Boomer calls out young Aussie's "war on oldies"
A baby boomer has called out Australia's "war on oldies", as millennials have a "growing resentment" to the older generation.
Former political reporter David Jones wrote that millennials are making boomers “feel they’re a looming burden” on the country in an opinion piece for The Daily Telegraph, saying they have "drawn the battle lines" in an intergenerational war.
Jones, the self-proclaimed boomer, wrote, “Make no mistake, there is a ‘war on oldies’ happening in Australia, with growing resentment directed at the nation’s ageing baby boomer population.”
“It is happening in subtle and not-so-subtle ways but the underlying message is the same."
“Baby boomers, you’ve had it too good for too long and now that you’ve reached your dotage, it is time to pay for your’ sins’ of affluence – and hard work.”
Jones went on to argue that millennials' anger at the older generations is misplaced, especially when they had “actually contributed a lot” to building modern Australia.
“Are baby boomers really as bad as people think? No we’re not,” he continued.
He wrote that boomers were Australia's "finest generation", and had grown up appreciating the struggles of their childhoods as their parents endured the Great Depression and two world wars.
Jones admits his generation was “born into the halcyon days of full employment and a seemingly endless economic boom” when recruitment was easy.
Employers “recruited us on the quadrangles of Sydney’s high schools”, Jones said.
“The lingering insinuation is that the ‘boomers’ are too self-satisfied and electorally powerful for their own good."
“They own too many properties, they’ve occupied too many rungs on the career ladder, they don’t have mortgages and looking after them in their old age will be a burden on the state and the generation to come.”
Jones concedes that millennials have “good reason to be resentful about a number of things” – from the cost of living and housing crisis, sky-high interest rates, even stagnant career opportunities – “but the blame doesn’t rest at the feet of baby boomers”, he said.
Instead, he said the anger belongs on the shoulders of politicians for making “dumb decisions” in government.
“In defence of baby boomers, we shouldn’t be held responsible for the catastrophic failure of all levels of government to allow home housing in sufficient numbers to satisfy demand for purchase and for rent."
“We didn’t … feel comfortable about the orgy of government spending and borrowing during Covid that put Australia on the road to high inflation and economy crippling interest rate hikes."
“Nor did we have a choice about getting older.”
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