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It's very easy for those of us in Gen X that do software development to be smug. After all, I don't know of any 65 year old Java programmers refusing to retire

It's very easy for those of us in Gen X that do software development to be smug. After all, I don't know of any 65 year old Java programmers refusing to retire so that we can get a job. In other industries where ageism is not so rampant, they might have it tougher than we do. Industries like healthcare, finance, etc, there are many positions that they are just not going to give up. In a way, it makes me very cynical towards the older generation. They had the world given to them on a platter in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Instead they squandered everything they had. They started "Reaganomics" in the 1980s and since then median household income has decreased as adjusted for inflation. They started unnecessary wars, squandered our nations standing in the world, destroyed the housing market, the stock market, and the global economy. Now, when they finally retire they are going to dump themselves on us, broke, sick, and old, and expect us to take care of them with welfare payments, because they squandered all their money on McMansions and SUVs. It's hard not to be bitter if you are Gen X and Gen Y. I know we all love our parents, but our parents generation is pretty fucked up.

bwanab 15y ago
There's truth in what you say and boomers in general have to take responsibility for having close to zero foresight with respect to how they've squandered their fortunes but let me counter a couple of your points. 1. The vast majority of boomers hit the job market between the middle 70's and middle 80's. This was the worst job market between the Great Depression and the Great Recession. While many things were peachy during boomer's youth, reality bit pretty hard for a really long stretch of time. 2. Reagan was largely voted in by the boomer's parent's generation. 3. And yes, under a boomer government, the housing market, stock market, global economy tanked, but I'm hard pressed to believe that these results didn't hit the boomers as hard or harder than they have hit the following generations.

bwanab 15y ago

There's truth in what you say and boomers in general have to take responsibility for having close to zero foresight with respect to how they've squandered their fortunes but let me counter a couple of your points. 1. The vast majority of boomers hit the job market between the middle 70's and middle 80's. This was the worst job market between the Great Depression and the Great Recession. While many things were peachy during boomer's youth, reality bit pretty hard for a really long stretch of time. 2. Reagan was largely voted in by the boomer's parent's generation. 3. And yes, under a boomer government, the housing market, stock market, global economy tanked, but I'm hard pressed to believe that these results didn't hit the boomers as hard or harder than they have hit the following generations.