Stereotypes get a bad rap, but when you get right down to it, they’re just ways of conveying shared social understandings quickly and efficiently.
A common stereotype online these days is the trope of the out-of-touch Baby Boomer wagging his finger at younger folks who have less than he did at their age. It’s understandable. To someone who came of age during the postwar boom, it must be baffling to see entire generations who just can’t seem to get their act together.
One upside of the chaos running rampant across the country is that the socioeconomic pain initially inflicted on the young is now making itself felt across the generational spectrum. Boomers who once told struggling Millennials to pull themselves up by their bootstraps are now sweating bullets over functionaries of the openly one-party state with their eyes on social security and pension funds.
Having the lion’s share of America’s wealth future-proofed the Boomers’ 1980s lifestyles for a few extra years, but time is catching up with them–with interest.
What does this economic reckoning portend for the future? Listen in to the Rights and Duties stream, where I recently appeared to discuss generational theories and other matters of import.
And for a fuller treatment of memory-holed generations, read my best seller Don’t Give Money to People Who Hate You.
