I am sick to death of listening to people on social media or TV blaming all their problems on Baby Boomers. The majority of these people are from Generation Z (born 1996 to present) or Millennials also known as Generation Y ( born 1977 to 1995.)
Were we a perfect generation? Of course not but I assure you the results of our generation are composed of more positive factors and accomplishments than negative ones.
Let me start by saying I am always amused when I hear Gen Y and Gen Z members go on and on about how minorities are mistreated in this country. I chuckle because I remember true discrimination. It was my generation that fought, protested and sometimes died fighting for the Civil Rights Acts of 1963 and 1964. Yes, a lot of white people took part and sometimes died fighting for that Act to pass. Please note that the majority of Democrats in power at the time voted against the Act. Does this mean that there is no one left in the United States with racist tendencies? Of course not but things are a whole lot better thanks to my generation.
Before W.W.II only 1% of industrial jobs were performed by women. During the War 65% were performed by women. When the War ended and women were told to go home and be wives and mothers many were thrilled. Others were not and it is those women who planted the seeds in their children, the Baby Boomers, to fight for the rights of women in the work place. Those rights started with the Women’s Right’s Act of 1963. Today no woman has to worry about being asked if she is planning to get pregnant or does she use birth control when she goes to a job interview. Again, you may thank my generation.
Now, let’s talk about protesting. You members of Gen Y and Gen Z think you invented protesting? Well, think again. My generation put the P in protesting from the Viet Nam War to Civil and Women’s Rights. Only time and maturity will give you the wisdom to know when protesting is an effective tool and when it isn’t. Oh, we didn’t cover our faces and destroy property and attack people. We were out there with our tie dyed shirts and long hair.
As for the climate most of us smile when we listen to your generations tell us how dire things are today. In 1975 we were told that the Earth was cooling so rapidly that by 2000 there would be mass deaths from starvation even in the United States. Check out the 1973 film Soylent Green which claimed we would be eating each other in 2022! We were warned that the populations of cities like New York City would be so high that when the tsunami hit because of climate change millions would be wiped out in the blink of an eye. Yes, this was confusing because some scientists said we were getting colder and some said we were getting warmer. Bottom line – none of that happened. Our generation believed in caring for our Earth. It was our generation that dropped the car emissions that had been spewing into our air. We passed the littering laws. It was our generation that got the Environmental Protection Agency passed in 1970. Are things perfect? No, but things are okay. We need fossil fuel but where possible wind and solar should be used but it is ridiculous to say we need to obliterate fossil fuels. Oh, we had those extremists too but unfortunately, thanks to social media, they get too much attention today.
If you can’t get a loan today quit blaming us. Most banks wanted 20% down in order to buy a house when be bought our first homes. We saved and then bought. The housing crisis today is because of the government saying that buying a house is a right and then WHAM people proved them wrong. We were raised by a generation that didn’t believe in credit and we were taught that good credit was a character issue. No one I knew started out with new furniture and new cars. Don’t even get me started on student loans. It took me ten years to pay mine off. Your loans are not my problem nor should anyone else’s loans be your problem. This is called basic responsibility 101. Don’t go to a $40,000 a year school to get a degree in Feminine Studies and then be surprised when you can’t get a job.
I realize that the members of Gen Y and Gen Z think they invented sexuality but believe me you didn’t. Our generation didn’t care if you were gay or straight but we did appreciate it if you kept your private life private. We also believed and most of us still do, as does most of the country, that there are only two genders. Just two; you have boy parts or girl parts and what you do with those parts is your business but Gen Y and Gen Z want to shove their silly 50 genders and counting nonsense into our faces. We however, helped gay people stop needing to register with the local police department if they wanted to go to a local park. This was the case in many municipalities. It was our generation that fought to protect people diagnosed with AIDS from horrible discrimination that including forcing people out of their homes and jobs and that got children kicked out of schools, play grounds etc. It was the women of my generation that fought for better and more effective choices of birth control. As for abortion a lot of women in my generation were all for Roe but then Gen Y and Gen Z had to push the envelope and want to make abortion acceptable further and further along in the pregnancy. A lot of this conversation should not even be an issue because of all the effective birth control that is now available.
Yes, our generation started the living together movement. However, most of realize the importance of family and that marriage is the core. Sadly, that fact is something that as a Baby Boomer I am not so proud of because we have seen the decline in family structure and sadly the government has helped that by creating more and more government agencies to help support those who decide to bypass the foundation of family and marriage. We understood the roles of fathers and mothers but today Gen Y and Gen Z are often pontificating on how fathers aren’t necessary. We are seeing the cultural degeneration that is occurring because of this mindset.
Our generation fought for what we believed in and Gen Y and Gen Z are reaping the rewards. That is not a bad thing as we benefited from the efforts of the Greatest Generation. However, there is one thing that Gen Y and Gen Z can take full credit for, and believe me when I write that I don’t know anyone in my generation that would want to take credit for it and that is making “It’s not fair” their mantra. Our generation understood that life wasn’t fair. Most of us worked for what we wanted. We respected the flag and those that served us. Oh, there were exceptions of course but across the board we were patriotic. Republican or Democrat we agreed with President Kennedy when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” We didn’t expect nor did we want the government to be our mommy and daddy. We did not believe in a government based on a ‘cradle to grave’ mentality.
I believe that with time Gen Y and Gen Z will mellow out just has our generation and others before did regarding extremest views. Youth has energy but wisdom only comes with time. It is a shame we can’t combine the two.