Anna Quindlen to boomers - quit clogging the promotion pipeline
Filed under: Retire
I'm a big Anna Quindlen fan, and have enjoyed her columns in Newsweek for the past nine years. In the current issue, however, I was bummed to read that she is quitting that gig. I was more bummed, however, by her reasoning. She feels that we boomers are clogging up the working world and need to get out of the way to make room for the next generation.
I feel her reasoning is flawed in several ways. First is her assumption that the work/retirement progression of our parents is the proper road map for the boomer generation; graduate from college, work 40 years, retire for 15 and die.
I just don't think this is valid. Medical advancements will keep the boomer generation healthier later in life, and the nature of our work is considerably less demanding than that of many of our parents. There is no physical need for many of us to retire at 62 if we don't so choose. And people leaving college today could well live to be 100 or more. With a work career of 70 or 80 years ahead, what's the rush?Second, the financial climate for our generation is different. While Ms. Quindlen may have the wherewithal to walk away from a well-paying position, many of us don't, especially after the market collapse. Give the inadequacy of the Social Security funding, many of us have a jaundiced view of what to expect from that program.
Third, a progressing society shouldn't squander its intellectual capital. While the times may have passed by some of us, others are still surfing the wave of progress and have a great deal to contribute.
Fourth, I don't share her angst at the dominance that the boomer generation has enjoyed in the public consciousness for the past 50-plus years. The numbers tell the tale, and as our generation travels like a pig through a python through the years the fact that the focus follows us is not unfair; it's natural.
Last, I don't believe that younger people with superior ability will remained trapped behind older workers any more than Lou Gehrig remained trapped behind Wally Pip. Quality will come out, and capitalism is the system that best allows this to happen.
Perhaps her words trouble me because she is slightly younger than I am, and I still have ambitions. I'm still learning new skills, and ironically I sometimes find myself trapped behind people who are younger but have more experience in the areas of my endeavors.
Maybe we baby boomers should take ourselves out of the game, head to the bench, wrap ourselves in warm up jackets and let the kids play. But that's not for me, Anna. At least, not yet.
I just don't think this is valid. Medical advancements will keep the boomer generation healthier later in life, and the nature of our work is considerably less demanding than that of many of our parents. There is no physical need for many of us to retire at 62 if we don't so choose. And people leaving college today could well live to be 100 or more. With a work career of 70 or 80 years ahead, what's the rush?Second, the financial climate for our generation is different. While Ms. Quindlen may have the wherewithal to walk away from a well-paying position, many of us don't, especially after the market collapse. Give the inadequacy of the Social Security funding, many of us have a jaundiced view of what to expect from that program.
Third, a progressing society shouldn't squander its intellectual capital. While the times may have passed by some of us, others are still surfing the wave of progress and have a great deal to contribute.
Fourth, I don't share her angst at the dominance that the boomer generation has enjoyed in the public consciousness for the past 50-plus years. The numbers tell the tale, and as our generation travels like a pig through a python through the years the fact that the focus follows us is not unfair; it's natural.
Last, I don't believe that younger people with superior ability will remained trapped behind older workers any more than Lou Gehrig remained trapped behind Wally Pip. Quality will come out, and capitalism is the system that best allows this to happen.
Perhaps her words trouble me because she is slightly younger than I am, and I still have ambitions. I'm still learning new skills, and ironically I sometimes find myself trapped behind people who are younger but have more experience in the areas of my endeavors.
Maybe we baby boomers should take ourselves out of the game, head to the bench, wrap ourselves in warm up jackets and let the kids play. But that's not for me, Anna. At least, not yet.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
5-07-2009 @ 1:43PM
David said...
Golly gee... how shocking and surprising that a boomer would disagree with someone who thinks it not all about boomers, and that it might be time for them to leave the spotlight for others.
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5-07-2009 @ 8:08PM
ESP0704 said...
I'm not a boomer, and as much as I would like for some of them to get out of my way, I know that many boomers who might have been thinking retirement now can't afford it because their 401(k)s have evaporated so they can't retire any more than I'll be able to when I hit 65.
But the perception that boomers are clogging the promotion pipeline might be an accurate one, at least until this latest economic downturn.
In my business (print journalism) the baby boomers are being targeted for buyouts that are geared toward eliminating high-salaried long-time employees. But instead of replacing boomers with younger, lower-paid talent, management is replacing them with empty chairs.
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5-07-2009 @ 8:10PM
Moriah said...
Such bullsh*t. She's retiring because she can. Sorry to be "clogging up the promotion pipeline" but everyone has to work longer now in order to pay the bills. Sorry we can't just sacrifice eveything, our homes our families our retirement because some young schmuk feels entitled to my position. Anna Quindlen --What a waste product!
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5-07-2009 @ 8:25PM
casswell d. said...
I agree with you Mr. Barlow.
People need to stop giving other people advice on how to live their lives.
Who the hell else of a pinhead but a well-salaried bigcash-retirement Boomer would seek to pass judgment on millions of others simply because of the year they were born.
So much of life is just noisy garbage, distraction and worrying and thinking about problems that don't exist. Get cancer, lose a house, have your dog hit by a car - then give advice.
Idiot (not you Mr. Barlow)
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5-07-2009 @ 8:42PM
John said...
I was happily at the head of the boomer retirement waive. I retired and then in less thatn a year I watched by retirement savings take a 40% hit and the value of my home take a nosedive. I am now looking for work again. So my advise is if you have twice what you think you will need, go ahead and retire, else....
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5-11-2009 @ 2:15AM
JOE BLOWEJOBBE said...
UP YOURS YOU MOTHER FUCKER
5-07-2009 @ 8:55PM
Sue Vanderbeck said...
Thank You - your thoughts on Anna Quindlen's column match
my sentiments on the subject. I've been thinking about her piece since reading it yesterday and it's been bugging me. At 62 I'm not ready to retire, in fact I don't like the word retire one bit. I love the mix of young and all degrees of older in the work place. Having owned my own marketing business for the last 18 years and having been in that field over 35 years I can't imagine not having it to look forward to each day. When it's time for me and when my talents are no longer needed I will step aside and find something else that I can make a contribution to. I don't feel we boomers are clogging the system one bit, rather the opposite. Retire -no thanks, repurpose-ok but not yet.
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5-08-2009 @ 1:05AM
romabit said...
I'm on the "old" end of Gen Y, and am by far the youngest person on my team. I have enjoyed learning from many baby boomers and work with many that are still highly productive and viable team members. There are however those who are "slot blockers", who could care less about the work or the growth of the company and are merely hanging on to their job to pay the overpriced mortage they couldn't afford in the first place, and the credit debt piled high to pay for remodeling the bathroom and their new $30,000 SUV.
All the while they've invested in 401Ks, believing the market would right itself (ha!), and worked 60-80 hours a week while their children (like me) were raised by Family Ties and Different Strokes.
It's not that I think they should roll over and die just so I can get a promotion. It's a given in any generation that the younger ones can probably do the job faster and more efficiently than the elder can. There is still something to be said for experience.
My only beef with baby boomers is that they're poor-me, the-stock-market-is-reeling-real-estate-bubble-burst-no-social-security-never-going-to-retire shtick is tired. Too often this line of thinking is used to justify the workaholic, overconsuming lifestyle that the baby boomers basically INVENTED. This is your beast. You created this. You created ME.
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5-08-2009 @ 12:02PM
John Davis said...
Wow, that is some really cool stuff dude!
RT
www.privacy-web.net.tc
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5-08-2009 @ 12:07PM
keeeepper said...
so we chase cut down trees and cotton cloth to drive our trendy pieces of metal and plastic so we can talk about things that really dont amount to much. i think living off the grid sounds like a good idea and who needs "look im better then you" for the next 40 yrs. why dont all human die except the strongest and they trade in materials that they need.
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5-08-2009 @ 12:18PM
Kryn said...
I have been in three jobs where Boomers have clogged things up by wanting to be retired...but not unemployed. Pick one, a job or a cushy lifestyle. You can't have both. Or go to Europe if you want a job you can work 30 hours at. The rest of us are hungry.
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5-08-2009 @ 12:32PM
John said...
So, you basically just proved her point by writing this.
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5-08-2009 @ 12:36PM
Michael said...
The Boomers are understandably taking this personally.
But they fail to realize that by clogging up the pipeline, they are preventing college graduates from starting their lives.
Today's youth graduate with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. No Boomer had to shoulder that burden. No Boomer had to start life behind the ball, in an economy where they have to compete with thousands for one position, where a Bachelors is the new HS diploma and a Masters is now required, where they have mountains of debt on their back, where they cannot get ahead because businesses would rather hire older than younger.
But the Boomers WILL complain that today's youth graduate and move back home with their parents.
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5-10-2009 @ 10:58PM
boomer said...
sniffle sniffle. Need a hanky Michael?
5-11-2009 @ 12:24AM
Karen said...
It was your stupid choice, perhaps with lack of intelligent input from your parents, that you graduated with mountains of debt. Hopefully, you've learned your lesson, and won't take on debt you can't afford to acquire a house just because others your age are doing so.
Mr. Barlow's reasons are correct. There is also the point that there will be a huge shortage of workers if boomers retire much before they die. Who's going to care for them in retirement homes and hospitals, while the younger gens produce goods and teach the children? Nope, our society needs the boomers to work until they are close to dropping.
BTW, I am a younger boomer.
5-11-2009 @ 1:14AM
sue said...
I went back to school in the 90s to get my degree so I could earn more money before I retired. Got the degree but couldn't get the job because they were looking for the younger candidate to mold. Now I am 61, with huge school loans, and no job. I can say now that I am sorry I tried to get a better job with college, got myself into debt, and would not recommend that path to anyone. I have been looking for work for 2 years and all I have is rejection letters. Guess social security money is better than nothing.
5-08-2009 @ 1:40PM
TheMadCow said...
I'm not a boomer, but I don't think that boomers have much to worry about. The slackers, chuckleheads and the self entitlement of the current generation are absolutely nothing to worry about. They don't have the skills or the ability to function in an environment that holds you accountable for your ability to produce results. They'll be too busy whining about why momma always told me I was special and why are people so mean by telling me that I'm worthless.
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5-08-2009 @ 4:02PM
Mike said...
As a 20-something in the workforce, I have faced a great deal of frustration from "the boomer issue". While I agree that there are many fully capable 60+ yr olds in the workforce, I have also worked with several who have stuck around 10-20 years past their prime. M position under them forces me to work that much harder to correct their mistakes (all the while receiving that much less appreciation and that much less salary). I am college-educated and extremely capable in many fields; unfortunately, I find myself constantly doing my superiors' work for them, while they collect the salary and recognition.
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5-08-2009 @ 1:44PM
Amurican said...
This is America. You get to the top by being the best, not by blaming it on others- which so many people do. Stop whining and work hard/smart. Its called "effort" that gets you to where you want go in life.
Oh and by the way I'm am not, by far, a baby boomer.
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5-08-2009 @ 4:02PM
Mike said...
"Oh and by the way I'm am not, by far, a baby boomer"
I'm sorry, but you're fired for not asking me if I want fries with that