Summary

The article "A Love Letter to the Boomers" critically examines the societal and generational blame placed on Baby Boomers for various economic and environmental issues, while also questioning the consistency and actions of younger generations.

Abstract

The piece titled "A Love Letter to the Boomers" addresses the widespread sentiment that Baby Boomers are responsible for a multitude of societal problems, including economic disparities and environmental degradation. It highlights the impatience of younger generations awaiting inheritance and the irony of criticizing Boomers while engaging in similar consumption patterns. The article also points out the contradictory nature of blaming Boomers for political choices, such as the 2020 U.S. presidential election, where older candidates were prominent, despite the potential voting power of Gen X and Millennials. Furthermore, it challenges the notion that Boomers had an easy life, citing historical events like the Great Leap Forward, and questions whether younger generations would have made different choices in similar circumstances. The author concludes by calling for empathy and unity, suggesting that all generations share responsibility for the world's state and should work together toward a better future.

Opinions

The author expresses sympathy for Baby Boomers, who are often portrayed as waiting to die and transfer their wealth, which is seen as a source of anxiety and stress for them.
There is a perception that younger generations are hypocritical, criticizing Boomers for overconsumption while not significantly altering their own consumption habits.
The article suggests that the portrayal of Boomers as solely responsible for economic and environmental issues is an oversimplification, implying that younger generations might not have acted differently given the same historical context.
The author questions the logic behind the continued support for older presidential candidates by younger voters, despite their ability to influence political outcomes.
There is skepticism about the claim that Google's market dominance is due to Boomer usage, suggesting that other generations contribute to this trend despite their criticisms of the company.
The piece uses sarcasm to critique the irony in an article title from GratefulWeb that is harsh towards Boomers, despite the website's name implying gratitude.
The author points out that not all Boomers had an easy life, referencing global events like the Great Leap Forward, and argues that blaming American Boomers for all the planet's issues is unjustified.
The article calls for a focus on empathy and collective effort to address global challenges, emphasizing

A Love Letter to the Boomers

Nowadays, everybody’s waiting for the boomers to die and transfer their wealth to the other generations. “The Greatest Wealth Transfer in History Is Here,” wrote the New York Times in May 2023. “Boomers have more wealth than any other generation,” said CNBC in December last year.

Boomers, I feel sorry for you

Having your kids, grandkids, and the rest of the planet waiting for you to die cannot be conducive to a peaceful mindset.

And when people aren’t impatiently waiting to access your bank accounts, they complain about your greed, overconsumption lifestyle, and how much it (you) ruined the planet.

It makes me wonder what all these people want to do with your money. Burn it?

They can’t plan to consume their inherited dollars in an orgy of smartphones, oversized cars, and other useless objects like vagina-scented candles; that wouldn’t be consistent. And we know how humans in general, and younger generations in particular, love to be consistent, don’t we?

Apparently, everything is your fault

“Boomers’ greed destroyed the economy,” said Business Insider in March 2023.
“The Boomers Ruined Everything,” published in The Atlantic in June 2019.

I could quote 100 more such articles without any problem. Type “boomer + economy” or “boomer + planet” in Google and fear the results.

Sorry, I meant DuckDuckGo because Google is an “evil capitalist tech giant.” Fun fact, Google has 86 percent of the desktop search market. Is it because boomers use it ten times more than anybody else, or because the other generations enjoy teaching lessons but don’t like to apply the learnings to themselves (and stop using the “evil Google,” in this case)?

I will share one more headline because it’s so ironic I can’t resist. The website is GratefulWeb (bolding mine), and this is the title of an article from March 2019:

“Hey, Baby Boomers! You’ve Already Destroyed the Planet and Wrecked Democracy, So How About You All Just F#%K Off and Die Already?”

Could anyone be more grateful? Sarcasm.

There’s something that confuses me about American politics

If boomers are evil, and if we remember they represent roughly 20 percent of the population, why did the people get to choose between Biden and Trump to be President of the USA in 2020? Couldn’t Gen X and Millenials organize themselves (and vote massively) for younger candidates?

Are they lazy? Unable to decide by themselves? I don’t understand.

And since a large part of Gen Z (born 1997–2012) will be voting in 2024, why are we (maybe) having Biden against Trump again?!

Another fun fact, Biden is not even a boomer. He’s from the silent generation.

I guess they ruined everything even more.

Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, and according to many, they all had an easy life (and ruined everything)

The Great Leap Forward in China happened between 1958 and 1962 and caused 15 to 55 million deaths (famine and violence). Sounds like an easy way to start your life. Sarcasm again.

We can’t limit the discussion to the US if we say boomers ruined the planet, or can we? Were American boomers so evil they managed to destroy Earth against the will of more than seven billion other inhabitants?

Boomers are wicked, immoral, and sinful, but what about the other generations? Are they all angels?

Or are they simply human?

Elon Musk is Gen X (born in 1971) and is considered quite evil by A LOT of people.

I don’t think anyone can argue that the lifestyle of younger generations is radically different. I can cherry-pick any data you want, and it will show an increase in consumption.

Did non-boomers (who can afford it) stop flying around the planet for business and holidays?

Apparently not.

The number of scheduled passengers boarded by the global airline industry more than doubled, from 2.0 billion in 2004 to 4.54 billion in 2019. Then Covid, but don’t worry (or hope) too much, it’s back at 3.78 billion in 2022. (Source: Statista)

Did everybody but boomers stop buying cars, smartphones, multiple TV screens, etc.?

No.

If people can afford it, they buy it.

Even if it were true that boomers ruined the planet, it remains to be proven that younger generations wouldn’t have done the same in their position. One could argue younger generations are even worse than boomers since they have considerably more knowledge of our planet’s issues but don’t significantly deviate from the overconsumption lifestyle.

Can anyone argue that over 40 percent of Gen Z spending more than three hours daily on TikTok is a (positive) sign of civilizational change?

I, for one, am grateful for the boomers in my life. I believe most of them did their best to live a good life based on what they knew at the time. Of course, some were (and still are) evil. It’s the same for any generation.

As satisfying and comfortable as it is to have a different perspective in hindsight, we should all focus more on empathy and turn our eyes toward the future.

Together.

References:

She Could See No Good Reason to Act Her Age, by Holly J See. Four Signs You’re Secretly Stupid, by dumb writer Smillew Rahcuef You’re Always in the Right Room, by always right Smillew Rahcuef