A desperate cry of anguish for "Boomer Rage"

Thrugelmir

Running_Horse wrote: »

A fair chunk of government debt must have been all those new school buildings thrown up under the last government.

Isn't that all off balance sheet under PFI. Just the hospitals.

moneyinmypocket

Us boomers are ready to take the fight to generation yoof. It doesn't matter if the battle takes place on the football pitch, boxing ring or xbox we will win.

purch

chewmylegoff wrote: »

Probably the best way to achieve change rather than becoming guardian journalists and whinging about it or posting endless rants on MSE.

Blogging is the "new" voting :eek:

mayonnaise

the_flying_pig wrote: »

not really sure what you're getting at.

I'll strip it down a bit so you understand.

BillJones said:

BillJones wrote: »

And I am constantly impressed by those who say "Here's the world I live in, let's set about doing the best I can given my starting point".

You came up with.

the_flying_pig wrote: »

....very easily within the gift of current politicians to change...

See the difference?
Bill talked about personal responsibility and the drive to make it work.
You talk about waiting for politicians to better one's fate.

bugslet

I am a boomer, born 1964. When I left school there were 3 million unemployed.

Good and bad happens to every generation, deal with it.

BillJones

mayonnaise wrote: »

See the difference?
Bill talked about personal responsibility and the drive to make it work.
You talk about waiting for politicians to better one's fate.

Absolutely.

I often get asked for career advice, and the best that I can give people is to concentrate on what they can change themselves, and not to spend time worrying about things completely outside of their control.

I'm slightly staggered by posts on here, for example, complaining bitterly that the job centre staff haven't found them a job, and laughing at how pathetic they therefore must be.

The same posters will then whine that they've been sanctioned for turning up late for their interview. It is as though they have no agency at all, and are simply blown through the world like tumbleweed, the victim of everyone else's incompetence, with no responsibility for what happens.

N1AK

This has to be one of stupidest articles I have read in a while. She asserts that the government says it is giving money to pensioners to buy votes but that this isn't really why it is doing it and then doesn't explain why it is doing it (possibly because she can't bring herself to admit that the only other logical option is because they think it is the right thing to do).

She also refers to the current pension level as pre-earned, which is a painfully common and yet entirely nonsensical, fallacy. What makes the current level the correct one and not 10% higher or 10% lower because none of those were expressly agreed. It takes a real lack of critical thinking to simply see the current level and thus conclude it must be the right level.

N1AK

ringo_24601 wrote: »

1. Get young people to vote in higher numbers
2. Let politicians know that policies need to be nicer for 18-24 year olds
3. Actually get off the Xbox/mobile phone/facebook and vote
4. Something might change

The problem is that everyone expects to be a pensioner one day and, naively, thinks that anything that harms pensioner interests today is harming their own future.

The vast majority of voters aren't 18-24 and will never be that age thus have no vested interest (other than perhaps via their kids if relevant to them).

The young voter group changes its composition for each election (because it's only a short age window). A campaign to change political parties behaviour towards them would take time and multiple elections. Maintaining an effective campaign when the membership is constantly changing is difficult at best.

Now none of that means that they shouldn't be trying, and those of us who agree they are getting poorly treated shouldn't be helping but it's a mammoth ask.

ruggedtoast

I can't believe any of you were ever young. If there was a Convention for Curmudgeons this forum would supply 90% of the delegates.

the_flying_pig

mayonnaise wrote: »

I'll strip it down a bit so you understand.

BillJones said:



You came up with.



See the difference?
Bill talked about personal responsibility and the drive to make it work.
You talk about waiting for politicians to better one's fate.

i genuinely, genuinely, genuinely don't understand what the heck you're driving at.

here are some scenarios:

1 - it's 2003. the UK is warming up to be george bush's poodle in a ground invasion of iraq, something that you disagree with;

2 - it's 1990. maggie t has just devised a clever new wheeze called the community charge;

3 - washington DC, 1965. vietnam & whatnot are going on.

4 - paris, 1830.

etc

etc.

in all of these cases people could, just as now, have improved their lot by [say] finding a better job & earning more money. that option was always open.

another possibility was both to work hard or whatever but also have, y'know, a bit of a moan, a bit of a protest, whatever.

i don't at all get this nonsense that you're drivelling out now about whingeing being somehow a badge of dishonour.