomers and older genX are siblings and cousins. That shows just how silly this whole thing is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Other than being drafted into Vietnam, boomers had it the best. Cheap college and the ability to develop good paying careers without college. Low housing prices on top of that. Then they turned conservative and pulled out the rug from under everyone else.

And terrible economies, recessions, interest rates. Basically everything sucked until about 2002.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

"So yes, in 1982, boomers as a generation were struggling. But in 2024 they are not. They have immense wealth, plus social security is still solvent and medicare is actually functioning better than ever thanks to work on prescription drug prices and supplemental plans. They made it."

"They have immense wealth"
I love the generalizations people make to justify their bigoted attitudes to others based on age. Seriously, you know there are boomers who live down the street from me in public housing or under the freeway bridge? Just as there are millennials and people of all ages also suffering from poverty, racism, sexism and homophobia, among others.

I don't get how people who would never talk in stereotypes when it comes to race, gender, or sexual orientation somehow can't resist it when it comes to talking about people from other generations. Ageism - whether towards young or old people - is very much in fashion among some people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Other than being drafted into Vietnam, boomers had it the best. Cheap college and the ability to develop good paying careers without college. Low housing prices on top of that. Then they turned conservative and pulled out the rug from under everyone else.

Most boomers were too young to go to Vietnam. Military advisors were in Vietnam during the 1950’s, numbers of advisors increased by a lot in 1961, the first attack against Americans was 1964, the first troops landed in Vietnam in 1965. The war ended in 1975. A large amount of boomers were not affected by the Vietnam.

Anyone who groups a very large amount of people born over 20 years as having the same experiences and same way of thinking is an idiot.

People forget that “the silent generation” grew up during the Great Depression, WW2 and fought in the Korean War and the youngest fought in Vietnam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than being drafted into Vietnam, boomers had it the best. Cheap college and the ability to develop good paying careers without college. Low housing prices on top of that. Then they turned conservative and pulled out the rug from under everyone else.

Most boomers were too young to go to Vietnam. Military advisors were in Vietnam during the 1950’s, numbers of advisors increased by a lot in 1961, the first attack against Americans was 1964, the first troops landed in Vietnam in 1965. The war ended in 1975. A large amount of boomers were not affected by the Vietnam.

Anyone who groups a very large amount of people born over 20 years as having the same experiences and same way of thinking is an idiot.

People forget that “the silent generation” grew up during the Great Depression, WW2 and fought in the Korean War and the youngest fought in Vietnam.

The people drafted for Vietnam were born between 1944 and 1952. So while most Boomers weren’t drafted, the vast majority of people who were called to serve in Vietnam were Boomers. Those younger were not drafted but nearly everyone of that generation felt the effects of the war. No denying that it was a war that defined the generation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Boomers live in an echo chamber - nothing will penetrate it. More than these arguments about mortgages the real bitterness is over the feeling that the boomers pulled the ladder up behind them after enjoying things like pensions, unions, well funded state schools, etc.

I'll bite.

Sucks being you. Too bad; so sad

eh I'm GenX, got a job with no real qualifications, a college degree with small loans, a house during the 2008 crash, and going to retire early with plenty.

My parents are Silent Generation so I've not a big stake in this fight, other than be pleased that on the whole boomers are fading from the public eye.

So is Genx who are close to retirement age. Younger boomers and older genX are siblings and cousins. That shows just how silly this whole thing is.

It's silly because not everyone lucked out with timing or achieved success. It's a stupid debate. Successful people did well, wow. Water is wet. There are many broke boomers who live hand to mouth on SS and don't own anything, and there are many Gen X who have accumulated no wealth whatsoever. There are also wealthy millenials and GenZ. If you got wiped out by the crisis in 2008 and lost your source of income in addition you would be singing a different tune. If whatever factors in economy made you lose your job or killed your career prospects and you failed to pivot to another equally or better paying field, you would find yourself screwed regardless of what generation you are. Market crashes and mass unemployment happen time to time, not everyone reacts the same way. Sometimes people panic and make decisions that hurt them later. No generation is immune from this. Smugness adds no value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than being drafted into Vietnam, boomers had it the best. Cheap college and the ability to develop good paying careers without college. Low housing prices on top of that. Then they turned conservative and pulled out the rug from under everyone else.

Most boomers were too young to go to Vietnam. Military advisors were in Vietnam during the 1950’s, numbers of advisors increased by a lot in 1961, the first attack against Americans was 1964, the first troops landed in Vietnam in 1965. The war ended in 1975. A large amount of boomers were not affected by the Vietnam.

Anyone who groups a very large amount of people born over 20 years as having the same experiences and same way of thinking is an idiot.

People forget that “the silent generation” grew up during the Great Depression, WW2 and fought in the Korean War and the youngest fought in Vietnam.

The people drafted for Vietnam were born between 1944 and 1952. So while most Boomers weren’t drafted, the vast majority of people who were called to serve in Vietnam were Boomers. Those younger were not drafted but nearly everyone of that generation felt the effects of the war. No denying that it was a war that defined the generation.

There were millions not affected by the war at all. I took a college course about the war that was solely about Vietnam.

The people born the first ten years fought the Vietnam war. The oldest one remember JFKs assassination. The youngest hadn’t been born yet or were toddlers. The oldest ones were hippies and marched in civil rights protests, they remembered the assassinations of MLK and RFK.

The younger boomers were more about the Reagan years with high unemployment and high interest rates but didn’t have the turmoil that the older ones went through. A totally different lifestyle that’s why it is so stupid to keep writing as if you are talking about one unit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than being drafted into Vietnam, boomers had it the best. Cheap college and the ability to develop good paying careers without college. Low housing prices on top of that. Then they turned conservative and pulled out the rug from under everyone else.

And terrible economies, recessions, interest rates. Basically everything sucked until about 2002.

And started to suck again in 2008. There were up and downs since then and Covid times had its own cherry on top. I am not sure what this debate is about, this entire generational warfare purpose? Is it to try to find one generation that had it good most of the time or never experienced any ups and downs and turmoil of any kind and economic downfalls and market crashes? There is none. You won't find this generation, and there is nothing to get from this.

[Anonymous]

They retired early. By 45-55, most boomers could retire especially if they had a pension. There were certain city jobs like police officers where if you work 20 years, you get a pension for the rest of your life. You would still be young enough to vacation, pay off a house, and afford your kids’ college tuition.

Now the tuition is the cost of a house and pensions don’t exist. The concept of working for the same company for 20 years is something that died with boomers and maybe a few older Gen X. Such a concept is foreign and completely alien to millenials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole argument is stupid. But anyone is welcome to buy a house that the Boomers had available to them a high interest rates. Go forth with that 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1200 sq foot abode.

Wait, really? If only we millennials had known there were bountiful, affordable houses out there in the prime locations the boomers got to live and all we had to do was be ok with a little smaller house!

No, wait, even a friggin' vacant lot costs a million bucks: https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/Rock-Spring-Rd-22207/home/22678434

So I guess it actually is that housing is completely unaffordable and not "millennials only want HGTV houses" after all.

They weren’t in prime locations at all. They might be good locations now but not then. The houses were “far out” with far far less amenities. You are looking at it with today’s goggles.

Yep. I remember when Vienna was considered so far out it wasn't a practical commute. So police, fire, and trades people lived here. Houses were small (you can still see some). Reston was considered the other end of the world. Heck, even Falls Church was a commute for GS 9s and 10s only.

This is a good point. I think a lot of millennials don’t get that if you lived in Falls Church in 1978 you didn’t have any Metro trains and I-66 wasn’t built. The dining options were not even as good back then in the DC suburbs as in some places like Front Royal now.

And going to DC for anything but a museum back then was a dangerous proposition. Your boomer parents had to go into the city for work when it was a much more boring, dilapidated, dangerous place to give their kids a suburban upbringing that was as exciting back then as living in some drab suburb of Cleveland is now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than being drafted into Vietnam, boomers had it the best. Cheap college and the ability to develop good paying careers without college. Low housing prices on top of that. Then they turned conservative and pulled out the rug from under everyone else.

Most boomers were too young to go to Vietnam. Military advisors were in Vietnam during the 1950’s, numbers of advisors increased by a lot in 1961, the first attack against Americans was 1964, the first troops landed in Vietnam in 1965. The war ended in 1975. A large amount of boomers were not affected by the Vietnam.

Anyone who groups a very large amount of people born over 20 years as having the same experiences and same way of thinking is an idiot.

People forget that “the silent generation” grew up during the Great Depression, WW2 and fought in the Korean War and the youngest fought in Vietnam.

The people drafted for Vietnam were born between 1944 and 1952. So while most Boomers weren’t drafted, the vast majority of people who were called to serve in Vietnam were Boomers. Those younger were not drafted but nearly everyone of that generation felt the effects of the war. No denying that it was a war that defined the generation.

There were millions not affected by the war at all. I took a college course about the war that was solely about Vietnam.

The people born the first ten years fought the Vietnam war. The oldest one remember JFKs assassination. The youngest hadn’t been born yet or were toddlers. The oldest ones were hippies and marched in civil rights protests, they remembered the assassinations of MLK and RFK.

The younger boomers were more about the Reagan years with high unemployment and high interest rates but didn’t have the turmoil that the older ones went through. A totally different lifestyle that’s why it is so stupid to keep writing as if you are talking about one unit.

To be fair, people whining about Vietnam must seem really entitled to the generation who had to run headfirst into Gatling Gun fire in the trenches of WW1 or that had to endure the Great Depression and WW2. Vietnam would be a cakewalk for those generations.

Watch any good documentary about WW1 and the conditions of soldiers’ lives back then and you will never complain about your life again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than being drafted into Vietnam, boomers had it the best. Cheap college and the ability to develop good paying careers without college. Low housing prices on top of that. Then they turned conservative and pulled out the rug from under everyone else.

Most boomers were too young to go to Vietnam. Military advisors were in Vietnam during the 1950’s, numbers of advisors increased by a lot in 1961, the first attack against Americans was 1964, the first troops landed in Vietnam in 1965. The war ended in 1975. A large amount of boomers were not affected by the Vietnam.

Anyone who groups a very large amount of people born over 20 years as having the same experiences and same way of thinking is an idiot.

People forget that “the silent generation” grew up during the Great Depression, WW2 and fought in the Korean War and the youngest fought in Vietnam.

The people drafted for Vietnam were born between 1944 and 1952. So while most Boomers weren’t drafted, the vast majority of people who were called to serve in Vietnam were Boomers. Those younger were not drafted but nearly everyone of that generation felt the effects of the war. No denying that it was a war that defined the generation.

There were millions not affected by the war at all. I took a college course about the war that was solely about Vietnam.

The people born the first ten years fought the Vietnam war. The oldest one remember JFKs assassination. The youngest hadn’t been born yet or were toddlers. The oldest ones were hippies and marched in civil rights protests, they remembered the assassinations of MLK and RFK.

The younger boomers were more about the Reagan years with high unemployment and high interest rates but didn’t have the turmoil that the older ones went through. A totally different lifestyle that’s why it is so stupid to keep writing as if you are talking about one unit.

To be fair, people whining about Vietnam must seem really entitled to the generation who had to run headfirst into Gatling Gun fire in the trenches of WW1 or that had to endure the Great Depression and WW2. Vietnam would be a cakewalk for those generations.

Watch any good documentary about WW1 and the conditions of soldiers’ lives back then and you will never complain about your life again.

As long as you watch a good documentary on Vietnam. Nobody is whining about Vietnam. Those jungles were pure hell. That war would not be a cakewalk for anyone. And there were no “Support the Troops” signs anywhere. There was no glory in fighting in Vietnam like the greatest generation who helped defeat the Nazis. No parades. An ending just like Afghanistan as Americans left not sure why they were ever there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the difference between me and my peers and our boomer parents is that they are just far more frugal than we are. My parents saved and scrimped and said "no" a lot. I will fully admit that I spend so much more, and my kids have so much more than I did at their ages. A lot of this is about spending vs saving. We could all do better.

BINGO!!

My parents also scrimped and saved and said "no" majority of time to anything that was not a need.
Heck, I was in college before they got a Color TV (I'm early 50s now) and didn't have cable/streaming until they were in their 60s.
Dining out when I was in MS/HS was Pizza or a trip to "Golden Corral" (entire family eats for $5-6 each person)

SO while it's not all about saving vs spending, you have to admit most people have a significantly longer list of "needs" now than our parents did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They retired early. By 45-55, most boomers could retire especially if they had a pension. There were certain city jobs like police officers where if you work 20 years, you get a pension for the rest of your life. You would still be young enough to vacation, pay off a house, and afford your kids’ college tuition.

Now the tuition is the cost of a house and pensions don’t exist. The concept of working for the same company for 20 years is something that died with boomers and maybe a few older Gen X. Such a concept is foreign and completely alien to millenials.

You're joking, right? I don't know anyone who retired at that age. But go on, fantasize about this mythical generation that had it soooo good instead of acknowledging that different people had different experiences.

By chance, are your parents jerks? Sometimes I find that people resent their boomer parents and apply that resentment to everyone that age. But, regardless, how about doing some actual research before making absurd statements about "most boomers"?