"The Boomer Century" on PBS Tonight

[Sandy]

My kids watched the first hour with us and it was a good opportunity to teach "history".

I was dissappointed that they didn't explore the future very well - only glossed at the edges. We are a very large, but not homogenious group. There will be a segment of healthy/wealthy (most on this board will fit that category), who live long, active, inquisitive lives, there will be a large group who will continue to work - for reasons ranging from enjoyment to financial need, and there will be a large group who are ill, poor, and struggling.

This is probably true of all past populations, but the sheer numbers, and the relative proportion of each of these groups will really determine the effect boomers will have an an older population. My gut, based on the many population, health and financial surveys, suggests that each of these groups is about equal, which is one of the things that makes it so difficult to anticipate the impact.

[farmerEd]

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I thought the program was pretty shallow.

Thats an understatement...I barely made it thru the first 15 minutes before shutting it off...shame on PBS; I expect more from them.

[tryan]

Only lasted 45 minutes ... didn't hold my attention.

[Coach]

I was pretty disappointed with the program. I thought they gave boomers way too much credit for the civil rights movement -- that was well under way before we grew up. And I don't like this breathless excitement about life extension when we're unable to to extend mental acuity too. What was the statistic -- 47% of people over 85 suffer from dementia?

Coach

[FIRE'd@51]

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Originally Posted by Cut-Throat - And another thought that occured to me were the folks that were born from about 1933-1943, had the best of both generations. They didn't have to live through the depression, fight in WWII, most were too old for Vietnam. They Still got pensions and healthcare from MegaCorp and are now collecting SS.

This is an interesting observation. There has been an enormous wealth transfer (especially through health care, but also SS) from the rest of society to those born in that time interval. Plus, there was less competition for jobs, since the boomer bubble hadn't arrived yet. And when they started to retire the boomers were there to bid up the price of their homes and buy their stock.

[FIRE'd@51]

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Originally Posted by donheff Saved the world maybe. But they also championed racism, sexism, homophobia, drunk driving and a host of other joys. The boomer generation reacted negatively to all of that and changed the world

I think you are being a bit harsh here. The boomer generation really had nothing to do with "Brown vs School Board" (1954 - the oldest boomer was eight) and little to do with the Civil Rights legislation of the 60's (most were still too young). The impetus for this came from many in the generation you are pointing your finger at. I think we can safely say the boomer generation advanced the cause, but I would hardly give the boomers credit for initiating it.

[HFWR]

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Originally Posted by OkieTexan I thought the program was pretty shallow....high on fluff, low on substance.

Much like the "boomers"...

HFWR (b. 1954)

[Coach]

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Originally Posted by HFWR Much like the "boomers"... HFWR (b. 1954)

Well said! Despite high ideals, I don't think we've managed things very well.

Coach (b. 1951)

[Mwsinron]

Going to be alot of people working into their 70's

[JohnEyles]

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seems a bit self-aggrandizing. i would imagine previous generations might have produced a similar video if only they had video to film it or the ego to show it.

I don't think you watched the whole thing. The latter part of the show (and I agree
about the first part being a little silly) was very much a challenge to the boomer
generation to DO something useful with their latter years. They had a quote "I am
what survives of me" that I found thought-provoking.

A also liked a quote from Andrew Weil (integrative medicine dude) who laughed
and said "we don't have a health care system in this country, we have a
disease-management system".

If you get a chance, watch the last half-hour or so.

[tryan]

Quote from: Cut-Throat on Today at 09:29:24 AM

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- And another thought that occured to me were the folks that were born from about 1933-1943, had the best of both generations. They didn't have to live through the depression, fight in WWII, most were too old for Vietnam. They Still got pensions and healthcare from MegaCorp and are now collecting SS.

The same thing could be said about the tail of the boom [1955-64]. Sustitute "old" for "young" ... got draft numbers though. Oh, and hoping pensions/SS pays.

TRYAN (dob 1961)

[dex]

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Originally Posted by Maddy the Turbo Beagle I agree...the previous generation saved the world....and the boomers brought us divorce, overconsumption, and entitlement....and their kids are brats too.

I have to agree also. The boomers are not all that and a bag of chips!

Seriously, many of the good ideas of the 1960s that are attributed to the boomers actually came from the thinkers of the "Baby Bust" generation, and earlier.

I think the 1970s "Me Decade" and 1980s Greed Decade are the legacy of the Boomers.

[lazygood4nothinbum]

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Originally Posted by tryan The same thing could be said about the tail of the boom [1955-64]. Sustitute "old" for "young" ... got draft numbers though. Oh, and hoping pensions/SS pays. TRYAN (dob 1961)

i used to think all boomers were older than me and only recently realized i was one myself. apparently i'm not alone in this because one of my high school friend who i recently visited in sarasota was surprised when i told him he was a boomer too.

while i always thought i would have made a good beatnik, i came of age even after hippies were going out of style, graduating high school in 1975. my age group was then too young for vietnam (not even a draft number) and later too old for the gulf war. sexually we scored as well because we came of age after the sexual revolution but plenty enough before aids to explore who we are in an atmosphere relatively free from fear. if ever there was, we truly were a generation of love and peace. like a ball falling onto a roulette wheel, i feel very lucky to have been born into that slot in history.

[Zoocat]

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Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum ya. i caught that reverse order too. and then during that struggle, after years of paying for the previous generation's social security, in order to leave great legacy, boomers will be asked to sacrifice their own security and comfort for the benefit of future generations. how oddly fitting for the me generation to leave a boomer legacy of martyrdom.

Good point. I never understood this "greatest generation" hype. Yes, they fought WWII and I'm glad they did. But our generation fought in Vietnam and also stopped the war through civil action. People of our generation also protested the injustice of segregation and fought for women's rights. As a woman, I applaud our generation's efforts, as they have made the world a MUCH better place for my children.

[unclemick]

Rats - I'm in the was - or on the cusp so to speak as the last of the Silent Generation or the first of The Baby Boomers depending on which study you read.

heh heh heh heh - the program was pretty broad brush - they didn't even cover my seminal moment(at least the part I watched) - Apollo 8 and the Earth rise over the Moon - it dawned on me we lived in a pretty small place and it wouldn't be a good idea to screw the pooch.

[deserat]

Unclemick - I'm on the other end - 1964 - they call me a boomer - I call myself a tweener - I have some boomer tendencies but some tendencies of the succeeding generational 'tag.'

Missed the show - looks like I didn't miss much - PBS has been doing a lot of schlock lately - used to watch them a lot more.....

As for the comment about 33-43 missing Vietnam - not likely - my father was born in 1940 and did a stint in Vietnam as a military pilot.....that was in 1968.

My husband, born in 1967 did two stints in Desert Storm and will probably do a stint in Iraq - yes, he's military, however, very few people in the military miss out on these 'experiences.' Seems like every generation gets some kind of conflict with which to engage their military one way or another.....

I was Reserve during Desert Storm, but didn't get called - was in Europe 11 during Sep - supported Enduring Freedom.

Deserat

[Eagle43]

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Originally Posted by deserat As for the comment about 33-43 missing Vietnam - not likely - my father was born in 1940 and did a stint in Vietnam as a military pilot.....that was in 1968. Deserat

Yep, I'm 1943, and I made my Danang trip. Of course, I am a net beneficiary since I was not hurt and I still get a retirement check.

This guy, Ken Dychtwald, and his wife Maddy, have made a living with these shallow presentations. Apparently the Mega-Corps of this world love him.

http://www.agewave.com/keynote/index.php

[clifp]

I thought the show was just ok, started off kinda of slow, the challenge section was generally good, but a bit ptichy preachy, but the music was da bomb.

channeling Randy Jackson..

[Goonie]

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Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum ....graduating high school in 1975. my age group was then too young for vietnam (not even a draft number) and later too old for the gulf war........ i feel very lucky to have been born into that slot in history.

Lucky to also be Class of '75.....Life has been good....and is getting better everyday!!!!

Goonie (1957 vintage)

[wildcat]

Old thread but I started to watch the program and found it to be very boring.

from Donheff

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But they also championed racism, sexism, homophobia, drunk driving and a host of other joys. The boomer generation reacted negatively to all of that and changed the world

Well, maybe or maybe not. I am always amazed by how much credit some generations, political parties, etc. take for major historical events. Who really deserves the credit? Some of those things may have been inevitable and would have happened no matter who was around.