iDemographers' defined the baby boom as a birth surge started in 1946, after the World War II and reached its peak in 1957 and continued until 1964 because of the postwar prosperity. Most people uses "generation" as their term but demographers precisely referred it as "cohort" (group of individuals experiencing a certain event within a specified time). This reveals that social changes interconnect with the life of every baby boomer.
There two groups of baby boomers. The babies born from 1946 to 1955 were called early boomers. Those who were born from 1956 to 1964 were called as late boomers. The last set of late boomers were born during the first tour of Beatles in America and the first early boomers was approximately 18 years that time. Baby boomers were noticeable because of their big populations. They crowded junior high, elementary schools, high schools, labor market, and colleges.
Studies show that the impacts brought about by the society where baby boomers grew up contributes a lot in reshaping the society. They never think like their parents. Because the population of these cohorts is unprecedented during the 20th century, their beliefs and behaviors are then predicted to dominate things.
But there is also a great discrepancy in terms of economic status between early boomers and late boomers. Compared to the energetic job market and emerging economy laid beneath the feet of early boomers, late boomers needs adjustment on economic shifts. It is due to the rapid growth of service sectors, jobs for middle class became less stable, changing locations of workers, and career market adjustments.
Most boomers considered economic security as an elusive thing. They are the people who were born after the era of civil rights. Conducted studies even reveals income differences according to ethnicity, race, and birthplace creating ethnic classes. It was because one third of the population of baby boomers Hispanic, African-American, or Asian besides the black and white Americans. Take for instance, the black boomer's generation are considered inferior than whites, although the generation of baby boomers were rated the best in terms of education.
It is a fact that the life of baby boomers was accompanied by postwar transformations changing the American society. The ideas about sexuality, gender, and family were altered profoundly. Likewise, parenthood changed, old age and retirement was redefined, and labor forces were transformed. Even in their old age, they seize opportunity to stay involved and active like staying in their work force to meet the responsibilities of supporting their children.
The changes in the society were never brought solely by stereotype baby boomers but also the conservative types like Seth Grossman. The stereotype boomers expressed themselves through street protests while the conservative boomers use other forms such as leaflets, student newspapers, and forums. Although their actions did not attract the attention of media but they achieved their success when they forced a referendum which resulted in the withdrawal of Duke students from the National Student Association.
Conservative boomers may not be a part of the projected boomer's image but they became a strong force in making their way silently. They are not even in the front page of the newspapers because they still attend their class while others were boycotting. Nevertheless, these conservative boomers have supported conservative politicians like George Wallace in 1968.
One third of the populations of early boomers served during the Vietnam War. Other boomers made a name in different fields throughout history. Joyce Johnson was an African-American who belongs to the stereotype boomers her activist work in her graduate school. When she entered Duke School, she sought for advancement not only for herself but her entire race. She belongs in the Afro-American Society involved in the iconic events in the Duke campus during the 60s. Grossman and Johnson are baby boomers who contributed great change in their society.
Deep understanding about the baby boom generation is very important as they advanced on to their old age. It should be more of demographic curiosities because if demographic bulge move continuously on the system, then economic differences also persists. These baby boomers once do their best in shaping the society providing significant impacts on the lives of many people besides themselves.
Daniel Silver
Every individual is unique in his own way. This makes him different from anyone else. Even brothers and sisters differ a lot. But with every person's distinct characteristics, he should still be able achieve good relationship with other people.
Many generations have been in existence for years now. And each generation is identified with certain uniqueness from other generations. If you're a baby boomer, you probably know this by now.
What then is a baby boomer? Baby boomers are those born after the Second World War. It includes babies born from 1946 to 1964 during the time of prosperity after the war.
Baby Boomers are identified for their characteristics very much different from other generations. This maybe because they all grew up in a world that is generally dominated by the American Military. They lived in a world that offers new wonders like marvelous gadgets, household appliances. And during that time, very seldom can you find unemployed individuals. This means that almost all families enjoyed a prosperous life.
The academic leadership, cultural, political and industrial classes are almost dominated by baby boomers. The most prominent individuals are George Bush and Bill Clinton. They are both baby boomers and they both illustrate a diverging range of attitudes and values.
The families of baby boomers have the largest household incomes in America. There are early boomers, as well as late boomers. This generation is identified mostly of the early boomers because the late boomers didn't experience the military draft. The late boomers however, were more identified of the different cultural factors that they were able to share.
These late boomers are also known as early generation X's. At present, they are now in the stage where they want to leave a mark in history. The baby boomer's birth is a part of history, and this may be the reason why they are idealists in their own right. Boomers are expected to have a big impact and influence over cultural and political matters. They often belong to the higher echelons of power; and these leaders exhibit decisiveness, vision, and they can withstand even the worst of every situation.
But the baby boomers are not only known for their positive character. They also have destructive tendencies like selfishness, arrogance, and ruthlessness that can result to a outright despotism or factional strife.
During a baby boomer's midlife, they often re-evaluate everything that has something to do with their personal life. Those having families focus on the triumph and failures of their kids because they only want what's best for them. Some boomers even go the extent of managing their children's lives.
Boomers are over-protective parents. They want to sanitize almost everything that their children can see, including television programs. This is in contrast to their early childhood when they themselves want to indulge in almost everything with fewer restrictions. Through their kids, they seek to bring improvements to the society.
Though baby boomers are known as the counter-cultural type and as hippies, they also have passions for social and personal improvement. But this is usually exhibited once they age out.
Baby boomers were greatly criticized as ageist and anti -youth. This is further evidenced by their catchphrase 'don't trust anyone over 30'. But not all baby boomers are like this, there are also those who abide by the social norms of the society during their time.
Boomer or not, they are all important individuals who can contribute a great deal to the world. People should not concentrate mainly on the generation that they are identified with; but they should make it a point to do all things that can contribute to the peace and prosperity of humankind.
Every person has his or her positive and negative characteristics. Nobody's perfect, and that is a true and proven fact. There are individuals who are known to be perfectionists but this doesn't mean that are perfect as a person. It's but natural to commit mistakes as a human being. The most important thing is to learn from the mistakes in the past; and is you want to improve yourself; you may do so but make sure that it is for the better.
Daniel Silver
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Younger generations in the United States do not show much interest in the political games of boomers although recently, they are not the largest population of voters.
There was even an incidence when Matthew Shephard, the mother and symbol of hate-crime against homosexuals in Chicago expressed her dismay in front of the Roosevelt University. She questioned the political activism of the present generation for not expressing themselves the way they did before. She even recalled the times when boomers confronted authority.
The problem was that boomers are approaching retirement and perhaps losing their agility to make the same protests again. The new generation is asking a different set of questions. Some suggested to get rid off the authority and stop asking questions like what the boomer radicals did during the 60's.
The point of the new generation is to know where the authority goes. They see that the voter driver's efforts are nonsense. Even if they keep on pursuing the slogans "Rock the Vote" and "Vote or Die"; still it lacks assessment on the federal government's credibility. New generations cannot get what the government wants to emphasize. They observed that in order to obtain good things from the government, one should exercise their right to vote.
But these young people display activeness in their own way. They even exceeded performances of the baby boomers in numerous campaign activities like displaying bumper stickers, signs, and buttons, attending rallies, and persuading others to vote.
A great Sociologist, Robert Nisbet distinguished the terms authority and power. Power is a force while authority can be forged on social bonds of churches, families, communities, and business. Despite the rage of baby boomers against authority, they have accumulated lots of power for their bureaucracy. It might be under Bush or Clinton, R or D. It took off before the new generation of unwieldy and impersonal youths.
The new generation knew what power meant. They didn't want the baby boomers to tell them where it is and how to seek it. They are disposed by cultural usurpations touching their personal lives to become contemptuous of power. Young Americans know divorce power, Eric Harris and Klebold's power, Jerry Springer's power, teen sex power, abortion power, and Osama bin Laden's power. These are not the types of power that they crave because they have already seen its consequences. What they seek is a confident, strong, gentle, and honor-bound authority.
It cannot be denied that young voters are cynical concerning national politics largely different from apathy. The children born during the 80's named as Reagan's Children never invested their time on direct political procedures. They have changed the boomer's action to entrepreneurialism, community service, technology, and religion. They are after an authority which governs rather than an established government which has nothing to offer. Politics might also be the interest of the new generation, however in a very different perspective far from what their forefathers wanted them to inherit. They perceive that government as federal and big, centers on mobilizing the youth on their voting rights.
The person controlling the polls will gain larger percentage of the national power. But no one knows if the voting booths are sacredly held by baby boomers and beats the relationship authority prized by prospective young voters. It is possible that the obsession for power of the boomers generation will defeat the young American generation who hungers for authority. This could happen since boomers defeated that authority already.
However, everybody never wanted a generational clash. The boomer retirees are just determined in living life to the fullest as an expense on their children's paid taxes. However, this provokes wars in the Congress related on government costs. Thus it confounds their capacity to serve, to invest, and to love. Younger statesmen said that it is the cost that matters not their responsibilities, paid taxes, and freedom. The boomers power-hungry declaration requires the new generation (committed on authority institutions and focused on internet economy) to vote, to join politics, and fight the gray-haired builders of a powerful government.
In such struggle, they have enlisted a constitutional language which starts on securing their liberty blessings to themselves and prosperity. The task of the new generation is to save those blessings in threat more than ordering the people to vote.
Daniel Silver
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