The hardship Boomers had was mostly far away and hypothetical. They grew up with the constant threat of nuclear war.

The old Star Trek episode "Gary Seven" has an interesting take on this. Boomers expected that civilization would end before they got to adulthood. Then it didn't, and they had no idea what to do with themselves.

Then they come to a time when they're resented by both their parents and their children. The Greatest Generation was horny after the war and literally fucked the Boomers into existence, but realized too late that they didn't actually like having children. Boomers treated their children the way their parents treated them. Gen X sorta puts up with it, but Millennials aren't having it.

Other than that, capitalism knew by the 1950s that if they push the working class too hard, they'll revolt. Better to back off the money printer a little to make sure we can keep running it for as long as possible. And so the working class could have a reasonably comfy life doing the same trades for their whole working life (provided they were white). Over time, capitalism found that it can keep a working class revolt from happening by dividing the working class against each other; racism and religion works pretty well. Then it was time to overclock the money printer.

I'm 45, so not a boomer but already too old to get any respect from people in their 30's (90% of my colleagues for example). Simply speaking about something they didn't experience (reading a map, installing an OS, meeting the love of your life without a dating app...) gets me a "Ok Boomer" each time so what do I do? I just shut the fuck up. I'm not worried, they'll be in my position very quickly.

Not saying this is wrong but sometimes you need to look in the mirror as well. It's never just one thing. Also, throw away the boomer blame game and refocus on the rich 10%, who are more than just boomers now.

I just find these reductive generalisations a bit silly and divisive. As if anyone born between arbitrary years x and y is part of some sort of united collective that can reasonably critique everyone born between years v and w.

That is spot on. I have just concluded that it isn't my responsibility to educate my parents. And since they don't listen anyway, I also realized that since that is the case, we have not become closer through the years; but actually the opposite. And that all because they're not willing to accept facts, because they're lazy and entitled.

It's never worth your time or effort to have a discussion/argument with someone who isn't going to participate in good faith.

oskibi doomer

This gives me flashbacks to the one time in my life I really wanted to answer “okay boomer”

My father in law was supporting the claim the climate change might exist, but it’s nothing we have to concern ourselves about because it’s going to take decades to do anything.

And I was like: you have grandkids, they will be there in decades! And: you just experienced the first drought of your country, how is that not climate change??

After half an hour going in rounds I gave up and bit my tongue to not torpedo our relationship. Two years later he admitted that maybe there was something about climate change nowadays…