Those Greedy, Selfish Baby Boomers

What do GenYs really think?

"Many young people realise we have been screwed but we also realise we are powerless to change anything. The vast majority of baby boomers I know were incredibly lucky, worked no harder than people of my generation, made money by sitting on their behinds, and now, what makes it really bad- they refuse to acknowledge the advantages they had."  - A blog comment

What do Baby Boomers really think?

"Unfortunately most of our youth are busy living their exciting lives and haven't got any time left for politics or organisation so they become an easy target for Governments." - A blog comment

Can we blame GenYs for thinking Baby Boomers are greedy and selfish?

The financial crisis of 2008-2012 (has it ended yet?)
was caused by greed. The greed of baby boomers. 
And the gobsmacking result? Large corporations who engaged in this deception were not only NOT jailed, but were bailed out. We actually gave them more money! What message does that give the movers and shakers of our future? 

By these actions are we saying greed and selfishness is okay? Surely that appears so?

"It is the responsibility of the older generation to make things better for the younger generation, and on that measure the Boomer generation has failed." Sadly, I agree.

Financial Review 2 July 2015 - According to new research, The federal government's failure to fix a budget based on over-optimistic growth forecasts means young Australians could be slugged an extra $100,000 in taxes,over their lifetimes,to pay for today's spending commitments.

But it hasn't all been beer and skittles for Baby Boomers either, 
especially Boomer women

Some reports say women in their 50s and 60s are at particularly high risk of homelessness. Why?
Let’s look at two of the many reasons: Money mixed in with Pride

• Some are divorced (often traded in for a younger model) and don’t get a fair share of their ex-husband’s superannuation. And often, they have little or no super themselves.
  
• According to the ABS, a 60 year old single woman will have, on average, around $60,000 in her superannuation fund. That will not last long in so-called retirement.
• The gender pay gap is now 18.8%. That’s significant in terms of take home pay. And the gap was much, much more back in the day. Single women have been the working poor for decades.
• Child maintenance is now enforced. Not so in the days of young boomer motherhood. My weekly payment was $15 per each of my two children. And it was never paid.
  
• Finally, that 'inconvenient' Global Recession in 2007 wiped out a considerable amount of nest egg savings. That's if, as a single woman, you had any.

Let's not forget what GenXs really think

"Also, it's not just the older generation. I'm GenX. Unlike GenY who think getting 1,000 Facebook likes is a job, we went out and got real jobs. That's why we can invest and look after our future." - A blog comment

Sounds like an inter-generational war!

And the last thing we need is another war. 

What if we agreed each generation has their advantages and their pain? Because they do!

Let's stop looking only in the rear-view mirror. 
Because, if that's all we did , we would crash and burn. 
Let's deal with what we see through the front windscreen.
What we see is the present and the way forward.

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The Present: I see a planet in pain. The suffering and deep turmoil on our planet is hardly bearable, and made worse because I feel powerless to change it. (Interestingly, much like GenYs say they feel.)

The Way Forward: I'm clueless. So many causes, wars and issues, so many! I am in overwhelm.
Rather than dive deeper into despair, what can I REALLY do to make a difference? Unless you come up with a better idea, I feel the only way to make a difference is to look to my own energy. What am I putting out there, what do others 'feel' when with me? Do they feel a darkness or a lightness?

This is not about being mindlessly positive. 
This is about acknowledging your impact on your surroundings. The choice is yours. Contribute to the darkness and despair or focus on how it could be better. Decide it can be better. Then find that way.
Yes. I like that. How can it be better?

What do you think?

Victoria Rose
The Leadership Voice.com

This has morphed into a 'post of consequence' 
Whatever that means :)  
As I typed, the words unravelled.
If you think these words are worth sharing, please do just that.


What I love about the internet is the connectivity.
To me, the internet = people power.
And I cannot forget this : "When the people lead, the leaders will follow."
Are we sheep?
BTW, Not this little LEO. But you guessed that already.