Baby Boomers are defined
as people born between 1945 (the end of World War II) and 1965,
or thereabouts. That puts the oldest of them at age 56 this year,
and the youngest at 36. They represent a huge demographic bulge
in America's population, explained by the return of all those
veterans and the economic boom that followed the war.
Boomers have certainly
had great press. Of course not all of it has been favorable, but
as someone once said, "I don't care what they say about me as
long as they spell my name right." God knows, Boomers have been
noticed.
I'm actually rather
fond of the generation. As the mother of one bona fide member
and two who just missed it, I've never subscribed to the labeling
of all Boomers as drugged-out, lazy, sloppy, or any of the other
stereotypes. It's a generation that has done some great things,
and we're all in their debt.
It does rankle a bit,
however, that someone labeled my generation, the group that was
adolescent during the 1950's, "The Silent Generation." No one
ever called us that at the time, but I suppose that in retrospect,
we seemed silent in comparison to the chanting hordes of Boomers.
"Silent Generation"
depicts my generation as placid, accepting whatever was handed
to us to believe, content with things as they were. That's not
what I saw! Remember, please, that Elvis and Buddy and Chubby
and even Ann Margaret were members of my generation. Rock 'N Roll
didn't suddenly spring into being post-1960. And it would be nice
if all those youngsters who were on the front lines of the Civil
Rights Movement would remember that it was the young professionals
from my generation who organized them, defended them, counseled
them, doctored them, and supported them. It would be good to remember
that Betty Friedan was of my generation, and Elizabeth Dole and
Ann Richards and Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda and even Phyllis
Schlafly. Silent? I think not!
Most of all, it would
be good not to label any generation, nor to brand all members
of one generation, with adjectives like silent or hippie
or conservative or self-centered. There are, of
course, trends in fashion and culture; there are philosophical
shifts in the body politic; there are advances in science and
changes in demographics, as well as in the social contract. But
to stick any one group of people who happen to be born within
an arbitrary time span with a one-size-fits-all label is just
plain silly.
That said, let me revert
to popular custom and give the Boomers their due: by their sheer
numbers, they have brought about many good changes, oftentimes
without their knowledge or intention. I remember reading in astonishment
the adjustments my college made to attract and serve them, shortly
after my graduation. The curriculum was revised (long overdue);
the parietal rules were removed from dormitory life (we girls
had to be in by 10:30 p.m., and I don't know anyone who wasn't
insulted by that). Dorms were rewired, the dining system revamped,
apartments built, automobile restrictions rescinded or at least
loosened, a new field house constructed, classrooms spruced up,
etc. I was glad for the new students, but I was also jealous as
hell.
Special treatment is
the norm for Boomers. New schools were built just in time for
them (and many were abandoned immediately following the 60's).
Educators played with new teaching methods and programs, some
disastrous, some productive. The teaching profession boomed, but
during the late '70's their ranks were reduced as the Boomers
left grammar school. That was, I think, a great mistake. By reducing
the number of teachers, we missed a great chance to reduce class
size rather painlessly, with all those extra teachers and classrooms
in place.
As the Boomers moved
into adulthood, they proved themselves able to make huge changes
in laws and customs. They have immeasurably furthered tolerance
among people of different races and religions. The causes they
embraced have brought about new attitudes toward same-sex relationships,
single parenting, women in the work force, the environment, and
physical fitness.
New marketing strategies
were developed to entice Boomers. (Remember when you could buy
shoes without a company's logo on it, or a shirt without the designer's
name on the pocket?)
Now that they are beginning
to tip the demographics for older Americans, we are bound to see
changes in services, advertising, and probably even attitudes
affecting the elderly. I say: Good Deal! Maybe the Boomers
can do something about problems that have puzzled, amused, and
infuriated me.
For instance: the record-keeping
systems of Medicare and most physicians. I can understand those
"This Is Not A Bill" pages that Medicare sends you, but have you
ever tried reconciling them with bills from your doctors? When
dates for services are given without a statement of the service
provided, and when they don't agree with your doctor's dates of
service, you can spend an entire morning on the telephone, pushing
one button after another in an effort to get to a real person
- and when you do, you're often told to call another number. The
other day, I received a first-time bill from a doctor my mother
no longer sees, for a visit dating back to Sept. of 1999. I do
remember that his office submitted a bill to Medicare once, using
the wrong number (a clerk's typographical error) and once using
Mother's middle initial instead of her middle name, so that the
whole thing had to be processed three times, but there was no
indication that the '99 bill referred to that debacle. It took
me the better part of two days to track it down, and I'm still
not sure whether or not she really owed it.
Then too, there are
any number of trivial items that I'd like to see the Boomers take
on, like the fashion industry. Why can we no longer buy simple,
straight-cut cotton shirts and blouses? The latest craze for elastic
shirting has all but obliterated shirts made of any other fabric.
Not only does the elastic resist ironing (and, un-ironed, look
horrible), it's simply not flattering to the older figure.
It may look great on youngsters who haven't yet lost the battle
with gravity, but on anyone over 50, it just accentuates the negative.
And while I'm griping
about shirts, why do so few of them have breast pockets these
days? I suppose the clothing industry saves millions of dollars
by leaving them off, but I'd be willing to pay a few cents extra
to find one on a shirt. Cutting fabric costs is probably also
why shirts no longer have French cuffs. I can live without those,
although they do look elegant, but I regret that I can no longer
wear the pretty gold cufflinks that my grandmother left me.
Just a few years ago,
grocery stores stocked canned foods in small sizes as well as
larger ones meant to serve families. Lately, however, I have had
trouble finding small cans of things like tomatoes or pumpkin,
or small packages of breads or pastas. Rather than buy a large
can and waste at least half of it, or filling my freezer with
half-used foods, I've simply done without. As the population ages
and more and more of us kiss our children goodbye and settle in
to one or two-person households, wouldn't it make good sense to
bring back single or double portion packaging? In fact, I can
envision some enterprising youngster starting up a chain of stores
called something like "TwoFers" that features nothing but small
packages. I for one would gladly pay a cent or two more per ounce
and avoid having to waste or freeze half of my purchases.
Dear Boomers,
I hope that you will find as we have that the other side of the
hill is not a slippery down slope, but simply a continuance of
your journey. I can remember looking at my small son and groaning
that I dreaded the time he'd change into a teenager. "Don't be
silly," my mother said. "He'll still be who he is, just bigger."
Well, barring disasters like Alzheimer's or a psychiatric disorder,
being past 50 won't make you different either — just slower.
And that's not necessarily bad. You'll find that you notice all
sorts of things you missed as you zipped through your earlier
years.
So welcome to the so-called
down slope. I hope you continue to take on the Establishment even
though you have now become it. I hope that you will find that
things like old friends, good memories, and grandchildren more
than make up for lots of minor indignities like bifocals and creaky
joints and answering extra questions at the DMV. Most of all,
I hope you get busy fighting the negative attitudes that people
often have about old age. Boom on, young friends, and don't let
anyone tell you that you are over the hill. You've just reached
the plateau at the top.
