I'm talking ‘bout your generation

» How baby boomers failed us and then blamed us

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Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor
‘we, S opinions@theetherpress.ca

t’s wrong of me to criticize a
whole generation of people
just because I’ve been noticing
some abysmal trends from
a few. But if a group of self-
righteous baby boomers want
to pick a fight, Pll drop the
gloves. Let’s open with this,
any problems millennials, or
Generation Y, (people born
between the 1980s-2000s)
have, it’s because of their
parents, the baby boomers.
Baby boomers grew up with
every advantage in the Western
world. A blooming economy,
an emerging middle class, jobs
with stable income, and enough

financial security to buy a house,

raise a family, own a couple of
vehicles, and set their sights
on retirement. How did they
get all these things? Were they
the most talented generation?
Were they the smartest? Or
were they simply just the
benefactors of their time?

Flip to their children, those
like me, the millennials. We
were brought up in a pampered
sort of way. We were given
luxury and opportunities. All of
us were raised to believe that we
could do anything we dreamed
of. If we wanted to be actors, we
could pursue that. If we wanted

: to be doctors, we could do that
: as well. Then we grew older

: and reality struck us. Now, we

: turn to our parents for help

: and what do they do? They call
: us lazy. They call us entitled.

: They call us narcissistic,

: apathetic, and disrespectful.

It’s harder than ever fora

: graduate to enter the workforce
: and even when they do get work, :

 

: it’s harder than ever to make the
: type of money our parents made
: when they were in their 20s.

: They tell us to pursue school,

: and then leave us hanging with

: the debt. It’s our problem, right?
: Then there is this line that baby
: boomers often use: “When I was
: your age, I was already married

: and a homeowner.” Well, suck

it! It’s almost impossible to put

: down a down payment for a

: house in Vancouver, let alone

: consider buying one. Why?

: Because the baby boomers

: have closed the door on us,
locking us out of what they

: believed belongs to them. Baby
: boomers are the most selfish

: generation currently alive.

I don’t want baby boomers

: to empathize with us, because

Image via Thinkstock

: that won't solve anything. What
: I do want the baby boomers to

: know is that they are wasting

: the final ounce of their lives

: being bitter to people who are

: striving for their dreams and

; pursuing what they love in life.
: Baby boomers are always going
: to shame millennials for not

: having this or that, but we have
: one thing they don’t have: the

; time to reach our goals. They

: should resent us. They should

: fear that we are going to take

: what is theirs, because we are.

Baby boomers have created

: a barrier of wealth, hoarding

: it for themselves. Then, while
: keeping us at arm’s length

: they say: “Oh, you should

: work harder. You shouldn't

: have wasted all your time with
: games and dreams. Oh well,

: maybe it’s time to go back to

: college... again.” Our parents

: set us up for success, but when
: we failed on our first swing,

: they wrote us off as weak.

: Bouncing back gets harder

: every time without support.

: But they don’t know that.

It’s the baby boomer’s

: world, but we don’t have to

: obey them anymore. The lay
: of the land is different. We

: don’t need to listen to their

: smug comments. We don’t

: need to make baby boomers
: proud of us by matching

: their accomplishments.

 

We dont elect governments; we elect scapegoats

» How we love to blame one entity for everything

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor
‘, S opinions@theotherpress.ca

I”: it great when we can
point a finger at someone
and say it’s all his or her fault?
It’s his fault our economy is
in the sink. It’s her fault the
ecosystem is dying. It’s his
fault I can’t find love, a job, or
a place to live. Yes, it’s always
easier to blame someone rather
than a group of people.

For the past few months,
I’ve watched everyone on
my predominantly left-wing
Facebook news feed blame
Stephen Harper for everything
wrong with our country. What’s
wrong with our country, or
what’s wrong with them? So
often, the government becomes
the scapegoat for all our
problems: our failing business,
our disobedient child, and our
inability to find work, romance,
and better health. Instead of
taking onus for our problems,
we blame the government.

Guess what? The

: government is not looking out
: for you, regardless of what
you think. The politician

: doesn’t give a hoot about all

: the crap you have going on in
: your life. Ifyou think Justin

: Trudeau is going to solve all

: your problems—or even one

: of your problems—you need

: to face reality. If you are not

: taxed for this, you'll be taxed

: for that. Nobody can fix what’s
: wrong with your life but you.

Blaming one sole entity,

: whether it’s your employer

: for holding you back, or your
: instructor for giving you poor
: grades is a self-destructive

: way of thinking. Pretty much
: what you are saying is: “I’m

: perfect, I don’t need to change,
: it’s the world around me

: needs to change. It’s that one
: person over there who needs

: to change.” You'll grow old

: a bitter, resentful person if

: this is your way of thinking.

Pointing fingers and

: placing blame is a defensive
: mechanism designed to make
: someone else look worse than

: you. This is especially effective
: if the person is of higher rank or
: prestige. Remember how much
: Canucks fans enjoyed blaming
: Roberto Luongo for every

: hockey game lost? Whoever is

: at the top, we expect perfection
: from them, or else give them

: the noose. But ask yourself: can
: you stop more shots and win

: more games? Nope, but you'd

: like to think you can though.

Don’t think. Do. Stop

: identifying problems as

: something manifested by other
: people. Stop investing your

: emotional energy on things
you cannot control. Can you

: bea better worker? Yes. Can

: you force your boss to increase
: your wage? No. Can you vote

: for the candidate you like? Yes.
: Are you able to force others to

: do the same? No. People will

: vote or not vote for whomever

: they want. They’ll cheer for

: whatever they want. They’ll

: fail, succeed, and live their life
: without a care for you. You can
: blame them, but why do they

: care? They don’t even know you.

a a aR

 

Image via Thinkstock