OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says there are now more millennials than baby boomers in the country, ending the 65-year reign of the post-Second World War generation as the largest cohort in the pop...
The generation that came of age in the peak of the “greed is good” era?
I can’t speak for all of Gen X, but speaking for myself and everyone I personally know from my generation: we never liked that shit. That was our parents’ bullshit. We just couldn’t do anything about it, politically speaking, when we came of age because we were firmly outnumbered by boomers. We still are actually, except now we’re also outnumbered by millennials. That’s why all the media discussions of this topic are framed as “boomers vs. millennials.” Gen X is rendered politically invisible by its comparatively small size.
Some of us are just hanging around with old age looming and no money to afford a house or for retirement. We have to keep working until we die, but no one’s going to give us a job until then. The only question seems to be whether death gets us before or after homelessness and starvation.
Normally when I say this someone comes out of the woodwork to say it’s my own fault I haven’t saved up a bunch of money or bought a house. I assume these people are either young or lucky, because life can take unpredictable and expensive turns.
Politically, being financially screwed after growing up with Reagan and Thatcher and seeing the globally destructive consequences of neoliberalism playing out over decades exactly as expected is actually a good way to lose all doubt that greed is bad and see that more than ever we need a radical left turn.
Gen X is a mixed bag. While some went cheerfully into corporate management and others are established capitalists, a good number are living lives of insecurity while watching the capitalists destroy the world our children already live in.
…gen X here: finally managed a modest house in my mid-fourties but i’ll be working until the day i drop…still fighting the powers that be to little avail, but at last they’re starting to die off…
That’s why they’re the least worst generation, they’ve managed to mostly stay out of the general conversation
Aren’t Gen X-ers basically managerial age right now? Like they’re the ones making the decision for capital that’s owned by the boomers right?
The generation that came of age in the peak of the “greed is good” era?
I can’t speak for all of Gen X, but speaking for myself and everyone I personally know from my generation: we never liked that shit. That was our parents’ bullshit. We just couldn’t do anything about it, politically speaking, when we came of age because we were firmly outnumbered by boomers. We still are actually, except now we’re also outnumbered by millennials. That’s why all the media discussions of this topic are framed as “boomers vs. millennials.” Gen X is rendered politically invisible by its comparatively small size.
The product of low birth rates and smaller population size. Birth rates are a little lower now, but from a much larger population.
Some of us are just hanging around with old age looming and no money to afford a house or for retirement. We have to keep working until we die, but no one’s going to give us a job until then. The only question seems to be whether death gets us before or after homelessness and starvation.
Normally when I say this someone comes out of the woodwork to say it’s my own fault I haven’t saved up a bunch of money or bought a house. I assume these people are either young or lucky, because life can take unpredictable and expensive turns.
Politically, being financially screwed after growing up with Reagan and Thatcher and seeing the globally destructive consequences of neoliberalism playing out over decades exactly as expected is actually a good way to lose all doubt that greed is bad and see that more than ever we need a radical left turn.
Gen X is a mixed bag. While some went cheerfully into corporate management and others are established capitalists, a good number are living lives of insecurity while watching the capitalists destroy the world our children already live in.
…gen X here: finally managed a modest house in my mid-fourties but i’ll be working until the day i drop…still fighting the powers that be to little avail, but at last they’re starting to die off…
This is me as well. My sibling is older X, but is much more successful than me, but it wasn’t a hand out by any means.
The youngest are roughly 45 or so and the oldest close to 60.