Almost the whole world was in tears (of joy, of course!) after The World War II ended, but even more when after almost 9 months of the ended turmoil, the sheer cry of babies stole the people’s hearts across all the land. The population kept on rising and rising. From about 3.4 million in 1945 to about 4 million in between 1954 – 1964, this generation which took premise right after WWII came to be known as the Boomer Generation or more fondly Baby Boomers!
This generation did not only do wondrous things but also witnessed remarkable discoveries of their time! They were paced ahead of their time and occupy a major 40% of the present United States. They are now in their 60s and have amassed huge wealth that they inherited from their ancestors and also made up during their prime which accounts up to humongous as $8.4 billion! So, let us read some interesting facts about them:
1. Career leaps – Baby boomers have been accredited with being obsessed with making their careers, their most crucial achievement. They were actually viewed as a different race by some! They were focused, determined and bound to make their careers blossom. Making a mark in the world seemed to be their only motto and making it reality was what their only passion. Baby boomers were literally cry-babies when it came to their ‘work’.
2. A new best friend : Television – The boomer generation was the first to accept televisions as an integral part of their lives. From getting live feeds to witnessing entertainment like never before, baby boomers had it all! Sadly (sarcastically saying!) though, they were also the first to have advertisements which meant that the realm designed to infiltrate people’s personal spheres took stage in their time.
3. Advertising Creeps – Being exposed to the television meant posing yourself vulnerable to the daunting advertisements that were just taking shape. These advertisements had a major impact on the lives of the boomers as they depicted the lavish looking rich who posed as a viable candidate for comparison other then the neighbours, of course. With changing trends, the boomers kept immersing even more and were forged into a system, they never could leave from.
4. The Debt trap – The generation held a firm belief in buying things now and then rather than saving for future and buy when you can afford them. The credit card had become the rage by then and was autonomously used by the boomer children to buy things ranging from magnificent to absolute nonsense. This casual attitude, lead to more debts and sad faces than huge wealth and wide smiles, making it a little difficult to earn and ridiculously easy to spend.
5. The Boomer trade – Trade played an important role in the lives of the middle-class people after the war. While adults were entangled into buying things like televisions, cars and hi-fi systems with their new credit cards, the boomer children were the easy targets of advertisements displaying toys and stuff. The “Mickey-mouse ears” were all the rage amongst them so they could watch their favourite cartoon on television looking like their favourite cartoon! Barbie dolls, Frisbees and other new toys took the market by storm.
6. Society woes – Being born in the boomer generation wasn’t as fruitful as one might think it may be. The society was unequal as it has ever been and falling into debts was a pretty common issue. The folks from the boomer generation claim that life wasn’t that easy but they had their share of ups and downs. No wonder, boomers have enjoyed the most earning in any age group but they still have those woes in heart.
7. The Hipster revival – This generation had the utmost opportunity of witnessing the likes of Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Rolling Stone, etc. perform live on stage. The boomers took the backseat when the ‘drugs’ came ashore leaving many of them in the hands of turmoil. Nonetheless, rock music, drug experimentation, long hair, dishevelled clothes were all the rage during this nasty time for the boomers in the sixties.
8. The Rise of Feminism – Many prominent books and articles of the time (such as “Cooking to me is poetry”, “Femininity begins at home”, etc.) urged women into embracing the ever old idea of pertaining themselves to household limits and take care of the child and house making the different-minded women stand up to the age-old idea. Women who were discontent with the lives they were heading and yearned to live differently gave rise to the women movement in the sixties.
9. More work, less satisfaction – The boomers today are old and not as efficient as they used to be at some point in their lives. They have to work much more harder and for much more longer than their younger counterparts to stay in the hunt to securing prestigious ranks at their workplace. Many boomers claim that life 10 years ago and now are vastly different with the former being the easy one.
10. Retirement – The boomer generation had its share of ups and downs. From witnessing one of the most prominent work affairs to some sad lives, the boomers had it all. The oldest of the boomers have already turned 65 in the meanwhile while others are coping up as well. The generation that brought significant change in the world is now slowly drifting to the sidelines, now.
With this, we reach the end of the article wherein we got to discover many new things about the baby boomers and also relive the great time when many prolific things took place.