Neil Howe's view of Boomers
What do you think?
(My fourth and final look at Zoomers, Millennials, GenXers, and Boomers.)
What are your perceptions of America’s Boom Generation? In his July book The Fourth Turning Is Here, Neil Howe, arguably the world’s leading generational expert, offers us a range of observations about his fellows Boomers. What do you think?
Boomers were born from 1943 to 1960. In 2023, 57 million Americans are Boomers age 63 to 80. In 2033, there will be 42 million Boomers age 73 to 90. And in 2056, there will be just 3 million age 96 and up.
Where do we start? They have always been a generation of individualists, spiritual seekers, and harsh judges of right and wrong. First-wave Boomers were the clenched-fist radicals of the Sixties. In the Seventies, Howe observes, Boomers ushered in the age of health foods, alternative medicine, yoga, and self-empowerment – seeming fads that have each turned into a multi-billion-dollar industry.
Beginning with William Bennett in 1985, Boomers have led America’s Culture Wars, primarily as battles to clean up the world of children and youth. In our time, Howe notes, Boomers have “focused on issuing unyielding standards of social rectitude to the rising Millennial Generation – aging progressives doing this mostly in colleges, aging evangelicals mostly in churches.”
At their best, Boomers have provided America with conviction and a quest for a common vision of the good life. At their worst, they have been bitterly confrontational, delivered ultimatums, reveled in visions of catastrophe, broken down our institutions, and sharply divided our society.
Now, as our elders – and they hope we’ll call them wise elders or spiritual elders – Boomers may still have something to teach us about inner vision, conscious living, and self-actualization.
Boomers and the Future
For the rest of their lives, our Boom elders at their best will urge us toward good character and a wise and principled life. Most of these values-based visions will be drawn from the depths of our cultural heritage.
In crises, we may find Boomers to be wise stewards. They may even help turn the crossing of a painful threshold into a purifying transformation. But we may also find them to be of such uncompromising, unyielding rectitude and zeal that, unchecked by younger generations, they would make the crisis much worse.
In good times, Boomers are likely to see the Millennials’ optimistic planning and building as bland, shallow, and herd-like. But Millennials will shake off the criticism and plow ahead.
What are your observations about Boomers? What do you think?
"they hope we’ll call them wise elders or spiritual elders" I'll bet they do!
The boomers have done some good things. But the political and ideological damage is considerable. It's up to history to determine whether the boomer legacy will be good, or bad. But because they lack a sense of tragedy, I don't know how well they can manage the tail end of their era.
I've really enjoyed this series of articles. I think maybe the boomer generation is the most illuminating because it shows how people develop their ideals when they are allowed, in general, to realise their potential. In the UK in the aftermath of the second world war doors were opened to the working class that never had been before because the government needed to replenish the population. A national health service and free education were made available and people could buy a home. The effects were limited to one generation. By the time gen x was reaching adulthood opportunities were declining, and have done ever since.