15 Things Baby Boomers Think The Generation Before Them Did Very Wrong
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The undeniable truth is that each generation faces its distinct challenges and undergoes unique experiences that profoundly influence their outlook on life. In this discussion, we extend a warm invitation to Baby Boomers to openly share their personal narratives about the struggles they encountered in their youth, which led them to ponder the wisdom of their elders.
Civil Rights
To start, a user commented, “Racism. I was following American politics in the late 60s and early 70s and could not understand why people discriminated against others because of race. Things like the riots on TV really made me question my parent’s generation.”
Another user added, “That it took 100 years after the civil war to pass the civil rights act.”
Vietnam War
A user replied, “As a lot of people have said, Vietnam was insane, but our parents didn’t seem to get what bothered us. They thought of war as WWII, something you did b/c it was right.”
Another simply said, “Getting involved in the Vietnam War.”
Cold War Tensions
Sexism
One popular comment was, “Double standards. I had brothers and a sister, and when we were kids, the boys played out while we girls did the housework, etc. I’m talking about cleaning windows with water and vinegar and a chamois leather and scrunched-up newspaper, followed by ironing everything for a 10-person household.“
Environmental Awareness
A popular comment was, “Pollution. Rivers literally burned because they were so full of toxic chemicals. Smog blanketed cities and could be seen for hundreds of miles. Pesticides everywhere. The EPA was started in 1970 to deal with some of these issues (Now gutted by Trump.”
Nuclear Arms Race
One person remembers, “The threat of nuclear war. I remember in my college days paying close attention to the Doomsday Clock. I really believed we would be nuked into oblivion in my lifetime.”
A second person replied, “Nuclear weapons. They were a relatively new thing at the time and seemed like a terrible idea to me. Still do.”
Space Exploration
Technological Advancements
A strange comment was, “Seat belts. In particular, the fight against them. As a 10-year-old, they seemed perfectly logical, yet many of the “grown-ups” opposed their introduction.”
A second comment was, ”Using a computer. When the first desktop computers appeared at work, all the older employees absolutely lost their minds. They couldn’t believe this thing could do all this stuff and were extremely intimidated by it.”
Sensual Revolution
One user said, “Free love” was a thing among those dirty hippie freaks. Completely alien to the morality of the day, which was to stay a virgin until married. For girls. Guys were expected to fu** anything that moved.”
Drug Culture
A crazy comment said, “The ridiculous hypocrisy of weed being illegal but alcohol, Valium popping moms, and cigarettes being legal.”
Another said, “Not that I’m admitting to being a boomer, but they thought marijuana was evil.”
Cultural Tensions
One user commented, “Systemic racism. Not just Vietnam but neocolonialist adventures all over the world. Poverty here. Women were legal second-class citizens (discrimination was totally legal).”
Political Scandals
A simple comment was, “They elected Nixon.”
Another said, ‘Oh, ya know, our elders (the Greatest Generation) decided to make everything into a business. This was considered a GREAT idea by business people who had missed WWII because they were “critical” to the war effort – somebody had to keep the factories going, and somebody had to supervise. Those supervisors became politicians or knew politicians, and the next thing you know, the Pentagon was full of MBAs doling out the cash boodle to all of their friends. At last! The smart guys were in charge of the war! Gonna win that sucker and make a profit, too!”
Economic Recessions
One replied, “One of my parents is one of the youngest boomers (technically the last year or so of being considered a boomer – born in the early ’60s), and something that they always thought was so dumb was how about half of their generation would spend money to max out the limit of their credit. They would always talk about how people they knew would spend as much money as possible on as many things as possible as soon as they had the credit available for it.”
Health Concerns
A concerned user said, “Smoking everywhere — in closed cars (thanks, Mom and Dad), in airplanes, even in hospitals (even the doctors and nurses!). “
Consumerism
One most-liked comment was, ‘My Boomer relatives always complained about not having enough or enough money. Their houses, clothes, multiple sports cars, 5 ski-doos, boats, ATVs, camping trailers, an apple orchard, a cottage, plane tickets for vacations every year, 5 story estate, and three deep freezers of food were bought for them by their parents. They consumed it all, and there was nothing left. They all earn over $150k/year, and some of them over $300k, and are all broke.”
Changing Family Dynamics
A user replied, “Asked my grandma, and she said the protection of children at the time. Both my great grandma’s parents died and left their 9 kids with just a 14-year-old (my great grandma) to look after them.”
Music and Pop Culture
One person said, “When my father called Led Zepplin’s music “electronic rubbish.” He was so mad when I pointed out that they have more money than he did.”
Finally, someone added, “My parent’s generation didn’t get rock and roll at all. I remember my father predicting that the Beatles would be forgotten in six weeks following their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.”
Source: Reddit
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