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199 reviews for:
A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America
Bruce Cannon Gibney
3.36 AVERAGE
199 reviews for:
A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America
Bruce Cannon Gibney
3.36 AVERAGE
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
I wrote over 12 pages of notes about this book, doing meticulous research that debunked EVERYTHING he said in it. His redefining of the Boomer Generation goes in the OPPOSITE direction of Howe and Strauss, the only legitimate academics who have ever done research into generations and who want to SHRINK the Boomers to 1946-61 and increase the size of Gen X to 1962-80, because they point out that a random statistical spike in the birth rate does not a generation make (cultural commonality is the defining feature, and if you ask a kid born in 1961, he will say his favorite band is some shitty Boomer band like Cream or Genesis, while the kid born in 1962 will say the Ramones or Talking Heads).
I have been looking over my notes for many months now and I cannot bear to write the long review I had intended. Suffice it to say that this dude got rich via insider trading tips, has never done a lick of real work for a day in his life, and is a crypto-fascist psychopath with an extra chromosome (yes, he is that dumb).
The saddest part of it all was coming to this site and seeing positive reviews of it by dim witted Millenials (ALL female) who thought they had learned something great about the world, when in fact all they had done was continue to brainwash themselves with the most moronic propaganda since Jonah Goldberg wrote Liberal Fascism.
If you liked this book, you are a Nazi and too stupid to be alive.
I have been looking over my notes for many months now and I cannot bear to write the long review I had intended. Suffice it to say that this dude got rich via insider trading tips, has never done a lick of real work for a day in his life, and is a crypto-fascist psychopath with an extra chromosome (yes, he is that dumb).
The saddest part of it all was coming to this site and seeing positive reviews of it by dim witted Millenials (ALL female) who thought they had learned something great about the world, when in fact all they had done was continue to brainwash themselves with the most moronic propaganda since Jonah Goldberg wrote Liberal Fascism.
If you liked this book, you are a Nazi and too stupid to be alive.
This book is helpful to provide context for the fiscal mess we find ourselves currently in. While Gibney spends the majority of the book providing both narratives of what the current problem is, with the richness of data to back it up, and the underlying motivations, he concludes with providing what he feels are viable and necessary steps forward to help resolve these issues. A long, but worthy read that I feel would do much of America good to read.
I read an ARC provided by Hachette Books that was written before Trump had won the Republican primaries so there may be edits made by Gibney in response to the election.
I'll clarify my biases at the outset by saying I'm a Canadian Millennial (born in 1988) raised by Silent/Lost generation parents (born during WWII) so I wasn't raised by Baby Boomers.
This is not the first time I've seen Baby Boomers called sociopaths and I think it's an understandable response to the labels put on Millennials who are frustrated with a system that they feel unable to cope with or change. I can only imagine Baby Boomers who feel they don't fit in with the stereotypical Baby Boomers will be able to read this without taking such personal offense as to be unable to assess the arguments made in the book. I'm not sure who the book is for, if most people who would be swayed by the arguments have already been swayed by them.
I don't have a strong background in economics so while Gibney's economic arguments do not seem terribly flawed to me, I do think there are issues with the social statements. 'Sociopath' as a clinical definition is much more complicated and controversial than presented in the book. The anti-establishment behaviour that hallmarked the 60s is not necessarily an indication of anti-social, narcissistic behaviour on the part of Baby Boomers. The behaviour is pretty normal for most generations, but there were more Baby Boomers acting that way and the aftershocks of WWII allowed for more anti-war sentiment. The behaviour of youths in the 1920s is very similar (anti-war, more drug usage, more sex) but we aren't calling the Greatest generation sociopaths for it.
The behaviour examined in the book is not just the behaviour of Baby Boomer home owners and voters, but specifically the Baby Boomers in positions of power and influence - which means white and male. Change a few parameters and you could change the book title to 'A Generation of Sociopaths: How White Male Baby Boomers Betrayed America' which would probably be too extreme to push through a major publishing house but would be a social as well as economic argument, and much more interesting.
I'll clarify my biases at the outset by saying I'm a Canadian Millennial (born in 1988) raised by Silent/Lost generation parents (born during WWII) so I wasn't raised by Baby Boomers.
This is not the first time I've seen Baby Boomers called sociopaths and I think it's an understandable response to the labels put on Millennials who are frustrated with a system that they feel unable to cope with or change. I can only imagine Baby Boomers who feel they don't fit in with the stereotypical Baby Boomers will be able to read this without taking such personal offense as to be unable to assess the arguments made in the book. I'm not sure who the book is for, if most people who would be swayed by the arguments have already been swayed by them.
I don't have a strong background in economics so while Gibney's economic arguments do not seem terribly flawed to me, I do think there are issues with the social statements. 'Sociopath' as a clinical definition is much more complicated and controversial than presented in the book. The anti-establishment behaviour that hallmarked the 60s is not necessarily an indication of anti-social, narcissistic behaviour on the part of Baby Boomers. The behaviour is pretty normal for most generations, but there were more Baby Boomers acting that way and the aftershocks of WWII allowed for more anti-war sentiment. The behaviour of youths in the 1920s is very similar (anti-war, more drug usage, more sex) but we aren't calling the Greatest generation sociopaths for it.
The behaviour examined in the book is not just the behaviour of Baby Boomer home owners and voters, but specifically the Baby Boomers in positions of power and influence - which means white and male. Change a few parameters and you could change the book title to 'A Generation of Sociopaths: How White Male Baby Boomers Betrayed America' which would probably be too extreme to push through a major publishing house but would be a social as well as economic argument, and much more interesting.
A lot of good points but the book fails to take into account the social limitations of the times. For example, the chapter on hedonistic tendencies makes the case that the generation before boomers were much more content and willing to stick it out when it came to marriage. Our grandmothers never had a choice the way our boomer mothers did. In other chapters, the author is spot on but then suddenly falls into sweeping generalization that does not distinguish between the haves and the have nots in the boomers which is a huge difference.
I'm personally sick to death of my parents' generation wondering why we're so forlorn and pissed off about the state of things. Boomers don't see how the lack of opportunities, outrageous student loans, and zero safety net, compared to what they had all their lives, has any bearing. We're all just entitled and trying to keep them from living out their lives in peace with all their drugs and needs covered. I truly get where the author is coming from, I do. But the book comes off a tad too cherry-picked and overlooks important contextual details.
I'm personally sick to death of my parents' generation wondering why we're so forlorn and pissed off about the state of things. Boomers don't see how the lack of opportunities, outrageous student loans, and zero safety net, compared to what they had all their lives, has any bearing. We're all just entitled and trying to keep them from living out their lives in peace with all their drugs and needs covered. I truly get where the author is coming from, I do. But the book comes off a tad too cherry-picked and overlooks important contextual details.
Gibney makes good points, but unfortunately, the only people who are going to hear them are those who are already members of the choir (me). The way the information is presented is 100% blame, clearly coming from a place of deep frustration and resentment. It's understandable, and I'm in a similar emotional mindset, but the attacks against Boomers were too uncompromising for Boomer readers to stomach, and too unbalanced for other groups to be convinced. This was more of a rant with a lot of facts than a reasoned debate. The facts do support Gibney's theory, but the presentation needed a lot more polish.
This took me forever to read but I loved it regardless. If even a fraction of this boomer entitlement is real I am shocked. Gibney is funny, consice, highly entertaining and pretty fair even though he is calling boomers sociopaths throughout. This book is pretty dense though so I would recommend taking it slow or listening to it.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This was an interesting read. It takes a non-partisan (politically-wise, not generationally-wise) view of what the Boomer generation has done to screw things up. I did come to several "Aha" moments that illuminated more fully why things are so bad these days. And this book is certainly well-researched and well-thought-out. I will say I only read endnotes if the concept or info they were linked to was of particular interest, so I'm not sure how much good stuff there is in there. I also appreciated that the book was subtly humorous, although probably more so than I thought, as much was likely over my head. The negativity towards the Boomers got a little old over time, although that's what the books about so I'm probably just being cranky. I also don't share the same hope that the next generation will be much better. I fully expect there to be a similar expose in thirty years about the Millennials (of which I am one). Overall, though, an interesting, thorough read that will give you something to think about.