In 1967, certainly an iconic year with the civil unrest throughout the country and, of course, the Detroit riot, the musical group The Who came out with “My Generation.” This angry tune makes it clear that we were unlike any previous generations and disdained anyone who “tried to put us down, just because we get around.”
Tom Brokaw made it clear that his generation was the “greatest generation” by writing his book of the very same name. I read his book. I knew many members of that generation including my uncles and father. I didn’t buy the major premise that their generation was the greatest because of the winning of World War II. I know that the feeling of pride in America overwhelmed many to join the armed services, yet many did not have much choice. The Selective Service Act made sure of that. I am not intending to belittle the accomplishments of that generation, but when it came to social justice and treatment of women and minorities, that generation came up very short.
Furthermore, the G.I. Bill afforded those who returned from the War to get an education and buy inexpensive housing. The American car companies flourished; the unions protected workers. Put in your thirty years at the factory during which time you could afford a home, new car, and a cottage Up North, and at age fifty-five, retire with a more than a sustaining pension and full medical benefits.
Nice gig, huh? All for manual, unskilled labor. Those days are long gone.
So, what am I saying? Just as a father and mother want their children to grow up better off and better than they were, each generation should be a remarkable improvement on the previous one. The problem with any form of evaluation is what criteria to use. Certainly, the criterion of winning the Second World War should be used in judging Brokaw’s generation. Tremendous and ultimate sacrifices were made to defeat the Nazis and Japanese.
What criteria can be used for us baby boomers? Although far from satisfactory, take a look at the strides in civil rights and women’s rights over the past sixty years. Take a look at the tremendous growth in technology which, incidentally, as a byproduct ruined the middle class, unskilled workers mentioned earlier.
I am proud of my generation. Hopefully, a Tom Brokaw type will appreciate it in a tribute someday.
“I’m not trying to cause a big sensation; I’m talkin’ ‘bout my generation.”
