Boomers

"Do not go gentle into the good night!"
Dylan Thomas


"Come play with your own age group!"

Who are Baby Boomers?

A Quick Reflection of Boomer DNA


In the years following World War II, the country saw a sharp increase in births and, as a result, the term "Baby Boom" was born to describe our unique group. If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you're considered one the 76 million Americans known as Baby Boomers. We make up an influential demographic that is considered the wealthiest and most active of all generations.

We are a competitive bunch, and for the most part, fiscally responsible. We're goal-oriented, career-focused, and we're nonconformists who are willing to question authority. (One of our favorite quotes is, "We don't mind authority; we just don't like being told what to do.") We're a hard working generation: 80% of us are in our 50s and still in the workforce, while more than 30% of our oldest members continue to work in some capacity.

Baby boomers are increasingly active as we age. We want adventure in our lives, and our sense of adventure often carries over to our vacation plans - we enjoy finding ways to make trips educational and active. We like to try sports like skydiving, paragliding or extreme skiing. Even if our bodies can't deliver on what our minds tell us we can do, we will find a way -- to quote the Marines -- "Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome." Well... that, or we go find a less "in your face" way to try a similar sport.

However we choose to do it, don't count us out when it comes to enjoyable escapades, and sometimes a little bit of horseplay. And when our knees don't want to play along, there's always extreme beach reading. Hey -- it's an artform. One you can indulge in while waiting for your crazy travel partner to get strapped in and flyover as he or she paraglides. Win win.

Our group has witnessed some significant moments in history. Rosa Parks refusing to move to the back of the bus, the Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the birth of NASA, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Jr., Vietnam, Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon, Watergate, and Woodstock.

There's no way to underline the influence Boomers have had on pop culture. We've made over American arts and entertainment twice - first as audiences, and later as musicians, writers, actors, and artists. Names that have been seared into our collective identiy as a group: Elvis, Hendrix, Dylan, Haggard and Cash, John Denver, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Lennon and McCartney, Andy Williams, John Wayne, James Bond. Alan Freed, Wolfman Jack, Dick Clark, and Don Cornelius. Where do you even start and end that list?

When it comes to technology, we've seen it all. Boomers have seen the evolution of audio and music media. From the Golden Age of radio shows on giant in-home radios the size of a bookcase; to vinyl records and transistor radios; to 8 track and 4 track to cassette tapes and boom boxes; to CD's and internet streaming; to downloading our favorite music to our cell phones.

We've wittnessed the evolution of video media. From black and white television to color TV; to MTV and music videos; to recording VHS tapes on cumbersome camcorders; to renting VHS and Betamax movies from the movie rental store; to DVD's; to internet streaming services, and most recently, downloading our favorite movies and programs to our cell phones and other portable devices. We've seen the influence that NASA inventions have had on our everyday world.

Classic country, rock and roll and muscle cars define us. Well, they define me, anyway. And I'm right in the middle of the "46 to 64" pack, so they don't come any more 'Boomer' than me. I was raised by a gracious woman who knew that good manners were important, and a man's man who understood the important of independence. And horsepower. But that's another story... But they were both noble members of the Greatest Generation.

Baby Boomers are a hard-working, inqusitive generation that has made a significant impact on our society. We've seen many changes throughout our lifetime, but we always rise to the occasion, and we strive to live our lives to the fullest.

So yeah; Boomers do, indeed, rock.



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Stars and States, The Year Was...?,
AND The Long and Short it,
are our ongoing Series.



"The Year Was...?"

Listen to happenings and milestones during the podcast to guess what year we're highlighting.




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What is "The Long and Short of It?"

Inspired by Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story," we occasionally showcase a person or thing that was widely known and embraced by mid-century popular culture. Examples might be an actor, a toy, or simply an idea that was notably popular in the 50's, 60's or 70's. Tune in to our podcast to see if you can guess who or what it is before the "reveal" at the end!




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