Generation Feh!

November 1, 2005 · Filed Under zeitgeist · Comments

I am no fan of the Baby Boomer generation (born between 1/1/46 & 12/31/64). As a member of the demographic group immediately following the Boomers (born 11/2/67), I can honestly say that I’ve never been too terribly impressed with them as a whole. I find a whole lot to agree with in the assessment that Paul Begala gave re: his own generation — “I hate the Baby Boomers. They’re the most self-centered, self-seeking, self-interested, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing generation in American history . . .”

Dr. Al Mohler has written a very interesting article, The Baby Boomers and Their Times, in which he takes a more objective look at the Boomers. It’s worth the read, if only to get a little more context on/about this generation that (so very ironically) was spawned by the “Greatest Generation”.

Some choice snippets:

“Raised in an era of unprecedented affluence and national omnipotence, but coming of age in a time that perceived more limited resources and diminished American power, the boomers have long been defined by a vain search for satisfaction. No matter how much they have, they can’t ever seem to get enough. This quest for satisfaction has at times led to nadirs of narcissism and greed. As a generation the boomers have always seemed to want it all: cheap energy, consumer plenty, low taxes, loads of government entitlements, ageless beauty, and an ever-rising standard of living. They inherited a nation flush with resources and will bequeath their children a country mired in debt.”
“The baby boomers started life in a society where a great material security provided the foundation for a series of daring cultural upheavals,” he notes. “In their maturity, they have used a dynamic culture to demolish that security.”
“The Baby Boomers were the first generation to grow up with television in almost every home. Between 1948 and 1952, the number of American households with television sets increased from 172,000 to 15.3 million. The Baby Boomers watched family dramas and sitcoms, westerns, and cartoons. They were pampered, entertained, and coddled.”
The legacy of Dr. Spock, aka the curse of the “overvalued child” - “His book instructed the parents of the baby-boom generation to go light on punishment and heavy on reason and persuasion, and bear in mind that their daughters’ and sons’ happiness was the paramount objective of child rearing. If Johnny steals someone’s toy, don’t hit him. Explain that stealing is wrong, and buy him the toy that he coveted. If Suzie misbehaves at the dinner table, don’t worry. Table manners are overrated.”
“Raised amid plenty, taught to value their needs and satisfy their wants, and imbued with a sense of national greatness and purpose, it would have been odd had they not entered young adulthood with at least some sense of entitlement.” And so they did. The Baby Boomers have been engaged in a generation-long search for self-fulfillment. Furthermore, the permissiveness of their parents has been translated into a permissiveness of their own.”
“Now, the Baby Boomer generation stands at the height of its political influence. Commentators Neil Howe and William Strauss estimate that the boomers will represent a plurality in Congress until the year 2015.”
“In their seemingly endless quest for self-fulfillment, many boomers have turned from one spiritual and psychological fad to another, seeking a path to self-fulfillment that avoids hard issues of truth and deep commitment.”
“The Baby Boomers gave rise to the Jesus Movement and came of age as everything from the pastors of megachurches to the leaders of activist movements.”
“Their expectations continue to frame the American reality. Now, as the oldest boomers head toward retirement, they are about to redefine old age.”