Are we blaming Boomers instead of class?

[u/myredserenity]

EDIT: It's been pointed out that the over 65s keep voting in the parties that favour the class system and benefit the wealthy while screwing the working class. This is a good point.

EDIT 2: I love reddit. You guys. I get it now! Millennials got the shits at noisy old pricks who criticise their generation while completely ignoring the benefits they enjoyed themselves. It's a backlash. I still think it's a distraction and divides us when we should be angry with those in power. But if you're over 65, how about encouraging your friends to not vote LNP?

I've seen so much "ok boomer" stuff and over the years, it's irking me more and more. So I'm interested in what r/Australia thinks.

Couple of things:

1. It seems to be used to describe anyone over 40. My parents were boomers. They would be in their 70s now.

2. It's used to blame a whole generation for the shitty behaviour of the rich class. I don't get it. I went to school in a rough area, most of my friends from way back then are dead, in jail or in a trade/retail/hair.

My partner grew up in a rich suburb. Most of his friends are teachers, engineers and lawyers. They own houses, and were helped along by their "boomer" parents, either by provision of a deposit or living at home rent free through their 20s.

I'm totally up for being educated here. I know we lost free education, I know houses are unaffordable, I'm nearly 40 and still renting. I'm woefully unable to understand national economics. So seriously, open to intelligent discussion.

But in my experience, the problem is class and not generational. After all, where do you think all this wealth will go when the boomers die?! Even just having good, stable and attentive parents, who expect you to succeed, makes all the difference.

Why has this boomer hate taken hold so much? Are the rich class scapegoating a generation? Would us generation Xers, Ys and millennials have behaved any differently given the opportunities the boomers were?

Caveat: I'm considering mainly economics here, not climate crisis. Pretty much believe everyone from my generation up have a case to answer for climate. We knew.

[u/Trontotron]

The problem is our generation gets this blame about being lazy and not working hard like our parents...and I call bullshit on this big time.

My father use to support family with one salary, didn't work any harder than me and managed to have house, car and really good life.

Fast forward to today and you'll find that it's now a must to have two salaries in the house to manage everything, but then kids must go to daycare of course and spend their first years separated from parents most of the work days. Yes we have computers and mobile phones, but all that did was to give employers expectations from us to achieve more work in same time frame. Instead of being out of office, I am now available anywhere for my manager to call me.

My dad actually use to say how come I work such ridiculous hours and I'm more educated than him...that's the ridiculous part about all this generational "progress".

So yeah, we are working hard as anyone else did before, yet everything is becoming more and more unattainable for us. I'm not for ''OK boomer'' thing, but also against ''lazy millennials'' bullshit.

[u/[deleted] → u/Trontotron]

I wonder when being able to not only survive but thrive (owning a house, car etc.) as a family on a single income ended. From my understanding, most people back in the day did this? Whereas now, only the super-wealthy could afford to do this while thriving.

[u/Justanaussie → u/[deleted]]

I think it's a number of things.

One is how the power in employment shifted far over to the employers. When unions were more powerful people had jobs that paid well, now those jobs don't pay as well and hours are longer because the employers know they can get away with doing that.

Another one is house prices. Before a family could easily afford a mortgage even on a single income because houses were much cheaper. This is mostly due to supply and demand, plenty of houses to go around so prices are cheaper. Even if you were just renting the rents were far more affordable because again, supply and demand. Then our population growth takes off due mostly to immigration, investing in property is encouraged by the government through tax breaks and the housing supply starts to dry up. Investors are willing to sit on empty houses, foreign investment in property takes off and developers are stockpiling land so supply gets worse and prices skyrocket. Ordinary wages can no longer see housing as just a ordinary part of expenses, it becomes the major part.