Are the Baby Boomers the Greediest Generation?
My Boomer Tips
A recent article (I believe USA Today) stated that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, but that the growth in the gap was not so much based on gender, race, or religion, but age. I've experienced this greed first hand. 50-and 60- somethings basically being in positions of power in their companies, able to take away income or make decisions to enrich themselves far beyond what most would consider reasonable, at the expense of, and without consideration for, the people who work for them (usually younger).
Salaries have grown, but have not kept up with inflation. A household with one wage-earner has become virutally a thing of the past.
Companies that have experienced large losses continue to pay bonuses to their executives that are exorbiant.
So, what do you think? Are the baby boomers the greediest generation? If their parents were the Greatest Generation, I would argue YES.
This is an interesting discussion. I strongly disagree with emp 211, as he is basically just flat wrong. LOTS of companies pay bonuses even when the company LOSES money, in order to keep the CEO from running off. Has nothing to do with profits at all, in the short term anyway. Greedy? Yeah, but no different, really, than many other generations before them. Think Rockafellers (sp), Carnagies, etc.
I do see the point about the income gap. I think I saw that article, too. This should be temorary. Much of this wealth will be transferred to their children, who are, by in large, bigger spenders, so the wealth will be redistributed in time.
I don’t know how ANYONE could say that people born in the 90′s are the most selfish generation. They’re 17 years old AT THE MOST. That answer cracked me up. ALL teenagers are selfish. They’re trying to figure out who they are and they think of themselves most of the time. It’s natural.
Hope this helps.
Any generation when entering their 50′s 60′s is going to go through this. Perhaps it is more noted in Baby Boomers because they are such a large generation. Also, having been children of depression era parents they have been socialized and learned to keep what they have fought for close to them.
NO. We are the greediest generation. We have everything and more, with new technology ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. And yet here we are, thinking we can make a change with our environment by trading in your 3 GMC Denali’s and Ford Excursions for 3 new hybrids? Sorry but that wont make a fucking change.
ALSO the fact that you have to pay just as much for a brand NEW hybrid to replace the battery to the old one is greedy as hell. They want to help, but still charge US up the ass for it…? Sorry Al Gore but Im not buying into the hype.
No, people that were born in the 90′s is the greediest generation.
When companies make decisions about bonuses they are interested in profit and nothing else. The reason executives receive large bonuses is because the board of directors believes that that bonus will be incentive for the executive, who has done good things for the company, to stay with the company.
You are right; it is done without regard to the welfare of the companies employees, which is exactly how it should be done. The company’s sole motive is to increase profits for its owners.
The employees have a choice–they can work for the wage dictated by the market, they can not work at all, or they can invest in human capital in an attempt to increase the market value of their labor. No one is "owed" a job.
Corporations have no "moral" responsibilities. Only people do.