I abhor the fact that we label people. Labels work on ketchup bottles but not on people, in my humble opinion. Yet, here I sit, a “boomer.” I had a conversation with a friend this morning on why we “boomers” are generally disrespected and disliked!
“The years 1946 to 1964 define the post-war baby boomer generation, when the United States saw a spike in its birth rate. The American economy flourished and supported larger families; advances in technology made it easier to share ideas and culture; and space exploration took off. But the boomers’ era was also marked by great unrest. Americans born during this period were shaped by a world ravaged by a World War that included unimaginable mass genocide and the atomic bomb. The hypocrisy of American freedom and democracy was exposed by African-Americans who stood up against shameful racial injustice and inequality. And just as boomers were coming of age into adulthood, drafts for the Vietnam War began.” PBS
Let’s unpack this.
As a generation, we have accomplished so much! Basically, we reshaped modern society through massive social, technological, and cultural milestones. We aggressively drove civil rights and anti-war movements. We spearheaded environmental awareness, established Earth Day, shattered the glass ceiling, and fought strenuously for women’s and reproductive rights. Title IX became law.
Global medical care saw tremendous improvements. Surgeons perfected organ transplants and joint replacements, to name just a few.
There was an internet revolution! Brilliant minds and visionaries brought personal computing to everyone who wanted it.
Boomers also brought less censorship and a more relaxed workplace, as well as significant strides in accepting LGBTQ+ rights.
We were not just sitting around waiting for change; we made change happen!
Partial timeline from PBS:
1946
President Truman proclaimed the end of World War II
Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) was founded with approximately 20 employees
1947
The V-2 rocket launched into space
The first practical electronic transistor was demonstrated
Edwin Land, founder of the Polaroid Corporation, makes first “instant camera”, the Polaroid Land Camera
1948
The first tape recorder was sold
Supreme Court rules that religious instruction in public schools is unconstitutional
1949
President Truman establishes rocket test range at Cape Canaveral, Florida
President Truman increases minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents.
1950
The first TV remote control, Zenith Radio’s Lazy Bones, is marketed
1951
Direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the U.S.
First regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin operation
1952
A mechanical heart is used for the first time in a human patient
Christine Jorgensen, a transsexual woman in Denmark, became the recipient of the first successful sexual reassignment operation
1953
Georgia approves the first literature censorship board in the U.S.
The first meeting of Narcotics Anonymous took place in Southern California
1954
The first shopping mall opened in Southfield, Michigan
Groundbreaking begins on Disneyland in Anaheim, California
The first mass vaccination of children against polio begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1955
Racial segregation was forbidden on trains and buses in U.S. interstate commerce
The first electric power generated from atomic energy was sold commercially
1956
Ninety-six U.S. congressional representatives sign “Southern Manifesto,” a protest against the 1954 Supreme Court ruling desegregating public education
The first transatlantic telephone cable went into operation
Videotape was used for the first time on television
1957
President Eisenhower orders U.S. troops to desegregate schools in Little Rock, Arkansas
New York City is the first to legislate a Fair Housing Practices Law against racial or religious discrimination
Toyota began exporting vehicles to the U.S.
1958
The first successful American satellite, Explorer 1, is launched into orbit
The U.S. Army launched the Explorer 3 satellite
CBS Labs announced stereophonic records
1959
Congress passes a bill authorizing food stamps for poor Americans
Pan Am begins regular passenger flights around the world
Soviet Luna 3, the first successful photographic spacecraft, impacted the Moon
NASA announces the selection of seven military pilots to become the first U.S. astronauts
The United Nations Committee On Peaceful Use of Outer Space is established
1960
Four students staged the first civil rights sit-in at a Woolworth counter in Greensboro, North Carolina
U.S. Senate passes the Civil Rights Bill
The Key Largo Coral Reef Preserve in Florida established the first protected underwater park
The first guided missile was launched from a nuclear-powered submarine
The first contraceptive pill was made available on the market
1961
President Eisenhower delivers farewell address warning against the “military-industrial complex”
President Kennedy accepts “sole responsibility” for The Bay of Pigs invasion and declares a national goal to reach the Moon
Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space
TWA shows the first in-flight movie
Construction of the Berlin Wall began in East Germany
1962
Astronaut John Glenn is the first American to orbit Earth
No fewer than five research groups announced the discovery of anti-matter
The drug thalidomide is banned in the Netherlands
The first Wal-Mart and K-Mart stores opened
1963
The American Heart Association was the first agency to campaign against cigarettes
Los Angeles ends streetcar service after 90 years
Push-button telephones and instant replay were introduced
Nuclear submarine USS Thresher sinks 220 miles east of Boston, Massachusetts
After signing a nuclear test ban treaty, John F. Kennedy proposed a joint U.S.-Soviet voyage to the Moon
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC
President John F. Kennedy promised a Civil Rights Bill
CIA’s Domestic Operations Division was created
1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964 passes in the U.S. Senate 73-27
Dr. Martin Luther King, described by J. Edgar Hoover as “a most notorious liar,” was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Plans are announced to build the New York City World Trade Center
Twelve young men in New York City publicly burned their draft cards
NASA launched its first Orbital Geophysical Observatory (OGO-1)
U.S. report titled “Smoking & Health” connects smoking to lung cancer
Federal Trade Commission rules that health warnings must appear on all cigarette packages
Those are a few of the significant changes that we made. So, why do people dislike Baby Boomers? Reddit says there is “intense intergenerational resentment surrounding wealth disparity, housing affordability, and differing cultural values. Younger generations frequently feel their elders benefited from a vastly easier economic landscape and now refuse to relinquish political or economic power.” But is it really fair to blame us for all of this? We are from a generation where a high school diploma would allow you to buy a home and support a family. We worked hard for what we earned while supporting societal change to benefit all. It is not the same world today.
How can we bridge this gap? In his Ted Talk, Mitch Lomazov talks about shifting away from stereotypes and beginning a mutual exchange; finding shared goals and establishing empathic communication to bridge differences in life experiences and build common experiences.
Some women Baby Boomers who helped make the world a better place and left a lasting impact. Condoleezza Rice, Meryl Streep, Cher, Oprah, Sandra Sotomayor are all names we know and recognize, and there are many more. Like them or not, they have contributed to society. I have chosen a few lesser-known Baby Boomers to share with you today, courtesy of AARP.
Miuccia Prada: Transformed her grandfather’s modest Italian leather shop into a global luxury powerhouse, she built a fashion and business empire with a net worth estimated in the billions.
Jill Abramson, Executive Editor, New York Times
The 59-year-old Abramson survived internal politics to ascend in 2011 to the top editorial position, where she sets the agenda for one of the world’s most influential newspapers
Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors
The daughter of a GM die maker, Barra remembers the days when car dealers had to cover their windows to hide yet-to-be-unveiled GM models. At age 52, the Stanford MBA faces the tough job of rekindling that sort of consumer excitement while forging a leaner and more profitable GM.
Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization
The 66-year-old Hong Kong-born physician is the only person on the planet with the authority to declare a pandemic, and her strategic decisions about what drugs and treatments to use in battling diseases such as malaria and HIV give her major influence on the pharmaceutical industry’s fortunes.
Drew Gilpin Faust, President, Harvard University
Faust, 66, was once a Virginia daughter of privilege, “raised to be a rich man’s wife,” according to a friend. Instead, the rebellious feminist became a civil rights marcher and respected historian before ascending in 2007 to lead one of the world’s most renowned universities.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina
The widow of her predecessor, Néstor Kirchner, she became the first woman elected as Argentina’s president in 2007, making her even more powerful than Eva Perón. Kirchner, 61, has managed to pare her nation’s debt, stimulate job growth, and sign a law legalizing gay marriage.
Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration
The Harvard-educated physician, 58, became the U.S. Food and Drug Administration chief in 2009. As such, she presides over one of the most powerful regulatory agencies on the planet, which ultimately determines which drugs are safe and effective enough to make it into American consumers’ medicine cabinets.
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President/CEO Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Lavizzo-Mourey, 59, heads the fourth-largest charitable foundation in the U.S., and the largest focused exclusively on health care. A physician who specialized in geriatrics, she’s a supporter of Obamacare and assists states in implementing ACA reforms.
Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea
Park, 62, the daughter of assassinated South Korean President Park Chung-hee, has a degree in engineering but was thrust into politics and became the nation’s first female president in 2013. Confronting the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea, her decisions have far-reaching impacts.
Virginia Rometty CEO, IBM
Rometty, 56, maintains a lower profile than other women in her field, such as Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer or Hewlett-Packard’s Meg Whitman. Spearheading IBM’s shift into cloud computing and analytic consulting before becoming its first female chief in 2012, she arguably has had more success.
Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil
In her youth, she was a guerrilla who fought against her nation’s then-military dictatorship and survived imprisonment and torture. After her release, the indomitable Rousseff, 66, gradually built a career in mainstream politics, and in 2011 was inaugurated as Brazil’s first female president.
Meg Whitman, CEO, HP
The Long Island native, 57, helped build eBay into a commercial juggernaut from 1998 to 2008, before spending $144 million of her own fortune to run unsuccessfully for the California governorship in 2010. Whitman’s business savvy still garnered respect, and in 2011 she was tapped to lead Hewlett-Packard.
Ultimately, our impact is undeniable. We have always been—and will continue to be—essential to the fabric of society, driving progress that serves the greater good far beyond our own interests. I am proud to be a boomer! What are your thoughts? Are you a Baby Boomer too?
