Boomer Derangement Syndrome is Misdirected Rage
Your grandparents didn't destroy America, they just reaped the benefits.
Boomers are the scapegoat for many of America’s problems. While some of the issues they’re blamed for are legitimate, most of them were caused by specific individuals — not every single Boomer.
If I had Boomer Derangement Syndrome, I would say:
“Boomers are slaves to the television.”
“Boomers are liberals because they worship the Civil Rights Act.”
“Boomers hoard all of the wealth.”
“Boomers only care about spending their money on ‘living their best life.’”
“Boomers don’t realize the world is harder than the one they grew up in.”
“Boomers are the reason I’m not wealthy. Boomers destroyed America.”
In this post I will discuss which issues Boomers deserve to be blamed for, and which they don’t. To start, lets review these accusations objectively.
“Boomers are slaves to the television.”
This is true.
Boomers watch significantly more TV than any other generation.1
“Boomers are liberals because they worship the Civil Rights Act.”
While Boomers tend to lean progressive, they’re moderates in comparison to Gen Z. 68% of Zoomers support DEI in the workplace, compared to only 52% of Boomers.2
Boomers also consistently vote Republican more reliably than Millennials and Zoomers.3 They also favor the death penalty and mass deportations more than younger generations.4
“Boomers hoard all of the wealth.”
The sentiment is extremely popular. 82% of Zoomers and 75% of Millennials blame Boomers for their financial problems. To add fuel to the fire, Boomers are 3x less likely than Gen X to recognize their financial decisions have an impact on younger generations.5
This is where the topic gets complicated, and requires an understanding of money.
Indeed, Boomers own most of the wealth.6
At first glance, you might assume there was an imaginary treasure chest filled with beachfront properties, luxury cars and expensive jewelry set aside for Millennials and Zoomers, but the greedy Boomers just came in and took it. You also might assume Boomers won’t sell their homes at a discount because they’re uniquely evil.
But that simply isn’t the case.
