Am I a Baby Boomer or Tweener?
I was born in 1962 which means that I'm a Baby Boomer or at least that's what demographers tell me I am.
But the facts speak differently
So why do demographers want to bunch me in with baby boomers?
They like tidy labels. There was an actual baby boom between 1946 and 1964. But to group these people born over an 18-year period together as some huge monolithic block is disingenuous and just plain wrong.
I have a picture given to me by the son of the photographer that took the picture of a young Bill Clinton shaking hands with President John Kennedy. It was taken in 1961 or so. I wasn't even born yet but I'm supposed to be in the same demographic group as Bill Clinton.
Those at the beginning of this baby boom could realistically be the parents of those at the end if they had children at 18.
As usual, I'll end with a picture
This is me with my husband Ian in Llandudno, Wales in July of 2003. What a glorious trip that was and one that I truly hope to do again soon!
Peace.
I was born in 1962 which means that I'm a Baby Boomer or at least that's what demographers tell me I am.
But the facts speak differently
- I saw key Baby Boomer shows like Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy, and Ozzie and Harriet only in reruns.
- Music icons like Elvis, The Beatles, and The British Invasion were past by the time I was old enough to choose my own music.
- I wasn't born when John F. Kennedy was elected and was only 17 months old when he was assassinated.
- The Vietnam War was something I watched on television every night not worried about in my house because of brothers, friends, fathers, or other relatives who were drafted and fighting.
- David Cassidy was my musical idol not Elvis or Paul McCartney.
- I was only 7 when Woodstock took place and no one in my elementary school was a hippie
So how can I be a baby boomer? I'm not!
Does it matter? YES!
Why does it matter?
Because I'm at the tail end of a movement that has revolutionized the world and has always had the media spotlight.
There was a big hullabaloo when the first baby boomers turned fifty in 1996, including our president at the time, Bill Clinton. This year, 2011, the first baby boomers are turning 65.
Those of us born in the first years of the 1960's are just starting to turn 50 and no one gives a damn. In 2015, the first of the 60's babies will turn 65 and the media will probably ignore it.
Perhaps they will pay attention to the very last baby boomers like my brother born in 1964 to turn 50 and 65 in 2014 and 2019 respectively but for those of us born near the end, we are just another batch of geezers turning 50.
So why do demographers want to bunch me in with baby boomers?
They like tidy labels. There was an actual baby boom between 1946 and 1964. But to group these people born over an 18-year period together as some huge monolithic block is disingenuous and just plain wrong.
I have a picture given to me by the son of the photographer that took the picture of a young Bill Clinton shaking hands with President John Kennedy. It was taken in 1961 or so. I wasn't even born yet but I'm supposed to be in the same demographic group as Bill Clinton.
Those at the beginning of this baby boom could realistically be the parents of those at the end if they had children at 18.
This is me with my husband Ian in Llandudno, Wales in July of 2003. What a glorious trip that was and one that I truly hope to do again soon!
Peace.
