Bubble is bursting for many ‘Boomers’

 

Around 1 p.m. (CST) on Nov. 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy died in Dallas, Texas. Some suggest the tragedy of Dealy Plaza was the very subtle beginning of the Baby Boomer revolt of the '60s. Another unusual event around 2015 through 2021 could trigger another Boomer Reform movement. How and why this may come about is typical of "future history." It is part scenario and part reality, and it is described here.

A recent issue of U.S. News and World Report recalled the "Summer of Love" in Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, 25 years ago. Remember? It was a time when Baby Boomers listened to "acid rock," wore outrageous clothes and tried to work for a more peaceful society.

A quarter century later, Boomers throughout the country are busy doing what other generations have done. Nearly 70 million are involved in house payments, job seeking, marriage and divorce, and reproducing another generation of humankind.

Unfortunately, they are also returning to their parents' homes as they lose their careers to a stagnant or declining economy. So, in some ways for some Boomers, it is like returning to the past. And it is not a pleasant experience for them. The extended families that most previous generations were familiar with are beginning to arise again in a very unfortunate way. Adult children are returning home because they have lost their jobs or have returned to the market place as a part-time or "contingent" worker.

What may be brewing is a new extended family that is the result of a doubling up of households with three or more generations living under the same roof. The results are not always pleasant for any of the parties, and the Boomers are probably not pleased to again be under the same roof as their parents. This may be the beginning of an age war, a generational struggle between age groups that experienced very different personal histories.

You probably recall that the Boomers grew up in one of the most prosperous times in American history. They had the luxury of thinking beyond the traditional concerns of Finding a mate and finding a job. Boomers had the opportunity for more self-expression than previous generations. Those expressions made national headlines. As you re-call, their generation's response was a mix of idealism and excess.

On the other hand, their parents endured the Depression and World War II. When things got good in the '50s, their adulthood was a crowning achievement of abundance and goodwill. For them the culture began to go astray again about the time President Kennedy was killed. To further complicate the times, Kennedy's alleged assassin was shot down two days later on live TV just about the time folks were sitting down to Sunday dinner. Somehow the events of those crucial days in the autumn of '63 soiled the belief in abundance and the vision of a prosperous future.

To further complicate matters in reference to the conflict of age groups, Boomers have children of their own who are now adults. And, alas, with their college degrees, they are looking for work, but they are not easily finding rewarding careers. So the picture emerges of a number of frustrated generations living in the same household; The oldest wanting to live out their years in peace; the Boomers wanting to ascend to power and maturity; their children, now coming into adulthood, wanting independence.

As the generation of pre-Boomers begins to pass from this life, the Boomers may find themselves caught in the middle, living with a remaining parent, their adult children and grandchildren. It may not be a very pleasant experience and the Boomers may find a new enemy in their own adult children. It is very possible that Boomers and post-Boomers who have lived together with some frustration and dependency will really come to hate each other.

Envision a future where post-Boomers are in the midst of their own adult life and they find their aging Boomer parents and perhaps, a very old grandparent "excess baggage." And they can't get them out of the house. They will also Find out that Boomers and grandparents cost a lot, too, in terms of the economy. Medical care, Social Security and housing should be increasingly more expensive and the post-Boomers are the ones responsible for paying the bills.

All of this spells trouble. In Thursday's column, this trouble will be spelled out.

 

Joel Snell is a professor of social science at Kirkwood Community College.

Published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette: Wednesday, August 5, 1992