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We define generations mostly by birth years but that makes less sense than looking at cultural cohorts.
I think the cohort born from 1946-1954 might be the "Boomer Cohort 1". (I was born in 1948.) There was a post-war housing shortage and suburban subdivisions (with GI-bill mortgages) became popular. That is often labelled "White Flight". We were in crowded grade schools during most of those years and experienced the polio epidemic and the atomic drills. We had corny 40ish music on the radio until the folk music phase and start of big-time Rock-n-Roll. We remember the 1960 JFK election and the rabid anti-Catholic rhetoric that was common. We recall the beginnings of the Civil Rights era, George ("segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever") Wallace, Freedom Riders. Some might recall the Korean War and MacArthur. We were the ones most influenced by the prior generation -- Beatniks, folk singers, Elvis, etc. Elvis was first on national TV in 1956. "Leave it to Beaver" first aired in 1957.
"Boomer Cohort 2" might run from 1955-1964. They would not have much memory of Eisenhower (or Winston Churchill), if any. WW2 had ended ten years before. Disneyland opened in Anaheim, Emmett Till was lynched, and the. Mickey Mouse Club originated in 1955. Their parents had opinions on JFK, good or bad, and they might recall the assassination if old enough in '63. The Salk Vaccine became available, and polio wasn't much of a thing anymore after '55. The Cuban Missile Crisis was big in '62. The Beatles would have been a big thing and almost the only thing at times. Most were too young for the Summer of Love or Woodstock. They would have followed the moon landing. LBJ and Nixon were their earliest remembered presidents. Vietnam was nightly news. Very few would have been subject to military draft, but most were too young. The Johnny Carson Tonight Show ran from 1962-1992. Disco arrived in the late 1960s and 1970s and is viewed as a reaction to the earlier '60s counterculture.
They refer to Boomer Cohort 2 as the Generation Jones, i.e., keeping up with the Joneses mentallity.
^This is on the money, Sungrins. I have two older sisters, born in 1950 and 1952, and they remember those earlier things. I was born in 1958 and remember JFK's assasination as a 5-year-old. Asking Mom why she was crying watching the funeral--did she know him? Was shocked to see Kennnedy looked like an ordinary man. I always thought The President wore a white wig like he did on the dollar.
Grew up hearing "Vietnam, "Viet Cong" coming out of the TV. Had no idea what any of it meant until I was an adult and read up on the history of the war.
Watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Didn't get what all the fuss was about.
Remember one's sister's bf and friends trying to get to this concert called "Woodstock" and telling us they turned around and drove home because thry couldn't get near it.
My hamster, Sparky, died one afternoon. A while later, my older brother (1954) came in and said "Guess who died?" I said, "Sparky, I already know." No, said my bro, Martin Luther King. Somebody shot him. Never heard of him. At least I know the date of Sparky's death.
Was dragged out of bed by my mother when I was sick with a virus to watch the moon landing. Was mildly impressed but wanted to go back to bed.
Second sister's class held a sit-in in her senior year demanding the right for girls to wear pants to school and won. Paid off for me when I entered Jr. High the next year.
Vietnam was over and done with halfway through my high school years. Had no real impact on me.
Hard to say. As a Gen-X'er, I caught the last hurrah of defined-benefit pensions. Those who are only 10 years younger, think of pensions as some exotic privilege limited to the mythical elders. Yes, it took a certain steadfastness and prioritization of career over "fun", but the opportunities also happened to be there.
There's still jobs out there that offer pensions even in 2023, government (federal, state, county, local), teaching, police and fire fighters.
There's still jobs out there that offer pensions even in 2023, government (federal, state, county, local), teaching, police and fire fighters.
The 100 largest pensions in the private sector holds over $3 Trillion in pension assets. There are still many companies that offer pensions (but, only around 14% of the total).
The 100 largest pensions in the private sector holds over $3 Trillion in pension assets. There are still many companies that offer pensions (but, only around 14% of the total).
And the reality is that pensions at their widest coverage was in the 1960s and covered less than 40% of the workforce, mostly concentrated in industries that either no longer exist or have a small fraction of the employees they once did (mining, heavy industry like steelmaking, railroads, automobiles, etc.)
GM's worldwide employment today is less than it employed just in Flint, Michigan in 1965.
And the reality is that pensions at their widest coverage was in the 1960s and covered less than 40% of the workforce, mostly concentrated in industries that either no longer exist or have a small fraction of the employees they once did (mining, heavy industry like steelmaking, railroads, automobiles, etc.)
GM's worldwide employment today is less than it employed just in Flint, Michigan in 1965.
No kidding. But, they still do exist in the private sector (is the point).
No kidding. But, they still do exist in the private sector (is the point).
I was just illuminating that pensions were never universal and that, in fact, pretty much ended with the Silent Generation. Baby Boomers got caught in the transition to 401K instruments.
I'm fortunate in that I have a traditional pension, taught for 30 plus years, but most my generation, Baby Boom, does not.
Hell, a lot of the people I went to high school with haven't held a job long enough to even vest in a pension plan due to the collapse of multiple industries.
I remember a conversation with several at out 40th reunion in 2012. Three of them were trying to get the same job cleaning toilets at the truck stop.
Being born in 1951, I'm at the earlier part of the Baby Boom generation. That has been a blessing as it concerns retirement. Many retirees who do not have family ties keeping them there escape California for other parts of the country. Being at the forefront of the generation, I was able to resettle before the bulk of the generation retired. The old law of 'supply and demand' as applied to cost of housing came into effect. Today, it is doubtful if I could move to where I am now. It sure would be a lot more financially difficult to do so.
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