Born in 1954, I identify as a Baby Boomer. But what does that mean, really? Who exactly are we Boomers? And how does the world see us? I decided to perform a quick Google Search and find out.
I typed in the phrase “Boomers Are…”
Here’s what I got:
The most selfish generation ever.
Retiring.
Reluctant to retire.
Flocking to cities.
Evil.
Doomed.
Broke.
Sensing that I didn’t yet have the complete picture, I decided to fine tune my results by Google-searching a few more Boomer-related questions and statements:
Boomers Need to…
Live to 100.
Get over yesterday.
Consider downsizing.
Consider the shingles vaccine
Get tested for Hepatitis C
Retire.
Die.
Why Do Boomers…
Plan to work longer?
Wear Blue Jeans?
Hate Millennials?
Have Hepatitis C?
Love baseball?
Baby Boomers…
Want to be young
Want to look younger
Suck.
All Baby Boomers…
Should be tested for Hepatitis C
Suck.
Boomers rarely…
Stop nurturing their children.
Baby Boomers enjoy…
Hair products.
Chocolate.
The ride
Baby Boomers can…
Be ignored.
Get pregnant.
Dance.
Afford to retire.
Baby Boomers remain…
In the workforce
Skeptical of the establishment
Relevant.
Baby Boomers never…
Say never.
Retire.
Grow up.
Had it so good
So who are we? We can dance! We can retire! (Unless we’re broke.) We can move to the city and downsize! We never grew up but we nurture our kids. We’re not young, but we want to look young. And we really should get vaccinated for Hep C.
Is any of this accurate? Who knows? If you want to discuss it, you can find me at the ball park. I’ll be the youthful-looking semi-retired 63-year-old offering the Millennial sitting next to me a chocolate chip cookie and telling him to get over himself.
(Roz Warren is the author of Our Bodies, Our Shelves: Library Humor and Just Another Day At Your Local Public Library , both of which you should buy immediately.)
Boomers are searching
—for answers.
—to fill in the blanks.
—for laughs.
Well, they had me at chocolate.
Ha! “Want to be young; Want to look younger; Can’t get over yesterday; Need Hair Products; Never Grow Up.” How ridiculous! Who can relate to that?
“Suck.” Yeah, that’s more like it.