Boomer Myths and Misconcpetions Blog

Context Is Everything

For a couple decades, I have railed against terms like, elderly, senior citizen, and especially geezer when referring to older adults. Well, tonight I received an email from the father of the man who saved my life in Viet Nam. The email was entitled, Proud to be a Geezer! In this context, I have no problem with the term and think it is a pretty good descriptor of later life values - expecially when the world view is shared by a member of what Tom Brokaw called the Greatest Generation. In tribute to my dear friend, Frank Vavrin, I share his message:

"Geezers" (slang for an old man) are easy to spot:
At sporting events, during the playing of the National Anthem, Old Geezers remove their caps and stand at attention and sing without embarrassment. They know the words and believe in them

Old Geezers remember the Depression, World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal,Normandy and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War 1950-53-55, The Cold War, the jet age, and the moon landing, the 50 plus Peacekeeping Missions from 1945 to 2005, the Jet Age and the Moon Landing, not to mention Vietnam.

If you bump into an Old Geezer on the sidewalk, he will apologize.

If you pass an Old Geezer on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady.
Old Geezers trust strangers and are courtly to women.

Old Geezers hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection.

Old Geezers get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children and they don't like any filth on TV or in movies.
Old Geezers have moral courage. They seldom brag unless it's about their grandchildren.

It's the Old Geezers who know our great country is protected, not by politicians or police, but by the young men and women in the military serving their country.

This country needs Old Geezers with their decent values.

We need them now more than ever!
Thank God for Old Geezers!

NOPE - Boomers Didn't Invent Spirituality Either

While reviewing the September 16, 2006 issue of Newsweek, I came across and article by Jerry Adler and Judy Scelfo called "Seeking and Finding". Yet, another attempt to credit that Baby Boom with a trait that has been common to those experiencing the fall and summer of life long before George Harrison of the Beatles picked up a zither.

One of the article's concluding paragraphs reads: "Of course, most boomers belonged to none of these movements, but the shared values of that generation have shaped the world we all live in today. Churches now accommodate boomer's demand for autonomy and freedom of choice, says Roof (Wade Clark Roof author of the 1983 book A Generation of Seekers), a phenomenon otherwise known as "niche Marketing - you know, motorcyclists for Jesus." He believes that is one of the forces behind the emergence of mega-churches - the mall-like institutions that offer a cafeteria of worship options, with services elaborately scored for guitars and keyboard, plus lifestyle services, from gyms to food courts and childbirth classes. 'Megachurches define this as the way they want to be religious," says Roof, adding: "boomers love options."

When I started doing workshops on marketing to older adults 20 years ago, the values we encouraged companies marketing to age 50 plus adults were: choice, autonomy, and empowerment. We also stated that organizations needed to be aware that spirituality and the importance of one's legacy take on added meeting in life's second half...and, since there are way more people over age 45 than at any time in history, might that not be part of the reason we need bigger churches? And since the majority demographic tends to set the tone for others, there are even more young people now interested in all things spiritual than in previous decades.

Once again, it is not the uniqueness but the sheer number of Baby Boomers that is driving change. The soooner the media, consultants and corporations give up this infatuation with a distorted 60's view of aging boomers and focus on the uniqueness of later life values; the sooner we can end ageism and get on with building a better country.

Boomer Version of Freakonomics

The more dribble I read about what Baby Boomers will and won't do; ;the more I understand why those of us working hard to counter ageism can't make more progress. In spite of the fact that our nation and all of the developed world is more senior than junior for the first time in history, the media and a veritable plethora of consultants want us to believe narcissism continues to rule.

I just finished reading about the latest special on how Baby Boomers changed everything - what a worthless focus. In the web posting, Larry W. Jones, President of TV Land and Nick at Nite stated, "Viewing the impact of Baby Boomers through the years is truly remarkable. Generation Boom shows just what a force this generation is to be reckoned with. Right away, Boomer demanded more - beginning with the amount of diapers they needed." What an amazing conclusion from such a trifling of fact. Could it be that the Boom used more diapers because there were 9 million more than the generations that preceded or followed the Boom.

To paraphrase the authors of  Freakonomics, what we read about The Boom is based on "a surfeit of obfuscation, complication, and downright deceit." However, if you simply examine the numbers and the facts, the Boom "is not penetrable, is not unknowable, and - if the right questions are asked - is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking" Perhaps it is time for Levitt and Dubner to do a sequel called Baby Boom Freakonomics.

While we know that we tend to share common values in each stage of our life, this reality is ignored when it comes to the Baby Boom as it joins the Eisenhower Generation in the fall and winter of life. Instead of constantly revisiting the 60's, as if were the panacea for modern marketing, we need to focus on the reality beyond the numbers. From marketing to labor issues, the solutions are not that illusive if you know what questions to ask and understand the impact of aging in a post modern world.