I am a card-carrying member of what popular myth refers to as the Me Generation—the dreaded Baby Boomers. According to popular wisdom, we accomplished nothing more than moving to the suburbs, and bringing about an economic downturn. According to a Zogby Interactive poll of 4,811 adults, when asked about the legacy of the baby boom generation, 42 percent said the baby boom legacy is consumerism and self-indulgence.
It has also become fashionable to bash Millennials, who are by and large the offspring of Boomers. They are called supremely self-interested, entitled narcissists who spend all their time posting selfies to Facebook. But the facts on both these generations suggest otherwise.
In Baby Boomers: All You Ever Needed to Know, David Neilson sets the record straight about Boomers this way:
They have been called the "Me Generation" because “they were the first generation to take a breather between childhood and adulthood and explore being young. They got married later, had kids later, and spent lavishly on themselves. Conversely, they are also one of the most active and selfless generations ever. Their continual fight against injustice created the women's movement, the civil rights movement, Vietnam War protests and much more.
Now take a look at Millennials. According to the report "Are Millennials Reshaping Politics in the Northwest", Millennials believe more strongly in state and local government, but they largely shun political party labels. They care much more deeply about issues than candidates, one reason why same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization are getting so much traction... From the According to a National Conference on Citizenship poll:
Millennials so far appear to be considerably more civically engaged than their immediate predecessors, "Generation X." The voting turnout of young adults (ages 18-29) almost doubled in the 2008 primaries and caucuses compared to the most recent comparable year (2000). There were also substantial youth turnout increases in 2004 and 2006. The Millennials so far appear to be considerably more civically engaged than their immediate predecessors, “Generation X.” The voting turnout of young adults (ages 18-29) almost doubled in the 2008 primaries and caucuses compared to the most recent comparable year (2000). There were also substantial youth turnout increases in 2004 and 2006. Youth volunteering rates are higher in the 2000s than they were in the 1990s.
Millennials have brought us the raucous protests of Occupy Wall Street, which were indeed reminiscent of anti-Vietnam protests. But they have infused their unique brand of social activism with a cheerful optimism that is as rare as it is refreshing. Millennials don't distrust authorities, as we did. Maybe that’s because the Boomers are now the authorities, and we’ve worked hard to keep their trust. We are proud of them—their savvy, their courage in the face of an increasingly uncertain world, and their determination to build a better future for themselves and the rest of us.
But we seem to have a common enemy who can't seem to figure out why we behave the way we do: Generation X. According to Greg Smith, a senior executive at Goldman Sachs, blamed the meltdown of the financial industry to the toxic Generation-X culture that was prevalent at Goldman.
According to this article published in US News, Generation X was most to blame for the meltdown of the real estate market.
The largest percentage of households in foreclosure belonged to those in Generation X—in particular, Gen-Xers who had high average household income ($59,500) and years of education (14.8 years). It seems counter intuitive that a well-educated and affluent group of families would lead the foreclosure charge. Yet this group of households made up more than one in 10 foreclosures. How do affluent families end up in foreclosure?
To Gen-X, Boomers and Millennials are incomprehensible. But we understand each other just fine. We want the world to be a better place when we leave it than it was when we arrived.
Copyright April 3, 2014 Dr. Denise Cummins
Dr. Cummins is a research psychologist, a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and the author of Good Thinking: Seven Powerful Ideas That Influence the Way We Think.
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