The Most Selfish Generation

[Tupac Shakur]

Honesty

In his book The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw paid homage to the generation that emerged from the Great Depression to fight Hitler and other forms of tyranny. Their efforts were all about sacrifice so that their children could enjoy a better life. They sacrificed on the front lines of battle and back home in the factories that produced what was needed to wage war.

We, on the other hand, are members of the Baby Boom generation (the authors are both 60 years old)—a cohort that is hardly known for its selflessness—and we can’t help but wonder: What, exactly, happened to the children of the “Greatest Generation?” Where is our willingness to sacrifice so that our children can enjoy a life even better than ours?

Why Are the Children of the ‘Greatest Generation’ So Selfish?

[Aeson]

Is the photo on that article an underhanded reference to the time honored tradition of medicare funded plastic surgery?

[Donegeal]

Change some of the references and the song can fit any generation.

[grumbler]

Baby boomers are pretty vile.

Agreed. Also true of the "Greatest" Generation and the Silent Generation before them, and the Loser Generations and Gen Y behind them.

What is worse than members of these generations, though, is the halfwits that make generalizations about "generations." Especially those from the Loser Generation.

[grumbler]

Honesty

In his book The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw paid homage to the generation that emerged from the Great Depression to fight Hitler and other forms of tyranny. Their efforts were all about sacrifice so that their children could enjoy a better life. They sacrificed on the front lines of battle and back home in the factories that produced what was needed to wage war.

We, on the other hand, are members of the Baby Boom generation (the authors are both 60 years old)—a cohort that is hardly known for its selflessness—and we can’t help but wonder: What, exactly, happened to the children of the “Greatest Generation?” Where is our willingness to sacrifice so that our children can enjoy a life even better than ours?

Why Are the Children of the ‘Greatest Generation’ So Selfish?

The best thing about that article was how it showed that the "Baby Boomer" authors were morons enough to believe that the "Baby Boomers" were the children of the "Greatest Generation" when they were their grand-children.

Also, they were morons for believing myths about the "Greatest Generation" when, in fact, the "Boomers" were the ones who paid for all those benefits that the GG and SG collected (the latter two groups never having paid much into Social Security).

The great difference between the "Baby Boomers" and the "Loser Generation" was that the "Boomers" at least paid up without moaning.

Interesting trivia bit: There were no Presidents from the "Silent Generation" (1925-1945). The torch was passed directly from the GG (Poppy Bush, born 18924) to the BB (Bubba Clinton, born 1946).

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Loser generation loves to moan and whine. Fact.

[Dinner]

Agreed. Also true of the "Greatest" Generation and the Silent Generation before them, and the Loser Generations and Gen Y behind them.

What is worse than members of these generations, though, is the halfwits that make generalizations about "generations." Especially those from the Loser Generation.

[grumbler]

Loser generation loves to moan and whine. Fact.

True, but also true of all generations. You can find Ancient Romans moaning about how the younger generation is a bunch of slackers.

[Dinner]

They were! They let the empire fall apart and couldn't be bothered to serve in the legions.

[rah]

I do remember back in the stone age when I was interviewing and the question of working long hours would come up and you'd give a gung ho answer that you'd work as long as needed to get the job done.


Now when I'm interviewing the kids out of college they get a blank look on their face and start mumbling about work life balance. NEXT.... My my times have changed.

[MRT144]

The problem is that their debt won't be.

Default and Greenbacks my friend!

[MRT144]

I do remember back in the stone age when I was interviewing and the question of working long hours would come up and you'd give a gung ho answer that you'd work as long as needed to get the job done.


Now when I'm interviewing the kids out of college they get a blank look on their face and start mumbling about work life balance. NEXT.... My my times have changed.

Sounds like the younger generation has a more realistic and healthy attitude towards life than the older generation.

[rah]

and then wonder why they're unemployed.

[Ben Kenobi]

Now when I'm interviewing the kids out of college they get a blank look on their face and start mumbling about work life balance. NEXT.... My my times have changed.

Did you see the recent article saying that men make the same as they did in the 50's taking into account inflation?

I know what life was like for my father. He could work for 4 months of the year and pay off his entire education. Then work for a couple years and buy a house.

Life was so hard for the boomers.

[MRT144]

and then wonder why they're unemployed.

Because they refuse to lie their way into your good graces and eventually disappoint you?

And I really think it's a tragedy you blame youth unemployment on the youth's work ethic when for all intents and purposes, entry level jobs by and large have not been created in 3 years.