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By circumstance of when I was born, I will always be a Baby Boomer. I am proud of that fact, and proud of what I have lived through in my now 61 years. But, when will the media, and other generations stop persecuting us?
During our youth, it was the older generation--our parents and beyond, who maintained us to be everything from apathetic to impractical. The way I see it, apathetic was one thing some of us weren't, what with dedication to social causes, and socio-political figures, like Angela Davis and Joan Baez, to show us the way!
Now, my generation is getting it from the other end. I read an article recently on work place stereotypes, which, of course, abound everywhere. The one that rankled me was "The Narcissistic Baby Boomer, Who Refuses To Retire."
Are baby boomers narcissistic? Maybe some. But, listen, those of us with a sense of historicity and social consciousness are far superior to the Millennials who grew up with computers as a pacifier, and so cannot relate to anything human around them, and, consequently, have no humane qualities. If Baby Boomers left the work place in droves--and it is not that many don't want to--believe me, I would go in a second--many of us can't, because we did not rise to the level of prosperity our parents gave us as children, and so have to work beyond a point when they did. Whether it was poor choice of profession, or financial unreality, the reality of Baby Boomers working past the traditional retirement age of 65 is an unavoidable fact for many. For some, who enjoy their work, it is also a right of continuance.
But, above all that, who do these Millennials think they are? With Baby Boomers gone, workplaces will revert to warehouses, and maybe high end versions of the workhouses in Dickens' novels, with no compassion for anyone beyond themselves. Compassion, social awareness, humaneness, are qualities I find lacking in post Boomers, and, once the work place is theirs for the asking, I hate to see what a mess things will be. By that point, I will be retired.
So, before sticking it to us Boomers once again, think about the generation before, who created our situation, and the generations after, who are going to destroy what we tried to do.
The cycle never stops.
2 comments:
It's complicated, RQ. Ya gotta separate the straights from the gays, and the working class from the elites, to get a clearer view of millennial enmity towards us Boomers. Your majority rank and file millennials aren't the ones who are whining: they're too busy just trying to survive and get on with life, just slogging thru the hand they were dealt, like everyone else (including us) has done since time immemorial.
The snarky whiny antagonistic asshole millennials are all from the "wannabe elite" group: the hipster douchebags flooding Brooklyn, the Mission in SF, Calabasas in LA, Austin TX, etc. Raised by their dismally self-involved parents to believe the world owes them a favor, and coddled by a technology/college addiction that makes them all believe they actually "matter" one whit to an indifferent universe. They delude themselves that they're entitled by divine right to a lucrative career doing something "creative" in mass media, fashion, the arts- you know, fields that were heretofore dominated by a tiny select group of strivers with the guts, raw determination, luck, and instinct to succeed (often after many lean years of struggle and humiliation).
That any aspect of life won't provide instant gratification is inconceivable to this small vocal subgroup of self-righteous millennials, so they blame "stubborn selfish boomers" for "hanging on too long" and "refusing to make way for the new generation". They very seriously (and without irony) expect everyone over the age of 40 to quit their jobs, vacate their apartments, go to the nearest bridge and jump off: its our moral obligation to "make room" for them. What they fail to realize is they're victimized by their own primacy: the older generation is desperately "hanging on" because there's no alternative for us in a culture obsessed with youth and "apps"!
These whiny bastards need to take a breath, look around, and grasp that there are only so many jobs as fashion stylists, graphic designers, editors, architects, or even civil servants. The 60 year olds that haven't been forced out by "youth preference" are far fewer in number than imagined, and you bet your ass they're gonna hold on tighter than Anna Wintour (because the next stop on that train is piddling Social Security checks). Its a bit hypocritical for millennials to condemn their elders for survival instincts they would absolutely have themselves in the same circumstances. Before running their mouths to blame us for their woes, they should consider the millions of unemployed 50 to 70 year olds the Fed "launders" from its statistics to make the economy seem brighter: for every boomer "cockblocking" a hot job from a millennial, there are twenty others eating cat food about to be evicted from their homes.
Oh, it is complicated, but once again the Boomers take the blame for everything!
Why can't the Millenials recognize themselves for the problem they are!
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