HOUSING PRICES AND AGE DIVIDE
Crisis hurting all generations: Todd
The idea was to write about ageism and whether respect for elders holds up across ethno-cultural groups.
I was curious why Western people seem to admire the way Aboriginal and Asian cultures show respect, if not fealty, to their elders.
But I wondered why many whites in North America at the same time do not appear to display much respect to seniors of their own ethnocultural group.
So I posed the question on Facebook. And the floodgates opened, in a surprising way.
Few disagreed with the basic premise, which I will illustrate. Yet, since I can’t do justice in this space to the range of insights people offered, I’ll focus on one alarming trend that emerged.
That is: Generation gap tensions in Metro Vancouver are felt most strongly over housing affordability.
The level of anger expressed by young people of various ethnic groups about older people on housing in Metro Vancouver and Toronto was palpable and painful.
It illustrated how some of Canada’s largest cities are becoming divided by economics, particularly real estate wealth: Right or wrong, many young people see themselves as victims of older owners.
Before looking at the age divide over the housing crisis, however, I’ll share some reactions to the paradoxical thesis that young people in the West value cultures in which elders are respected, even while many North Americans tend to glorify youth and disregard seniors.
A Chinese-Canadian rights activist immediately posted on my Facebook page that young people of all ethnicities are justified in not respecting elderly white people — because they are guilty of “white privilege” and were “racist” in imposing B.C.’s Chinese head tax.
Commenters responded that the activist was “stereotyping” all whites. They also noted he failed to reply when asked whether elderly Chinese people are ever guilty of racism, and whether people in China are prone to “Chinese privilege.”
Rev. Dal McCrindle offered a different illustration. He noted how main line Protestant leaders routinely invite Aboriginal elders to speak to their congregations, showing them high regard. But at the same time many sideline their own church’s seniors.
B.C. online broadcaster Joseph Planta, who has Filipino parents, said Filipinos are often admired by people in the West for the “reverence” they show the elderly. But the downside is “it’s as if their parents can do no wrong, regardless of whatever it is they spout.”
However, it was housing that brought forth the most comments about inter-generational stresses.
Cynthia Lam, a member of the Suzuki Elders, a group of more than 100 seniors devoted to environmental protection, said “there seem to be a lot more expectations that many ethnic parents place on their children, be it filial piety or a payback for parents’ sacrifice.”
Many of Lam’s senior Chinese friends are moving closer to their children to help care for grandchildren. But, she added, there are “pros and cons” to such intertwined family scenarios.
Surrey resident Dixon Cheng, who lives close to his children and parents, believes Asian young people do respect their elders more than white young people, in part because Asian parents don’t expect children to leave home at a young age, will extensively babysit and financially support children in buying housing.
Others were more vehement: One young white professional said “millennials do not respect their elders because of the myths they spread about us.”
He was perturbed by the stereotype that young people have no right to envy people who own homes “because millennials waste their money buying too many lattes.”
Another young white British Columbian admired the way some ethno-cultural groups take a kind of family “dynasty” approach to housing. She liked how older Chinese and South Asians often live in the same house — or help buy property for children.
Her perception that immigrant families jump into the housing market more quickly than Canadian-born residents is supported by polling. It makes some young white people feel their parents don’t do enough to help them.
Despite the intensity of many comments, however, I began to wonder if different generations (and ethnic groups) really need to feel that divided over housing.
Fortunately, the Angus Reid Institute has performed a reality check.
Its polling has found B.C. residents of different ages all seek more effective policies to deal with the housing crisis.
Four in five adult British Columbians from every age group said that, overall, high housing prices are “hurting” British Columbians.
Polling also found last year that nine of 10 British Columbians — of not only all ages, but all ethnicities — supported the B.C. government’s 15 per cent tax on foreign buyers, “regardless of how it might personally affect” them.
Such data suggests most B.C.’s older homeowners do not take pleasure in making a so-called “profit” from rampant foreign and domestic speculation on their dwellings. They’re more worried about their children and grandchildren.
In other words, there is no real generational or ethnic divide over the kinds of things people believe must be done about the housing crisis.
Since identity politics is nearly always unnecessarily divisive anyways, Angus Reid’s data provides another reason to minimize real estate-related tension between generations.
Instead of blaming old or young for the financial devastation, it’s more effective for everyone to pressure the politicians who have stood by and allowed, if not encouraged, the inequality crisis.
Stephen Harper, Justin Trudeau, Christy Clark and others took far too long to respond to the turmoil, and when they did, they have fallen short. Most suburban mayors and council members have also blown it.
Too many politicians have been blinded by their neoliberal ideology and their ties with the real estate industry.
Much damage has been done. But it’s never too late to bring the generations together to fight for housing justice.
With less competition, ‘approved’ providers of short-term accommodation will be able to increase prices. As a society, we already have plenty of rules. Adults who enter into voluntary agreements do not need any more. Don Moir, letter writer
Instead of blaming old or young for the financial devastation, it’s more effective for everyone to pressure the politicians who have stood by and allowed, if not encouraged, the inequality crisis.