SONIC BOOMERS

My wife and I were born weeks apart in September, 1951.  No doubt both of us the product of some over the top New Year’s Eve celebrations.  But we are also part of that large bump in post war demographics known as “the baby boomers”.  This term has come to represent the 76 million American children born between 1946 and 1964, without doubt the most influential population explosion in our nation’s history.

Looking back and comparing our childhoods to the present norms, it seems a miracle we have made it this far.  Many of the mothers who brought us into the world smoked and drank with abandon. I was raised on gallons of unpasteurized milk from the local dairy farmer.  Meals were meat and potatoes seven days a week. The only fish on the menu were the occasional breaded fish sticks.  Sugar, butter and salt were considered a necessary part of our diet.  Second hand smoke was everywhere we lived and went. 

Vehicles must have been death traps.  Adults drank and drove with little fear of being arrested. Seatbelts at first did not exist and then were not mandatory. There were no car safety seats or air bags.

Dangerous disease and viruses were prevalent during our childhoods.  Most of us suffered through the chicken pox, strep throat and the mumps and measles.  The hundreds of anti-bacterial products now available to contain all the bad microbes did not exist.

As children we were often subjected to those with pedophilic proclivities with our parents none the wiser that such a psychological profile existed.  Schools, religious institutions and sports/scout activities were fertile grounds for abuse.  Our parents were thrilled that a third party was actually taking an interest in their children.

Many of us suffered from learning disabilities that were not recognized beyond the label of “underachieving student.”  Dyslexia, ADHD and autism were rarely diagnosed and those who were afflicted struggled through school wondering what was wrong.

Young women were treated like second class citizens, by parents, guidance counselors and other mentors who steered bright young ladies into home economics, secretarial work and elementary school teaching.  Women who did break into the male world were under constant sexual and emotional harassment, doing the same work at reduced wages.

In 1960 64% of white Americans graduated from high school but only 39% of black Americans.  The comparable numbers for college graduates were 12% white and 5% black.  Prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Jim Crow prevailed in the South, with major social, education and work barriers hindering boomers of color from making their way in the world.

Against this gauntlet of disadvantages and horrors, how is it possible that so many of us survived in relatively good emotional and physical shape?  After all, 1950s America looked like a third world country when compared to the medical, social and technological advances available today.

The truth is, we had some cultural and social assets that served us well. First, helicopter parents did not exist. Adults wanted us out from under their feet.  As a result, we had more bruises and broken bones, but became more independent.

 Moreover, baby boomers were born into a more forgiving, slower environment in which life did not happen at the speed of social media or 24/7 news cycles.  Early on, our best adventures were in the nearby woods or as far as our bikes would take us on a lazy summer day.  We enjoyed talking face to face with interesting people.  We enjoyed reading.  As we became older, hitch hiking across the nation, or through another country opened our eyes to the world. Growing up felt real, populated by new experiences that did not come from a smart phone.

Unlike today’s young adults, we outgrew our smaller childhood homes and had little desire to return to live in our parent’s basements.  For those of us who wanted a total break from our upbringing, the major metropolitan areas offered cheap rent as we forged our careers.  For those of us that valued close knit communities and stayed closer to home, there were plenty of opportunities to build for the future. 

As teenagers and twenty somethings we were not a comfort to our elders.  For our parents, new ways of thinking, new modes of appearance and dress, new sexual mores, new music and new methods of getting intoxicated were beyond the pale. Most of us outgrew this phase of social experimentation and settled into lifestyles that were very different from our earlier actions and beliefs.  Political radicals turned into financial advisors and commune dwellers into suburbanites.

Boomers fought the war in Vietnam and protested against it with equal fervor. This major split in political views would continue to define the boomer generation from the 60s through the election of Donald Trump.  Boomer conservatives, the “somewhere” adults, were deeply rooted and suspicious of the constant social/economic churn. Conversely boomer liberals, the “anywhere” adults, tended to be urbanites and comfortable with change.  Following these characteristics, boomers lined up on opposite sides of the political divide, and determined the outcome of many national elections.

As we boomers enter our retirement years, those of us now populating the landscape in our mid 60s do not consider ourselves old.  Many of us expect to live to at least one hundred (God help our children). We look forward to using our experience to spread wisdom among the younger generations.  Never mind that we had our chance to improve the world and often made a mess of things. 

Baby boomers still have some teeth left because of our large numbers. Elected officials would be well advised to give deference to AARP and not poke retired boomers by attacking Medicare or Social Security.

Whatever the future holds for our final chapters, one thing is certain, the world will never see our likes again.