this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2024
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Work Reform

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Employers demonstrated their infidelity to their staff by paying loyal workers, on average, 7% less than new hires — 20 years ago, salaries were largely the same between new and longtime employees.

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[–] Emotional_Sandwich 38 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think this generational divide is bullshit. Most people have always known that the system is rigged and keeping your head down and working hard doesn't get most people anywhere.

[–] derf82 26 points 10 months ago (3 children)

There is a generational divide. Boomers and older GenXers often bought their homes years ago when they were far cheaper and have no mostly or entirely paid them off. If they need money, they can get a cheap HELOC. Their house is also a nest egg. That saves a lot.

They also likely actually got regular raises. Plenty of boomers make 6 figures and still struggle to open a PDF, while zoomers and millennials are doing most of their work for them for 1/3rd the pay.

[–] Emotional_Sandwich 14 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah, but there are a ton of boomers and gen x that never got a chance to buy a house. Stack on being a minority, or a woman, and your chances of owning a home back in the good old days were probably worse than now since banks and certain neighborhoods would tell you to get fucked. Things may have been easier for many in different generations, but not for everyone. I'm not discounting that gen z has things worse in a lot of ways, especially work and financial wise. I just don't think fighting amongst generations is going to help. It's class warfare.

Edit: By class warfare I mean basically everyone vs the ultra powerful/wealthy.

[–] derf82 3 points 10 months ago

I'm not discounting that gen z has things worse in a lot of ways, especially work and financial wise.

But that’s just it, by not acknowledging it, by acting like we’re all in the same boat, it is being discounted.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Uh, stuff was better but nowhere near as nice as you imagine for a poor kid growing up like i was. but they were better. Work sucked, but yeah life was easier. You're missing the point though, lemme rant some.

How many rich old boomers do you personally know vs how many do you hear on tv?

The point of the tv (or in this case the article) using this angle is to point blame away from the culprits who caused this bad situation, the ultra-rich.

My boomboom parents, myself (xennial), and my extended family members have all watched their money get squeezed right out of their pockets their whole lives.

Maybe you assume we got to keep the money we made from way back when times were better?

Nope! All those wealth transfer graphs you've seen where the line goes up had to come from somewhere. That line means i watched it happen is all, watched it get taken from us. I'm poor like you.

Gramp's life savings got eaten up by gram's medical care. Dad lost his house. I will never get to own one. You probably know a lot of people in all different age groups that have a story like mine.

Meanwhile,

  • Warren Buffet is a boomer

  • Jeff bezos and Elon musk are Gen X.

  • Zuckerbergs a millennial.

Though they are in different generations They all have something in common.

Their wealth, and their absolute love of lobbying the government to get even wealthier at the expense of your and me.

Like Carlin said, "they want all of what you got, and they're gonna get it too."

They are the ones to focus on. Maybe the past was great but we live in the present, and there's no reason left to be jealous of boomers/xers. Our ages don't separate us, our (lack of) wealth unites us.

Trust me, we are all in the same boat.

[–] derf82 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Oh, I know way more better off boomers than well off millennials. Many with large suburban homes fully paid off. Homes I couldn’t afford if I made double.

I do not excuse the super rich. But I also know boomers are the ones that helped push Reagan into power for him to inflict trickle down on us.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Welp, can't say i didn't try. See you in the trenches

[–] zik 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

But that's not their fault. It's the fault of current bosses. Why blame it on a generation that was slightly less screwed than yours, just because they were slightly less screwed?

[–] derf82 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The current bosses are largely of that generation.

[–] zik 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

But not all people of that generation are those bosses. In fact very, very few ever were.

You have to realise that denouncing all the people of a group based on their race, appearance, gender, sexual preference or - yes - even age is morally problematic. Blaming all of them for something that very few of them had anything to do with just makes you look bad, not them.

I hate where the world is at but I think you're wildly misguided about who's to blame. Blame the super rich and the politicians who set economic policy - not your granny whose worst crime is loving you and baking you apple pies.

[–] derf82 1 points 10 months ago

I’m not blaming ALL of them. But there definitely are differences (in general) in their voting, their wealth, and their attitudes.

Those politicians also got into power generally because of the older generations that vote Republican.