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There are many fine, upstanding people born within this time period who basically did everything right. One doesn't want to paint with too broad a brush and imply that all Baby Boomers are bad people.

But I think western society went through a long rough patch in the 20th century. WWI was really devastating, and although the 1920's were a bit of fun, the Depression in the 1930's, and WWII were horrific times. Afterwords, the older people were very happy to settle down into dullness and some meager level of material enjoyment. And who could blame them?

But too many of the young people understood nothing of what had gone before. They wanted freedom. They wanted to escape any sense of responsibility. Let's live it up! That world the older folks think is just fine is really all wrong -- let's start making changes!

It's not like dark days will ever come back again, eh? I said -- it's not like the dark days will come back; right?

Right?

But too many of the young people understood nothing of what had gone before. They wanted freedom. They wanted to escape any sense of responsibility.

They wanted freedom. And they wanted to escape any sense of responsibility.

But they never really understood that these propositions are mutually exclusive.

Depression in the 1930's, and WWII were horrific times. Afterwords, the older people were very happy to settle down into dullness and some meager level of material enjoyment. And who could blame them?

I know the risk in making this statement, but today's mess is the doing of much of the boomer generation, but it is the making of the very "greatest generation" that everyone misses so much.

So the generation that arose in depression and fought WW2 wanted to settle back in have something to enjoy..."and who could blame them?"
OK, but what's missing is that they also insisted that none of that would ever happen to their own kids..."and who could blame them?"

I'm just old enough to remember mixing some lard like substance with red dye to make butter substitute (margarine). I remember letters from uncles who'd gone for a soldier, and from their comrades and officers. I also remember how toys suddenly became available after the war (originally MIJ), and then just kept on getting more and more available after that.

There was Doctor Spock, housing booms, production capacity and manpower eager to be kept busy and, following the GI Bill, a college education became a perceived necessity...and the UN was going to make war obsolete. There was new stuff to buy, money suddenly available to buy that stuff, and years of added adolescence in which to enjoy it.

"Baby boomers" arose from the perfectly justified desire of their parents that they would have access and opportunities that mommy and daddy had not had.

It's not too surprising that those kids (alternatively "the 60's generation") accepted it and failed to see any down side...at least no down side until about 2008 or so.

Don't overlook the fact that a large segment of the boomer generation IS going to be hit hard by today's economic cause and effect...and they never saw it coming.

Disclaimer: I'm too old to be a boomer and thought I was too old to be drafted for Vietnam (wrong!) so think that I can speak as a fair witness to those times.