Boomers in the 80s and 90s were fucking depressed. They described their lives as a boring, soul-crushing existence where they did the same hollow shit day in and day out. They hated their bosses, they hated their jobs, their kids, their wife/husband. People had "Mid-life crises" where they tried to fill the void with "a fast car and a young hot fling." things capitalism told them would make them happy. It didn't.
Seriously listen to any media made by boomers when they were in their 30s-50s. It's all jokes about how fucking mundane life is.
Even at its peak, life under capitalism was hollow and soul crushing.
They were basically taught "as long as you keep your head down and play the game, we won't hurt you financially"
Sure, (if you were white and male) you had money, but it took everything else away. Community, friendship, family. Trapped them in a gilded cage. Having to watch their children having even that promise of financial stability ripped from them. And don't get me started on how terrible it was if you weren't a white dude.
I have to wonder if the "selfish, childish boomer" stereotype is something of a coping mechanism. Maybe some boomers are like that because thats their jokerfication.
Boomers should be divided into 2 generations if we're gonna do this whole pop culture generational bullshit. Cause right now boomers comprise of hippies/early rock n roll 60s stuff/ the punk/new wave thing of the the late 70s through the 80s which was done in contrary to what was considered outdated classic rock that was played by aging relics to early Gen x celebrities. One generation shouldn't contain both a counterculture and a reaction to thst counterculture getting stale at the same time.
Boomer is an even stranger one cause it comprises the entire second half of the 20th century but it's also named after a specific phenomenon, people in America having a fuckload of kids after ww2. Like, my parents were born in the early 60s which was supposed to be boomer prime time, they didn't go to Woodstock cause they were 9 and 7, but they're still considered the same generation as those people.