Why I don't like Boomers (spinoff)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why I like Boomers:

1) We never expected our parents to pay for our extravagant weddings, buy our first houses, pay our kids' private school tuition, and provide free child care for our offspring. Rather, as children should, we first rebelled against them and then, when we had our own kids (or, at least, by the time our kids became teens) realized that they were actually pretty good eggs;

2) We bought the smallest, crappiest houses on the block, lived in them for years, doing all kinds of little home repair and improvement projects to make them liveable, then finally renovated or expanded them when we got lucky and the market went up. GenXers wanted to buy the fanciest, biggest houses on the block and never have to put in any sweat or $$ equity of their own. Really, I distinctly remember two Boomer friends who insisted that their realtors show them the houses that had been on the market forever and that were real hell-holes (one described her new home as "the 9th circle of hell, avocado shag carpet everywhere"). Both live in those houses to this day, having painted, papered, planted and finally expanded them so that they are beautiful homes now. In contrast, when GenX colleagues and acquaintances inquire about houses for sale in our very desirable n-hood, they invariably say they don't want to move into a fixer-upper. Then, if I tell them about a house that's already been fixed up, they whine about how expensive it is.

Are you really this stupid? Housing costs have risen 300-400% in a lot of areas. Sorry, but I can't afford to buy a fixer upper because the fixer upper is STILL too inflated to buy. You obviously have no clue what it's like to start out when the world is as expensive as it is today. Your generation built a bubble that you were able to ride on. Now what will younger generations do?

I won't even comment on #1 because it's just stupid and makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the boomer PP who regrets missing out on Title IX --my heart goes out to you. I'm a late boomer who started high school right after Title IX and it made a huge difference in my experience compared to that of my older sister. My kids think I must have been a big jockette in high school b/c I played varsity soccer, but the truth is we had just started a girls team and needed every warm body we could get. Here's to you, Cap Weinberger -- for drafting the Title IX regs as Secretary of HEW. And, for those of you who remember Cap and HEW, you're definitely a boomer.

To the poster blaming boomers for Title IX -- 1) nobody forced you to play sports -- that's just ridiculous and further proof of GenX whining, and 2) many boomers couldn't even vote when Title IX was passed -- so, baby, you need to take your fight to the Greatest Generation. Good luck with that.

A series of sadistic PE teachers forced me to play sports almost daily for 9 years. Classes didn't focus on health and exercise as they're more likely to do today. Rather, these never-painted "ladies" in velour jogging suits would swear and sputter because I showed no interest in brutally grabbing a (worthless to me) ball from whichever towering jockette had control of it at the moment or because I refused to target classmates for senseless bruising during dodgeball.

Fortunately, I had the option of dance classes in high school that I found much more congenial to my ballet training, temperament, and yes... gender. YMMV, but the "solutions" the first guard of feminists pushed on us all haven't necessarily made our lives better. It should have been possible to allow some girls to play distinctly aggressive sports without requiring that all would play these games.

[Anonymous]

Pantyhose sucks. Gen Y doesn't have to wear it to work. Boomers did. THAT'S how it's relevant.

DUH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I'm not really a bitter person. I thought some of the Boomer commentary was so hilarious in the Giant thread that I had to start another. I don't like Boomers because they will live forever and spend all the SS and Medicare $. I'm jealous as crap because they had many more income-earning years before the recession. The volvo-driving, latte-sipping, Whole foods-shopping, argula-eating, NPR-listening Boomer drives me crazy.

Without the Boomers, you wouldn't be here.

[Anonymous]

I don't like Boomers because they are either completely obessed with staying young when they are not or they are completely obese and overweight. There does not seem to be a normal, healthy, lets take care of ourselves and its OK to age middle ground for this set.

The credit card debt, lack of savings, and health care costs for this generation will create a sizable economic problem. Its fine not to inherit money but I know so many people with Boomer parents who are planning or worrying for the day when they need to support their parents because they see the train wreck coming. In comparison, the Boomer's parents saved, were able to pay for their retirement and left the Boomers some money.

The Boomers are bringing forward a generation of grandparents who refuse to be called grandma or grandpa and come up with the most ridiculous names for themselves much to the utter confusion of the preschool set.

[Anonymous]

Wrong.

My parents are from "the silent generation". This Gen-xer would be much happier without the boomers, thank you.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP, I know I'm Gen X and not a boomer now (born in early 1965).

"I don't like Boomers because they are either completely obessed with staying young when they are not or they are completely obese and overweight. There does not seem to be a normal, healthy, lets take care of ourselves and its OK to age middle ground for this set."

I work out 4 or 5 times a week, but am 15 pounds overweight because I like food and good wine.

"The credit card debt, lack of savings, and health care costs for this generation will create a sizable economic problem. Its fine not to inherit money but I know so many people with Boomer parents who are planning or worrying for the day when they need to support their parents because they see the train wreck coming. In comparison, the Boomer's parents saved, were able to pay for their retirement and left the Boomers some money."

No credit card debt or lack of savings here. No need for my elementary aged kids to support me in 20 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the boomer PP who regrets missing out on Title IX --my heart goes out to you. I'm a late boomer who started high school right after Title IX and it made a huge difference in my experience compared to that of my older sister. My kids think I must have been a big jockette in high school b/c I played varsity soccer, but the truth is we had just started a girls team and needed every warm body we could get. Here's to you, Cap Weinberger -- for drafting the Title IX regs as Secretary of HEW. And, for those of you who remember Cap and HEW, you're definitely a boomer.

To the poster blaming boomers for Title IX -- 1) nobody forced you to play sports -- that's just ridiculous and further proof of GenX whining, and 2) many boomers couldn't even vote when Title IX was passed -- so, baby, you need to take your fight to the Greatest Generation. Good luck with that.

A series of sadistic PE teachers forced me to play sports almost daily for 9 years. Classes didn't focus on health and exercise as they're more likely to do today. Rather, these never-painted "ladies" in velour jogging suits would swear and sputter because I showed no interest in brutally grabbing a (worthless to me) ball from whichever towering jockette had control of it at the moment or because I refused to target classmates for senseless bruising during dodgeball.

Fortunately, I had the option of dance classes in high school that I found much more congenial to my ballet training, temperament, and yes... gender. YMMV, but the "solutions" the first guard of feminists pushed on us all haven't necessarily made our lives better. It should have been possible to allow some girls to play distinctly aggressive sports without requiring that all would play these games.

Right, so you blame a whole generation for the sadistic PE teachers hired by your school. Why don't you blame the administration of your school which decided to have a policy like that? Or your parents for sending you to that school? I'm all for people understanding that it's not their fault that they don't fit in with the times they grew up in. I think almost all of us on DCUM, regardless of our generation, can relate to that. But you're just whining now and blaming people who have no more power than you do for the challenges you faced as a young person. BTW every feminist (and the boomer ones too) I know would agree that you should be able to engage in the kind of healthy activity that suited your personality.

[Anonymous]

I was born in 1980 and have no clue what 'group' that puts me in but DAMN you all are seriously hostile.

[Anonymous]

I'm a GenX-er, and don't feel the need to whine about working hard or not having it easy, living in crappy houses, paying for school, etc. Been there, done that. Every generation has to prove itself as well as build on the generations that came before, and there's no need for handouts. But I do find the Boomers particularly annoying due to the constant navel-gazing. Vietnam, Woodstock, the sixties, it was so great, blah, blah, blah. Obviously you didn't learn much from your free wheeling summers of peace and love since many of you seem to have morphed into Mercedes SUV lovers who got us involved in an endless war in Iraq and ran up massive deficits. I do think there is a Peter Pan attitude among the Boomers that they don't want to age, and therefore aren't thinking much (collectively, not individually) about the big financial pile of poop they're passing on to future generations. Especially those older Boomers who are barking about preserving the unsustainable status quo and "keeping government out of health care" while on Medicare, or preaching against taxes or government while drawing Social Security. Okaaaay...

[Anonymous]

As an individual on the cusp of Gen X-Y, I make the following statements: Boomers will suck social security dry and they know it. The safety net they always knew would be there no matter what simply will not exist when my cohort gets to that point. Thus, we need to put more of our money away reducing disposable income. And let's talk about retirement age... The Boomers refuse to push back the age at which they collect SS even though they are FAR outliving their parents' generation. It just makes sense. If you're living and working longer, push back the SS qualification age. SS is not meant to be collected by those who are still working, although this is the case. Boomers need to either retire and collect SS or keep working. I choose the former since that would open up career opportunities for those coming after. Boomers are draining SS and blocking career advancement. Ugh! Talk about having your cake and eating it, too.

Plus, I can appreciate the career doors which were opened by my predecessors. However, we are now in a situation where women HAVE to work. Trust me, I'd rather stay home with my baby, but no matter how I crunch the numbers, my husband and I BOTH have to work. And that's in order to afford our two bedroom condo (no McMansion here). We both own cars which are nearing ten years old and have finally been paid off after years of car loans. We shop at Costco and rarely eat out. By our mothers forging ahead in the work force, incomes rose and so did the cost of living. Now we are in a jam where two incomes are necessary. My parents are all busy STILL WORKING, so they cannot help with childcare as their parents did. So, yes, I do blame Boomers and their incessant need to continue in the workplace for the jam my generation finds itself in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an individual on the cusp of Gen X-Y, I make the following statements: Boomers will suck social security dry and they know it. The safety net they always knew would be there no matter what simply will not exist when my cohort gets to that point. Thus, we need to put more of our money away reducing disposable income. And let's talk about retirement age... The Boomers refuse to push back the age at which they collect SS even though they are FAR outliving their parents' generation. It just makes sense. If you're living and working longer, push back the SS qualification age. SS is not meant to be collected by those who are still working, although this is the case. Boomers need to either retire and collect SS or keep working. I choose the former since that would open up career opportunities for those coming after. Boomers are draining SS and blocking career advancement. Ugh! Talk about having your cake and eating it, too.

Plus, I can appreciate the career doors which were opened by my predecessors. However, we are now in a situation where women HAVE to work. Trust me, I'd rather stay home with my baby, but no matter how I crunch the numbers, my husband and I BOTH have to work. And that's in order to afford our two bedroom condo (no McMansion here). We both own cars which are nearing ten years old and have finally been paid off after years of car loans. We shop at Costco and rarely eat out. By our mothers forging ahead in the work force, incomes rose and so did the cost of living. Now we are in a jam where two incomes are necessary. My parents are all busy STILL WORKING, so they cannot help with childcare as their parents did. So, yes, I do blame Boomers and their incessant need to continue in the workplace for the jam my generation finds itself in.

This.