OK, Boomer

“You will never be too old to make another goal or to have another dream.” -C.S. Lewis

OK, Boomer. Half of the people reading this are going to be offended by the boomer thing, half will think it’s funny, and the other half won’t understand it. Wait, that’s like three halves. Whatever, forget the math, there’s an awful lot of labeling going on today, and “Boomer” is hardly the worst of it. Demographics are how researchers and social scientists make sense of trends in everything from sales to health and wellness. 

Wherever you are in life, chances are some study or focus group has looked at your age group, income level, and habits, and drawn conclusions about who you are. Educated guesses, which are often spot on, are made every day based on demographics, so why all of a sudden are we angry over an age range? Why do Millennials have to get in their digs at the Boomers? Why do so many people equate avocado toast and a poor work ethic with an entire group of similarly aged people? Why is there shopping data on Gen Z’ers? Some of them are only eight years old, how much shopping are they doing?  Are we really letting age define us to this degree? OK, enough with the questions.

Technically, I am a Baby Boomer. Children born between 1946 and 1964 are considered boomers, but I’m definitely on the cusp, being born almost in the last month of the last year of the post-World War II baby boom. The next segment after us, is Gen X, 1965 to 1980, then it’s the Millennials from 1981 to 1996, then finally, Gen Z from 1997 until 2012. No one is sure what happens after that; some marketing exec is probably going to decide based on smartphone data from seven-year-olds. Numbers matter in business, and there has to be a way to identify and track trends, but it’s getting a little out of hand when it becomes just another way to divide “us” and “them.” What happened to “We?”

Also the tail end of Baby Boomers, the 1964 Mustang. Suck it Millennials

What’s so terrible about being an older person? Besides the occasional body aches, forgetfulness, and grey hair, why isn’t it a point of pride to have reached a certain age? The Millennials saying “OK, Boomer” in a lame effort to dismiss people my age will one day get it back from their Gen Z kids. I can’t wait to hear the first college kid say, “OK Millie” or “OK ‘Lennie” to their hip yet aging parents. Say what you will about my age group, Boomer is a way cooler tag than Millie or Lennie. Baby Boomers have given the world space travel, DNA mapping, and, oh yeah, this thing called the World Wide Web. Ever hear of Dean Kamen? He’s a boomer, and he invented the ambulatory infusion pump, the portable dialysis machine, and just for fun, the Segway. One guy, three major inventions that changed thousands of lives. OK Boomer, indeed.

Got a Mac, or an Apple Watch, or iPhone, iPad or iPod? Thank Boomers Steve and Steve, Wozniak and Jobs, respectively. Born in the mid-50s their work was integral to our technology landscape today. Say what you will about the more chronologically advanced (aka older) among us, we didn’t actually trash the planet and kill off the economy. We looked around, and for the most part, made improvements where we could. So what if some of us can’t grasp how to create and use Excel spreadsheets? Isn’t that what our Gen Z interns are for? We can address an envelope, tell time on a clock with hands, and dial a rotary phone. We can read cursive and drive a stick shift. You need someone to change a tire? Ya, there’s no app for that Chad, call your parents, they’ll show you how 

it’s done.

Every generation makes their mark on the world, in their own way. Millennials are blazing a trail in digital music and movies. Thanks you guys, I seriously love that I can pop up my Spotify app and blast “You Make Me Feel So Young” by Sinatra, and have it reverberate through my house on Bluetooth speakers. Gen Z kids are still a bit young, but I think they will be adding so much to the world as well, I can’t wait to see what they do. Call me Boomer if you want, I’m good with it. In the meantime, I’ll be binge-watching film noir movies from the 50s and snacking on baloney and cheese sandwiches on Wonder Bread. I will, however, add a slice of avocado, because I’m not a regular boomer, I’m a cool boomer.