Boomer-Wan Kenobi
Even though I practically am one (born early in 1965), I’ve got nothing but contempt for the “Baby Boom” generation (people born between 1946 and 1964). They wrecked the vibrant and inclusive post war economy by repeatedly cutting their own taxes, and driving a stake into the heart of American manufacturing. They cavalierly gave us two deficit funded wars, ignored climate change, and did all that while continuously and loudly congratulating themselves for being sober moderates and above crass party politics.
All this to say, by accident or intention, Obi-Wan Kenobi is the quintessential boomer.
I was born in 1956, it was the best of times, but only if you were terrified of
Coma-Nism. But I agree, we Boomers have been wretched failures at governing, but failing right along with us to this very day is the failure of a poorly informed and easily led electorate. There would have not been endless war for profit if Americans had stood up, for once, and said no more war.
They turned the revolutionary spirit of the 60s inward. It became all about individual expression. Which was easily co-opted by consumer capitalism.
A good examination of this social phenomenon is seen in British filmmaker Adam Curtis’ work – specifically in his film The Century of the Self.
I’m a big film/documentary buff and I second this recommendation hard. Curtis is tremendous.
Virtually all his work is on YouTube! Check out part one of that amazing series here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnPmg0R1M04
I’d add enjoying 9-5 jobs with virtually no global competition with which you could raise a family with yearly vacations and a car. Then creating global competitors by offshoring jobs so that the poorest amongst us now have to work two jobs in the service industry, with few benefits, to make ends meet only to be told they aren’t ‘boot-strappy’ enough to make it the way they did. And to add insult to injury, if you listen to old-time radio (I listen to the Classic channel on Sirius XM), the boomers as kids are depicted as more out of touch and lazy than kids of today. That is, their parents didn’t even care for their attitudes and antics. (disclaimer: BD = 1965 as well)
Born in the early 60’s I don’t identify with boomers. Former President Obama, born in 1961, is a good representation of the latest stage of the generation. Our experiences have been vastly different than the older boomers.
Born in 51. I fought against the Viet Nam war. I Was Labor Director for McGovern in Delaware, got chased around by Nixon’s CREEP. I spent the first 11 years of my work life organizing and bargaining for Retail and Health Care workers including the first bargaining unit of Registered nurses in the AFL-CIO in Maryland. The majority of those I organized were women. FU and your broad-brush generalizations!
#NotallBoomers! Lol
Beat me to it. Also, thanks for Bill Clinton, Joe.
It is funny. Everyone has a decent understanding that, as a social phenomenon, American boomers turned inward, celebrated individual expression, and were devoured by pop psychology, slick marketing (Mad Men) and consumer capitalism.
This is hardly even controversial.
But every Boomer you meet bucked the trend! It wasn’t them who did it.
(In Joe’s defense – his story is actually unique. But the socioeconomic history is what it is.)
Everyone should also understand that this discussion is about a societal cohort, not individuals. A bell graph is made up of millions of individual data points (because, contrary to the lazy, commonly cited construction, if you add up enough anecdotes, it is data).
REV, that’s because every Boomer you meet bucked the trend. You don’t travel in the circles that would expose you to the ones who didn’t.
As I said, it’s not an individual thing.
The idea that I, in my 46 years, haven’t meet hundreds or thousands of people like this is ridiculous.
Probably 90% of Boomers I’ve ever met fit the cohort. I’m presently sitting in OCNJ ffs.
The fetish of individualism means nobody thinks it was them. They personally are a unique snowflake! How could they, expressing their special ego in the market, be part of this phenomenon? Lol.
OK, you’ve met them, and they live in the culture so of course they’re engaged in consumer capitalism. We all are.
But the people you meet, as opposed to know well (“travel in circles”), fit the stereotype so well because you know them superficially.
For example, the notion that every Boomer, or even 90% of them, are prone to “pop psychology” (10% go to an actual therapist) or a dupe of “slick marketing” (whereas in previous generations they had to make do with unslick marketing, which they still fell for) is just generalizing. We mock conservatives when they do that.
“Over generalization”
Of course, my age group is populated by people that were assholes then and more so now. I would allow that its well over 50%. I went to Sallies and Brandywine FFS and there were over 1000 generally elitist folks in my class of ’69 alone. But we also produced the Berrigan brothers, The Chicago 7, Cesar Chavez and the UFW, Mohamad Ali and a few hundred thousand draft resisters. of which I was one and more. I refuse to let the assholes that looted Wilmington Trust (my classmate) etc. write my generation’s history.
And thank you from the bottom of my heart for Chris Coons:)
I think we should keep “individual expression.” Also lazing around smoking pot and listening to Jefferson Airplane.
Speak of the devil and he doth appear
Grace Slick was my everlasting crush 🙂
No sir, Jason. The great Satan is red and scaly with a bifurcated tail and he carries a hay fork.
I worked at banks for 25 years lol
Not all Boomers and no one we know!
Let me get this straight: Bankers are arch-capitalists? Who would have guessed?
I would say that Mr. Canavan’s misinterpretation of the Star Wars mythos is the issue here. Then…we read it and use it to debate the “failures” of boomers. His is only one perspective.
Another perspective, the Jedi believed that they were strong enough morally, physically, and psychologically to beat any foe. The Jedi were the benevolent. In fact, the opposition was so evil, so deceitful, and so hidden, that they were able to quietly indoctrinate a mass population of “clones” to exterminate them.
….We should debate how we stop exterminating our enemies.
Another perspective: The Jedi were so smug about their moral superiority that they took swords to a gunfight.
So maybe the intended metaphor isn’t generational at all.