Someone needs to tell BOOMERS that the job market now is NOT what it was like for THEM. THEY had the benefit of a SINGLE job that paid WELL, even with NO college degree. A sole income back in the day, even as an unskilled factory job assembly line worker, made enough to afford a house, a car, and a wife and 2 kids. And college was like $500. Back in their day, back before they made the economy and life shit for us- if you had a degree, you practically could get a job anywhere. And if you only had a HS degree, that’s fine, there were still plentiful good paying jobs out there. NOT ANYMORE. NOT for the last 20+ years. Back when I was working, it was already exploitative. After 9/11, jobs changed. Employers no longer paid a living wage. And jobs were no longer 40 hrs a week. Everyone I know who’s a “professional” works on avg 60hrs/wk in the private sector. I worked 80-120 hrs weeks sometimes. And ofc, no overtime pay when you’re a salaried worker.
These same ppl who pulled the ladder up after THEY got all the benefits and got rid of them when it came our turn, STILL think it’s so easy to “get a job.” And talk about internships giving you experience and teaching you everything you need to know about the industry. Which is BULLOCKS. Internships were invented as a way for employers/companies to not pay you and get FREE LABOR. It’s exploitative and they do NOT give you “experience.” But try explaining that to a Boomer.
Yes I got told the whole “why don’t you get a job or an internship?” speil just last week. If even able-bodied healthy ppl can’t even get a livable wage job, then how can I, when I am disabled and have all sorts of health issues? “Oh but you can just work online” is what my neuropsychologist says. As if you could get any online side gig- 99% of them online are a scam. And the real online jobs- the professional ones- they still require you to work FT. Like what fucking job out there, aside from maybe uber or delivery- that you can just work “whenever you want”? And it’s like like the gig economy pays diddly squat.
Oh yeah, back then they could see drs for like $1, unlike today’s reality where the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the USA is medical debt.
Boomers are living in a fantasy reality- well fantasy for us bc it doesn’t exist for us, reality was really like this for THEM back in THEIR day, after being given everything by their parents.
So anyone that doesn’t work according to boomer is just lazy. Never mind that ANY fucking job is hard AF to get nowadays. And pays shit.
Oh also, when you have all these health issues and brain issues I have from the car accident, how TF do you expect me to work when so many healthy able bodied ppl can’t find jobs? I know ppl with MBAs that can’t find jobs and they work for my brother in law delivery food. Yes, literally. Even if I was healthy, I’d still have a fuck all time finding something that isn’t a soul-sucking shit job that pays a shit wage.
Boomers are living in a fantasy world. Just bc THEY had it good doesn’t me the rest of us do. THEY are the ones who screwed the economy for us. THEY were the LAST generation to have it good.
I mean, I get not all boomers are bad (individually), but collectively, they are the WORST generation to have ever lived. They are universally hated GLOBALLY- it’s not even a USA thing.
If anyone is a boomer here, I’m not pooing on you specifically or every boomer. But as a collective group who have done everything to screw future generations (legally, financially, economically, politically)- yeah boomers suck.
SO- how DO we get it across to Boomers that the jobs market is HARD AF? That you can’t just go find “online jobs.” If it were that easy, everyone would be working online a few hours a week and just chill.
“Just get a job”
“Can’t walk? Just get an online job! It’s Easy!” -_-
Like I LITERALLY have trouble bending my legs and putting on my underwear, but nah, “there’s no reason why you can’t work.” “You’re lazy if you don’t work.
And as if jobs are SO easy to come by. Especially online jobs. None pay more than diddly squat. Unless you do OnlyFans. Boomers don’t get that. Hell- ALL able-bodied ppl don’t get how hard it is to do ANYTHING let alone work a job.
I swear, privileged able bodied ppl think online jobs are the answer to disabled ppl working. Yeah maybe if the jobs actually paid enough and existed. They think you can just work a few hours a week and whala! you can pay your rent and food. Never mind that the GIG ECONOMY IS THE WORST. It’s exploitative. and generally worse than minimum wage pay if you work out the hours and costs involved.
I have other issues you guys don’t have. If you able-bodied ppl can’t find a job, then how TF am I supposed to just magically get one, and work and make enough money? People are out of their frigging minds that think you can earn enough money “working online.” (If one doesn’t work in a specialized industry/have specialized skills). The avg person, especially a disabled person, isn’t going to be able to work 40-60hrs, even if an online job were to be had. And never mind that I already have carpel tunnel that’s going to get way worse if I work online all day every day.
OH- and the fact that everything COSTS A FUCKING ARM AND LEG now.
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It shames me, but I’ve definitely told my boomer parents enough about it. They’re very sad about it, since it’s crashing our family’s economic prospects right now, but hopefully that’s temporary.
I literally yelled it at my mom once when I was in one of my more honest breaks with her; “You lived through the 70s, back when there were unions, and people still could get retirements, and earned enough on one income to raise a family and had health insurance. Oh, and top all that could afford to pay off their student debt.”
I probably wasn’t that coherent. The point is, I know she knows how pained I am not to have been born in 1952, or easier STILL, 1932 in our family. To know about all the money that has been made in our storied years, and how we spent it instead of investing it. How we tried to live frugally and it still wasn’t enough. Four generations each poorer than the last.
It’s all in our family history. We’ve told it in our stories, we remember it. The burden of at least 125 years of memory. Do you think I chose narrative psychology by accident? This is me dealing with trauma. This is the only way any of us are getting out of this alive.
Capitalism is a death cult. We have to stop it. This is late stage capitalism.
It still boils down to the rich exploiting the not rich and poor, unfortunately.
A lot of boomers still got fucked with the various crises and what not up until now.
Yes, a lot of what you said is true in terms of the time period most grew up in, where monetary value was great, and there were periods just before a lot of Reagan’s policies and a lot of the things put together to get us where we are now….
I don’t like feeling like I won’t be able to own a home or retire in ny nearer future, and I never liked the idea of just grinding your life away doing 60-80 hour work weeks to afford things, but this is where we’re at now, sadly.
I’m thinking the new “American dream” is to make US/British money and live somewhere where you can use that to build a comfortable enough life for yourself.
The future is looking a lot more mixed and culturally diverse in general with globalization in play. I really liked living here and being part of the US, but with all this shit going on, I can’t see myself staying here long term anymore.
Suicidal, disabled people are a part of a tiny disadvantaged minority so their reality tends to get twisted and distorted by “mainstream” society, whose narrative is aligned with the interests of other members and makes them feel better in a given situation.