The Baby Boomers are the True Entitlement Generation

eyeball · April 1, 2012

Because there's no such thing. A wage is a wage. A so-called living wage is a term invented by the far left, completely subjective, and not predicated on actual economics.

C'mon everyone knows that objective reality has a left-wing bias.

madmax · April 1, 2012

The problem with their narrative is that the expensive social programs were created by and benefited the "Greatest Generation" first, not the Boomers.

They benefit everyone ..

They can continue to benefit everyone.

bush_cheney2004 · April 1, 2012

They benefit everyone ..

They can continue to benefit everyone.

Not according to the Millennial Whiners....Boomers got it all, even though they are just now beginning to retire. The coddled Millennials have no idea what polio is or what a sugar cubed vaccine tastes like.

WLDB · April 1, 2012

Not according to the Millennial Whiners....Boomers got it all, even though they are just now beginning to retire. The coddled Millennials have no idea what polio is or what a sugar cubed vaccine tastes like.

Neither do some of the later boomers. They were likely viewed as being "coddled" by their parents and grand parents as well. Each genneration tends to have less to worry about compared to the previous one. My parents are Gen-ex, so I guess my generation is similar to theirs.

bush_cheney2004 · April 1, 2012

Neither do some of the later boomers. They were likely viewed as being "coddled" by their parents and grand parents as well. Each genneration tends to have less to worry about compared to the previous one. My parents are Gen-ex, so I guess my generation is similar to theirs.

True, but for the first time, there is now a generation expressing anxiety about how much more they should get compared to the gains already made. As children, boomers waited weeks to save enough cereal box tops and even more weeks for the post to deliver a plastic toy; Gen-X'ers got theirs in real time with Happy Meals; Millenials don't even want to wait that long, demanding to download them for free.

WLDB · April 2, 2012

True, but for the first time, there is now a generation expressing anxiety about how much more they should get compared to the gains already made. As children, boomers waited weeks to save enough cereal box tops and even more weeks for the post to deliver a plastic toy; Gen-X'ers got theirs in real time with Happy Meals; Millenials don't even want to wait that long, demanding to download them for free.

Give it another 20 years. Lets see what their kids wind up wanting. Assuming they have kids.

bleeding heart · April 2, 2012

Because there's no such thing. A wage is a wage. A so-called living wage is a term invented by the far left, completely subjective, and not predicated on actual economics.

Ah, subjective. That makes more sense.

MiddleClassCentrist · April 3, 2012

True, but for the first time, there is now a generation expressing anxiety about how much more they should get compared to the gains already made. As children, boomers waited weeks to save enough cereal box tops and even more weeks for the post to deliver a plastic toy; Gen-X'ers got theirs in real time with Happy Meals; Millenials don't even want to wait that long, demanding to download them for free.

You are measuring entitlement by how easy it is to get crappy plastic toys and access to software.

That's silly.

The only thing Millenials have on Boomers is that interest rates are low right now.

North America was built to support the boomers, and they intend to keep it that way... especially when their "ungrateful children" are the ones actually footing the bill.

MiddleClassCentrist · April 3, 2012

I've been saying this for many years now. What's coming down the pipe is much, much worse than anyone is anticipating or willing to admit. Youth need to begin putting away money right away. However, they can't. Their unemployment rate is double the national average and they're crippled with debt right out of college/university. Forget home ownership. That's well below the national average in young adults as well. When you look at the job situation, as you rightfully pointed out, they're no longer getting pensions and when they do they're a fraction of what the boomers were given and their wages have remained stagnate for more than a decade. Add to that the reduction in benefits, including health and dental, spouse coverage, children's coverage, etc. and the overall compensation package for young employees is a fraction of what the boomers received. Of course, that doesn't stop the boomers from doling out unhelpful advice: "Kids just waste their money these days. I was able to save when I was younger. That's what they need to do, but they're too lazy and irresponsible to do it." And let's not forget the dismantling of public services and the incremental shift towards a healthcare system for the rich vs the healthcare system for "everyone else." When the youth are ready to retire, the boomers will have dismantled the system they leeched off for so long. Leaving the youth to pay out of pocket for things like their healthcare by the time they're able to retire (much later of course). Except, where's their income going to come from? They'll be broke and the safety net will be gone (or considerably dismantled). The boomers are too young to remember why these things are in place and are under the mistaken impression that anyone can have what they had. They don't realize their affluence, passed down from their parents in many cases, is a direct result of the rapid economic growth following WWII. They don't see a reason for the social safety net, but they're going to reap its rewards before pulling the plug. And the youth are outnumbered at the polls, even if they were to mobilize. Those that study society may talk of class warefare, but what they've been missing is the hidden generation war.

Exactly.

They are quadruple dipping out of their children's future.

- They didn't save for their children's education because, when they went it was easy to get through without any debt and easy to find a good paying job to pay for school... as opposed to minimum wage jobs being the norm now.

- They are keeping their job salary high at the expense of their children. Cutting their children off at the bottom with lower wages, and fewer positions to keep their salaries higher.

- They are leaving their children less family assets because they choose to spend it themselves, when they themselves received more from their parents.

- They are asking their children to pay for services that they themselves will not receive.

They don't understand and just see their children as ungrateful. My mother in law thinks that my wife and I just "piddled" away our money and tells everyone that. We never had money to "piddle" away. The biggest expense I made in University was a TV, a cheap TV. That's it. No computer, no phone. I worked at my $10/hour job to help out, my wife did as well, and we received 0 (ZERO) parental assistance. We have the larger side of student debt than most people. We'll be fine when that debt is paid off but, boomers weren't leaving school with debt that took 9 years to pay off when they were in school, they don't get it. My mother in law had her entire schooling paid for her... she doesn't get it. My father worked summers and paid for his entire year of school because the wages were good... He doesn't get it.

We are paying more after already paying more, to receive less in order to receive less.

Bonam · April 3, 2012

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/boomers-generation-had-everything-it-wanted-and-it-still-does/article2387987/

When is this attack on the younger generation going to end?

When they're the generation in power 20 years down the road?

The young have high debts and trouble finding good work...

Not really. Those who bothered to get a useful education can find good work easily.

but who careas about them... let's make sure every boomer can start getting OAS at 65!

That's what welfare states are all about.

Baby boomers parents tended to save money for future generations, Baby Boomers tend to spend it on themselves. So the children who are footing the bill for the extra health care can't even look forward to family assets being increased from generation to generation.

That's an issue between parents and their kids, individual to each family.

Baby Boomers also had dirt cheap education and rarely graduated with debt. My father was able to get factory jobs in the summer that paid for his ENTIRE year of student living... that didn't exist even 9 years ago when I was in University.

I got co-op jobs in the summer that did the same thing. And that was less than 9 years ago.

Our federal and provincial governments keep talking about austerity... But all they mean is that anyone under 35 is going to be paying to keep the entitlements of the Baby Boomers running.

Again, that's the definition of the welfare state. The healthy and capable get to pay for all the needs and wants of everyone else. Many young people are far left leaning, but soon as they get a decent job and realize that their state of "compassionate social justice" means they get to pay for everyone else for the rest of their working lives quickly change their tune.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Bonam

Rocky Road · April 3, 2012

The younger generations will never have it as "good" as the Boomers.

There simply isn't enough to go around.

bush_cheney2004 · April 3, 2012

.....Many young people are far left leaning, but soon as they get a decent job and realize that their state of "compassionate social justice" means they get to pay for everyone else for the rest of their working lives quickly change their tune.

Ain't that the truth.....some of this lazy instant gratification generation will figure it out soon enough...after they move out of their "greedy" parent's basements.

Rocky Road · April 3, 2012

Even McDonalds has an ad where an older man with a beard tells the younger man to buy 20 chicken nuggets to impress a young woman he finds attractive, its disgusting.

Michael Hardner · April 3, 2012

Even McDonalds has an ad where an older man with a beard tells the younger man to buy 20 chicken nuggets to impress a young woman he finds attractive, its disgusting.

What is ? The beard ?

Something tells me that this scenario doesn't reflect reality. i.e. If I walk into a McDonalds, I'm not going to see young men eagerly seeking romantic advice from old men with McNuggets in their beards.

bush_cheney2004 · April 3, 2012

...Something tells me that this scenario doesn't reflect reality. i.e. If I walk into a McDonalds, I'm not going to see young men eagerly seeking romantic advice from old men with McNuggets in their beards.

This ad is one of several in McDonald's new campaign that injects their products and restaurants in romantic, social settings. Example: Instead of saying "You are the best boyfriend/girlfriend/domestic partner/etc.", one could say "You are the Egg McMuffin of boyfriends".

Rocky Road · April 3, 2012

What is ? The beard ?

Something tells me that this scenario doesn't reflect reality. i.e. If I walk into a McDonalds, I'm not going to see young men eagerly seeking romantic advice from old men with McNuggets in their beards.

lol,

Advertising is getting more brash every day,

for a dose of counterculture stop by http://www.adbusters.org

bleeding heart · April 3, 2012

What is ? The beard ?

Something tells me that this scenario doesn't reflect reality. i.e. If I walk into a McDonalds, I'm not going to see young men eagerly seeking romantic advice from old men with McNuggets in their beards.

No. Advertising is all about creating fictional worlds that press emotional buttons (trivially or otherwise). I used to work in the industry. It is genuinely dishonest--in its very inception, in fact, but even moreso in delivery of its product--but it is fiction, and is meant to be.

Edited April 3, 2012 by bleeding heart

dre · April 3, 2012

Yup...Can't disagree...

The most selfish/self serving generation,outside of Calgula's Rome? the worlds ever seen...

They took all the acrifices of The Greatest Generation (mostly their parents) and kept it for themselves...

Sadly,they vote...So they get what they want...

I disagree, I think that title goes to the generation thats AFTER the boomers... Generation Useless... thats us. We inherited a free and prosperous society but didnt want to do the hard work to maintain it. Across the west we are tens of trillions of dollars behind on things like infrastructure upgrades. But we are too cheap to pay for any of it, and too busy voting down our own taxes and dumping the cost of our lavish lifestyle (most coddled in human history) onto our kids.

The boomers put a man on the moon... we would have just whined about how hard it was and how much it would cost.

The boomers defeated the soviety union... But Generation Useless would have actually FUELED the soviet union by purchasing cheap goods made in Soviet gulags. Generation Useless would have LOST the cold war, and probably WW2 as well.

Michael Hardner · April 3, 2012

No. Advertising is all about creating fictional worlds that press emotional buttons (trivially or otherwise).

What emotional button is supposed to be pushed by a wrinkled old busybody leaning over to spit chicken bits onto a horny and acne'd teenager ?

Maybe I don't have the correct vision of how this ad is playing out, but it's rather unappetizing in my mind.

Michael Hardner · April 3, 2012

Example: Instead of saying "You are the best boyfriend/girlfriend/domestic partner/etc.", one could say "You are the Egg McMuffin of boyfriends".

Could you imagine someone saying that to you ? It would absolutely be worse than having someone break up with you.

The sad thing is that if it were true, the Egg McBoyfriend would likely have no other options, and therefore be forced to stick with his Muffin McGirlfriend.

bleeding heart · April 3, 2012

What emotional button is supposed to be pushed by a wrinkled old busybody leaning over to spit chicken bits onto a horny and acne'd teenager ?

??? Humour, of course. (I'm talking intent, not effect.)

Maybe I don't have the correct vision of how this ad is playing out, but it's rather unappetizing in my mind.

I agree completely. I used to find the old "exploding pizza pockets" series of ads mildly distasteful as well.

But surely you don't disagree that emotional responses of one kind or another is the point of virtually all advertising?

Edited April 3, 2012 by bleeding heart

bush_cheney2004 · April 3, 2012

Could you imagine someone saying that to you ? It would absolutely be worse than having someone break up with you.

No, it works quite well, and is supported by other 'McMuffin' comparisons. As another member described above, the advertising folks know exactly what they are doing.

The sad thing is that if it were true, the Egg McBoyfriend would likely have no other options, and therefore be forced to stick with his Muffin McGirlfriend.

The opposite is true, as there are many McMuffin imitations available, but none are as 'good'. I guess you have to see the ad to understand fully.

Edited April 3, 2012 by bush_cheney2004

PIK · April 3, 2012

I am 51 and it seems my whole life is paying off the debt, and have ALWAYS been told that the chances of myself collecting old age pension were slim, now when the gov does something about it the opp says it is fine and will never been a problem.

Edited April 3, 2012 by PIK

Michael Hardner · April 3, 2012

But surely you don't disagree that emotional responses of one kind or another is the point of virtually all advertising?

I never really got how advertising works...

Some say it's supposed to get attention, period.

Others say it's supposed to tell you who you are, adding the product in question into the family portrait.

Where's the beef ? I don't know...

bleeding heart · April 3, 2012

No, it works quite well, and is supported by other 'McMuffin' comparisons. As another member described above, the advertising folks know exactly what they are doing.

They do. There are misconceived ads, to be sure, but overall, they certainly know what they're doing. People don't spend that kind of money (and it's expensive) otherwise.