Baby Boomers, the social cannibals, should be culled…

Sam Wheeler photo

By

Vickie Zisman

They are the reason for everything that is so wrong today!

I am seriously pissed off realising at last the reason for all f…k ups in our world. To paraphrase Douglas Adams in his cosmic search for Life, Universe and Everything, it’s not a number, it’s this one generation. Or actually, it can be identified by a number – 55+s.  It’s this one bloody group of somewhat advanced primates that still holds the reigns to every sphere and aspect of our lives. Screwing more or less everything as they go (in wake of all the “Harveys” around the world – pardon the pun). And with the current longevity projections, no sign of them relinquishing the hold. Oh, for a feeble grip of a Rottweiler!

I will not venture into the global geo-political and security mess putridly exploding all around us on an almost daily basis. The hippy flower generation holding the steering wheel of power, experimenting with delusional liberal ideas devised under the influence of chemical substances in the merry 60s…The practical outcome, 50 years later, is wackier than the cosmic rainbow-unicorn festivals of peace they attended back in the day. But it’s a hindsight, so pointless dwelling on it now – its usefulness is zero, and we are just left to contain the global damage – if we still can, that is…

But I would like to discuss the current, on-going cross-generational socio-economic cannibalism, perpetuated by this group of “humans”. And no, I am not an Illuminati conspiracies fan.

The Boomers have successfully managed to unravel the socio-economic fabric of pretty much every generation since their own: themselves, X-ers and Millennials, pitching the groups against each other, forcing us all into a Darwinist upstaged reality-show of survival.

1 – Misunderstanding and/or Deliberate ignorement of technological advancements -collateral damage? Prohibitive, progress impeding, society dooming realities.

Technology should have freed us from the old-fashioned prohibitive patterns of work-life imbalance, making all of us richer and happier. In theory – paradise on earth, in reality – 99% even more grossly enslaved in the corporate barracks. How did this happen? Well, the ruling circles of Boomers are not willing to let go of the traditional entrenched pre-tech ‘management’ practices, and technology to them seems to boil down to two functions alone: smartphone and emails. All the rest – as it used to be in the ‘good old days’ of salaried obedient “troops of bricks in the corporate wall” orderly marching to offices/factories.

Automation, sophisticated and simple technology allowing – after careful intelligent mission profiling and time management – to deliver in a flexible mode? Naaa, “not for us. All of our tasks MUST be done from the office 09:00-17:00!” Marketing, HR, programming, design, production – all in the same big hip of critical organisational performance behaviour. Oh, the sacred principle of micro-management infallibility, that simply discards productivity factors (http://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/cwf/individuals/pdf/benefitsCEOFlex.pdf and https://www.inc.com/women-2/why-flexible-working-hours-actually-makes-employees-more-productive.html).

However, managing Ukrainian or Indian coders and call centres on remote – can do? The logic of this differentiation escapes my lonely brain neuron. But hey, what does an X chromosome creature like me understand in high management philosophy?

2 – The Fallout?

We didn’t feel it until now, because like a snow-ball, gaining weight as it rolls down, it has reached its critical mass at present, crushing us all under…The financial business Einsteins who ignored and haughtily dismissed social atomisation, are now having a hard time squeezing profits from the aging, shrinking impoverished masses, younger ones very much reluctant to procreate and re-generate the human pool of consumers (well the war industry is inadequate in its finite limitation, because after you kill everybody and win, where will the next profit come from?). You simply can’t beat the numbers, you know, and the picture is grim:

Gen Xers lifeless slaves, Gen Y-rs/Millennials in revolt (note – millennials approaching their 40s now. They are not young 20 something anymore).

Negative birth rates everywhere in the West and developed Asian countries (Japan, South Korea). Negative birth rates = negative economic growth.

Playing the 3 monkeys won’t help – there is NO economic growth in declining demographic (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dropping-birth-rates-threaten-global-economic-growth/ and http://www.nber.org/digest/jul09/w14820.html).

Do Boomers care?

3 – Age discrimination

Well, you probably think I will regurgitate the umpteen article on the cross-generational misunderstanding between the boomers and millennials? Well, no. I actually want to expose the elephant in the room – Boomers DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THEIR OWN PEERS AS WELL!

“I don’t think baby boomers are any less likely to discriminate against their peers than other generations of older employees,” Ballman said. “Boomers were the decision makers in many of the layoffs over the past few years, and older employees were targeted in those layoffs more than any other workers.“ (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/age-discrimination-boomers-are-guilty-too-2013-05-09)

Yep, as the link above shows, the 55+ something will prevent their own group from getting ahead or back into the saddle, under the ridiculous pretexts of “mentally old and technologically impaired” – unsuitable for the ‘young 21st century work environment’.

It’s not the millennials, it’s YOU!

The logic seems to have taken a long leave of absence without a date of return. Vertically, three generations are being held hostage in a death grip of one relatively small circle of puppeteers imposing their own self-serving agenda. And nobody seems to stand up to them and hold them accountable. For the same reason of feeding off their hand?

Wherever change is made, it’s usually the younger generation of business leaders who implement the fresh thinking. Zappos, Netcentric, ITX Wireless, CourageLabs and many more are defying the existing outdated models of management. Zappos is a 1,500 strong company – not a quirky little start-up. And guess what? No organisational consultant leeches have been involved in the re-organisation process – no “McKinseys” profited from them.

“Surprisingly” I am against generalisations – so all you middle-aged Davos suits patting each other on the shoulder at cocktails, self-appropriating achievement of your scared-into-silence employees, wanna’ prove you are relevant and step with the times?

Profile and diversify work patterns across industry by truly integrating and employing technology vertically.

Free people of conveyor belt micro-management and “assessment” – we are not robots (or cyborgs) yet.

Give TRUST and you will get LOYALTY!

Or else? The Cannibal Suit may rightfully ask…Well, else you will get Sophia (the robot) changing your nappies in 20 years’ time, because no money in the world will get you any human attention – we will all be scraping off the rubbish hip in our respective locations….Well those of us who will survive the global war economy, that is.

Vickie Zisman

Historian by education. Corporate communications professional – by vocation. “Holy cows” in management & life slayer – by choice. Highly allergic to self-righteous hypocrites, universal moral preachers et al. Incurable, politically incorrect, cynic. Mad cat-lover. For further clarifications – you can always leave a comment on my blog, visit my Linkedin profile or connect with me on Twitter