Much of the media commentary about Baby Boomers of late is ageist, negative and patronising, and we must call it out.

There have been lots written up about ageism recently. In particular, I get exposed to much of it on Linkedin. We need to eradicate it, call it out and do what we can to eliminate it.

But at the moment, ageism is everywhere.

As an exercise, I looked at the news headlines about baby boomers over the last month. 

Baby boomer bashing is a lucrative clickbait for many news outlets, some more guilty than others.

Here is a selection of goodies. By no means exhaustive; there was plenty more, but you get the gist.

• Baby boomers gobble up Australia's wealth

• Cost of living: WA baby boomers splurging on travel, and eating out while younger people struggle to get by

• Check your privilege, baby boomers, millennials have been doing the heavy lifting

• Baby boomers hoover up Australia's homes

• Over-pampered baby boomers to pay more for aged care!

• For nation's sake, boomer self-interest must end

• To the Baby Boomers go the economic spoils

• Baby boomers are driving Australia's inflation

• Don't tax young people to fund Boomers' aged care

• Gen Z calls out Baby Boomers for 'annoying' workplace habits: survey

• The Economy And 10 Other Things Baby Boomers Ruined

• Aussie baby boomers made out like bandits over pandemic

• Boomers, you've had it way too easy

Interestingly, these articles don't say that boomers are also a generation that saved, worked hard and had it beaten into them that they must save for their retirement and superannuation, or things will be 'real bad', so they did.

They quite often did it tough, especially when bringing up families.

So what are some of the things they used to do in 1980 when they moved into their new home at a 19.89% interest rate? 

Here are a few I remember as a kid we moved into a new home around that time:

• Put sheets and blankets on the windows and save up for curtains

• Got Uncle Jo's old brown velour lounge when he upgraded. It was so beautiful, and it was modular.

• Pretty much second-hand everything in the kitchen. No matching knives, forks or plates. BUT Mum did have the luxury of kitchen carpet. Yes, kitchen carpet.

• We might have gone out to dinner once or twice a year to the Chinese for Nan's birthday.

• We used to play with our Barbies under the table with our cousins before smartphones.

•  We'd go camping or stay in an 'onsite van' before Luxury Escapes deals to Fiji existed

• Junket for dessert

• Mum sewing our clothes - the worst was when my sister and I were matching

OK, they got free Uni education.

Has it dawned on the media that boomers might pay for aged care if required?

They plan to live hard and fast before that, though. Just saying.

What were your favourite cost-saving measures in the 1980s?

Let's get on a call here and discuss!


Image: Me, my sister and Nan White at my Aunts wedding 1981...we had matching flower girl dresses.