The Good and Bad Characteristics of a Baby Boomer

Every individual is unique in his own way. This makes him different from anyone else. Even brothers and sisters differ a lot. But with every person’s distinct characteristics, he should still be able achieve good relationship with other people.

Many generations have been in existence for years now. And each generation is identified with certain uniqueness from other generations. If you’re a baby boomer, you probably know this by now. What then is a baby boomer? Baby boomers are those born after the Second World War. It includes babies born from 1946 to 1964 during the time of prosperity after the war. Baby Boomers are identified for their characteristics very much different from other generations. This maybe because they all grew up in a world that is generally dominated by the American Military. They lived in a world that offers new wonders like marvelous gadgets, household appliances. And during that time, very seldom can you find unemployed individuals. This means that almost all families enjoyed a prosperous life.

The academic leadership, cultural, political and industrial classes are almost dominated by baby boomers. The most prominent individuals are George Bush and Bill Clinton. They are both baby boomers and they both illustrate a diverging range of attitudes and values. The families of baby boomers have the largest household incomes in America. There are early boomers, as well as late boomers. This generation is identified mostly of the early boomers because the late boomers didn’t experience the military draft. The late boomers however, were more identified of the different cultural factors that they were able to share.

These late boomers are also known as early generation X’s. At present, they are now in the stage where they want to leave a mark in history. The baby boomer’s birth is a part of history, and this may be the reason why they are idealists in their own right. Boomers are expected to have a big impact and influence over cultural and political matters. They often belong to the higher echelons of power; and these leaders exhibit decisiveness, vision, and they can withstand even the worst of every situation.

But the baby boomers are not only known for their positive character. They also have destructive tendencies like selfishness, arrogance, and ruthlessness that can result to a outright despotism or factional strife. During a baby boomer’s midlife, they often re-evaluate everything that has something to do with their personal life. Those having families focus on the triumph and failures of their kids because they only want what’s best for them. Some boomers even go the extent of managing their children’s lives.

Boomers are over-protective parents. They want to sanitize almost everything that their children can see, including television programs. This is in contrast to their early childhood when they themselves want to indulge in almost everything with fewer restrictions. Through their kids, they seek to bring improvements to the society. Though baby boomers are known as the counter-cultural type and as hippies, they also have passions for social and personal improvement. But this is usually exhibited once they age out.

Baby boomers were greatly criticized as ageist and anti-youth. This is further evidenced by their catchphrase “don’t trust anyone over 30”. But not all baby boomers are like this, there are also those who abide by the social norms of the society during their time. Boomer or not, they are all important individuals who can contribute a great deal to the world.