"A Generation of Sociopaths" by Bruce Cannon Gibney
Review by Borodutch
The book's premise is that the older generation of US citizens screwed over the current generation from happiness. Even though I don't want to paint a grim picture, the data the author presents is undeniable. Previous generations did indeed act as sociopaths, as described in the mental disorders handbook DSM-5 (the fifth edition).
I want you to imagine the caricature alcoholic father beating his wife and children daily when he returns from work. Now, fast forward 20 or so years into the future — how do relationships in this family look like? Probably, children no longer talk to the father, the mother is down with a mental illness, and the family is in shambles. Imagine if children couldn't move out, and circumstances forced them to keep living — and to kneel daily — with their abusive father.
A generation of US citizens got a country in economic prosperity and ran it down like toddlers shouting, "give, give, give, want, want, want." All while hypocritically criticizing the younger generation for being too "soft" or "unsustainable!" If you think this is messed up, there are two of us feeling like this now.
Overall, all the data and the facts point to one thing: boomers have consistently "borrowed" wealth from future generations. Let's call it what it is: they stole the future from their offspring! And they don't care about it! How were they able to do so? Well, it is as simple as stealing candy from a toddler! Because this is precisely what happened.
So, what to do now? The USA will have to spend an extra $8+ trillion once and $1 trillion annually to deal with the mess. Otherwise, the quality of life for the new generations will keep falling. Yes, it can fall further — all while boomers drink their cocktails and have sex in nursery homes with viagra paid for by their children.
One can quite accurately predict what will happen to the US in 10-25 years (when boomers die), depending on whether this influx of money occurs. Either the infrastructure will hold up — or not.