The Boomers' Echo

modbee ^ | 12-11-05

[LouAvul]

They partied and protested, then grew up to dominate America with their chutzpah and sheer numbers. Yet now, as the oldest of the baby boomers prepare to turn 60, there are glimmers of doubt within this "have it all" generation about how they will be judged by those who come next.

The ferment of the '60s and '70s -- when boomers changed the world, or thought they did -- faded long ago. Nostalgic pride in the achievements of that era now mixes with skepticism: Have the boomers collectively betrayed their youthful idealism? Have they been self-centered to the point of shortchanging their children? Anthony DeCurtis, one of the boomers' pre-eminent rock 'n' roll journalists, hears the occasional barb from his creative writing students at the University of Pennsylvania and it gives him pause.

"There's a fear that there's going to be nothing left -- that they're going to be picking up the pieces for this six-decade party we had, cleaning up the mess," said DeCurtis, 54. "There's some truth to that, I guess."

The boomers -- 78 million of them born from 1946 to 1964 -- are wealthier and more numerous than any generation before or since.

They have controlled political power long enough to stack the financial deck in their favor.

"It's economic and policy imperialism," said University of Oklahoma historian Steve Gillon, 48, author of "Boomer Nation."

"The boomers have set up institutions that will continue to benefit them, at the expense of other groups, as they grow old and live longer than any other generation," Gillon said.

"It's spend what you want, cut your own taxes -- the ultimate baby boom philosophy of 'We want to have it all.' We're not a generation that's had to deal with the reality of sacrifice."

[OldFriend]

The spoiled rotten, taking to the streets, free love, and don't trust anyone over thirty crowds got all the attention.

Those who worked hard, respected the authority, contributed to society were ignored or ridiculed.

The anti establishment image is emblazoned in our collective memories. Sadly.

[speedy]

Of course the Baby Boomer generation was not as monolithically liberal as its liberal spokesman try to pretend. In fact in many ways it was politically less liberal than the generation that voted in the New Deal and the Great Society. The thing that was different was the acceptance (by some) of a perverse personal morality that tolerated drugs and encouraged a casual attitude toward sex. Some boomers outgrew it, some never got beyond it, and a great number never accepted it in the first place. I'm pretty sure a higher percentage of boomers voted for Ronald Reagan than did their parents.

I'm a boomer who was always a right-wing Republican, before, during and after "The Summer Of Love." And I know a lot of people like that.

[durasell]

Boomers -- look upon your past sins and repent!


http://www.paisleybabylon.com/m-shirts.htm

[speedy]

I cut my political teeth on Barry Goldwater's 64 campaign.

Same here, brother. I was in junior high and head of my school's "Youth For Goldwater" club. We need our own organization -- kids who grew up right wing, reading Buckley and getting their first taste of politics with AuH2O. There are a lot of us! (And I still have my 1964 Goldwater campaign material -- still sounds like a good platform, too.)

[SteveMcKing]

"Having said that, I still think the 50's & 60's were the golden years for childhood - THEY WERE GREAT! We've been the luckiest generation ever."

They were more than just great, but such freedom was earned by the Boomers' parents. Boomers rightly exploited the peace dividend, but they committed their sin in demanding their childhoods last forever. "Don't trust anyone under 30"? Since when is 20, 25, 29 not an adult? (Answer: since the mid-1960s.)

In offering this analysis, one must NEVER discount the contribution and sacrifice of the greater half of the Baby Boomers:

• Most people didn't go to Woodstock and did not dress or act like hippies.

• Most people didn't do drugs in the 1960s.

• Most people were not promiscuous in the 1970s.

• Most people did not work on Wall Street in the 1980s.

They were raising families, playing with the kids, out on vacation, earning degrees in medicine, teaching, engineering, and - of course - not just fighting the Cold War... but WINNING IT.

[EternalVigilance]

America is you and me

If our land is no longer beautiful
Or the home of the brave
If we're no longer free
If the wicked are reigning
As they shouldn't be
In the end, my friend
Remember this
America is you and me

EV

[Polybius]

Its a shame that the greatest generation raised the worst generation.

The term "Greatest Generation" was coined by a guilt-ridden Baby Boomer.

IMHO, the true "Greatest Generation" was the World War One generation. That generation won World War One, struggled through the Great Depression and still managed to raise the geneartion that won World War Two.

The World War Two generation won World War Two but raised a generation of spoiled brats.

[ExtremeUnction]

Self-centeredness and crass materialism are our contributions. Is it too late to undo the harm we've done?

I can't answer right now. I'm heading out the door to buy my 60" plasma HDTV!!!

[ExtremeUnction]

The World War Two generation won World War Two but raised a generation of spoiled brats.

I'm not a brat! I'm not a brat! I'm not a brat!! Gotta' go now, and play with some of my new electronic toys and stuff.

[beef]

"The boomers have set up institutions that will continue to benefit them, at the expense of other groups, as they grow old and live longer than any other generation,"

Every generation lives longer than the previous one. This is progress, not some kind of boomer conspiracy. As far as "institutions" like social security are concerned, those were established in the 30's, and underfunded in the 40's, 50's 60's and 70's by the current crop of beneficiaries and their predecessors. Boomers have been financing their retirement since then and are now facing diminished or nonexistent benefits themselves. The Greatest Generation were certainly good soldiers, but I think overall they were lousy commanders (not counting RR, of course!). By the end of the 70's the GG had run a lot of our business and political institutions right into the toilet. Since then, things have been turned around largely by the efforts of boomers.


"As a "boomer" I can only say my generation helped destroy America. Self-centeredness and crass materialism are our contributions. Is it too late to undo the harm we've done?"

Can we take up a collection and get this guy a hair shirt?

Ok, flame on!

[qam1]

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.  

[RadioAstronomer]

I agree. Thanks.

[stylin19a]

actually, Brokaw is a tweener....

[RadioAstronomer]

I'm a boomer who was always a right-wing Republican, before, during and after "The Summer Of Love." And I know a lot of people like that.

Me too. :-)

[Clemenza]

They partied and protested, then grew up to dominate America with their chutzpah and sheer numbers. Yet now, as the oldest of the baby boomers prepare to turn 60, there are glimmers of doubt within this "have it all" generation about how they will be judged by those who come next.

They also fought in the rice paddies of Vietnam, created the Leveraged Buy-Out (allowing corporations with poor credit to gain more capital) and voted in the first all-Republican government in generations.

The boomers were, in many ways, superior to the WWII generation. I say this as a child of a boomers.

[RadioAstronomer]

including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers)

Flapdoodle! Think who was in power then and had the means to vote. Sure was not the boomers.

[Jack Black]

The boomer generation is not really a generation. There are huge differences between the early boomers and the later boomers. In fact this group is now called Generation Jones. Unlike the boomers, who are reliabley liberal as a group Generation Jones were Bush's biggest supporters in the last election (by age).

Google the term 'generation jones' to learn more. I found it very interesting.

[qam1]

Think who was in power and had the means to vote when the No child left behind act, Prescription drug pandering act (including free Viagra), Farm and transportation bills were signed

[meadsjn]

None of the Apollo astronauts were from the Boomer generation. Most of them were born in the years of the Silent generation (1925-1945), and a few were born prior to 1925 (Hero generation). See The Fourth Turning, Strauss & Howe.

[DustyMoment]

This boomer doesn't know WTH some of you apologists are talking about. While you were partying naked at Woodstock, I was serving my country in 'Nam. While you turning on and tuning out, I was getting my college education at night, working during the day, paying my taxes and being responsible.

I also look at the many contributions made by boomers. In case some of you were too stoned to recognize it, boomers did much to put people into space, move the computer revolution forward and added to our knowledge of science, the universe and the environment. We didn't do it by ingesting chemicals that helped us tune out, we did it by hard work and taking responsibility.

To tar us all with the same brush is as disingenuous as claiming that all liberals are anti-American. They aren't. And all boomers aren't selfish.