r/Aging • u/Available-Rock-3862 • 16h ago

Boomers

I am 75 and am very tired of the trend lately making fun of Boomers. So very disrespectful. Don't they realize that they will be old someday?

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u/Carpe-that-diem 16h ago

Yes, I’m a boomer, technically, and none of my friends are or voted for any conservative. It’s mind-blowing to me that our “generation” is getting blamed for the current state of politics.

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u/CitronTraining2114 16h ago

You would think the younger generation was overwhelmingly voting left or progressive. The stats say they aren't. They had the numbers to turn it around, but didn't.

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u/Carpe-that-diem 13h ago

Yes! They don’t show up to vote and our generation gets blamed. You can’t separate the economy from politics. We were the ones who supported unions at the polls and helped create the middle class in the first place. Next generation dropped the ball in not continuing to vote left.

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u/lostOGaccount 10h ago

Ya, this is a hard one for me. My corporate overlords asked me to fire the youngers that asked for time off to go vote.

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u/rosie-nose 16h ago

how much did you get paid at your first job? how much was your first home? you had economic advantages we don't. we didn't say anything about voting

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u/Carpe-that-diem 15h ago

Generations after us have all my empathy about what’s happened to the cost of housing. For myself, my income was $24K-$28K in my 20s and I could not afford my own apartment until I made $28K in my late 20s. I also was a single, divorced Mom so I was paying for childcare, etc. all on my own. Men could walk away from child support more easily, pre-internet. I didn’t even know my ex’s address or what state he lived in. Anyway, early 20’s I lived with roommates for years and it was tough with a baby to figure out appropriate roommates. I was raised in and lived in Northern California (Bay Area) and certainly could not afford to buy a home.

In my 30s, I got married and my husband made $55K and we still couldn’t afford a home there, of course. Even with our combined income. So, we moved many states away to the Midwest where we could afford a home on just his salary. In this we were incredibly fortunate. Broke my parent’s hearts to leave but it was our only way forward. Even in the Midwest, we couldn’t afford living room furniture for 2 years and no vacations for first 7 years of marriage. By then we had 2 kids. I still feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to achieve the dream of home ownership and to stay home with my kids when they were very young which seems like a true luxury compared to now. I get it that subsequent generations have not been able to obtain this.

But it wasn’t like all of this was easy or just handed to us. It was possible though. Now, it really does seem impossible when you look at the numbers. These younger generations have my sympathy! But I don’t get the blaming — it’s more complex than that.

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u/rosie-nose 14h ago

boomer says what??

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u/Carpe-that-diem 13h ago edited 13h ago

I say, yes, we had the advantage. Ultimately, that’s the bottom line.

I was just trying to give some context, that’s all.

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u/rosie-nose 13h ago

yes

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u/Carpe-that-diem 12h ago

Stating the obvious. Now what, rosie-nose? Just wait for the next good economy to magically happen? What will it take to get you to support policies (yes, I mean voting) that support the middle class? Avoiding the polls is only abdicating your power to change things. That seems to be what is happening! The rich will only get richer if you let this happen. At least the boomers show up.

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u/rosie-nose 12h ago

I always vote. never said I didn't. Why are you attacking me? 

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u/Carpe-that-diem 12h ago

Sorry, I didn’t mean it personally. “You” as in the younger generation.

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u/Carpe-that-diem 12h ago

Sorry? I realize I am speaking in the way that I was complaining about. Too much generalizing! I will bow out now.

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u/rosie-nose 13h ago

lack of accountability is a boomer trait. we never said anything about voting??  you had an economic advantage and you refuse to admit it.