Millennials vs. boomers: You twerps owe us everything

Times Herald Record Middletown, NY ^ | 9/12/10 | Steve Israel

[Impala64ssa]

Let's get one thing straight, all of you millennials out there.

If it weren't for us baby boomers, most of you wouldn't be here. Literally.

We are your parents. You sprung from our wombs, from our love.

We don't just deserve your respect; we deserve your eternal gratitude — for the food you ate, for the clothes you wore, for the roofs over your heads. By the way, we're still giving food, clothes and roofs to the more than 10 million of you who still live in our homes.

And what have you millennials — the 50 million Americans born between 1980 and 1995 who are becoming adults at the start of this new millennium — given us?

Nada — except the smug expectation that we should give you more.

Let's start with culture — like the music you listen to, on the gizmos we boomers invented.

Not only are Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, U2 and the late Michael Jackson bona fide, card carrying boomers born between 1946 and 1964. The music we boomers grew up on — the Beatles, the Stones, Dylan, Hendrix, Motown and James Brown — is the music you listen to now, because you hardly have any of your own.

Unless, of course, you count Lady Gaga.

We gave you technology like cell phones.

And did you ever hear of this little invention called the Internet?

Yup. Boomers (not including Al Gore) gave you that, too

[netmilsmom]

Spot on.

[sarge83]

Amen! I am between the two groups, late 60s birth. I saw the malaise and embarrassment of Carter and the greatness of the Reagan years. The country I knew is gone...

[highlander_UW]

Well, as someone on the trailing edge of the boomer generation...someone stole the money I set aside for retirement. Upon further review it turns out it was politicians buying the votes of the uniformed younger generation and various unions. So now you're going to blame me for being the victim of theft? Go bite yourself.

[Clemenza]

1. Reagan received the biggest share of his vote from the boomers (ie they gave a bigger % of their vote to Reagan than any other age bracket).

2. The millenials are the only age group to give a majority of their votes to Obama.

[netmilsmom]

>>Boomers destroyed this country.<<

Bull. Boomers were only a part.
“The Great Society” started long before their birth.
LBJ and his crap was before most could vote.

Want to blame someone, look to “The Greatest Generation”. Watch them on “Senior Day” in any store in the country. They are the privileged who demand all. Think AARP.

The boomers didn’t bother to improve any of it and thought only of themselves. Now look were we are. This generation, the “South Park” conservatives are our only hope.

[Clemenza]

1. Reagan received the biggest share of his vote from the boomers (ie they gave a bigger % of their vote to Reagan than any other age bracket).

2. The millenials are the only age group to give a majority of their votes to Obama.

3. More boomers carried a rifle in service to their country than protested.

[SteamShovel]

Let’s loose this age warfare thing

Ditto!

I'm a 1964 person. Some say I'm a "Boomer", and some say I'm from the next generation (X?).

I don't really identify with either. I'm me, and I'm a conservative.

[bvw]

I understand the interest in intergenerational bragging matches. But they are folly, nonetheless.

Why? Each generation encounters it’s own time, and two times can not be fairly compared. Appreciate the burdens and successes both.

[netmilsmom]

>>I don’t really identify with either. I’m me, and I’m a conservative<<

Me too. 1961. I don’t relate at all to the “If it feels good, do it” of the boomers. I’ve always been into the family values that the boomers didn’t bother to teach their offspring. I find myself parenting my nieces and nephews and they are now all conservatives.

I don’t fit and I don’t want to be compartmentalized.

[eyedigress]

I’ve got 20 years to go until retirement, and if you cannot claim to have your name in space I say shut yer damn yapper.

[netmilsmom]

I have a star named after me. ;)

[eyedigress]

What a wonderful present. :^) (You all are a bunch of nuts)

[netmilsmom]

>>(You all are a bunch of nuts)<<

We boomers? I was born in 1961

[eyedigress]

Oh Lord, I didn’t know you were that old..... :^)

[Nowhere Man]

Amen! I am between the two groups, late 60s birth. I saw the malaise and embarrassment of Carter and the greatness of the Reagan years. The country I knew is gone...

There is a niche generation between the Boomers and X'ers called "Generation Jones." Many say they were born between 1954 to 1965, but I'd extend the latter a little bit, I was born in 1966, not much of a boomer but I don't quite fit in with the X'ers either. Basically the term comes from where when we were kids, like the Boomers, we were going to have it all but things started to go bust as we get older so the story is that "we are really 'jonesin' for what the Boomers had. "Jonesin'" is a strong desire for something like, "I'm jonesin for a cigarette" but also came from "keeping up with the Joneses." Jonesers tend to be cynical and distrustful of government. I guess the best way to see if you are part of Generation Jones is if you remember the Moon landings and TV being mostly black and white yet in your teen or early adult years, you started to use the first computers that came out for the home.

Oh yeah, I share your grief, the country I knew is mostly gone, heck, I often say to the point of cliche, "I miss the 1980's, it was the last time things really made sense."

[eyedigress]

1948 and 1964

[netmilsmom]

I’m old and cranky. My kids say “Matronly”

But I’m a conservative so I keep it to myself. ;)

[netmilsmom]

That’s me!

[eyedigress]

I was just teasing. :^) you are a fantastic FReeper!

[stilloftyhenight]

Don’t be. We’re now the very people who are out there via Tea Parties, activism etc. trying to right the wrongs done to our citizens by politicians since the ink was barely dry on the Constitution. Chin up!