Wow is this a softball question! Let me see if I can come up with something...
Posted on August 30, 2026 at 11:27:21 PM by Pal
(edited August 30, 2026 at 11:40:53 PM)
The Boomer generation (of which I am one) was likely the most privileged generation of all time. We had every advantage, Clear path to success through federal student loans, low cost of education (my tuition OUT of STATE at UTenn in 1982 was $4500 for all the credits I could take WITH R&B) and an expanding job market. Housing while at times expensive to borrow, was at least available, with $$ available for first time buyers. Boomers as a generation inherited BY FAR more money than any other generation from their parents who lived through WW2 and the austerity that came from it. They benefited directly from the manufacturing post WW2 boom. They also caught the tail end of the pensions, will be the last generation that can take SS, and also benefitted from the introduction of the 401K system.
We had every advantage. Full stop. And that is fine, we dont owe anybody an apology for all of that good fortune. However, what makes our generation suck so much, is that we lord our success over everyone as if we didn't have every advantage, and then lecture others to suck it up and work hard like we did. We have lived a life of excess, in large part as a result of the hard work of previous generations, and then begun to dismantle the very levers that gave us a step up. Federal student loans, head start programs, Social Safety net, etc.
Before the last of us is buried, we will have been the generation responsible for:
failing to curb global warming,
the roll back of human rights,
the absolute disaster of runaway national debt,
overseen the failure of the social security system,
been one of the few generations not called to fight in a war,
had our boomer court through the issuing of citizens united and a couple of other doozy's set in motion the destruction of our democratic system of govt,
rolled back all worker protections,
rolled back all consumer protections from monopolies
failed to protect our children from gun violence (unlike virtually every other country in the world) so we can have shooting ranges...
... Oh and ushered in a move to facism that has undermined nato, conducted trade wars against allies, led to internment camps, roving bands of anonymous thugs, and granted immunity to a corrupt president.
Other than that, Boomers are awesome.
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