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“We Were Told That Boomers Would Eventually Retire”: 30 People Share The Lies That Their Generations Were Sold
Santa Claus is real. Babies come from a stork dropping them off on your doorstep. You are definitely capable of becoming a professional tennis player when you grow up. Adults tell children little white lies all the time. They are mostly harmless, and eventually, we grow up to learn that they weren’t true but were nice to hear at the time. However, some lies that we are sold from older generations, the government and the media don’t go away as we age. Even if we realize they aren't true, these ideas can be incredibly difficult to shake and continue to shape an entire generation's expectations of their lives.
Last week, Reddit user VictorPumpenstein posed the question, “What is the biggest lie sold to your generation?” and many readers had grievances to air. We’ve gathered some of the most thought-provoking responses to this question down below, so you can feel seen by others in your generation or understand the older and younger groups a little better. Be sure to upvote the replies that you found most eye-opening, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda piece featuring millennials calling out the lies they were told, you can find that right here.
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Whether it comes from a place of ignorance, optimism or wanting to spare people from anxiety, plenty of lies have been sold to the various generations. Maybe you were told to believe in the power of the “American Dream”. Perhaps you expected to be able to afford a home of your own 3 years after graduating from university. No matter what harsh realities you had a wake-up call to as you got a bit older, you likely are not the only person in your age group to feel that way. Your entire generation might have been mislead in the same way you were, and they might be just as bitter about it.
So to understand what misinformation each generation is responsible for spreading, first we need to understand exactly what each generation is like. Let’s begin with baby boomers. You might be one, your parents might be some, or even your grandparents might fall into this group, as these are the individuals who were born between the years 1946-1964. There are about 71 million baby boomers out and about today, and they are famous for their post World War II optimism, being around for the Cold War, and the hippie movement.
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#2
The war on drugs. It has decimated the lives of so many people. Minorities are disproportionately incarcerated for their possession.
My generation was taught that all drugs are bad and that there is no use for them in the medical community. Science is proving that many drugs that were classified as illegal are beneficial for treating a multitude of health issues.
It's time that we end the war on drugs. People should be treated for addiction in a medical facility rather than being incarcerated.
Trond Øien 2 years ago
Hear, hear! It's infuriating af. Some recommended reading on the subject: "...in reality, the war on drugs has little to do with public safety. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2013 shows that tobacco, alcohol and prescription painkillers were responsible for more direct deaths than any other drug." https://www.mic.com/articles/109718/these-3-drugs-are-much-deadlier-than-marijuana-but-they-re-all-totally-legal
#3
Money can't buy happiness. It's b******t, most of my problems could be solved by money and I'd be so happy.
Baby boomers are also known for being the largest consumers of traditional media like television, radio, magazines and newspapers. They are often traditionalists who stick to these forms of media that they know and have a hard time adapting to new technology. However, 90% of them do have a Facebook account, so they are not totally opposed to innovation. They have welcomed technology like Facebook that allows them to keep in touch with old friends and always know what their family members are up to.
When it comes to how baby boomers like to manage their money, many of them still prefer to go into their banks in person and always carry a bit of cash, especially for small purchases. Surprisingly, baby boomers also have a staggering amount of student loan debt. This is not because university was so expensive when they attended, because for the most part, it wasn’t. But many of them actually took on debt to help their children receive higher education, leaving lots of boomers with little to no retirement funds.
#4
I suspect "crime doesn't pay" is a lie told to more generations than just mine.
First of all, crime is *extremely* profitable. We don't hear about criminals that haven't been caught, because they haven't been caught.
Second of all, 90% of rich people are criminals and we all just kind of accept it. E.g. through breaking labour laws. They tend to break laws in ways that save them money, rather than earn them money, but it still ends up in crime absolutely paying.
Edit: people seem to think I'm on about drugs or theft or other 'obvious' crimes that come with prison sentences. I'm talking about crimes where the punishment is a fine, and the fine is of lower value than what the person made (or saved) committing the crime. E.g. getting a fine in the thousands after profiting in the hundreds of thousands. Low risk, high reward.
Take any rich person and Google their name with the word 'fines' e.g. 'Bill Gates fines'. Then consider how many times they've done that without getting caught, and how many times they made more from the crime than the value of the fine.
Its not "how many criminals are super rich?", its "how many super rich people are criminals?"
#5
“Do well in school and you’ll have a nice house, a good job, and a family before you’re twenty six”
NOPE.
#6
Plastic recycling.
I remember when grocery stores went from paper bags to plastic because "they're recyclable!" Literally everything else started coming wrapped in a ton of plastic (instead of cardboard) because it was recyclable. Single use plastics were great, because we'd just recycle the plastic, and use it forever!
Turns out, it was just cheaper, and recycling had nothing to do with it. Most of that plastic can't be recycled anyway.
One of the lies mentioned on this list is that baby boomers would eventually retire, but for a lot of them, they don’t have the option to yet. Many boomers believe that it was important to set up their children for success in the future, by supporting their education and helping them start their careers, but now it is unlikely that much will be left for retirement and inheritance. Perhaps the lie that they would retire was not so much of a lie as it was a dream of theirs. I am sure they don’t love the idea of working until they are 80 years old.
Up next is Generation X, or those born between the years 1965 to 1979. This group, which is also referred to as the “Latchkey” generation or the MTV generation, currently has around 65 million people and maintains some traditional media habits like their predecessors. Lots of Gen X still reads a physical newspaper, listens to the radio and watches cable TV, but they are much more technologically savvy than their parents. In fact, they tend to spend more hours on Facebook than any other age group.
#7
Meritocracy - that the system will select the best candidate based on ability.
Turns out they never tell you some people are born so far ahead they're starting 3 full laps ahead of you. And also their connections are thicker than the trans-oceanic cables.
ben woskje 2 years ago
Private schools excel at further entrenching these networks and ensuring that high paying positions are given to those that are mates of those in power, rather than those who actually have decent skillsets. While being friends with powerful people has always had benefits - over the past 20-30 years, this seems to have accelerated as far as the level of b******t utilised and the size of the paypackets received by these useless f*****g twats.
#8
Gen X-er here... we were told that the boomers would eventually retire. Still waiting for that to happen while rapidly approaching retirement age myself.
Foxxy (The Original) 2 years ago (edited)
Who can afford to retire these days and even if you are fortunate enough to have the money, how many of those people are well/fit enough to live their retirement to the fullest?
#9
Reaganomics 'Trickle-Down' Theory. It was, and continues to be, a way for massive corporations and the wealthy to avoid paying taxes via loopholes, passing on the lions share of taxation to the middle class and small businesses in America. This has created the astronomical wealth gap in this country, creating more billionaires than ever and making it impossible for families to survive on a single income, let alone afford a home.
Gabby Ghoul 2 years ago
I'll say this again: trickle-down economics is giving more food to the overfed and telling the hungry more crumbs will fall off the table.
Some of the most important factors that defined the lives of Gen X were the end of the Cold War, the rapid advancements in personal computing, and feeling torn between two generational identities. When it comes to their banking habits, many of them still prefer to visit their branch in person, but some have transitioned to online financial management. A lot of this generation is under immense financial stress, however, with the pressures of trying to provide for their own families, pay off student debt and take care of their aging parents while looking ahead for their own retirement. On average, Gen Xers have about $142,000 of debt to pay off, but for most people, the bulk of that is from a mortgage.
#10
“It’s a one in a lifetime event! These things don’t happen all the time” - In reference to things like wars, devastating floods, wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, mass shootings/gun violence, terrorist attacks, and now… pandemics, apparently.
How many more ‘once in a lifetime’ freak events am I going to be living through? When can we have some peace and quiet?
#11
I never imagined I’d say this, but the legitimacy of the American government. It’s a shame.
#12
All you have to do is go to college and you'll be successful.
Though it was less of a lie and more just being wrong.
Bored Retsuko 2 years ago
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The next generation that we all know and love is Generation Y, better known as millennials. This group was born between the years 1980-1996 and has about 72 million people. Millennials have been shaped by the Great Recession, the exponential growth of the internet and social media and 9/11. Many of them still watch TV, but this generation has embraced online streaming platforms like Netflix wholeheartedly. Most millennials are extremely savvy when it comes to technology and electronic devices, and they usually are active on multiple social media platforms. While they were once mocked for their stereotypical obsessions with avocado toast and lack of care for their finances, it can’t be denied that millennials have been placed in an extremely hard position for saving up for their futures.
#13
“You have a future.”
Nah. We might have done, but you stripmined the planet for profit, you stripmined our consciousnesses and experiences for profit, you stripmined our health and our wants and needs for profit. You lied, and lied again. You put your happiness above the futures. You decided the developing world was just shapes on a map and marginalised them.
You went to the ballot box and voted in the wreckers, the lairs, the confidence tricksters, the three-cup-trick fakes, the find-the-lady conartists, and you did it with a smile. You did it while you told us that you did it with your bootstraps and walked uphill each way and you came from nothing and you did this while you plugged up your ears and you covered your eyes and you told us the internet was bad and never learned about it.
You told us change wasn’t possible and that the system was working. You told us that we weren’t working hard enough, that our avocados were too luxurious. You told us to take the bus in the society you took public services away from. You told us to pay our taxes to politicians you elected who pocketed them.
You said we had a future.
You f*****g lied. We will burn in megafires or die in the water wars or drown as the sea floods our communities with water we cannot drink or be annihilated in the nuclear stars we bring down from the sky because you thought you could bomb for peace or in the nuclear winter that you’ll say disproves climate change.
You lied. You knew it and you lied again and you are still lying.
#14
Be loyal to a company, give 100% and they will take care of you, after 20 years you’ll retire with a pension.
Serial pacifist 2 years ago
I’ve been working for the Umbrella Corporation for quite some time, and the benefits are actually great, they even give you free medicines and stuff.
#15
"You can be anything you want"
Not everyone can become a millionaire astronaut and rockstar and professional gamer and parent. There is a reason why some us have the most boring jobs anyone can think of
Foxxy (The Original) 2 years ago (edited)
So you're telling me I will never become a real life mermaid? Well that's disappointing.
When it comes to how millennials choose to conduct their banking, most of them have no preference of brand. Instead, they prioritize efficiency and excellent service, so apps and digital tools are widely used by millennials to manage their finances. And although this generation makes a huge dent in the workforce, lots of Gen Y is saddled with student debt. Due to a variety of factors including inflation, the recession, and education becoming more expensive, millennials have a hard time reaching financial stability. Contrary to the misconception that many of them have no desire to own a home or settle down, lots of millennials just have not had the opportunity to consider those paths yet, due to worrying about how to provide for themselves.
#16
Affordable homes.
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
Yet, instead of building more small affordable starter homes, or redeveloping existing city buildings for affordable apartments—-not Section 8 housing, though we need housing for the homeless, improved housing for the poor, and some way of lifting them all out of that level—-I mean affordable for the average middle class income, new developments are building more overpriced and badly built McMansion type s**t that stays empty forever. Developers: you could more quickly sell out whole developments full of affordable starter homes, and rent or sell affordable apartments/condos in refurbished urban buildings, than you could sell one single badly built overpriced McMansion, much less sell out the entire development. It ain’t rocket science.
#18
"Cheaters never prosper" is only true on a small scale.
Yes, if you cheat on all of your homework then at some point your lack of knowledge in the subject will catch up to you and people will figure it out, but on a larger scale, some of the most successful people in the world are terrible people who broke the law and got away with it.
Matthew Goss 2 years ago
If you donate enough to a politician, they'll change the law so what you're doing is no longer considered cheating.
Next up is Generation Z, or those born between the years 1997-2012. This generation has about 68 million individuals and is famous for knowing how to use smartphones before they could talk and being obsessed with the app TikTok. Most of them actually received their first cell phones at age 10, but having access to their parents’ devices meant they never experienced a life without smartphones and the internet. The average Gen Zer spends about 3 hours on their cell phone every day. I mean, they can't leave their Instagram and TikTok fans hanging, right? American zoomers have also never known a country that was not at war, and many of them have seen the financial struggles of their parents impact their lives. Gen Zers are also known for being socially aware, open minded and politically active.
#19
Electric cars.
Everyone claims they are good for the enviroment, but that statement could not be farther from the truth.
First of all, to gather lithium used in batteries, you have to mine for it, which is horrible because of how dirty it is.
Second of all, and the most important one, lithium battery packs don't last forever. When they go bad, you have to replace them and there is no clean way of recycling lithium.
Third things third, if a battery pack is defective, it's a danger to the driver, passangers and potentially others around. If let's say the protective layer of the battery pack gets damaged and the lithium comes into contact with water it's goodnight for you if you don't react fast enough.
Lastly, the price of electric vehicles is ridiculous, what average person will ever be able to afford a car that costs more than a small house. And some of them (I won't point fingers at any manufacturer here) have terrible quality for their pricepoint. Tl;dr, EVs are overpriced.
So over all, you are better off driving and maintaining your old car for a long period of time rather than buying a tesla or something. Every politician just likes to point to cars, yet they don't seem to notice that planes pollute the enviroment so much more, yet nobody cares about that.
Aran Lindvail 2 years ago
That's mostly BS. Current electric car batteries live around 15 years, AND can easily be recycled. So resources like lithium aren't "gone", but can be mostly reused. (Lithium is also used in conventional cars, or smartphones btw). There's not really any evidence that electric cars burn more often or anything like that - and a burning diesel is not exactly safe either. EVs might be expensive, but that's only bc the damage to the environment is not factored into the price of conventional cars. And the biggest CO2 emissions come from neither planes nor cars, but from the infrastructure and power needed for the internet. So that i can uselessly yell at people on BP.
#20
Growing up everyone i ever met said to never get a credit card. The only way to buy a house is with credit and the only way to actually get credit is a credit card. In my life I paid off 3 vehicles early only to be told the second they were paid off my credit was dropped to a no rating because I wasnt actively in debt.
(Anti)Social Penguin 2 years ago
I don’t really understand how the credit score it’s calculated in the US, but it seems to be so f****d up. In my country, the credit score is calculated based on age, gender (i don’t understand why), education, job. The only thing that is affected by other loans is the amount of money you can get (since you can’t exceed a certain percent of your income). Why would i have a higher credit score if i am already in lots of debts?
#21
If you work hard anything is possible. It helps but doesn’t guarantee you anything.
Injun Joe 2 years ago
Hahaha...if you work hard, someone else will take the credit and get promoted. Then you're still working harder hoping for your boss to see how dedicated you are but they're too busy with someone under the desk. The one under that desk is no one other than the one taking your credit and hard work.
Although Gen Zers are young, they have seen the financial struggles of millennials, so many of them have adopted a fiscally conservative approach to managing their finances. They are fearful of being plunged into debt and seek out resources to help them stay on top of their money. Many of them prefer debit cards over credit cards, and because they are so internet savvy, it is assumed that they all use mobile banking. Lots of zoomers actually are interested in personal finance as well, so they might be able to save more than the previous generation and actually look forward to retirement.
#22
“Doesn’t matter what subject your degree is in, just having one gets your foot in the door!”
LeighAnne Brown-Pedersen 2 years ago
No! It totally matters what your degree is. And please never discount or look down on trades, electricians, plumbers, HVAC guys, they make great money. Humanitarian degrees don’t.
#23
“You have it much easier”...
#24
Medicare and social security will protect you. Based on how things are going, anyone with 30 years or more before retirement better have strong backup plans
Last but not least, Generation Alpha is the group of kids under 10 right now, as well as anyone born between now and 2025. They are too young for us to know their banking habits, but it is assumed that they will use a purely digital approach, as they will be the most technologically integrated generation yet. They will grow up being able to see their parents’ social media accounts and be shaped by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the social justice movement, the Trump presidency and Brexit. It is possible that they will never even carry cash, and things like CDs and VHS tapes will seem like ancient history to them.
#25
Tattoos and piercings are going to keep you from having a stable income in a good company.
While the lies told to younger generations are usually intended to be harmless, or not even viewed as lies at all, they can still be powerful. It's important to understand where every generation is coming from and take their advice with a grain of salt. The world changes rapidly, so even if your parents were able to afford a house when they were 25, that does not mean you will. Keep upvoting the responses that you agree with the most, and then feel free to let us know in the comments what you feel like your generation was lied to about. And let's all try hard to be honest with the younger generations. Even if the truth hurts, they deserve to hear it.
#28
(Millennial) That you can do literally anything you set your mind to. Like sorry no, most people are not capable of becoming pro athletes or astronauts. And that’s ok!
Edited to add: I’m referring to the Disney-style bootstrap mentality that implicitly frames high-visibility, low-frequency careers as successful. Like other responses have noted, achieving goals takes more than just hard work, and success is way more than just job title.
#29
You will always have to write in cursive.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
don't know what the fuss is about cursive. I only write in cursive. Sure, I type much more than I hand-write, but if I hand-write it is cursive.
#30
1) If you are super-focused a motivated you'll get a great result.
No, you can't replace years of study and experience with good motivation.
2) Find your dream and persue that, don't do any other activities.
You can be happy without doing your dream job and you can change path during your life. You can be happy without evolving your passion to a career.
3) Choose your future right after high school or you won't be able to study anymore.
Better get a gap year. Travel, do little jobs, meet people, take time to discover what the world can offer.
What do you think ?
Mark Fuller 2 years ago
This post is so depressingly bleak because it's so entirely true. Especially the ones about "good education"; "loyalty to an employer"; "affordable housing" and "climate change". I genuinely feel for the generations to follow. It's hard enough as it is and shows no sign of stopping. I'm convinced we will eventually see a reversal of population growth as people begin to realise brining a child into this world isn't actually a particularly nice thing to do...
Bryan With A Why 2 years ago (edited)
How about you just bring a child in to the world then and raise them properly? E.g. tell them the truth and explain to them why many of these are lies? It's a cycle. Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, weak men create hard times. We're in the age of good times creating a lot of weak men, so there are tough times ahead no doubt. But in the next decade or two we'll flip back to creating strong men and good times.
Load More Replies...
Dee 2 years ago
That timeshares are real estate you can sell. They are scams that can rarely be dumped. Maintenance fees will supercede the value of the unit.
Ann Mohrmann 2 years ago
There are apparently lawyers and law firms that now specialize in getting you out of a timeshare contract.
Load More Replies...
West Hermans 2 years ago
Don't discount the "you can be anything you want".
That article is currently followed by this: where a dog ran away to follow his dream of winning in a dog show. Untitled-6...d9a956.jpg 
Mark Fuller 2 years ago
This post is so depressingly bleak because it's so entirely true. Especially the ones about "good education"; "loyalty to an employer"; "affordable housing" and "climate change". I genuinely feel for the generations to follow. It's hard enough as it is and shows no sign of stopping. I'm convinced we will eventually see a reversal of population growth as people begin to realise brining a child into this world isn't actually a particularly nice thing to do...
Bryan With A Why 2 years ago (edited)
How about you just bring a child in to the world then and raise them properly? E.g. tell them the truth and explain to them why many of these are lies? It's a cycle. Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, weak men create hard times. We're in the age of good times creating a lot of weak men, so there are tough times ahead no doubt. But in the next decade or two we'll flip back to creating strong men and good times.
Load More Replies... Dee 2 years ago
That timeshares are real estate you can sell. They are scams that can rarely be dumped. Maintenance fees will supercede the value of the unit.
Ann Mohrmann 2 years ago
There are apparently lawyers and law firms that now specialize in getting you out of a timeshare contract.
Load More Replies... West Hermans 2 years ago
Don't discount the "you can be anything you want".
That article is currently followed by this: where a dog ran away to follow his dream of winning in a dog show. Untitled-6...d9a956.jpg
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