Posted on 03/09/2006 9:23:36 AM PST by laney
In the 1960s and '70s they burned their bras and draft cards, marched on Washington, founded Earth Day and vowed never to trust anyone over the age of 30.
Today, the baby boomers are doing the limbo, dancing wildly and waving their arms in the air to the unintelligible lyrics of "Louie, Louie."
At least that's what they're doing in Portland, Oregon, at the Baby Boomers' Social Club Friday night dance at the Red Lion Hotel.
"We have a live band once a month, and we do all sorts of different dance styles," says Melanie Pedersen, co-founder with Julie Dahlman of the Baby Boomers' Social Club.
"Julie does a wall sweep," Pederson says. "She says, 'come on gals ... go get the guys that are holding up the walls.'"
"You know, we're in our 50s now, so it's okay to ask the guys to dance," Dahlman adds with a laugh.
Indeed, this mammoth generation -- at once lauded for its commitment to social change and derided for its perceived self-indulgence -- has grown up and is now going gray.
So, how did the "Me" generation do for itself? Have the boomers prospered as much as they could have, or did they miss key opportunities to better their nation and their lives?
It depends on whom you ask.
Some experts say the boomers did not plan well for their future, especially their financial futures, relying instead on the whimsy of a historically rosy economic era to carry them along.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Yes, and I'm sure they do it as they are listening to Jessica Simpson on their Ipods while they are simultaneously playing with their Gameboys or Xboxes or whatever techno thing they are into - oh and let's not forget all the wonderful and good things they accomplish on Myspace.com. Talk about tuning out.
very mature reply
We are also the first Generation to live longer than any other, well Moses and Adam lived longer...:)
Not me. Never liked sweets. Prefer salty snacks even now.
I remember Screaming Yellow Zonkers.... "Dude" and "Dudette" are after my time.
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.
glad you finally "got it", LOL.......better than "boo", eh?
Good for you! Thank God I am not in that place yet with my folks, but I will never put them in a nursing home and I believe most Boomers feel that way about our aging parents.
I just want F. Lee Levin to live long enought to be President or to be a Justice of The Supreme Court.
Perhaps, but it can more likely be blamed on my willingness to make up the facts as I go along.
(I gotta say that right now a bag of Fritos and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would really hit the spot.)
whatever
Iner like those Smelly hippie types either but I sure liked those DAVID CASSIDY types..
But I hear what ya mean...;)
As for the former, I actually saw a display of Screaming Yellow Zonkers in the local Sam's Club a few months ago. I had completely forgotten about them. As for the latter, possibly a regionalism as well. In use in some areas in the late 60s, to my certain knowledge.
Y'all wanna know what this GenXer thinks? I dont care if it was Baby Boomers or Greatest Generation or Lost Generation or what...I'm just sick and tired of hearing how GREAT the 60s and 70s were! Im sick and tired of people wishing that we could all just RELIVE those times and RECREATE those times and why cant you kids be like us etc! I am a Child of the 80s and I remember the 80s being everything....EVERYTHING!!...that the 60s and 70s WERE NOT. I remember that because of Ronald Reagan. Even at 14 yrs of age when he was first inaugurated, I KNEW that the 80s were NOT going to be teh "Let's Get Natural and Put Daisies in Guns and sing Kumbaya til the Dictators Give up" - and I got tired of being told by those who gained prominence in teh 60s and 70s that MY generation was "apathetic" and "useless" and "dumb" because we werent out doing what THEY had been doing.
THAT's the perception/word I grew up with - I went into anthropology NOT because I wanted to please some stinking hippie liberal who thought they had 'passed on their wisdom' and 'molded me in their image' but because I loved history and wanted to dig in Egypt. That was all.
Most of all, I am old enough to remember hearing how our Vets were spit upon and tormented by those who were not courageous enough to lay down their lives for Americans and I thought that worlds of unfair. It sickens me to think that sort of thing STILL goes on, in the name of returning to the 60s and 70s.
THAT is why I end up bitching about the boomers, even though I have been taught by many a FReeper here that my perception is off base in some ways. Its not against the people : its against this idea that the 60s and 70s are worth reviving. They are not.
There were little white wires hanging down from their ears, or tucked into pockets, purses or jackets. The eyes were a little vacant. Each was in his or her own musical world, walking to their soundtrack, stars in their own music video, almost oblivious to the world around them. These are the iPod people.
Even without the white wires you can tell who they are. They walk down the street in their own MP3 cocoon, bumping into others, deaf to small social cues, shutting out anyone not in their bubble.
"its against this idea that the 60s and 70s are worth reviving. They are not."
Some things are, some things aren't. The clothes were worse, the music was better. We're not the ones who made Human League and Milli Vanilli pop idols. :P
How about Robert Redford (Paul - that stuffed shirt as Jane Fonda's character Corie called him) in "Barefoot in The Park"? He was pretty handsome in that very funny movie.
You may be right........ once is enough....... but the music was pretty great.
"The eyes were a little vacant."
GOT damn the pusherman!
(same result, smack or wires)
mclame will NEVER be president. Too many of us boomers won't let that happen.
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