A Generation of Sociopaths

1. Boomers: A Generation Shaped Uniquely by Permissive Upbringing.

If the Boomers grew up to be so different from any generation before them, it was perhaps because they had been raised unlike any prior generation.

Novel childhoods. Unlike previous generations shaped by hardship and strict discipline, Boomers (born 1940-1964) experienced unprecedented prosperity and a new style of permissive parenting, notably influenced by Dr. Benjamin Spock. This fostered a sense of entitlement and a belief in effortless contentment.

• High infant mortality rates in prior eras led to delayed emotional investment in children.
• Older parenting styles emphasized discipline, industry, and conformity to adult norms.
• Dr. Spock's approach encouraged parental instinct and accommodating children's needs.

New influences. Boomers were the first generation widely exposed to bottle-feeding and television from infancy. While later research highlighted potential negative impacts of these (e.g., on cognitive development, aggression), Boomers' relationship with TV was largely unmediated by expert concern, fostering a comfort with layered reality and emotional appeals over factual depth.

Early signs. This unique upbringing, combined with postwar prosperity, contributed to a generation less inclined towards saving, more prone to risk-taking, and with higher self-esteem but potentially lower self-regulation compared to their parents and children.

2. Vietnam: Early Display of Self-Interest and Situational Morality.

Whether they see themselves as heroes or merely bystanders, the Boomers do not conceive of themselves as the authors of many of Vietnam’s misfortunes.

Conflicted stance. Boomers' early adulthood was defined by the Vietnam War, revealing a generational tendency towards hypocrisy: simultaneously supporting the war more than their elders while actively avoiding service. This contrasted sharply with prior generations' responses to conflict.

• Younger Americans (Boomers) were initially more hawkish than older cohorts.
• Support for the war among the young declined as the draft became harder to avoid.

Draft avoidance. Millions of Boomers exploited legal deferments (especially college deferments) or engaged in illegal evasion (faking medical issues, outright dodging, committing crimes) to avoid service. This shifted the burden of combat disproportionately onto poorer, less educated, and minority groups.

• College enrollment spiked during peak draft years, particularly for white men.
• Using crime to obtain "moral disqualification" was a form of "dodging down."

Post-war indifference. After the draft ended and the U.S. withdrew, the Boomers' anti-war fervor waned, and there was little sustained effort to address the devastation in Vietnam or support refugees, suggesting self-preservation was a stronger motivator than moral conviction for many.

3. The Rise of the "Empire of Self": Prioritizing Personal Indulgence.

As a historical moment, then, 1967 is best understood not as a summer of love or a season of protest, but as Year One of the Self.

Focus on gratification. The counterculture, while often framed in political terms, fundamentally prioritized individual license and immediate gratification over social norms and collective goals. This "Me Decade" mentality became a defining trait.

• Ostensibly political events often centered around drug use (e.g., protesting LSD prohibition by taking LSD).
• Boomers exhibited significantly higher rates of illegal drug use and drinking compared to other generations at similar ages.

Sexual revolution. Boomers were key drivers of the sexual revolution, engaging in premarital sex and having more sexual partners than previous or subsequent generations. While promoting sexual freedom, this often came with irresponsibility.

• Despite increased access to contraception, rates of unwanted pregnancies and abortions rose during Boomers' fertile years.
• Rates of STDs have grown faster among older (Boomer) Americans recently.

Relationship instability. This focus on self and indulgence correlated with rising divorce rates, particularly among Boomers, often prioritizing parental desires over the perceived needs of children and leading to long-term financial instability for many.

4. Sentiment Over Science: Rejecting Reason and Expertise.

For sociopaths these virtues become vices; they could not be depended upon to supply convenient answers.

Anti-empirical turn. Boomers fostered a culture that increasingly prioritized subjective feelings and personal "truth" over objective facts, scientific consensus, and rational analysis, undermining the empirical mindset that had driven American progress for centuries.

• Confidence in the scientific establishment declined significantly during the 1970s.
• Boomers, particularly older ones, exhibit lower levels of scientific literacy than younger generations.

Dismissing expertise. This anti-empirical bias fueled a broader anti-elitism, rejecting the authority of experts in government, academia, and other institutions in favor of populist sentiment.

• Public trust in government plummeted from the 1960s onward.
• Politicians increasingly campaigned as "outsiders" hostile to the Washington establishment.

Consequences for policy. The rejection of reason allowed Boomers to ignore inconvenient realities, such as the long-term costs of climate change or the unsustainability of entitlement programs, because these problems would primarily affect future generations.

5. Boomer Ascendancy: Leveraging Numbers for Political Power.

More than anything, Boomer influence is a story of sheer numbers.

Demographic dominance. The sheer size of the Baby Boom generation (up to 51% of the voting-eligible population by the early 1980s) granted them unprecedented political power, allowing them to shape policy based on generational interests rather than broad coalition building.

• The voting age was lowered to 18 in 1971, largely benefiting Boomers.
• This change was achieved rapidly despite questionable justifications and risks to other groups' voting rights.

Political colonization. Boomers quickly translated their voting strength into control of political offices at all levels of government.

• The first Boomer congressman was elected in 1971, the first senator in 1973.
• By the mid-1990s, Boomers held a majority in the House; by 2016, they controlled over 70% of House seats and 86% of governorships.

Enduring influence. Boomers will retain significant power for years due to their longevity, increasing voter participation rates with age, concentration of wealth, and control of institutions like the judiciary (lifetime appointments).

6. Tax Policy: Reshuffling Burdens to Favor Boomers.

No shuffling is more political and more economic than taxes—and no group more powerful over the past decades than the Boomers.

Systemic manipulation. Boomers consistently manipulated tax policy to serve their generational interests, particularly as they entered their prime earning and asset accumulation years.

• Marginal income tax rates, especially for higher earners, declined significantly from the 1980s onward.
• Capital gains and dividend taxes were reduced, benefiting asset holders (increasingly Boomers).

Targeted benefits. Specific tax policies were tailored to benefit Boomers at different life stages.

• Estate tax exemptions were dramatically increased, timed with the expected deaths of Boomers' parents.
• Tax-advantaged retirement accounts were modified to favor middle-aged savers (Boomers).
• Mortgage interest deductions were preserved and expanded, subsidizing Boomer homeownership.

Shifting burdens. While nominal rates fell, the government's total tax take as a share of GDP remained relatively stable, indicating a significant reallocation of the tax burden.

• Taxes on the rich increased until 2000, offsetting cuts for the middle class.
• Payroll taxes (funding senior benefits) were the only taxes to see sustained increases, paid by current workers (younger generations) for future Boomer benefits.

7. Debt and Deficits: Mortgaging the Future for Present Consumption.

For the past four decades—i.e., during the Boomer ascendancy—the nation’s debt has risen faster than during any other long period of peace and is expected to grow faster than the economy overall.

Unprecedented accumulation. Under Boomer leadership, the national debt has ballooned to levels not seen since World War II, driven by a combination of tax cuts and sustained spending, often for consumption rather than investment.

• The debt-to-GDP ratio averaged around 50% from 1950-1980 but has risen dramatically since.
• Projections show the debt surpassing WWII levels within decades without correction.

Ignoring consequences. Despite historical warnings about the dangers of excessive debt, Boomers have shown little political will to address the problem, effectively declaring generational bankruptcy and passing the costs to future generations.

• Attempts at a balanced budget amendment failed as Boomers gained power.
• Brief periods of surplus (late 1990s) were quickly reversed by further tax cuts and spending increases.

Private borrowing. This trend extends beyond government; personal and corporate debt have also risen significantly under Boomer tenure, often financing unproductive consumption or speculation.

• Household debt (mortgage, student loans, etc.) totaled over $14 trillion by 2015.
• Corporate debt has also exploded, particularly after the 1990s.

8. Deferred Maintenance: Neglecting Infrastructure and Long-Term Investment.

Excluding national defense, gross total infrastructure spending has been falling for some time, to about 2.5 percent of GDP, significantly less than the United States spent in the 1960s (around 4 percent) and less than what many of America’s industrialized peers spend today.

Underinvestment. Boomers have systematically underinvested in the nation's physical infrastructure (roads, bridges, utilities) and other long-term public goods, prioritizing immediate consumption and tax cuts over future needs.

• Net government investment (adjusted for depreciation) was near zero in 2014.
• The American Society of Civil Engineers consistently grades U.S. infrastructure poorly (D+ overall in 2013).

Rising costs. Neglect leads to compounding costs for repairs and modernization, which will be borne by future generations.

• The estimated cost to bring infrastructure up to an "adequate" standard was $3.6 trillion through 2020.
• Gas taxes, a primary source of transportation funding, have not kept pace with inflation or use.

Broader neglect. This disinvestment extends to other critical areas.

• Funding for non-defense R&D has fallen significantly as a share of the budget.
• The military's readiness and modernization have suffered due to budget cuts.

9. Retirement: Securing Benefits at the Expense of the Young.

The giant mass of Boomers has just begun to retire and because too many of them are unprepared for the future, their children will bear the consequences.

Personal under-saving. Despite decades of prosperity, many Boomers failed to save adequately for retirement, exhibiting a low personal savings rate compared to prior generations.

• The national savings rate declined significantly during Boomers' prime working years.
• Many middle-aged households lack sufficient private assets for a comfortable retirement.

Pension shortfalls. Public and private pension plans are significantly underfunded, partly due to inadequate contributions and unrealistic investment return assumptions overseen by Boomer managers.

• Public pension underfunding is estimated in the trillions of dollars.
• The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which insures private pensions, also faces massive unfunded liabilities.

Entitlement transfers. Social Security and Medicare (SSM) are not self-sustaining and increasingly rely on transfers from current workers (younger generations) to pay benefits to current retirees (Boomers and their parents).

• Most older Americans receive significantly more in SSM benefits than they paid in payroll taxes.
• The SSM Trust Funds are projected to be exhausted just as the median Boomer dies off, leading to automatic benefit cuts for younger generations unless taxes are raised.

10. Education and Justice: Failing Schools and Mass Incarceration.

Under Boomer control schools and jails have intertwined, the degrading former providing sustenance for the swollen latter.

Educational decline. Boomers presided over a period of educational stagnation and decline, failing to implement meaningful reforms despite clear warnings and contributing to a less prepared workforce.

• SAT scores declined significantly during the period Boomers took the test.
• Despite numerous initiatives, U.S. student performance remains mediocre on international comparisons.

Misguided priorities. Boomer education policy often prioritized fads and political rhetoric (e.g., "No Child Left Behind," "Every Child Succeeds") over substantive changes like longer school years, better teacher pay, or rigorous curricula.

• Grade inflation became rampant, devaluing academic credentials.
• Public colleges faced underfunding, while for-profit colleges (often predatory) expanded, contributing to student debt.

Mass incarceration. Boomers oversaw an unprecedented expansion of the penal system, driven by punitive laws (like "three strikes") and the "War on Drugs," often targeting non-violent offenders and minorities.

• The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate among major nations.
• This system is expensive, ineffective at deterring crime beyond a certain point, and lacks adequate support for reintegrating former prisoners, creating a deferred social liability.

11. Economic Legacy: Slower Growth and Rising Inequality.

What has happened is that growth has slowed and will slow further still, and the nation’s balance sheet has eroded.

Secular stagnation. The U.S. economy has experienced a significant deceleration in growth under Boomer tenure, partly due to underinvestment and policies that favored consumption and speculation over productive activity.

• Average real GDP growth has been significantly lower since 2000 compared to prior decades.
• The Federal Reserve has repeatedly lowered its estimates of the economy's potential growth rate.

Rising inequality. Economic gains have disproportionately flowed to the top earners and older generations, while median incomes have stagnated and wealth gaps have widened.

• Median household net worth has shown little real growth over decades.
• The wealth gap between older and younger households has increased significantly.

Intergenerational inequity. The combination of slower growth, rising debt, and wealth concentration has resulted in the U.S. ranking poorly among developed nations for intergenerational equity, with high child poverty rates and disproportionate spending on the elderly.

12. The Myth of Boomer Goodness: Moral Claims vs. Actual Record.

If anything, the sociopaths believe it is we who should be thanking them, our betters, without the ungrateful backtalk.

Self-proclaimed virtue. Boomers often believe they are a uniquely moral and deserving generation, citing their participation in social movements of the 1960s, despite evidence to the contrary.

Contradictory actions. Their record on key issues often contradicts their moral claims.

• Economic policies created vast intergenerational injustice.
• Actions on voting rights have chipped away at the franchise (e.g., gutting the VRA).
• Environmental policy has been marked by indifference and obstruction on climate change.
• Military interventions have been frequent and often lacked clear objectives or follow-through.

Uneven progress. While some moral progress occurred (e.g., gay rights, disability rights), it was often achieved with mixed motives, over Boomer opposition, or at a slower pace than in prior eras.

Lack of contrition. Despite the significant problems created during their dominance, Boomers largely lack contrition and resist taking responsibility, believing their perceived goodness cancels any obligation to atone or repay.

Last updated: May 5, 2025