Boomers in the 80s and 90s were fucking depressed. They described their lives as a boring, soul-crushing existence where they did the same hollow shit day in and day out. They hated their bosses, they hated their jobs, their kids, their wife/husband. People had “Mid-life crises” where they tried to fill the void with “a fast car and a young hot fling.” things capitalism told them would make them happy. It didn’t.

Seriously listen to any media made by boomers when they were in their 30s-50s. It’s all jokes about how fucking mundane life is.

Even at its peak, life under capitalism was hollow and soul crushing.

They were basically taught “as long as you keep your head down and play the game, we won’t hurt you financially”

Sure, (if you were white and male) you had money, but it took everything else away. Community, friendship, family. Trapped them in a gilded cage. Having to watch their children having even that promise of financial stability ripped from them. And don’t get me started on how terrible it was if you weren’t a white dude.

I have to wonder if the “selfish, childish boomer” stereotype is something of a coping mechanism. Maybe some boomers are like that because thats their jokerfication.

  • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    55
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    Boomers in the 80s and 90s were fucking depressed. They described their lives as a boring, soul-crushing existence where they did the same hollow shit day in and day out. They hated their bosses, they hated their jobs, their kids, their wife/husband. People had “Mid-life crises” where they tried to fill the void with “a fast car and a young hot fling.” things capitalism told them would make them happy. It didn’t.

    Seriously listen to any media made by boomers when they were in their 30s-50s. It’s all jokes about how fucking mundane life is.

    I am old enough to remember boomers making an entire media era about wailing for their receding hairlines and gradual awareness of mortal limits. That era fucking sucked and it was full of sex pest shit like creeping on teenagers as a normalized practice. City Slickers the film is like a period piece summarizing that mentality.

    • There’s a sex pest movie line that was seared into my brain and occasionally pops back in to make me cringe. I don’t even know what movie it’s from, but it was a popular one.

      the line

      (dude is spying on girls at a school) “That’s what I like about high school girls. I keep getting older but they stay the same age.”

      • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        18
        ·
        10 months ago

        A line like that is also in City Slickers. (CW: sex pest, creepy sex pest joke normalizing kiddie creeping)

        spoiler

        grillman “The older you get the younger your dates get. Soon you’ll be dating sperm!”

        • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          10 months ago

          Reminds me of one of my chuddiest relatives who constantly and exhaustingly jokes about SV and is a massive Gambo fan but also ranted nonstop for like an hour one time about how enraged he was that one Gambo episode had a gay blowjob in it and how that could corrupt his small children that he was otherwise fine with being in the same room while Gambo was on. pronouns

          • GarfieldYaoi [he/him]@hexbear.net
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            edit-2
            10 months ago

            Same, I remember being 22 and talked to someone who claimed to be in seventh grade and I thought “but you are like little baby, shouldn’t you be in fifth at the oldest?”

            And then it hit me, I’m now the old guy.

        • GreenTeaRedFlag [any]@hexbear.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          10 months ago

          I’m in my early twenties and I know people who are 19 and look like children. I can’t even imagine making them pay for their own meal, let alone thinking about sex with them.