Why the baby boomers shouldn't feel guilty

CLAPTON

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Todays boomers relish the misconception that no one is born poor anymore. Poverty and income inequality are rampant and growing worse. Where is the fighting fund that the golden generation have left behind to tackle this? There isn't one, only an incomprehensible national debt and millions of people who own 80% of the nations wealth who are moving into a retirement that will have to be funded by people poorer than they are.

I am generation X and I know what poverty is like, it looks a lot like my childhood, freezing in winters in a house that had one gas fire downstairs and a paraffin heater upstairs, condensation everywhere and black mould on the walls. Walking miles to the shops because we didn't have a car and never going on a school trip.

I wouldn't wish that on anyone, nor do I think that the younger generation now should have to endure something similar as some sort of smug validation of my own self worth. The fact that moving into 2012 people are still living like this needlessly is a crime.

Some people on this thread need to take a good long look at themselves.

when were you born
what work did your father and mother do
how much did they earn
what benefits did they have
what rent did they pay
did you get free school meals
where did you live that was miles from the nearest shop

black mold can be removed by washing it off the walls

there are few that live in real poverty except in exceptional circumstances (drug users, dysfunctional people etc;
maybe provide some examples

StevieJ

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Todays boomers relish the misconception that no one is born poor anymore. Poverty and income inequality are rampant and growing worse. Where is the fighting fund that the golden generation have left behind to tackle this? There isn't one, only an incomprehensible national debt and millions of people who own 80% of the nations wealth who are moving into a retirement that will have to be funded by people poorer than they are.

I am generation X and I know what poverty is like, it looks a lot like my childhood, freezing in winters in a house that had one gas fire downstairs and a paraffin heater upstairs, condensation everywhere and black mould on the walls. Walking miles to the shops because we didn't have a car and never going on a school trip.

I wouldn't wish that on anyone, nor do I think that the younger generation now should have to endure something similar as some sort of smug validation of my own self worth. The fact that moving into 2012 people are still living like this needlessly is a crime.

Some people on this thread need to take a good long look at themselves.

That is interesting didn't your mollycodled BB parents live in the same house?

ruggedtoast

CLAPTON wrote: »

when were you born
what work did your father and mother do
how much did they earn
what benefits did they have
what rent did they pay
did you get free school meals
where did you live that was miles from the nearest shop

black mold can be removed by washing it off the walls

there are few that live in real poverty except in exceptional circumstances (drug users, dysfunctional people etc;
maybe provide some examples

Shall I give you my current address, next of kin, and office phone number as well?

None of that is any of your business.

You are of course correct that black mold can be washed off of walls, however if you are trying to heat a floor with one paraffin heater, and have single glazing which loses so much heat in winter that you have to tape plastic over it to stop the draft; it does tend to come back again.

Most boomers are so far removed from actual poverty now they think it no longer exists.

They don't look for it, they don't care about it, they don't see it.

ruggedtoast

StevieJ wrote: »

That is interesting didn't your mollycodled BB parents live in the same house?

Generation X began from 1970 onwards. A lot of our parents weren't boomers.

CLAPTON

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Shall I give you my current address, next of kin, and office phone number as well?

None of that is any of your business.

You are of course correct that black mold can be washed off of walls, however if you are trying to heat a floor with one paraffin heater, and have single glazing which loses so much heat in winter that you have to tape plastic over it to stop the draft; it does tend to come back again.

Most boomers are so far removed from actual poverty now they think it no longer exists.

They don't look for it, they don't care about it, they don't see it.

Ok
you say you lived your early life in proverty and that many still do

my questions were directly relevant to your views and had nothing at all to do with your current address, next of kin or office number

as you know so much about proverty I was reasonably asking for some examples so we could share your sense of outrage

ukcarper

I believe the minimum a couple with 2 children would be expected to live on if they claim all their benefits is about £250 a week after housing costs. So if they are in real poverty there must be some other factors, that’s not to say that there aren’t.

suburbanwifey

ukcarper wrote: »

I believe the minimum a couple with 2 children would be expected to live on if they claim all their benefits is about £250 a week after housing costs. So if they are in real poverty there must be some other factors, that’s not to say that there aren’t.

They get that much after their rent is paid? Hell, no wonder they are workshy getting all that to sit at home and do nothing! :mad: That's where all our tax and NIC deductions go then is it :mad: wow! they have it so good don't they!

StevieJ

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Generation X began from 1970 onwards. A lot of our parents weren't boomers.

Reads like weasel words to me, are you actually saying that your parents were not boomers?

CLAPTON

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Generation X began from 1970 onwards. A lot of our parents weren't boomers.

given that baby boomers are generally considered to be people born between 1946 and 1964 then it would seem that most people born after 1970 and before 1990 had baby boomers as parents and those born after that had baby boomers as parents or grandparents

when were you born?

ruggedtoast

CLAPTON wrote: »

Ok
you say you lived your early life in proverty and that many still do

my questions were directly relevant to your views and had nothing at all to do with your current address, next of kin or office number

as you know so much about proverty I was reasonably asking for some examples so we could share your sense of outrage

Its a shame you can't share my sense of punctuation.

Anyway, no, I am not sharing with you my place and date of birth, parental occupation and income, and where I grew up.

Oddly enough.