I rarely submit content to Stumble Upon, a discovery engine fueled by user submissions, but a blog post out of Elkhart, Indiana really caught my interest today. It’s written by a Certified Financial Planner who has four kids and is living in the white hot center of the nation’s economic meltdown. He introduces the post as an apology from Generation X, but then goes on to lay out cold, hard blame for the country’s financial crisis on Baby Boomers.
Then, he takes a turn I have never heard anyone take in this traditional Gen X argument of, I-am-in-a-lot-of-financial-agony-give-me-someone-to-blame. He (gasp) apologizes to the Boomers.
The thing is, it seems like everything he says is spot-on. If you read it, I’d like to hear what you think. Here is an excerpt:
My wife and I are trying very hard to raise four children in a very difficult environment. I live in Elkhart, Indiana which the New York Times called “the white-hot center of the meltdown of the American Economy.” Some neighbors are buried in debt, some have foreclosed on homes. Most struggle to keep some sense of dignity. Everyone has had a painful decline in income. One couple has moved their family of five plus a dog into a metropolitan apartment for better employment opportunities (meaning they exist) while continuing to pay on their spacious home for sale here in our more rural area. They didn’t overbuy, and had a reasonable fixed mortgage. No amount of savings or discipline can prevent the fact that your mortgage payment exceeds unemployment benefits.
Unfortunately, the link to the rest of the story is broken. That link was: http://blog [dot]fpaforfinancialplanning.org/2010/11/16/i-am-sorry%E2%80%A6-for-now-one-genx-apology/
maybe it’s time to stop blaming any generation and start to work cooperatively on a solution … just a thought 🙂 le
I know easy to say …
Great points ToB. I wish for one Boomers would acknowledge that they’re not as terrific as they’ve always made themselves out to be. I can only recall one piece where a Boomer writer acknowledged his generation’s faults. He claimed his generation has been self-serving, greedy, narcissistic, controlling and hypocritical. I couldn’t agree more.
@ToB – Point well taken. I have come across one apology – and only one – in the past three years writing this stuff. It wasn’t very memorable. =/ I really wish I had answers. I hate the way so many Boomers skimmed over Xers, but it mirrors so many family relationships. Neglectful parents wise up by the time their own children have grandkids – maybe. Honestly, I think Boomers like the idea of Gen Y. Reality is another thing. Anyway, back to the spirit of the post. I think I’m ready to suck it up. The economy sucks. I’m just glad I have work and income. My tolerance for things has increased; my desire for other things decreased. This is my definition of sucking it up. Contemplating the discomfort feels like a luxury. Eventually, we’re all growing to grow old and retire. In the meantime, I have got to live my life. I wish I didn’t have to suck it up. In the end, I’m so glad to live in America – so glad to have the opportunity to suck it up. But, believe me – I understand the pains associated with the Gen X career trajectory. I’ve lived it for 20 years. Really, it begs questions about the American dream.