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In Obama, many see an end to the baby boomer era
When George W. Bush lifts off in his helicopter on Inauguration Day, leaving Washington to make way for Barack Obama, he may not be the only thing disappearing into the horizon.
To a number of social analysts, historians, bloggers and ordinary Americans, Jan. 20 will symbolize the passing of an entire generation: the baby boomer years.
“Obama is one of those people who was raised post-Vietnam and really came of age in the ‘80s,” says Steven Cohen, professor of public administration at Columbia University. “It’s a huge generational change, and a new kind of politics. He’s trying to be a problem-solver by not getting wrapped up in the right-left ideology underlying them.”
It’s been a while since historians spoke of generational change in Washington. Fully 16 years have passed since Bill Clinton, the first boomer president, took office. Before that, presidents from John F. Kennedy to George H.W. Bush — seven straight — were part of the World War II generation, or what Tom Brokaw has termed the “Greatest Generation.”
Obama is “a walking, living prime example of Generation Jones. He’s a classic practical idealist. It’s not the naive idealism of the ‘60s.,” says social commentator Jonathan Pontell.
Now all he has to do is woo the Boomers in Congress. Generation Jones?
Hooray!
I appreciate everything done by the boomers to make the world a better place.
But most of your are slow thinkers and take more pleasure in arguing and name calling rather than using your head for something more than a place to hang your hat.
But this wasn’t your fault, but the result of growing up in an information-poor age, no internet and a lack of TV.
Overall, I’d give you an A+ on doing what every generation should do … create an environment for the following generations to exceed you and have better opportunities.
Listening to some of you try to think makes my dick itch and probably causes you discomfort as well … but some day in the distant future I look forward to being outdated and viewed as a primitive who “doesn’t get it”.
#1 – Welp. If your spelling and grammar are any indication of what your generation has to offer..
You almost made a good point, but i feel it was lost in a bad translation.
Mr. Barak Obama is a very intelligent man. He prove what he say.
“CHANGE”, It’s all yer gonna have left
The boomers are not out with Obama. This guy is full of it. He was born in 61. He is a boomer himself still. It doesn’t switch over until 64.
And born in 61 means you come of age in the 70’s pinhead! Not the 80’s.
His cabinet is made up of a lot of boomers. Clinton and Biden are two big ones. In fact his whole cabinet so far is a Clinton do over, so no change there.
Its business as usual.
We will NOT get rid of these tin funnel boomers until we get a president that was born AFTER 63.
This Jake Naughton guy is an imbecile.
Cursor_
I’m a gen-Y’er, and the last thing I want to see is one of us as President.
First poster in this thread is a good example of why I can’t stand young people: a dangerous “whatever works fast now” attitude, and a disregard for wisdom and experience.
#1:
“But this wasn’t your fault, but the result of growing up in an information-poor age, no internet and a lack of TV.”
God, and this too. Like, Einstein and the Greeks grew up “information-poor.” HMeyers, you prove that growing up information-rich doesn’t help one organize their thoughts or communicate in their native tongue.
Gen Jones is out of the closet? That is so un-Jonesy!
People like to hang names on groups of people of a certain age. However, those names have little to do with reality. I’m nominally a boomer, as is Obama (whom I voted for).
Personally, I’d rather look at the results (if any–has to get through Congress after all) based on Obama’s ideas and see whether they lead to a better country or world. I’ll wait…
Floyd, that’s a very jonesey thing to say 😉
Isn’t it just typical, bustin’ on the older generation and blamin’ us. Don’t think that makes you any different – Every generation does the same. Looks to me like the playstation generation won’t have a hell of a lot to offer though, over developed thumbs, a reduced attention span, and practically no reading or writing skills.
KD Martin asked, “The End Of An Era?”
Umm, no…
Obama is the 3rd boomer President. The 1st two tarnished the office. Let’s wait and see whether Obama does, or doesn’t.
Yes. Technically, Obama is a boomer. But I’ll agree with you, we’ll just have to wait and see. Especially WRT the Congress, which has both boomers and “the greatest generation” to protect the pork.
The idea that there is some magic line that separates people into generations is more bullcrap. Was there supposed to be a difference between my one sister born in 1960 and the youngest born in 1965?
Should be the last time we hear about Vietnam in a presidential campaign.
More like end of an ERROR!
While Obama is technically a boomer, as a 1962er, there is a definite difference between the early boomers and those born after, say 1960. My brother and sister were born in 54 and 55, and they had distinctly different childhood experiences and young adult lives from me.
As far as it goes, my partner was born in 1969. While I recall the “world before the 1960s cultural revolution took hold” he doesn’t. I remember the world as it was. I remember dress codes in public schools, (girls in dresses, boys with hair above the collar, shirt tails tucked in, etc.), cars without seatbelts, all television being black and white because color was too expensive (and there was only 1 television in the house), 25 cent gasoline, the pre-Watergate patriotism, abortion being illegal, one income families that could afford houses, rock music being considered a fad not appreciated by “adults” and so on.
I have actually experienced the world as it was in say I Love Lucy, where in a priceless comment on the times, in one episode, Ethyl Mertz states, “I’m not going on a subway in blue jeans!”. Later born people never actually knew this world, but I lived in it as a small child, and I saw it change. But I was a kid. My brother, on the other hand, had a draft card, was a junior in high school before he could leave his shirt tails out, remembers streetcars in Los Angeles, entered the workforce in the recession of the late 1970s, and so forth.
I’m far closer to Obama than my brother, from a cultural standpoint.
But, as others have stated, Congress and the Cabinet was full of boomers (and WWII generation).
I hope Obama is up to it!
I’d call Obama part of Gen X.
Reading the comments here are funny. I was talking with a colleague at lunch about this (I’d heard of Gen Jones before) since we were both born around 1960.
Boomers don’t thinks we’re “real” boomers because we missed Woodstock and Disco, etc. GenXers don’t think we’re GenX because of the 1965 cutoff or we never watched Friends religiously or something.
We both feel like we’re in between and don’t identify with either group. We also know because of the boom we may never get a chance to retire – but that’s the cards we’ve been dealt so we might as well just on with it.
The times you grow up in shape you.
Does Obama have a misplaced sense of superiority about his generation?
About the only good thing Britney’s ever done was saying she didn’t know who the Beatles were.
#14 Mr. Fusion I think the line comes from the birth statistics. An argument can be made that the number of people of the same age (big numbers between 1945 and 1964) and the age difference between boomers and their parents (the WW2 generation) created alot of similar behavior traits. There’ a long list, some good, some bad. But the similarities are there.
#21 – Yes, “boomers” really came from parents who where young adults during WW2. Technically, it is when you are born though.
We are not quite boomers and the X’ers think we are old already
To young to have protests much over civil rights or the Vietnam war, unless you had a very PC Jr High. Our older sibs and parents made Elvis and the Beatles what they were.
for us
Zeppelin in a great band not an air ship from WWII, The Clash and Bob Marley filled the cassette tapes in our Walkman don’t confuse us with that 8-track generation or the kids that loaded up on those Hair bands.
Three Mile Island and Chernobyl still give us cause for concern about nukes.
We agree Reagan was a minor deity, but for evil of good we are divided on that. …(evil)
Seems like John Paul II was pope almost forever.
We started buying our own gas during the last major oil crisis
We’ve always liked Japanese products the Boomers use to laugh at them. The X’ers don’t care where things were built just what they are.
We missed out on Free Love but that might be for the best.
Being openly gay is no big deal but Boy George is just silly.
We thought if Egypt and Israel could learn to get along there was hope for the Middle East(Carter tried so hard)
Jaws, Star Wars and The Rocky Horror Picture Show got lots of our summer money.
The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family told us what family were supposed to be like in Hollywood, not the The Cosby Show and
Family Ties or Leave it to Beaver and Ozzie and Harriet.
We don’t have religious convections, pseudo patriotism or materialism of the X’ers(sorry) Nor can we take credit for beating back the cultural conservative norms of the 50s the boomers did that(thanks)
Yup we don’t quite fit in and now we will be running this place I couldn’t be happier. Wish us well its for your own good.
It’s an end to baby boomers alright. What has George Bush done that they’re not going to get when they are ready to retire, and what is the economy going to be like when they do.