EP 401 Have Boomers Left Millennials A Pile to Clean Up?
As the father of two millennials, I am on the side of about half of my baby boom generation in regretting the sorry state of affairs we have left on their doorstep. Think about it in these terms: after forty years of the arc of American history bending toward individualism, self-reliance and the desires of the very wealthy, and companies foregoing generous benefits that many of us boomers took for granted, the millennials emerging into the work world were greeted with the aftermath of 9/11, the 2008 financial disaster and the pandemic and twin economic debacle. That’s quite a welcome to adulthood. I bristle when I hear this generation, some of whom by the way are already approaching 40, called ‘snowflakes’. I think they are industrious, as they navigate through the new gig economy, values driven and open to many changes that undoubtedly this society must make in order to create a more just future. Jill Filipovic lays out the case for her generation in the book ‘OK Boomer Let’s Talk’: How My Generation Got Left Behind’. She makes a compelling argument that, by almost any measure, the children of baby boomers have started their careers and adult lives with a host of issues which make their journey more difficult than the baby boomers. I think we had a great conversation. Perhaps, it could be even more scintillating if the interviewer, me, disagreed with her premise. But I don’t. There is one silver lining for the millennials and I offer it in the midst of the discussion.
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