The generational divide has never felt wider. While every generation has its conflicts, the current chasm between Baby Boomers and their successors—Millennials and Gen Z—is marked by a particularly sharp, often acrimonious, critique. The core of this critique can be distilled into a single, provocative accusation: that the Baby Boomer generation is fundamentally delusional about the economic and social realities of the modern world. This isn’t just about different tastes in music or technology; it’s about a profound disconnect in the perception of the American Dream and the path to prosperity.The perception of “delusion” stems from a fundamental difference in economic experience. Boomers, who came of age in a period of unprecedented post-war economic expansion, often hold a belief that hard work and fiscal prudence are the sole keys to success. They cite their own ability to purchase homes, secure stable jobs with pensions, and pay for college with summer work as evidence that the system is fair and accessible. This narrative, however, clashes violently with the reality faced by younger generations.The most significant point of contention is the economic legacy left by the Boomers. Critics argue that this generation, through political and economic choices, engaged in a form of “generational plunder.” The data on wealth distribution is stark: Boomers hold over 50% of the wealth in the U.S., a figure that is more than ten times the wealth held by Millennials. This disparity is not merely a function of age; it is a result of systemic shifts. Boomers benefited from a period where college tuition was affordable, wages kept pace with productivity, and housing was a stable investment rather than a speculative asset. Younger generations, by contrast, face crippling student loan debt, stagnant wages, and a housing market that has priced them out of homeownership. When a Boomer suggests a Millennial should simply “stop buying avocado toast” to afford a house, it is seen not as advice, but as a willful, self-serving delusion that ignores the structural barriers they themselves helped erect.
Beyond economics, the “delusion” is seen in the social and political spheres. Younger critics often accuse the Boomer generation of lacking empathy and self-awareness regarding the societal problems that have worsened under their political dominance. Having grown up in a relatively cohesive and prosperous America, many Boomers are seen as taking the foundations of that prosperity for granted. This is often expressed in a refusal to acknowledge the realities of climate change, systemic inequality, and the erosion of social safety nets. The political choices made by this generation—such as repeated tax cuts that ballooned the national debt and deregulation that contributed to economic instability—are viewed as prioritizing short-term personal gain over long-term national well-being. This is the “sociopathic” behavior that some commentators have controversially attributed to a large segment of the generation.
It is crucial to acknowledge that painting an entire generation with a single brush is an oversimplification. Not every Boomer is a wealthy homeowner, and many are struggling with their own economic anxieties. Furthermore, the economic system that benefited the Boomers was not created by them alone; they inherited a post-war structure that was already in place. However, the accusation of delusion is less about individual Boomers and more about the collective political and cultural power they wielded. The “delusion” is the inability to recognize that the rules of the game have fundamentally changed. It is the belief that the solutions of the past pulling oneself up by the bootstraps are still viable when the boots themselves have been taken away.
Ultimately, the blog post is not a call for intergenerational warfare, but a demand for recognition. For younger generations, the path to a dignified life is fraught with obstacles that their parents and grandparents did not face. The first step toward bridging the divide is for the Boomer generation to shed the delusion of their past prosperity and acknowledge the difficult, often unfair, reality of the present.