The Selfish Generation

ruggedtoast

I'm not saying that some of the boomers didn't have it hard. I just don't really understand why they want their children to have it harder.

ukcarper

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I'm not saying that some of the boomers didn't have it hard. I just don't really understand why they want their children to have it harder.

My children aren't having it harder they are better off than I was at their age. But I don't want my grandchildren or anybody else's children to have it harder I would imagine most boomers feel the same.

kabayiri

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I'm not saying that some of the boomers didn't have it hard. I just don't really understand why they want their children to have it harder.

I suspect we will see greater polarisation. This isn't strictly boomer related.

If today your parents have money they will be able to help you into your first house; fund your education; help fund internships with low/no pay.

These lucky siblings will gain all the advantages they accuse boomers of having.

As for the rest, it's a life of hard grind.

BobQ

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I'm not saying that some of the boomers didn't have it hard. I just don't really understand why they want their children to have it harder.

When I was 18 we had a culture in which people were largely gregarious, supported each other, looked out for each other, cared about others, believed in social institutions like the NHS.

That changed in the 1980s, let us not debate why, but people increasingly adopted a me-first culture and only worry about themselves, what they want, what they need, what makes them feel good. This has now become the mantra of a significant proportion of the nation, many even resenting their parents.

Debating why this is the case is pointless. If the under 30s want to change the nation, they need to get off their backsides and do something to make it happen. Join political parties, stand for election in them, see they select candidates who reflect their views, and vote for them. They can also join pressure groups, trade unions, and advocate campaigning by them on the things they want to change. They can but they wont. They would rather wait for the world to change to their way.

When those under 30s develop some interest in making change happen is when things will start to change. Many older people will support your views but apathy will achieve nowt.

Pennywise

I wonder how much is just unrealistic expectations. Kids today are told in school that they can be anything they want. That's true, but the message doesn't seem to include the bit about having to study hard, work hard, and do without to get them there! Then the schools are telling kids who are good at sports that they're good enough to make a career of it, likewise with drama, art, etc. Again, unrealistic expectations that make the kid concentrate on some (probably) unachievable goal to the detriment of their basic education - i.e. they cast aside other subjects because they won't need them when they're a famous footballer/actor/artist or whatever. Then they're trying to get half of the kids to go to uni to get a degree, despite the fact that far less than half the jobs available require that level of education! Again, setting up the kids for a disappointment. I think the education system needs a shake and that kids need to be told the harsh realities of life rather than the sugar-coated "you can be what you want" rubbish. Life's hard, you have to study and work hard to succeed - that should be the message. Then the kids won't feel so hard done by when they realise they're just one of many doing mediocre work, living mediocre lives. That's reality!

Mallotum_X

my parents are both boomers (1948 and 1952). Born in the seventies I wore charity shop clothes and jumpers knitted by my gran with second hand wool. Mum and dad both worked second jobs to pay the bills. The mortgage for a while was 100% of Dads take home pay, with his second job and mums part time work whilst looking after 2 kids paying for food and heat. No car, no holidays and shopping done by dad taking a ruck sack on the bus to do the weekly shop.

But by the 80s things were easier and things improved, parents both retired now with reasonable pensions. Things were not easy for them in their 20s and they were not alone. Rental TVs and consumer good that's took all year to save up for.

I didn't really notice we were skint as everyone was the same we just all got on with it. Perhaps the best thing they passed on was to save for what I wanted and to work had for it. Most boomers worked hard and helped their kids, perhaps the me me me attitude of many under 30s is part of the problem rather than boomers stealing your future.

thorsoak

Dear God, Toastie - haven't you persuaded your in-laws to drop off their perches yet?

So you're still in the same position as you were 4 years ago? Your first complaints were back in 2008, I believe!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/668657

quantic

I don't think that kids in schools need to be taught "the truth about life being mostly just hard work", I think a lot of them know this... In reality I think what actually needs to happen is for them to be enlightened to the fact that this is actually no bad thing and is incredibly rewarding. There is too much focus on quick short term gratification.

Putting the keys into the door of my first house that I saved up for after years of slogging it out - hard to beat. Could I have done nothing, pointed my finger a previous generations or governments for the state of house prices, sure and a lot of people would have probably sympathised, but sympathy doesn't put a roof over your head or prevent you from living at home into your late 30s...

Suck it up and get on with it I say.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I'm not saying that some of the boomers didn't have it hard. I just don't really understand why they want their children to have it harder.

It's only you who believes they're all in a biologically nonsensical conspiracy against their own offspring.

My parents married young (reception was sandwiches in a church hall, my nan made the wedding dress, honeymoon was a weekend in London- compare and contrast to the average modern wedding) and moved away from their family to the south coast in the belief that the schools would be better. They saved to buy a house with a big garden for their children. My mum stayed at home to bring us up (I wanted a mum that drove and had a job like my friends'- kids are selfish, ungrateful little !!!!!!, aren't they?). We lived very modestly; charity shop clothes, no fancy holidays. This frugality enabled my dad to put us both through university. He also offered me £25k towards my house deposit when I bought a year ago, which I declined. None of this tallies with your assertion that they want us to "have it harder"; their lives have revolved around providing the best opportunities for us within their means.

Although my dad never did buy me a pony- conclusive evidence of the Evil Boomer at work.

Cornucopia

There is some pretty basic psychology at work here, IMHO.

We already know that societies with large discrepancies in wealth are less happy than those where wealth is more consistently distributed.

When I was a child (1970s), everyone was poor. Young and old alike, most people had enough to get by, and certain things that are common these days were non-existent then. But also, no one considered it in any way remarkable if a couple in their 40s or 50s owned their own house. That was a common aspiration, and reasonably achievable. There was a neat, almost fairy-tale structure to wealth distribution in which older people were clearly wealthier, but young people could expect to be wealthier than that in due course.

Now, there is a clear disparity both in present wealth and in future wealth expectations. Not unreasonably, the young are not happy with having 1970s levels of poverty whilst others have a 2010s lifestyle. That also seems to be compounded by an amount of unrealistic expectations, which in turn is probably buoyed-up by misleading guidance from education and career advisers.

The idea that it is the fault of the Boomer generation, or indeed of anyone other than fate and Government is pernicious nonsense, though.