10 things Generation X won’t tell you

Yahoo Finance ^ | July 1, 2014 | Quentin Fottrell

[C19fan]

1. We’re poorer than our parents were at our age

Few people have been through as many economic ups and downs as the members of Generation X. Born between 1965 and 1980, any entered the workforce during the boom years of the Clinton administration—but then along came 9/11 and, a few years later, the Great Recession.

[Army Air Corps]

Thank you for your service.

[FreedomPoster]

In the last 10 years, SSDI has become a career path.

[Pelham]

” I am sooooo sick of Boomers sitting in their cushy jobs while we continue to wait to go up the latter.”

Feel entitled much?

Cushy job sitting in a chair? Somehow I missed out on that one.

Here’s a suggestion: get a job that’s hard on your body and where you get dirty and sweaty every single day.

The boomers who have been doing those jobs for years aren’t sitting around in their cushy chairs like you dream of doing, they are retiring as soon as they can.

But then somehow I don’t get the impression that hard work of that sort is what you are willing to do.

[napscoordinator]

Here’s a suggestion: get a job that’s hard on your body and where you get dirty and sweaty every single day.

I just did. I went to lunch at the Club and coming back it was so hot and sweaty. So glad to be back in the office. Much better for it. But we must eat you know.

[minnesota_bound]

My dad worked and mom stayed at home until she was in her 40’s
We lived in a big 5,000 sq/ft house by a creek with a big park nearby (Minnesota). My parents built their house for $42,000.

I am in California where a decent house packed in too close to next house is $350,000.

Two incomes and you barely get by in too many places. Gov’t taxes are sky high and their policies have driven up the cost of everything.

[minnesota_bound]

That “Greatest Generation” raised a bunch of spoiled brats who repeated the mistake.

[Tailback]

I understand the point you're making, and somewhat agree with it.

Something to consider: I was extremely lucky in my military career. I didn't go to the Gulf War by a hair (long story and funny), and deployed with the Air Guard as a REMF or FOBBIT as they're called now to Kuwait on a short tour. Guys I grew up with have done 3 or more tours in combat positions, with one hand tied behind their backs, against an enemy just as fanatical as the Japanese in WWII. My Wife's Grandfather spent nearly 2 years in pilot training and less than 2 years in combat in the Pacific. He's a hero, Gen-Xers are bums.

Yes Grenada and Panama were jokes as enemies go, but Iraq and Afghanistan are a different story. With all the whiz-bang technology, if you can't use it, our soldiers became meat for the grinder. Falluja is a perfect example. B-52's should have carpet bombed that place into a smoking crater, then our Marines and Soldiers should have salted the smoking stinking rubble. Now its a HQ for the newly formed caliphate.

So to summarize, Gen-X has been handed a steaming turd sandwich. Like you wrote...

Sometimes, being in the right place at the right time - even though unearned - just is incredibly propitious

[1010RD]

I am head of production at the Soylent Green factory. Perhaps you could FReepmail me to discuss this further.

[1010RD]

How many are illegals? Those HH incomes would be way down, but the bigger problem with this analysis is: What is a household?

[1Old Pro]

6. Boomers stand in our way at work…

7. Lack of respect for more seasoned workers who earned it and didn't complain all the time about their own shortcomings.

[1010RD]

Great now we’ve got intergenerational warfare. Class warfare, race warfare is all progressive garbage. Lay off fellows.

The Progs did this and we need to undo it. Let’s take responsibility for ourselves and not some imposed idea of “generations”. It’s absurd.

[Stentor]

Now with the recession decreasing business AND delaying retirements it doesn't look like my generation will get a shot at moving up the ladder any time soon.

CNBC says we.re in a recovery and to buy staawks. You must be mistaken.

[dmz]

That is the biggest problem for Gen Xer’s. I am sooooo sick of Boomers sitting in their cushy jobs while we continue to wait to go up the latter. It is an epidemic. All 7 of the Supervisors in my building are 60 and above. They are just waiting....for something....not sure what. They get a pension so what is the problem????????

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Whiner needing a waaaaaamulance? Or a forgotten sarcasm tag?

Hard to tell.

But then, if you are trying to climb the corporate latter, that might be part of your issue. Spelling counts in corporate America.

I’m sure it was just your smartphone autocorrecting incorrectly, but I couldn’t resist.

[NorthMountain]

Your failure to address any of my points is, as usual, unsurprising.

If you wish to educate yourself, do try looking up that executive order. It's very interesting, and has an interesting social context. You'll learn something, and any day you learn something is a good day.

[dmz]

Self onanism sounds painful.

[NorthMountain]

In some ways, valor was in even greater display in Vietnam, as soldiers fought in smaller units

Here, you make an excellent point. Additionally, the WWII soldier fought a "popular", with enormous support at home. The Korea, Viet Nam, and Cold War soldier fought "unpopular" wars, and faced opposition both personal and corporate at home. Soldiers really were spat upon returning from Viet Nam, but not when returning from the field in WWII.

[21twelve]

“...our current troubles do not compare.”

True - perhaps in large part due to the social security for older people, and welfare for the younger ones. And all sorts of free medical and health clinics, etc. that are available now.

And some would posit that governmental help is not sustainable, and that it will be much, much worse than the Great Depression when it comes crashing down.

[Texas resident]

If someone is trying to climb the corporate ladder and is being blocked, go find another ladder.

I have jumped not just jobs, but industries three times.
No worries here. Whining about a bad situation gets you nowhere but older and less employable.

[Billthedrill]

Let’s take responsibility for ourselves and not some imposed idea of “generations”. It’s absurd.

Concur wholeheartedly. Collective guilt is a political con game.

One thing I would like to know from the X'ers and the Millennials, though - why won't they get off my lawn?

[Army Air Corps]

...it will be much, much worse than the Great Depression when it comes crashing down.

Of course it will, what with that much debt hanging out there.