Baby Boomers Whine More Than Millennials

[ABX]

You'd likely agree if you've ever worked in customer service. You wanna talk about an entitlement generation? Observe how so many baby boomers act towards service workers. Notice who complains the most about their food taking more than ten minutes, or stiffs the wait staff because their steak wasn't cooked to exact specifications. For some reason, the connection isn't made that the waiter or waitress isn’t the one preparing the food, and thus, they're the only ones being hurt by not being tipped. My ex-wife has worked in the food-service industry for years, and she has countless stories of older couples saying things like "We want to let you know that we think you did a great job, but our food just wasn't up to our standards, so we won't be leaving a tip." Where is this break in reality coming from that causes boomers to not realize what should be evident? I’m about to make a very bold and controversial claim: Baby boomers have had it easier than any generation that's come before or after them.....

http://eclecticthoughts.eclecticacafe.com/2017/05/baby-boomers-whine-more-than-millennials.html

[jmyrlefuller]

I’m about to make a very bold and controversial claim: Baby boomers have had it easier than any generation that's come before or after them.....

The author has a point.

The Baby Boomers were born in a time of unprecedented prosperity: America had far and away the world's most industrial capacity, and the world had been decimated by the war. This, and a flood of new consumer goods, meant that factory jobs were abundant. The parents of a large chunk of the boomer generation were World War II veterans who received loads of benefits from the GI Bill.

They proceeded to take all of that for granted. Now, we have entitled Baby Boomers, who instilled that same entitlement mentality in Generation X, all the while the world was slowly catching up, and communication changes (reliable long-distance and then toll-free phone service, television, the Internet) made it easy for a few mega-corporations to corner the market early and make oodles of money without having to employ lots of people the way they had to during the mid-20th century. Gen X could at least keep up for a while; they were a generation that could advance if they got an education and moved up to a middle-class, white collar position. (This isn't unique to America: in Japan, they had a similar phenomenon known as the salaryman.) This had another effect: these white-collar positions were also a lighter workload than the factory work their parents had to do, which meant that they expected their children to have the same opportunity if they did the same and that factory work was unappealing.

Well, then we get to the millennials: the economy bursts, the cost of a college education goes through the roof, and social mobility grinds to a halt as the careers Gen X could access are now only available to those with extremely specific qualifications. (Take a look at how much of the Class of 2007 is in a solid career path, then look at 2009. It's a world of difference.) Because men are hurt worse than women, this upends the social status, and as fewer men meet the traditional breadwinner mold, and increasingly both partners in a marriage have to have good jobs, which might not be in the same location, to make ends meet, this drives down marriage rates. Just about everything our parents and grandparents experienced turned out not to be true for them.

It's really a massive chain reaction of high expectations and declining realities. Make no mistake, America's in decline right now.

[Sanguine]

So why this perception of the world “going to hell in a hand-basket” as many of our bitter elders say? I’d argue it’s because they stay glued to Fox News all day.

Let me guess - Chance is a millennial.

Maybe the Baby Boomers he runs with are like that.  The ones I know are pretty much the opposite of his description.

[Frank Cannon]

My ex-wife has worked in the food-service industry for years, and she has countless stories of older couples saying things like "We want to let you know that we think you did a great job, but our food just wasn't up to our standards, so we won't be leaving a tip."

Wonderful. We have a whole half assed thesis being sold here based on the fact that his ex wife is a shitty waitress.

In my business life I will take a Baby Boomer at three times the cost over a Millennial any day. Boomers show up for work or appointments on time. They don't bitch about how something can't be done and walk away. They bother to learn things that may not interest them to get a paycheck. So they bitch about a shitty meal. Anyone go out to a generic restaurant lately? The service and food gets worse and worse by the minute because of these over educated bums who think they are above it all. 

[anubias]

From the amount of whining seen on this site, I'd almost agree with this article except that I no longer hire millennials and younger for the reasons Frank mentioned and more.  Just as they want Bernie's FREE everything, they think they're entitled to $15 an hour for unskilled labor and then spending those hours text messaging their buddies on their phones instead of working.

[Frank Cannon]

From the amount of whining, I'd almost agree with this article except that I no longer hire millennials and younger for the reasons Frank mentioned and more.  Just as they want Bernie's FREE everything, they think they're entitled to $15 an hour for unskilled labor and then spending those hours text messaging their buddies on their phones instead of working.

Yup. I have had to tell nit wits to keep their phone in the car it's so bad.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Both generation are equally worthless. Gen x needs to take over.

[skeeter]

The author has a point.

The Baby Boomers were born in a time of unprecedented prosperity: America had far and away the world's most industrial capacity, and the world had been decimated by the war. This, and a flood of new consumer goods, meant that factory jobs were abundant. The parents of a large chunk of the boomer generation were World War II veterans who received loads of benefits from the GI Bill.

They proceeded to take all of that for granted. Now, we have entitled Baby Boomers, who instilled that same entitlement mentality in Generation X, all the while the world was slowly catching up, and communication changes (reliable long-distance and then toll-free phone service, television, the Internet) made it easy for a few mega-corporations to corner the market early and make oodles of money without having to employ lots of people the way they had to during the mid-20th century. Gen X could at least keep up for a while; they were a generation that could advance if they got an education and moved up to a middle-class, white collar position. (This isn't unique to America: in Japan, they had a similar phenomenon known as the salaryman.) This had another effect: these white-collar positions were also a lighter workload than the factory work their parents had to do, which meant that they expected their children to have the same opportunity if they did the same and that factory work was unappealing.

Well, then we get to the millennials: the economy bursts, the cost of a college education goes through the roof, and social mobility grinds to a halt as the careers Gen X could access are now only available to those with extremely specific qualifications. (Take a look at how much of the Class of 2007 is in a solid career path, then look at 2009. It's a world of difference.) Because men are hurt worse than women, this upends the social status, and as fewer men meet the traditional breadwinner mold, and increasingly both partners in a marriage have to have good jobs, which might not be in the same location, to make ends meet, this drives down marriage rates. Just about everything our parents and grandparents experienced turned out not to be true for them.

It's really a massive chain reaction of high expectations and declining realities. Make no mistake, America's in decline right now.

No he doesn't.

That one particular age demographic "whines" more than another is unprovable and ludicrous on its face.

And counterproductive. Unless the goal is to needlessly whip up resentment among the generations.

[Free Vulcan]

Bottom line is we've had 3 less than stellar generations since WWII. It's the product of easy times, liberalism and decadence. What else can you say?

[goodwithagun]

I posted something like this on a thread a week or two ago: Although my husband and I narrowly escaped gen x, we are raising young children whose peers are gen x-ers. Let me sum it up for you: We're doomed!

[Wingnut]

Let me guess - Chance is a millennial.

Maybe the Baby Boomers he runs with are like that.  The ones I know are pretty much the opposite of his description.

There was a subclass of boomers called Yuppies.  A vile group of elitist scum. Most of these misfits were born in the second wave between 1950 and 58 and should have had their asses kick in the 80's.
It's probably this group that is once again giving the rest of us boomers a bad rep.

[bigheadfred]

From the amount of whining seen on this site, I'd almost agree with this article except that I no longer hire millennials and younger for the reasons Frank mentioned and more.  Just as they want Bernie's FREE everything, they think they're entitled to $15 an hour for unskilled labor and then spending those hours text messaging their buddies on their phones instead of working.

Whiner. 

[Wingnut]

I posted something like this on a thread a week or two ago: Although my husband and I narrowly escaped gen x, we are raising young children whose peers are gen x-ers. Let me sum it up for you: We're doomed!

Our son was born in 78.  Not a week goes by without him doing something to piss his old man off.

[bigheadfred]

For the record I don't whine. I piss and moan.

My son was told he can do the work of 4 people. So why does he get paid the same as the assholes on their cell phones????  IMO, there are a lot of employers who are worse than their employees.

[bigheadfred]

I get it now. (had to look it up, though)

[Sanguine]

No he doesn't.

That one particular age demographic "whines" more than another is unprovable and ludicrous on its face.

And counterproductive. Unless the goal is to needlessly whip up resentment among the generations.

 

[goatprairie]

Yes, the Boomer generation where usually only the father worked for money, had twice has many children (I knew multiple families with ten or more children), the dollar had less purchasing power for vitals, but parents, with not a lot of money to spend after making mortgage payments, paying bills,  buying food and clothes for the kids, spoiled their chidlren rotten. Sure.
Sometimes I think these kinds of generation-blaming screeds are satire.
Did Boomers have it easier material-wise than their parents? Sure....but if you believe that people who grew up during the Depression and fought through WWII spoiled their children rotten, I have  a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
The typical parent of Boomer children I knew were not very likely to spoil their children. I didn't know any rich kids, and I knew kids poorer than my family who came to school with holes in their shoes and torn clothing. Which I did at times.
So if millennials want to believe the bilge spilled by bullsh*t artists like Rush Limbaugh about spoiled Boomers, go ahead.

[Frank Cannon]

There was a subclass of boomers called Yuppies.  A vile group of elitist scum. Most of these misfits were born in the second wave between 1950 and 58 and should have had their asses kick in the 80's.
It's probably this group that is once again giving the rest of us boomers a bad rep.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I actually have a cross pen. When I received it as a gift I was wondering why I was given a lousy pen for a gift.

[Gefn]

I actually have a cross pen. When I received it as a gift I was wondering why I was given a lousy pen for a gift.

Was it  for your Bar Mitzvah?

I got a Cross pen and pencil set when I graduated HS from my grandmother. I thought it was a lovely present and I'm not that old.

And I got a Cross pen for my Bat Mitzvah. Everyone gets a Cross pen for their Bar/Bat Mitvah. How do you think the company stays in business? :)

[Gefn]

No he doesn't.

That one particular age demographic "whines" more than another is unprovable and ludicrous on its face.

And counterproductive. Unless the goal is to needlessly whip up resentment among the generations.

Agreed. I could have gone to an Ivy school.  I knew enough that was dooming me to a lifetime of poverty and student loans. My folks offered a  second mortgage on the house and I wasn't going to have it.

I went to the best state school in my state, held down a job on campus to pay for it, and my parents just gave me a small allowance of $25 a week to pay for soda, washing my clothes, and junk food machines. And a couple games of Ms. PAC Man.
(It was the 80s)

It seems the kids today don't have that value. First of all college isn't for everyone. Secondly, you shouldn't bankrupt yourself to go to one. If your dream college costs too much settle for something cheaper. And for pete's sake find a campus job to help pay the bills and a tutoring job. Got a little extra time? Clean a house. I did all the above, and in grad school I schlepped tables too. Never went on spring break and put myself through college and two masters without going broke or owing Uncle Sam (or mom and dad) a nickel.

[Night Hides Not]

I was one of the Boomers that saw the end of the Cold War and elected Ronald Reagan. My two academic degrees were earned without costing my parents a dime.

It's like I tell my kids: no matter how bad of a father they may think I am, I did two things for them that they can never take away from me; I made sure they were born in Texas, and I taught them how to swim. Anything else is gravy.

You know it's a slow news day when a column griping about Boomers is published.

[Frank Cannon]

I was one of the Boomers that saw the end of the Cold War and elected Ronald Reagan. My two academic degrees were earned without costing my parents a dime.

It's like I tell my kids: no matter how bad of a father they may think I am, I did two things for them that they can never take away from me; I made sure they were born in Texas, and I taught them how to swim. Anything else is gravy.

You know it's a slow news day when a column griping about Boomers is published.

Amen.

[goatprairie]

I was one of the Boomers that saw the end of the Cold War and elected Ronald Reagan. My two academic degrees were earned without costing my parents a dime.

It's like I tell my kids: no matter how bad of a father they may think I am, I did two things for them that they can never take away from me; I made sure they were born in Texas, and I taught them how to swim. Anything else is gravy.

You know it's a slow news day when a column griping about Boomers is published.

I think many millennials get their misinformation from lying bast*rds like Rush Limbaugh who every now and then takes time to run his own generation down. He accuses every Boomer of being a spoiled brat (except of course himself and his brother) who went to an elite college and was given everything by their loving, doting parents.
The reverse is more likely the truth.  And Limbaugh grew up in a midwest town which was probably similar to most smaller towns in America. There weren't a lot of rich, spoiled kids in those towns. Many kids came from larger families than families of today with maybe the father the only breadwinner.  There wasn't a lot of money to waste on spoiling children. It was difficult enough to pay the bills and feed the family for many parents in those days. And I'm sure many fathers were like my father who threw nickels around like they were manhole covers.
So it's more than a little irritating when some millennial who was probably given a car, a trip to Disneyworld,  and a lot of other things by their Boomer or Generation X parents to try to tell me what life was like growing up in the fifties and sixties with six siblings and not a lot money.

[Smokin Joe]

Yup. I have had to tell nit wits to keep their phone in the car it's so bad.

We had to tell the hands to leave them in the change shack at the rig. People who needed to be paying attention and getting things done were not doing them.

Which brings me to a reason boomers might "whine" more. When we were told to do something, we learned to do it, do it right, and no griping. I wish I could say that millennials did their jobs aw well as promptly and to spec, but an awful lot just don't (busy with the phone), which leads to boomer customers and supervisors complaining...