General Discussion

jeff47

(26,549 posts)

51. Well....what'd your generation do?

Tue Dec 3, 2013, 02:26 PM

Dec 2013

Your generation started out quite well.

But as the 70s wore on, your generation became less focused on those good things. The "hippies" were only about 20-30% of the baby boomers. And for various reasons, they stopped trying. That left the 40% of your generation that were "Nixon Youth" to have a much larger effect. To the point where the right side of your generation is the major remaining component of the Republican party.

The negative ones get a lot more press because they've had such an enormous and long-lasting effect. The turn to social darwinism of our political discourse happened because the former "Nixon Youth" pushed it into power. That has led to a cascade of an enormous number of things that far outweigh the positive elements.

And this goes very far beyond politics. For example, in your quote about millennials:

the proportion of students who said being wealthy was very important to them increased from 45% for Baby Boomers (surveyed between 1967 and 1985) to 70% for Gen X and 75% for Millennials.

Why? Because once those Nixon Youth changed our politics, being wealthy became far more critical - you couldn't count on anyone else because society had shifted so far to the right.

As a result, being wealthy became far more critical to withstanding the setbacks that crop up in anyone's life. Additionally, it was no longer possible to have a stable, well-paying factory job with a generous pension, making wealth necessary for a comfortable retirement. And that doesn't get into saddling them with $100k in debt for college.

Plus, it doesn't help the inter-generational resentment when you post bullshit like this:

Boomers were able to have a real impact on the culture in a way that millennials haven't been able to

Millennials are in their single-digits to 20s. You are claiming they are jealous of what your generation did over the last 50 years. The vast majority of them can not vote. Or drive.

Or did you happen to forget about "Gen X" again?

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It seems like there's a lot of dislike and contempt for "boomers" from "millennials" [View all] cali Dec 2013 OP

We Boomers - As Parents - Were Supposed To Make Things Better For Our Children..... global1 Dec 2013 #1

In some ways things are better and in other ways they aren't cali Dec 2013 #3

Economically, we will be the FIRST generation worse off than our parents joeglow3 Dec 2013 #7

Don't Thank Me RobinA Dec 2013 #38

I am talking about as a whole joeglow3 Dec 2013 #61

Then you picked the wrong topic big time. ieoeja Dec 2013 #72

Evidence would disagree with you joeglow3 Dec 2013 #78

That graph just shows a point in time not the cause upaloopa Dec 2013 #88

Excellent post. Thanks. n/t Laelth Dec 2013 #94

Averages? ieoeja Dec 2013 #99

Mostly agree rufus dog Dec 2013 #220

Here's what you don't get. upaloopa Dec 2013 #82

Fine. But don't pat yourself on the back for all the good things you did joeglow3 Dec 2013 #87

I take responsibility. Your the one who doesn't upaloopa Dec 2013 #91

I have not patted my generation on the back at all joeglow3 Dec 2013 #92

Don't thank us--wages flat-lined starting in the early to mid-seventies, truebluegreen Dec 2013 #106

Correct on all counts Art_from_Ark Dec 2013 #212

Got news NO you won't be azurnoir Dec 2013 #176

We don't know that's going to be the case just yet Hippo_Tron Dec 2013 #186

Right now, we have seen negative growth joeglow3 Dec 2013 #188

I'm a 2nd wave boomer and I can assure that my sisters and I all are worse off magical thyme Dec 2013 #227

Like I said earlier, there will be standard deviations on both sides joeglow3 Dec 2013 #229

now you are abusing statistics. magical thyme Dec 2013 #231

"road to tow" TroglodyteScholar Dec 2013 #23

Define better..... llmart Dec 2013 #187

Good point but we were dealing with ending the war flamingdem Dec 2013 #207

Boomers became large proponents of republicanism, very few remained true to the vision bluestate10 Dec 2013 #241

The boomers gave us Reaganism. PeteSelman Dec 2013 #2

no offense, but it's just rather stupid to be pissed at a whole generation cali Dec 2013 #5

Boomers pretty much split 50/50 on Reagan/Carter Fumesucker Dec 2013 #6

A 50-50 split between evil versus good is still a fucking failure. Why should Boomers bluestate10 Dec 2013 #242

We were a hell of a lot sharper than the Greatest Generation who voted 55-39 for Reagan Fumesucker Dec 2013 #247

Nope. Boomers voted for Carter and Anderson more than Reagan. Gormy Cuss Dec 2013 #115

**cough** **cough** **cough** **cough** **cough** nope not true no matter how much you may want azurnoir Dec 2013 #177

Well, this boomer certainly didn't vote for Reagan Art_from_Ark Dec 2013 #214

I don't agree Cali, MrYikes Dec 2013 #4

So, effective anti-war protests, the fight for women's rights and racial eqality and GLBT cali Dec 2013 #8

Okay, you win, you're right, I'm wrong. nt MrYikes Dec 2013 #12

War on Drugs, Prison Rates, Corporate Corruption, Political Corruption, Deadly GMO's joeglow3 Dec 2013 #21

yes, lots of bad stuff as well as good stuff. Your little lot (subset) seems to cali Dec 2013 #24

Now, now. HappyMe Dec 2013 #35

The millennials should have Seedersandleechers Dec 2013 #181

And you seem to think the boomer generation is wholly responsible for all the good shit joeglow3 Dec 2013 #37

uh, no, my darling young friend. YOU seem to have a considerable reading comprehension cali Dec 2013 #43

You resorting to personal attacks sums up the strength of your position joeglow3 Dec 2013 #63

lol. you attack- and nastily, an entire generation. the strength of your position is non-existent cali Dec 2013 #77

You patted an entire generation on the back. Your position is equally strong joeglow3 Dec 2013 #84

"I pointed out if you are going to pat yourself thucythucy Dec 2013 #111

You think people weren't vested in those rights not being granted? joeglow3 Dec 2013 #113

Well, if you could outline a retrospective plan thucythucy Dec 2013 #122

How did unions come to fruition? joeglow3 Dec 2013 #124

Unions "came to fruition" thucythucy Dec 2013 #132

Took them a 100 years to get unions and boomers 20 to lose them joeglow3 Dec 2013 #154

so, no answers either. not one of the bright lights of your generation, I guess? bettyellen Dec 2013 #175

We get to start the 100 year struggle all over joeglow3 Dec 2013 #190

suck that your generation is not smart enough to come out for mid term elections.... bettyellen Dec 2013 #194

ah..... another troll to ignore madrchsod Dec 2013 #205

oh jeeze, you have no idea, do you. bettyellen Dec 2013 #165

That it took boomers 20 years to lose what workers spent 100 years fighting for joeglow3 Dec 2013 #167

HA HA HA HA . bettyellen Dec 2013 #168

Personal attacks says a lot about critical thinking skills joeglow3 Dec 2013 #215

You have that backwards, IMO. jeff47 Dec 2013 #179

The boomer generation is responsible for the fall of progressivism. joshcryer Dec 2013 #184

I'm not a millenial but it is really rich of you to start an OP eilen Dec 2013 #252

Baby boomers are, as a generation, selfish and short sighted Pretzel_Warrior Dec 2013 #248

Boomer Here RobinA Dec 2013 #42

Not a boomer, but +1 tammywammy Dec 2013 #50

Huh? llmart Dec 2013 #191

As a millennial, I fear for the day when we get in power. CorrectOfCenter Dec 2013 #9

`that's an interesting point cali Dec 2013 #11

A few days/weeks of homelessness and/or hunger will change that libertarian lean in a g-damn hurry. TroglodyteScholar Dec 2013 #25

Many teenage-to-twentysomethings have libertarian leanings jeff47 Dec 2013 #112

The split toward progressive libertarianism is pretty significant. Millennials are far more bluestate10 Dec 2013 #243

Every generation is smarter than its predecessor and wiser than its successor. nt geek tragedy Dec 2013 #10

do you actually believe that? cali Dec 2013 #13

No, it's speaking to their point of view. Gen Xers groused about how out of touch geek tragedy Dec 2013 #17

REALLY? You saw a "boomer" thread and you had to start your own to get 137 posts? snooper2 Dec 2013 #14

actually, there have been lots of threads posted about this issue cali Dec 2013 #19

Nothing bother me...well, except stupid people. And these fucking bugs we had in Texas snooper2 Dec 2013 #22

Things that bother me tammywammy Dec 2013 #44

Interesting allegation... LanternWaste Dec 2013 #26

I fear the dominance of a generation that cannot remember a world before Ronald Reagan Douglas Carpenter Dec 2013 #15

Oh good generational warfare, must mean the porn war is over. n/t tammywammy Dec 2013 #16

Who won? TroglodyteScholar Dec 2013 #28

I'm not sure about my DU warfare cycle, but I think up next is the regional war. hughee99 Dec 2013 #29

That is SOOOO last month! Sissyk Dec 2013 #81

Maybe it's because one is the parent generation and the other their Cleita Dec 2013 #18

Grandchildren. jeff47 Dec 2013 #114

Wrecked economy, expensive education system Prism Dec 2013 #20

yes, because it's the fault of an entire generation cali Dec 2013 #27

Did you just call out a "broad brush" and make one at the same time? hughee99 Dec 2013 #31

i put it down to grumpy old person syndrome, not so much get off my lawn as you owe me loli phabay Dec 2013 #33

I'm playing the author's game. I noted that in another post in this thread cali Dec 2013 #45

You're trying to assuage your conscience Prism Dec 2013 #32

Oh, We Can Cope RobinA Dec 2013 #47

I have no doubt of this whatsoever Prism Dec 2013 #58

My problem is your inability to own up to your mistakes joeglow3 Dec 2013 #65

My problem is you don't actually answer thucythucy Dec 2013 #225

Did you see the mass walkout/protest that just took place this week? joeglow3 Dec 2013 #228

Are you talking about the climate conference? thucythucy Dec 2013 #235

No. The fast food protest joeglow3 Dec 2013 #236

So you were responsible for that? thucythucy Dec 2013 #238

Yes joeglow3 Dec 2013 #246

Good for you! thucythucy Dec 2013 #262

Bleh. That generation has already shown a willingingness to butt fuck my generation. joeglow3 Dec 2013 #264

Guilty? HappyMe Dec 2013 #53

Yup Prism Dec 2013 #59

Every generation fails in some way or another. HappyMe Dec 2013 #62

Without question Prism Dec 2013 #70

Yes, I know. HappyMe Dec 2013 #80

No one said that Prism Dec 2013 #89

I'm not drawing the victim card. HappyMe Dec 2013 #101

Re: your question: "Are you leaving the next generation thucythucy Dec 2013 #199

Plus a million. Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #200

well here`s my .... madrchsod Dec 2013 #206

Excellent! kiva Dec 2013 #216

They had the benefits given them because of things their parents did, they took these Egalitarian Thug Dec 2013 #74

Ayep Prism Dec 2013 #83

That's it in a nutshell Scootaloo Dec 2013 #224

Here is the biggest problem with boomers LittleBlue Dec 2013 #30

How can you say Gen-X/Y/Millenials have nothing to live up to? hughee99 Dec 2013 #34

lol. loli phabay Dec 2013 #39

lol! HappyMe Dec 2013 #41

really? links to evidence of that bee? cali Dec 2013 #46

Yes, all generations are a mixed bag, hughee99 Dec 2013 #79

I LOVE it joeglow3 Dec 2013 #68

duzy!!...nt Jesus Malverde Dec 2013 #76

Ha! Vashta Nerada Dec 2013 #85

I Saw RobinA Dec 2013 #48

I wasn't really looking to be facetious with that LittleBlue Dec 2013 #55

No, they were preceded by the Silent Generation. kiva Dec 2013 #217

Jeez, you're being pedantic LittleBlue Dec 2013 #219

And what exactly did I say that contridicted what you said? kiva Dec 2013 #233

Much of the achievements Boomers take credit for were actually eilen Dec 2013 #253

Some of the Millennials I know randr Dec 2013 #36

How about "We're all in this together!" instead of a generational warfare! LongTomH Dec 2013 #40

People Complaining RobinA Dec 2013 #57

I think part of it is a lack of understanding of the difficulties millenials face. wickerwoman Dec 2013 #49

Spot on. Laelth Dec 2013 #100

+1000 tabbycat31 Dec 2013 #172

Well....what'd your generation do? jeff47 Dec 2013 #51

Just So You Know? RobinA Dec 2013 #60

Some are. Many stopped when the draft did. jeff47 Dec 2013 #71

Some didn't and I appreciate them comrade snarky Dec 2013 #221

Gen X is regularly forgotten. That comes as no shock to me. n/t Laelth Dec 2013 #86

I read once that Gen X is similar to the Silent Generation. n/t tammywammy Dec 2013 #96

I seriously doubt that 20-23% of Boomers were Hippies. Hippies stood for something. bluestate10 Dec 2013 #244

Nixon and Reagan also got votes from older generations. jeff47 Dec 2013 #245

The world is a lot bigger than any subgroup of people. GliderGuider Dec 2013 #52

Damn it, enough with the fucking infighting. NuclearDem Dec 2013 #54

Agreed!!!! LongTomH Dec 2013 #67

Boomers sat by and let it happen joeglow3 Dec 2013 #69

Has it ever occurred to you that your ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #102

This started in the 80's joeglow3 Dec 2013 #107

Did you expect us to be ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #108

I was in college and apathetic joeglow3 Dec 2013 #110

I'm not sucking anything ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #117

College today is the high school dropout of your generation joeglow3 Dec 2013 #119

A good job? ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #123

I worked next to a lady with a high school degree joeglow3 Dec 2013 #130

And of course that experience ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #135

Most people don't pay off 75,000 in student loans in 5 years joeglow3 Dec 2013 #155

Well, if it's paid ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #174

We were handed Vietnam, Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #158

Start talking, then. jeff47 Dec 2013 #162

Hello, volunteer army. Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #164

Hello, crappy civilian job and education market jeff47 Dec 2013 #166

Hear hear! n/t ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #173

Apathetic? HappyMe Dec 2013 #118

Well, he was entitled to be apathetic, ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #125

The apathy thing really HappyMe Dec 2013 #133

Yeah, me, too. ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #136

I did notice the last time I HappyMe Dec 2013 #140

There are times I want to take the attitude ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #143

Yeah, it is getting old HappyMe Dec 2013 #147

I understand. ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #149

When we were 10? jeff47 Dec 2013 #109

I'm sorry, but do you really think we were all rolling around in money Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #189

You weren't rolling around in debt. jeff47 Dec 2013 #232

I presume it's the same sort of contempt we had for our parents.... mike_c Dec 2013 #56

Once again the boomers are self interested. Focusing on their own children the millenials. Jesus Malverde Dec 2013 #64

Uh...Millennials are Gen X's kids. jeff47 Dec 2013 #120

Strauss and Howe use 1982 as the Millennials' starting birth year and 2004 as the last birth year.[ Jesus Malverde Dec 2013 #121

And lots of other people use 90's or later. jeff47 Dec 2013 #128

Kids today are another generation tabbycat31 Dec 2013 #258

When one considered what the boomer generation inherited versus what they did with it.... Demo_Chris Dec 2013 #66

Gen X is none too fond of the boomers, either. Laelth Dec 2013 #73

Very, very true. TDale313 Dec 2013 #116

The perception is that they are selfish taught_me_patience Dec 2013 #75

This thread has all the ingredients of a mega thesis Jesus Malverde Dec 2013 #95

The boomers I know ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #105

Bull. Many younger people would kill for a starter home. TDale313 Dec 2013 #129

My husband was 60 when we bought this home, ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #142

I was close to 40 when my ex and I bought our first home. HappyMe Dec 2013 #150

No, I realize it's not. TDale313 Dec 2013 #151

That's nice. You notice it's not possible today? jeff47 Dec 2013 #156

^^^ this ^^^ TDale313 Dec 2013 #159

I probably will never own a home tabbycat31 Dec 2013 #260

Well, good for them. ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #261

Yeah, what generation voted for Reagan twice? Vashta Nerada Dec 2013 #90

The generational theft thing seems to be rubbing some Millenials the wrong way AngryAmish Dec 2013 #93

The Boomers are such a ridiculously large generation; therefore, it's impossible to generalize... YoungDemCA Dec 2013 #97

What you can generalize. Jesus Malverde Dec 2013 #103

Statistics still work. jeff47 Dec 2013 #160

My first exposure to this generational conflict was in 1982 Orrex Dec 2013 #98

So our grandchildren will know...The boomer members of my family: Tikki Dec 2013 #104

The state we're in is the fault of both Millenials and Boomers DisgustipatedinCA Dec 2013 #126

+1...nt Jesus Malverde Dec 2013 #134

I would be bitter too .... bvar22 Dec 2013 #127

Great ERA, buy you are missing the point hueymahl Dec 2013 #138

lol! HappyMe Dec 2013 #145

It's difficult to attend a rally when you're working 2-3 minimum wage part time jobs. (nt) jeff47 Dec 2013 #161

Really? ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #146

Disco??? bvar22 Dec 2013 #163

The problem is not all of you are fighting on this side. jeff47 Dec 2013 #171

Not all of "you" are fighting for the same side? bvar22 Dec 2013 #197

What you see as "whining and blaming" is people trying to talk about now. jeff47 Dec 2013 #226

What I see as "whining and blaming" is time wasted Whining & Blaming. bvar22 Dec 2013 #249

Sorry, had to feed my kid instead. jeff47 Dec 2013 #251

It never occurred to me ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #139

Question authority. Vote Regan. joshcryer Dec 2013 #185

Irony, thy name is Boomer hueymahl Dec 2013 #131

Oh, good grief... ohheckyeah Dec 2013 #148

Self absorbed much? hueymahl Dec 2013 #152

just another wedge for the 1% to distract and divide the 99% eShirl Dec 2013 #137

The OP's intention is obvious Cali_Democrat Dec 2013 #144

Surely you don't think everyone on a discussion board should cheer together... polichick Dec 2013 #170

Gawd, this is stupid. Good thing there aren't any actual burning issues to deal with. Comrade Grumpy Dec 2013 #141

everyone's bitching about "Boomer-caused" economic problems--but let's see who MisterP Dec 2013 #153

One generation to the one before: pfft Thirties Child Dec 2013 #157

Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2013 #169

i think much of it has to do with Reagan JI7 Dec 2013 #178

The real decline started with ..... musiclawyer Dec 2013 #180

The boomers tried to turn back civil rights and brought us the fucking drug war. joshcryer Dec 2013 #182

You might be taken more seriously if you said Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #193

Nixon was a Boomer? Fumesucker Dec 2013 #211

Let me turn this around: It seems like there's a lot of contempt for Millennials from Boomers Hippo_Tron Dec 2013 #183

This is a very sensible post. Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #192

The legacy of the boomer generation CFLDem Dec 2013 #195

Boomers could say that the legacy of the "greatest" generation Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #198

Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Paul Ryan, Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #196

I have a theory that these ALEC Xers eilen Dec 2013 #255

That makes me giggle. Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #256

We're still going through the changes of the 60s. Zen Democrat Dec 2013 #201

True - changes that would've been completed sooner if the powers that be... polichick Dec 2013 #209

Classification by "generation" is divisive bullshit. n/t winter is coming Dec 2013 #202

As a boomer, I don't blame them. liberalmuse Dec 2013 #203

This Boomer is worse off because my Dad was ILA UNION HockeyMom Dec 2013 #204

Well, as a millennial / X-er hybrid... Scootaloo Dec 2013 #208

Perfectly said, but you left out one very interesting thing about the greed generation Demo_Chris Dec 2013 #210

I figured that was all implied when I noted the squandering of savings Scootaloo Dec 2013 #222

True enough. Anyway, well said! nt Demo_Chris Dec 2013 #223

Hippie punching? Really? Zorra Dec 2013 #237

Interesting link Scootaloo Dec 2013 #239

Just an instance, an example of Boomer Hubris: Healthcare eilen Dec 2013 #257

"Let me tell you why you resent me" is not generally the best way to start a conversation. LeftyMom Dec 2013 #213

Economically, the rich and wealthy run the US and our current situation is by their design. killbotfactory Dec 2013 #218

All of us Dyedinthewoolliberal Dec 2013 #230

Thank you. Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #234

The two groups have been in conflict for years. Millennials feel that Boomers are self bluestate10 Dec 2013 #240

Since I've been told that I'll live into my 90s, Blue_In_AK Dec 2013 #250

I love Boomers Harmony Blue Dec 2013 #254

I asked this question to my Boomer father a few weeks ago tabbycat31 Dec 2013 #259

Not a millennial, but my contempt for boomers comes from my workplace. Dawgs Dec 2013 #263

Well, MY contempt is for generalizations made from a personal small sample of "N." WinkyDink Dec 2013 #265