Am I A Boomer?

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The Hebrew reckoning of a generation is 40 years. They use these 40-year periods to define the age of their nation, and to remember seminal events, like Passover, or the desert wandering, the rebuilding of the temple, or the coming of the Messiah.  Each generation was remembered for something. I could be something great, like the return from captivity, or it could be remembered as the generation that wasn't memorable.

I'm not sure what "generation" I'm a part of.  So I'm going to look at three "generations" as defined by popular social science.  They are: "The Baby Boomers", "Generation X", and the lesser recognized, "Generation Jones."

Today: The Baby Boomers!

Technically (or more shall I say, numerically) I'm a Boomer.

A baby boomer would be any person in America who's age falls between 47-65 years of age. They could be your parents, grand parents, even you. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were the first two Boomer Presidents (both being born in 1946.)  Even Barak Obama could be considered a Boomer (if we could only see his birth certificate and know exactly when he was born...or where, but I digress) Theoretically, any person who was born between 1946 to 1964 is known as baby boomer (79 million people were born in the US during those years!) in the cultural context. Though not all the sociology scholars, institutes, and organizations agree to the aforementioned definition of baby boomer. Studying baby boomer generation is interesting due to the unique baby boomer characteristics they were endowed with.

Why the Boomer Generation is Different?

Scholars believe that this generation had the most distinguished characteristics for that era as they were born in the transition phase of America. After the World War II, America was one of the few countries that was least affected by the war. It had made a lot of money during the war and now was richer compared to other countries who had lost everything including manpower, wealth, and natural resources. This was the time for America to flourish, prosper, develop, and rule the world. And this is the time when the boomers were born, on the peak of affluence and privilege. The changes in society influenced the way baby boomers were brought up and looked at life. On the other hand, the society too was charmed by baby boomers as they were a huge demographic bulge that changed society as it moved on. Being born in such a prominent and decisive era, baby boomer characteristics are unequaled in themselves.

• They are motivated by high positions of prestige and an extra benefit that comes along.
• They work hard to achieve the career goals in life.
• They define self worth by their work and professional accomplishments.
• They often think that the 'gen-next' lack work ethics and commitment to the work place.
• They are self reliant, independent and confident.
• They have a strong belief in individualism.
• They are dedicated, passionate, and resourceful.
• They have a rebellious streak and are not afraid of challenging the prevalent practices.
• They are open to change and adapt new things.
• They often switch careers and are inclined towards starting a business.
• They avoid too much long term planning.
• Though they are idealistic, they are competitive and goal oriented.
• They keep a positive attitude in life and change with time.
• They listened to rock and roll, which was the expression of their generational identity.
• They welcome challenges in life and strive to make a difference.
• They adapt well to new technology.
• They are pragmatic and are concerned with health and environment issues.
• They enjoy their free time and vacations to the fullest.

Another important baby boomer characteristic is that they think themselves as a special generation, so much so that they created their own life style by bringing new changes in the society. They were the first people who defined the world in terms of generations. Another reason for this generational distinctiveness were modern marketers who targeted baby boomers even before they were born.

And they had television.

My Grandpa Huck was too young for World War I and too old for World War II My dad was too young for the Korean War and he was an Honorably Discharged Marine by 1960. NO VIETNAM.  So I wasn't necessarily the outcome of a man, changed by the brutality of war who had come home to start a family.  I was born at the most stable, affluent time in American History...

Am I a Boomer?


chris