Reply #3: I agree and disagree

[DonCoquixote]

I know I will show my Gen X stripes here, but I fully agree with his assessment of the Baby Boomers. Yes, I know there are exceptions, so don;t everyone throw knives at once, but the truth is, the Baby Boomers were not only handed more money than any generation in History, but they were also given fewer strings. Yes, some Boomers did good, but many a Hippie became a Yuppie, and saw not the least hint of paradox. As far as bad loans, please, the banks were all too happy to prey on people, taking full advantage of the fact our education system does NOT teach people math.

We do need to save more, especially since a lot of the economy is built not just around spending, but STUPID spending. It's not simply a matter of the favorite whipping boy of Boomers, Technology. I did wrinkle my nose at the "blue-ray" comment, as if we would all be better without all that nasty tech. The problem is not that people want tech toys, it is that people who do not even bother to get a clue will spend five times what they have to, especially when they walk into places that rely on ignorant customers like the big box stores. What do I mean?

First off, most people do not know what a Blu-ray is, or why they want one. Those who really, really do can shop online from somewhere like Amazon or TigerDirect and get a used or refurbished one for half the price, and little to no credit involved. There is almost always a store brand, but people never buy those, even though they are often just as good. As far as Computers go, I tell you as former tech support, ANY brand you buy is ripping you off, you would do far better to buy a machine made at a local computer shop, one of the few mom and pop type shops still around.

The point is, the act of buying is not in and of itself the evil, it is the fact that our culture encourages us to be STUPID when we buy, which of course, feeds the credit card monsters. Gen X and Y are slowly coming out of that stupor, the key is, will the Boomers, who STILL have most of the money that there is to be had out there, put away the sharper image catalogs and trend worship, or...will they cling to their role as the arch consumers. Yes, the young are targeted by Madison avenue now, but once madison ave realizes that the young people are mostly broke, you will see Madison ave hit the boomers full blast! After all, why do you think the Eagles and Stones can get away with Charging 200 bucks a ticket? Believe me, you ain;t seen nottin yet!