Talkin' 'bout My Generation

I just read an article from the News-Review of Douglas County, Oregon about the first wave of baby boomers turning 65.    http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20110213/NEWS/110219915/1063/NEWS&ParentProfile=1055.  It is purely circumstantial that I began this blog at this time.  Truly, I should have started it over a year ago if it were not for my world class procrastination skills.

Douglas County, Oregon?  Back in the day, living in Detroit, I would never be reading anything from that news paper unless it was reprinted in The Detroit Free Press.  Today, it is not really a problem. Most certainly, I read this on line.   I was informed about this article on twitter from a tweet posted by @SeniorBiz whose mission is to provide “Senior News, Opportunities and Benefits for Better, More Enjoyable Living.”  The tweet included the phrase “Talkin' 'bout my generation” which got my attention and directed me to a newspaper I might never have ever read.  The title of the article is “Douglas County Baby Boomers: Talkin' 'bout my generation"  by DD Bixby.

By the way, Douglas County Oregon is along I-5 halfway between the Eugene and the California state line.  The closest I have been to there is San Francisco.

By the way number two, I admit that I learned of this from @SeniorBiz.  I am a follower of @SeniorBiz.  While I intellectually and mathematically comprehend that I am a senior from most definitions of the term including having got the invite to join AARP when first turning 55, I still do not feel all that senior.

The article in the News-Review centers on five residents of the county all about to turn 65:  Leslee Sherman, Bob Adams, Neil Hummel, John DeGroot of Glide and Dale Greenley.  I will not get into much of what they had to say for you can follow the link to the engaging article which is part one of two.  I will provide a few quotes however that are in the spirit of what this blog is intended to be.  

“Baby boomers are used to being examined and held up as the bellwether of American society.”  Not only are we examined, we spend a lot of time examining ourselves.  Partially, this blog is due in part, maybe entirely, to our self-absorption with ourselves.  Until we were born, I was often told that “children were seen and not heard.”  I do believe TV had a whole lot to do with this influencing who and what we are.
“The question today is how retiring baby boomers will affect the U.S. economy.”  This has been a great question.  I will point out however that in the past ten years for sure the questions has shifted.  I would re-phrase it now as:  How will changes in the US Economy, the loss of pensions and the curtailing of benefits affect the retiring baby boomers most of which do not have enough savings?

When Leslee Sherman was a teenager, her mother told her, “Oh, Leslee, every generation thinks they're the special generation.”  Indeed this is true.  But, at that coming to age time in our lives, we do feel special.  The world is opening up to us in different ways.  We are really beginning to experience love, flexing our Independence for real, exploring our careers, solidifying those vital few life long friends, and melding ourselves to the music, movies, and  fashions of that time.  We all, everyone, of every generation, feels the special bonds to their music.

• What makes us think we are so much more special or unique than any other generation?
• Are we the “way to full of ourselves” generation?
• Is the soundtrack of our generation really that good? 
• Have we made an impact or did the Military Industrial Complex win?
• Can we still make a difference?  If so, how?

I kind of have given my answers to some these questions.  I want to hear from others.  I want to hear from you.  I want us all to be... talkin’ ‘bout our generation.

Write me at mgavoor@gmail.com if you would like to post your thoughts here.