Ah, the Boomers- the generation that seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. From memes to think pieces, it’s hard to escape the chatter about the Baby Boomers and the waves of resentment directed their way. But is it really fair to hate an entire generation?
One Redditor asked, “Why are boomers so hated?” This thread received insights from many users and we have compiled the top comments for you. So, let’s take a step back and try to understand why there are reasons why Boomers are so hated, shall we?
1. Pulling the Ladder
So, what’s this ladder they supposedly pulled up? Well, it’s all about the opportunities, man. The Boomers came of age at a time when it seemed like the American Dream was within arm’s reach for everyone. Jobs were aplenty, houses were affordable, and college didn’t require a lifetime of debt.
Someone commented, “They pulled the ladder up and judged us for not having our own.”
Another person pitched in to say, “This is exactly the phrase. Boomers benefited in nearly every way from the benefits of a modernizing economy and technology. They have accumulated a tonne of wealth, often through no direct effort (house prices) and they had a huge tailwind in terms of relative wages and education costs.
But they have deleted those benefits from their children’s generation and then blamed them for making bad choices. It’s the first generation to (figuratively) eat their young.”
2. Being Entitled
Someone on Reddit said, “For me, it’s not the fact that they had it easier than my generation (millennials). They took advantage of their situation, I would’ve done the same thing. It’s the fact that my whole life, I have not stopped hearing boomers complain about how entitled my generation is. I would be willing to accept my lot in life knowing that there have been plenty that have had it worse. But hearing that I’m entitled from arguably the most entitled generation of all time makes me so angry my head hurts.”
Another responded, “It’s not just calling other generations entitled, it’s that they actively voted and worked to remove everything they had to help them start out.”
And here’s the kicker: we’re not all that entitled. We’re working multiple jobs, and side hustles, and still struggling to make rent.
3. Ok Boomer
So, “OK, Boomer”- it’s the mic drop of generational feuds, right? But why do we keep throwing it around? Well, it’s a bit like this: when Boomers give us the “back in my day” spiel or dismiss our struggles with a flick of the wrist, we get ticked off. And what do we do? We hit them with the “OK, Boomer.”
One Redditor stated, “The “OK boomer” slogan is largely a dig at the fact that governments are all run by 170-year-old antiques with outdated politics. It’s especially prevalent when it comes to internet regulations, where you have people who don’t know how the internet works passing laws which make the internet worse.”
Another said, “And it’s specifically the painting other generations as lazy (and/or entitled) that makes them so hated. “Ok, boomer” is said as a *response* to some dumb thing a boomer says that displays their stunning lack of awareness.”
4. College
Someone commented, “They went to college at affordable prices because the Greatest Generation thought it was important to subsidize them or got good union jobs — unions their parents fought for.”
Another added, “Because they ruined the global education, college admission, and uni studies, blame it all on the younger generations. They are the ones who started, and continue to propagate, the growing trends of lack of efficient college education.”
So, when Boomers start preaching about their college days, they’re missing the memo on how things have gotten crazy expensive. We’re not lazy; we’re just trying to survive in this academic jungle.
5. Houses
Someone on Reddit said, “They bought affordable, subsidized houses. Their parents fought tooth and nail to make a better society and handed it to them on a silver platter.”
Another responded, “The housing market is no longer a place to live, it’s an investment vehicle.”
The housing market is bananas now, and we’re playing a game of “how many roommates can you fit in one apartment.”
6. Taxes
You’ve heard the stories. Boomers demanded massive tax cuts, went on a debt binge, and now they’re pointing fingers at us?
One shared, “After all the blessings they were given, what did they do? Demanded massive tax cuts, went on a huge debt binge, and then blamed their children for their fiscal irresponsibility. And now we’re stuck with the bill that they ran up because they didn’t want to pay their taxes. Voted to cut the very benefits they were blessed with in their younger years.”
Another said, “They loaded up the credit card and then left everyone else with the tax. Pretty much any of social systems that are destined to run out of money could have been fixed for pennies back when the boomers were in their working prime.”
7. Retail Workers
via DepositPhotos.com.
Someone commented, “Anyone who’s ever worked retail or food service can attest: the average Boomer is an entitled hole. Both older generations and younger are, on average, far more polite and understanding than Boomers.”
Someone else replied, “It’s uncommon for Gen X or the Silent Generation to be exceptionally rude to a service worker, and rare for a Millennial, Zoomer, or the surviving members of the Greatest Generation, on the rare occasion you see them about, to be, but Boomers? The average Boomer sees absolutely nothing wrong with screaming profanities at a teenager working their first job for forgetting their ketchup.
A Boomer will go into a visibly understaffed restaurant and blame the waiter for the kitchen being backed up. A Boomer will blame the cashier for not accepting an expired coupon. They have it the easiest of all generations currently living, but you wouldn’t think it by how angry they are all the time.”
So, when Boomers come in with their “I-demand-perfection” attitude, it can rub people the wrong way.
8. Narcissism
Every generation has its share of self-lovers, but Boomers often take the spotlight for making it a thing.
One Redditor stated, “Don’t forget the Boomers were considered the most narcissistic generation in history to the point that they even were named in the 70s as the Me Generation, noting that they were far more narcissistic than was typically noted for adolescents in previous generations.”
Another person pitched in to say, “Super simple: psychopathic degree of narcissism. I’ve never heard of a boomer apologize for anything ever, much less ever assume responsibility and even attempt to heal.”
9. Economy
Someone on Reddit said, “They grew up during the greatest economic expansion in the history of the world, but think they got all their wealth based on merit – not preferential policies that helped grow the middle class and encouraged home ownership. The idea that they earned what they have – the false meritocracy – makes it easier to justify the dismantling of those same policies.”
Another responded, “^ This! Most boomers don’t realize how much of an advantage they had simply by living in the U.S. while the Brenton Woods agreement was in effect. Or how the industries of nations ravaged by WWII have long since restored their capacity (and then some).”
So, when Boomers give us that “We did it all on my own” speech, they forget that they had some lucky breaks. It’s not that we hate them for their success; it’s just that we wish they’d acknowledge that the economic landscape isn’t the same anymore.
10. Jobs
Someone commented, “I’m GenX, and going through training to get my PMP cert right now. Class I’m taking, the instructors are all great, but just hearing about their career paths is a bit amusing. Starting in a very blue-collar industry, and the next thing you know, he’s doing marketing, then Project Management, then some major IT projects. The person is also in our capital, so then gets government projects, etc.
That doesn’t happen anymore. Trying to apply for a job, and you have 200+ candidates who are also applying. I’m trying to get a PMP job, but I don’t have the cert; I’ve been doing it “unformal” for 15+ years. I have only had one call back/interview in 1.5 years of searching.”
Someone else replied, “I work in biotech, and one of my colleagues is hiring for a Sr. Scientist position. I asked her how many applications she got for the position, which requires a PhD in organic Chem. She said she received 90 in the first few hours.”
But guess what? Times have changed, and they’ve changed big time. Boomers entered the workforce during an era of economic prosperity and had access to jobs and benefits that feel like legends to us now.
11. Respect
One said, “I’m gonna add in the ‘respect your elders’ part of the argument. A lot of the boomer generation was raised with a certain amount of understood politeness and respect for the elderly, even if they didn’t fully grasp why. Well, now, to some extent, we know why: lots of sacrifices and hard-fought social and political battles that ultimately wound up with boomers inheriting some of the greatest opportunities in our nation’s history.”
Another responded, “Now they’re the elderly and talk bad about following generations are lazy and have torched the system behind them. Many of their grandparents had PTSD and probably needed some amount of emotional assistance or therapy.
They are just kind of jerks and think ‘kids’ (some who are in their 30s-40s now) should feel appreciative of the ability to not be allowed to sit down while working, or afford rent or health insurance or be able to start a family.”
Maybe instead of demanding respect, they could lead by example and show us how it’s done.
12. Being Rich
When it comes to the wealth game, Boomers hit the jackpot. They got in on the housing market and now have homes worth more than a country’s GDP.
One Redditor stated, “Boomers = walked into a job at 15 with no experience and within a few years owned a house, 2 cars, paid for 3 or 4 children and had money left over to start buying investment properties.”
Another said, “Boomers as a generation hold a far greater percentage of wealth than any other generation and own a greater share than any previous generation. They’re hoarding the money/property and yelling that everyone else is lazy.”
13. What They Left for Us
Someone commented, “Look at the world the boomers inherited in the 1960s and look at the world they passed on in the 2010s…”
Someone else replied, “They messed up the world and blamed us for having a problem with it.”
We’re dealing with the consequences of those choices- climate change, economic inequality, and political polarization. So, when boomers act like we’re the ones who messed everything up, it’s just not fair.
14. Politicians
Boomers have been in the political arena for quite some time, and they’ve made their fair share of decisions. But there’s also a laundry list of policies and actions that have raised eyebrows- wars, economic crises, and divisive politics, to name a few.
Someone on Reddit said, “Politicians messed up the country, progressively made the newer generations poorer and poorer, and are pushing the notion that young people should blame grandma instead of them. Divide and conquer. Again.”
Another person pitched in to say, “It’s so cool that your comment can be applied to every major Western country, which shows how much boomers have actually ruined us.”
15. Being Adaptable
Someone on Reddit said, “Because many have an inability to accept/adapt to new concepts and ideas.”
Another said, “My dad refuses to learn anything. He either thinks he already knows it, or he complains that it isn’t working how he would have made it. Example: He was interested in some smart home stuff. He sees a doorbell that says “works with Google” on the box. I tried to explain to him that “works with Google” doesn’t necessarily mean he gets every feature of the doorbell accessible through Google.
He takes it home, realizes not all features are available, and complains that the box said it would work. “If it says it works with Google, then I should be able to use every feature.” Sure, Dad. You should be able to. But for whatever reason, you can’t, and you fell for the most basic marketing tactic.”
But guess what? The world evolves, and it evolves fast. We’re dealing with technology, social norms, and cultural shifts that are moving at warp speed. We embrace these new concepts and ideas, but it seems like Boomers are often playing catch-up.
16. Gold Resources
Someone commented, “Probably has something to do with the timing of coming off gold standard triggering numbers to just get bigger and boomers being in the right decades to benefit the most.”
Another responded, “Coming off the gold standard was a generational get-rich-fast Ponzi scheme. Global and generational. Now the central bank owns everything, and you get a receipt for it.”
Maybe instead of telling us to “bootstrap it,” boomers could offer some guidance or a little empathy as we navigate these new bank waters.
17. Environmentalists
One Redditor stated, “They complain about environmentalists because they are too apathetic to want their children to live in a world where the air isn’t polluted to the point they choke.”
Another added, “They call millennials lazy, but all of the problems these younger generations have were caused by the older generation. Is it millennials’ fault that we have climate change and global warming? Nope. Boomers are to blame.”
Environmentalists want to keep it intact for future generations- cue the eye-rolls for Boomers.
18. Being Woke
One said, “They complain about cancel culture and ‘wokeness’ because the free speech they won’t shut up about only seems to apply to their right to be hateful.”
Someone else replied, “America is where it is now because of Boomers; they deserve the criticism. They vote against progress which has made them the first generation that has made life worse for the next generation instead of better.”
Boomers often accuse younger generations of being too woke for their own good. But hey, recognizing social injustices and trying to make the world a better place isn’t a bad thing, right?
19. Republicans
Someone commented, “Because people are generalizing the actions of the Republican party and blaming an entire generation of citizens for it.”
Another responded, “Boomers were the last group to enjoy the benefits of the liberal political policies of the 40s through the 70s. Back then, even conservatives were more liberal than right-wing Democrats of today. Republicans weren’t always radicalized corrupt theocratic authoritarians.
Starting in the 80s with Reagan and his trickle-economics bull, the Republican party has successfully stripped the working and middle classes of their wealth and funneled it up to the billionaires and corporations.”
Meanwhile, younger generations today are drowning in student debt, struggling to afford healthcare, and wondering if they’ll ever afford a house.
20. Generational Hate
Every generation has this weird habit of hating the one that came before them. It’s like a rite of passage, a timeless tradition. And for the Boomers, it’s no different.
One Redditor stated, “Younger generations have always mocked older generations. Boomers did it to their parents in the 60s and 70s. Gen X did it in the 90s. Etc.”
Another person pitched in to say, “That’s generational trauma. Every new generation will hate the previous one for any reason they can find. That’s just how it is.”
12 Examples Of Pure Evil In Society Today
In the intricate web of our world, there are instances that shake our understanding of humanity. These are moments when the actions of individuals and groups defy any notion of goodness or compassion.
12 Examples of Pure Evil in Society Today
12 Useless Items People Carry With Them Every Day
Carrying our daily essentials is a routine we all follow, but have you ever paused to think about the items that find a permanent place in your bag or pocket? It turns out that amidst the keys, wallets, and phones, there are some objects that seem to have overstayed their welcome. These seemingly harmless items have become part of our daily lives, often without us realizing their true utility.
12 Useless Items People Carry With Them Every Day
20 Celebrities With Genuinely Hard Childhoods
We often idolize celebrities, assuming that they’ve had it all easy from the start. But trust us; there’s more to the picture than meets the eye. Because behind the glimmering lights and glitzy parties, these stars have faced hardships that would cause your heart to ache.
20 Celebrities With Genuinely Hard Childhoods
20 Antiquated Social Customs We Need To Finally Leave Behind In The Dust
Can you believe how much our society has changed over the years? It’s surely mind-blowing! As we find ourselves in the 21st century, it’s high time we look closely at some old social customs that don’t fit in anymore.
20 Antiquated Social Customs We Need To Finally Leave Behind in the Dust
20 Beloved Actors That People Just Can’t Stand
Ah, the world of entertainment! From the silver screen to our living rooms, actors have been enchanting us with their talents for decades. But let’s be real- not every actor is everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, there are those actors who manage to rub us the wrong way, and no, sometimes it’s not just because of the characters they play!
20 Beloved Actors That People Just Can’t Stand
This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.
