Talk of the generation gap keeps flowing
In Quebec, as in a number of countries, the baby boomers have imposed their vision and their way of doing things onto society for a good forty years. But this situation is about to change as retirement age comes knocking…
The book “Les boomers finiront bien par crever” (“Finally the boomers kick the bucket”) by Alain Samson is not an essay on the intergenerational divide. The author has no other intention than amusing himself on a fashionable subject, to see the differences between the diverse age categories at work, and to allow the reader to understand the origins of them. The journalist at “Finance et Investissement” gives a good definition of each generation and their valued characteristics even if he does make a few generalizations.
“Finally the boomers kick the bucket” is addressed mainly to young people under 25, the millennium generation as Alain Samson nicknames it. Therefore, he adopts a particular writing style which, according to him, suits these young people who have grown up watching music videos on television.
The author paints a less than sparkling picture of Quebec today, aging and indebted, that the baby boomers, in retirement or about to retire, are leaving to future generations. However Alain Samson has confidence in the future. He believes that the young generation has what it takes to straighten things out: these young people master new technologies, are tolerant, have faith in the future, appreciate change, are team players, are concerned with the environment and are in touch with the world. And according to him, they arrive on the market at a good time as all doors are open to them.
And if in giving it this catchy title Alain Samson wanted people to talk about his book, he has certainly succeeded.
Want to read it ? (Only available in French)