Defeated and trapped. Young look on in despair at The Kingdom of the Boomers

MrRee_2

Remember that, back in the 60's (I know I was there!) - only the father tended to work.

Today's generations, BOTH work ...... both probably earn around £30,000 each. Have childcare (paid for by us boomers!) and have material goods which would have made their grandparents toes curl .. !!

The price of what the youth consider essentials is the cost their grandparents saved ......

There is no doubt that todays youth is far better off than their parents ...... there is also no doubt that they want more, and expect more.

Whilst myself and my generation were grateful if we had a good dinner on Sunday evening .... todays generation want a good meal every day!

Jason74

MrRee wrote: »

Remember that, back in the 60's (I know I was there!) - only the father tended to work.

Today's generations, BOTH work ...... both probably earn around £30,000 each. Have childcare (paid for by us boomers!) and have material goods which would have made their grandparents toes curl .. !!

The price of what the youth consider essentials is the cost their grandparents saved ......

There is no doubt that todays youth is far better off than their parents ...... there is also no doubt that they want more, and expect more.

Whilst myself and my generation were grateful if we had a good dinner on Sunday evening .... todays generation want a good meal every day!

There's some truth in most of that, and the better material status of young people today relative to part of progress, and is a good thing. In peacetime, it's broadly true that in terms of consumer goods, food etc, each generation over the past 150 years or so will have been better off than their parents. The two parents working thing is very much a doube edged sword of course, and there is certainly an argument that this development has had negative consequences in terms of family life.

But none of that changes the fact that your generation (and to a lesser extent, so did mine) had an opportunity to build assets and be better off than their parents in structural wealth (for want of a better way of putting it) terms that simply does not exist in the same way for people starting their working lives now. If that reality is not acknowledged and acted upon, and soon, I have no doubt that we will see major social unrest in the UK in the next 20 years or so.

Aberdeenangarse

chucky wrote: »

Chuck, the story changes each time with Percy.

Those that take the risk instead of complaining about house prices on Internet forums usually don't regret bettering themselves and being more financially stable.

What's your excuse Chuncky? I really can't see why you have to be so abusive to other forum users? As my old Mum used to say 'If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all'

Smithers37

Young people shouldn't complain, after all...

We got in to huge debt in studying with no hope of getting a decent job because that's what we were told to do, with no hope of ever finding a decent job.

We pay a ridiculous tax in NI to pay pensions for the generation before us who don't deserve it, while at the same time be told we should put away money for ourselves and that we'll have to work until we're 85.

Our government have refused to do anything about our massive debt. What's worrying is that anyone over the age of 40 do not care - probably because they won't have to pay for it, instead the young hard-working class of today will pick the debt up. Imagine going to a Audi dealership and saying "I don't have the money to buy this R8, however my future son will pay for it in 30 years time, plus interest". It's no different to what's happened with 'our' debt.

EDIT - Btw, my post was the viewpoint of my young friends who have been to Uni and are facing huge debt with little hope of finding a job. I've never been to Uni so I don't have the debt. Although I'm young-ish, I'm also not poor and struggling to heat my rented house that I share. I work hard and put a lot of my salary in to savings to eventually buy a property first, and then maybe look at University courses when I know I won't be strangled with debt.

de1amo

Everyone is blamingthe baby boomers for being so well off....now they can ransack their pension and release the cash to look after their so disillusioned kids!!......i would if i had cause to!!..and i am a baby boomer and have received nothing or ever will from my parents....

Conrad

Just had an East European potential client in. Bought a flat in outer East London 1 year ago for £220k, spent £20k doing it up, now sold for £350k.

Typical story I see, came here recently, not great English, penniless.


No sense of being deprived, just getting stuck in.

de1amo

The word deprived......kids feel deprived and envious of the staus of their own parents...now they can feel blessed by their parents status and leach them!!..i expect the eastern european had a work ethic.....

Conrad

Smithers37 wrote: »

no hope of ever finding a decent job.


Utter tripe - I really do have lots of migrant clients that to this day are quickly finding decent jobs. A Romanian recently said "here I can be anything, this nation is unbelievable". She was comparing to where she came from where life choice is vastly less.

We pay a ridiculous tax in NI to pay pensions for the generation before us


Tax and NI are historically relatively low. Tax free allowance e never been higher.





Our government have refused to do anything about our massive debt.


So all those cuts are..........?

My replies in red - try living in many other parts of Europe, then you'll know just what a land of opportunity you are lucky to inhabit.

Conrad

de1amo wrote: »

The word deprived......kids feel deprived and envious of the staus of their own parents...now they can feel blessed by their parents status and leach them!!..i expect the eastern european had a work ethic.....

A heck of a lot of young people down here in the SE are likely to enjoy huge inheritances their forefathers never had. A minority of oldies end up funding their own care home stay.

de1amo

The Uk wasnt doing it for me in job prospects so i got on my bike(plane) and built another life and future for myself abroad....and i was 40 plus...i encouraged my parents to enjoy a happy retirement and not keep building money.....hence i will get nothing......but my daughter will be luckier but she doesnt feel hard done now...while i am alive....she will build her own life and not feel deprived....