Beamer wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 15:45:

BobBob wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 15:20:

harlock wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 06:04:

BobBob wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 02:07:
Lately, I've been reading a lot of 1930's and 40's science fiction --- checked out free from the library.

yeh but youre a senior citizen... people expect those kinds of things from you

I would consider that a compliment if it were true. I find most of the older generation to be hard working, humble, wise and ethical. This new generation has too many whiny, narcissistic, impatient and selfishly spoiled drama queens -- much of it thanks to the short attention span and immediate gratification of social media and skill-less virtual games that require little to no challenge.

Things the old generation gave us:
1) Student loans to cover skyrocketing college tuitions
2) Raided pensions and social security
3) The concept of leverage, and with it businesses that disappear by being excessively leveraged by PE firms
4) In the legal world, lengthier waits to be partner and the new concepts of non-partner track attorneys and non-equity partners
5) A drastic increase in CEO to worker pay
6) And, with it, a drastic increase in wealth inequality
7) Worldcom, Enron, and a large host of companies "restating" earnings
8) A doubling in federal debt share of GDP from 1965 to 2012


The legacy of the boomers is widely discussed, but at this point they're mostly considered to have been given a very successful, thriving country and taken as much out of it and put it into their own pockets as possible. So many articles and books speculating how the Boomers could go from hippies to scorching the Earth with their greed, leaving future generations to figure out how the hell to fix all the economic damage they wrought.

As mentioned:

This new generation has too many whiny, narcissistic, impatient and selfishly spoiled drama queens.

BobBob wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 15:20:

harlock wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 06:04:

BobBob wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 02:07:
Lately, I've been reading a lot of 1930's and 40's science fiction --- checked out free from the library.

yeh but youre a senior citizen... people expect those kinds of things from you

I would consider that a compliment if it were true. I find most of the older generation to be hard working, humble, wise and ethical. This new generation has too many whiny, narcissistic, impatient and selfishly spoiled drama queens -- much of it thanks to the short attention span and immediate gratification of social media and skill-less virtual games that require little to no challenge.

Things the old generation gave us:
1) Student loans to cover skyrocketing college tuitions
2) Raided pensions and social security
3) The concept of leverage, and with it businesses that disappear by being excessively leveraged by PE firms
4) In the legal world, lengthier waits to be partner and the new concepts of non-partner track attorneys and non-equity partners
5) A drastic increase in CEO to worker pay
6) And, with it, a drastic increase in wealth inequality
7) Worldcom, Enron, and a large host of companies "restating" earnings
8) A doubling in federal debt share of GDP from 1965 to 2012


The legacy of the boomers is widely discussed, but at this point they're mostly considered to have been given a very successful, thriving country and taken as much out of it and put it into their own pockets as possible. So many articles and books speculating how the Boomers could go from hippies to scorching the Earth with their greed, leaving future generations to figure out how the hell to fix all the economic damage they wrought.

harlock wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 06:04:

BobBob wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 02:07:
Lately, I've been reading a lot of 1930's and 40's science fiction --- checked out free from the library.

yeh but youre a senior citizen... people expect those kinds of things from you

I would consider that a compliment if it were true. I find most of the older generation to be hard working, humble, wise and ethical. This new generation has too many whiny, narcissistic, impatient and selfishly spoiled drama queens -- much of it thanks to the short attention span and immediate gratification of social media and skill-less virtual games that require little to no challenge.

harlock wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 06:04:

BobBob wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 02:07:
Lately, I've been reading a lot of 1930's and 40's science fiction --- checked out free from the library.

yeh but youre a senior citizen... people expect those kinds of things from you

OH NO HE DIN'T!

The biggest problem is I am freakin broke. I cannot justify $30 for a blu-ray. Plus, the things plummet in value as soon as you buy them - second hand they're only worth about a dollar (which is their actual value).

Definitely I would buy less than I used to, but I still buy some Blurays. As for books and music that's all been digital purchases for quite a while. Movies, music and books are all overpriced versus their value.

There's a theory that once people live through a poor economy, the lessons they learn about where to spend their cash stay with them.

BobBob wrote on Oct 28, 2014, 02:07:
Lately, I've been reading a lot of 1930's and 40's science fiction --- checked out free from the library.

yeh but youre a senior citizen... people expect those kinds of things from you

Beamer wrote on Oct 27, 2014, 21:56:

DangerDog wrote on Oct 27, 2014, 21:50:
could it be that the content of the media sucks?

No, it's that no one wants to buy.
I am working on something at work that I keep stressing will fail for this reason. Who buys anything anymore? I have about a billion DVDs and CDs that I consider albatrosses. I want nothing to do with them. They're a huge hassle to move from apartment to apartment (I tend to last no longer than 18 months in any given place.) I never use them. I never look at them.

And even digital purchases are over. Why would I ever buy an mp3? I have Spotify. Any song I want available immediately for no money at all. Yeah, I hear a commercial every 5 or 6 songs (I think two commercials, as of this month.) But I pay nothing for it. Nothing at all. And Spotify has an enormous selection.

For movies, I use Amazon Prime or Netflix or HBO On Demand or, most frequently, pay $3.99 or $5.99 to watch it On Demand from my cable provider. I rarely repeat watch things, though I once thought I did (and when I have kids I'm sure I will again), so why would I pay more to have something I have to store that will just collect dust?

We are also far from a complete economic recovery. Things might be improving in the states, but most of Europe is in the shithouse. Winter is coming and if Russia decides to turn off the gas, things will get even worse. People buy shit when they have disposable income to waste. Well turns out that portion of the populace is dwindling pretty much anywhere except in the US. I guess you guys got us by the balls pertty good...

Lately, I've been reading a lot of 1930's and 40's science fiction --- checked out free from the library.

People don't want to buy stuff that doesn't give value over what they currently own.

New phones that offer nothing really new over what they own.

3D tv......

You don't need multiple copies of the same book, and you don't want to waste time reading authors that people consider less interesting than the ones you currently keep up with.


And I believe it all also goes back to consumer confidence, there are reports that people are beginning to spend like they did just before and during the last economic crash. Priorities are going to dictate where your money goes at that point.

Media Sites Have a Problem People Don't Want to See Clickbait Anymore.

It's just crazy saying that. Some people like to buy and not rent, so I guess people don't want to rent stuff anymore. All these absolutes are just trying to squeeze the last ounce of stock price out of a product.

Clearly I'm on the other side of this equation, I still buy physical books(screw Kindles), and occasionally CDs/blu rays. Although I do have Netflix, I like making my own mp3s(OCD kicking in), and I'll buy a blu ray every now and then for anything I know I'll watch a dozen times, ie. Aliens, Terminator, etc.

Also there is so much else on Amazon, in terms of physical items, that this article seems a bit off base... they still had 5% GROWTH, no decline as of yet. Anytime I want to buy PC hardware, filters for an Air Conditioner, whatever, I check amazon and price compare vs Newegg, etc. and Amazon usually has competitive prices plus the whole free shipping thing.

Buying movies and CDs is definitely on the decline, which is great for me at least; I am able to pick those up for like 4-5 bucks usually on some Amazon sale.

*EDIT* Typo.

This comment was edited on Oct 27, 2014, 23:10.

DangerDog wrote on Oct 27, 2014, 21:50:
could it be that the content of the media sucks?

No, it's that no one wants to buy.
I am working on something at work that I keep stressing will fail for this reason. Who buys anything anymore? I have about a billion DVDs and CDs that I consider albatrosses. I want nothing to do with them. They're a huge hassle to move from apartment to apartment (I tend to last no longer than 18 months in any given place.) I never use them. I never look at them.

And even digital purchases are over. Why would I ever buy an mp3? I have Spotify. Any song I want available immediately for no money at all. Yeah, I hear a commercial every 5 or 6 songs (I think two commercials, as of this month.) But I pay nothing for it. Nothing at all. And Spotify has an enormous selection.

For movies, I use Amazon Prime or Netflix or HBO On Demand or, most frequently, pay $3.99 or $5.99 to watch it On Demand from my cable provider. I rarely repeat watch things, though I once thought I did (and when I have kids I'm sure I will again), so why would I pay more to have something I have to store that will just collect dust?

could it be that the content of the media sucks?