Intergenerational War
Millennials V Baby Boomers.
This war over smashed avo, insane property prices, the haves and have nots is becoming really bizarre. Yesterday I read a really great article and like many great articles it obviously touched a nerve for a lot of people and sparked a bit of controversy.
As someone that has a passion for economics I typed myself in on this conversational malaise. What followed next made me laugh and wonder. To be fair though, I was a millennial pointing out a few things to baby boomers on the site of a conservative newspaper targeted to boomers.
My simple points were: environmental damage, rising in equality, the future costs of an ageing population and who is going to have to pay for it and the fact that house prices in some parts of the world are completely inaccessible to young people. (under 40s) Pretty simple, objective points.
The response to my comment was…….
That’s crap.
Quite actually that was the response. Ageing population. That’s crap. Environmental damage. That’s crap. etc. It’s pretty easy to see where this line of argument went.
This was instead of the usual: “get a better job move to where the jobs and houses are”, “stop spending money travelling and eating brunch”, “your so self entitled and special with your participation awards”, “work harder”. Oh who am I kidding, if you’re a boomer you know the points because you or your friends and making them and if your a millennial you’re tired of hearing them.
Now I don’t care that I got a poorly argued response. What really irks me about all of this, is the lack of acceptance. The denial of a voice.
Maybe populism (only just maybe)has a role to play in all of this but the fact of the matter is, political ineptitude and self serving high net worth politicians are typically either not doing anything at all or doing things that further the wealth divide. These are people who are meant to be securing the future of our nations. They are frustrating.
It’s also frustrating to be told that your plans for a better world are invalid. I get that it’s hard to look in the mirror sometimes but baby boomers aren’t all bad, they just need to open there eyes to the consequences of their decisions. I know that not everyone made those decisions, and even then most decisions were probably (hopefully) with good intentions but as the saying goes: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
To all the boomers and millennials I say: you are in a position to make a change. You can make an impact through the smallest of things. Shopping local, being environmentally conscious, support your community and stop focusing on criticising and complaining. Start focusing on positive action. Even if it’s just your mindset and the way you converse that changes, it makes a difference.
A social revolution between the young and old is far less than desirable, and times are always changing. So why not accept that time moves and contribute to finding solutions for future generations.
A side note to boomers: Remember we are a product of the environment you created for us, the participation awards were given by you, the shoot for the stars mentality instilled by you, and the very fact of our existence is a function of you.
