A must read article: An Open Apology to Boomers Everywhere
Hi All,
I came across this hilarious, yet insightful article, on Salon.com. It was written by columnist, Heather Havrilesky, a true member of Gen X.
The subhead under the article title “An Open Apology to Boomers Everywhere” reads: “Your earnest, self-important prattle has gotten on Gen X nerves for decades. But now we finally get it.”
As someone (me) who studies generation relations and dynamics, and as someone (me) who is on the cusp, at 44-years old, of being considered a (young) Boomer and/or (old) Gen Xer, I can totally relate to her perspectives.
Here’s just one excerpt from this terrific article, and I strongly recommend clicking on the link below this blurb to read the whole thing:
But when we watched Barack Obama’s victory speech on Tuesday night, we looked into the eyes of a real leader, and decades of cynicism about politics and grass-roots movements and community melted away in a single moment. We heard the voice of a man who can inspire with his words, who’s unashamed of his own intelligence, who’s willing to treat the citizens of this country like smart, capable people, worthy of respect. For the first time in some of our lifetimes, we believed.
But how could we have known? We were raised under Ronald Reagan, smiling emptily under a shellacked cap of shiny brown hair like a demon clown, warning us (With a knowing nod! With a wink!) about those evil Russians stockpiling nuclear arms thousands of miles away. We were raised by “The Love Boat” and “Eight Is Enough” and “Charlie’s Angels,” a steady flow of saccharine tales with clunky morals. There were smiling families, hugging and learning important lessons on every channel, while at home, our parents threw dishes at each other’s heads. We went to church and learned about God’s divine plan every Sunday, but all it took was one Dr. Seuss cartoon about an entire world that existed on a speck of dust, and our belief in God was deconstructed in an instant. Our childhoods were one long existential crisis. We ate Happy Meals while watching the space shuttle blow into tiny bits.
Her article has also received 350+ comments from Millennials-Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomers, and those are pretty interesting, too.
CLICK HERE to read the whole thing!
Enjoy!
Lisa
Lisa Orrell is The Generation Relations Expert, and has appeared on ABC, MSNBC and NPR (to name a few). She is a speaker, consultant, and author of the book "Millennials Incorporated" (on Amazon). Based on her expertise, Lisa is an in-demand expert who educates well-known companies (such as Cisco Systems, Paul Mitchell, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield) about effectively attracting, recruiting, managing and retaining Millennials (Generation Y). She also conducts popular seminars on how to improve generation relations within the workforce – thus improving communication, productivity and revenue. MEDIA: Contact Lisa for an interesting interview!
November 9th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Great find here. I love the author’s ironic wit, yet this is also a very well written piece about generational differentces. The point about Obama’s speech as seminal American history is so true–this is a moment in history unique to Americans of all ages. Could it be the next “I have a dream” moment for Gen X’ers and Y’ers?
November 10th, 2008 at 4:43 am
is this a parody?
“not ashamed of his own intelligence”
“parents threw dishes at each other’s heads”
funny if parody. pathetic if sincere.
November 20th, 2008 at 7:27 am
It’s all in our point of view, isn’t it? And if one generation has an entirely different slice than another, it’s a great opportunity to share those points of view and learn. Great post, thanks Lisa!
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