The gap between baby boomers and millennials cannot be unseen, and it becomes even more apparent with every interaction. These two generations have completely different experiences, which makes it understandable why older folks might not get younger ones.
But, there's this one man who says it's not about boomers understanding millennials –, the real problem is that boomers don't seem to get how inflation works.
A TikTok video posted by @call_me_jacket has gone viral recently, which suggests that people nowadays are earning much less money than they used to, even if the numbers may suggest otherwise.
In the video titled "Love Letter to the Boomers," a man points out how older individuals often pressure younger ones by comparing their success to the current generation's.
Sarcastically mimicking the words of an older person, he says, “Oh, when I was your age I got paid $15 an hour just like you and I owned a home by the end of the wear,”
He assumes that if he were making $31,200 a year today, accounting for reasonable inflation rates, it wouldn’t be worth as much as it was back in the 70s.
He questions, "Do you know how much I'd be making accounting for inflation? Is it $80,000? $90,000? $100,000?"
It turns out that the amount is far greater than one would expect.
To illustrate his point, he shows a picture of a Google search result that displays the value of $31,200 from 1970.
It turns out, if he was making $31,200 a year back in the 70s, it would be worth $238,661.51 a year now.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I would be making over 1/4 million dollars a year, that’s how much money you were making back then,” he says
“I don’t wanna hear it, I have to live in a trailer because I can’t afford anything else.”
@call_me_jacket #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Brother
The video has sparked thousands of comments from people who could relate to his frustration with boomers.
“They climbed to the top with the strongest economy then kicked the ladder down behind them,” one wrote referring to boomers.
“Just work harder” a second criticized.
“They’re sooooooooooooo out of TOUCH!” a third added “I ignore them now.”
The video prompted some viewers to do the math with their parents. One person wrote, “my dad and I did the math. his $4/hr entry level job back then had the same buying power as $30/hr would now.”
Another shared, “My dad's first job in HIGHSCHOOL payed him the equivalent of $65k/year”
Others were surprised that the OP could afford a trailer in light of the current economic situation. One viewer remarked, "I can't even afford a trailer," while another expressed shock, "You guys are getting trailers?"
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