Idealistic Parents & Civic Children

By Michael Drew - Aug 25 , 2010

Are your parents Baby Boomers? Mine are. I love ‘em, but I think they may go down as the most self-absorbed generation in the history of generations. Have they always been optimistic? Yes. Have they stood up for their ideals? Absolutely. Have they demonstrated yoga-like flexibility when the situation called for it? Again and again. But ultimately, it has always been the Boomer’s choosing individualism over conformity that he or she is most proud of.

Consider these facts:

• 66% of Boomer men who managed to avoid the Vietnam War have admitted to some degree of “dodging” in order to do so.
• On December 23, 1975, arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled in favor of Major League Baseball pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally, opening the floodgates for players to become “free agents” if they played for their teams one year without a contract.
• Assembly of God church membership grew by 400% during the 1980’s as Boomers abandoned “established” religions in favor of New Age and evangelical sects.
• In 1997 in The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Rendezvous With History, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe stated: “Around WWII, we were proud as a people but modest as individuals. Fewer than 2 people in 10 said yes when asked, ‘Are you a very important person?’ Today more than 6 in 10 say yes. Where we once thought ourselves collectively strong, we now regard ourselves as individually entitled.”

If you subscribe to the notion of “nurture over nature,” it’s easy to see how Boomers became so inner-focused. From their earliest years it was all about them. Our grandmothers were the most intensely nurturing generation of women America ever saw. Most of these former “Doughnut Dollies” (women who worked with Red Cross recreation centers during the war) stayed at home and made their children their livelihood. Even 80% of Boomer children of those women who did have a job to go to were taken care of by relatives in their own homes. Only a mere 2% were put into institutionalized daycare.

This child obsession could also be seen thanks to advances in the medical field. In the U.S., the scourges of diphtheria and polio were almost eliminated, tooth decay was lessened because of fluoridated water and more vaccinations and operations were performed on Boomer children than any prior generation.

Furthermore, the discipline of Boomers was extremely democratic. As writer (and mother) Eda LeShan recalled, “We wanted our children to be inner-directed. It seemed logical to us that facism and communism … could not really succeed except in countries where children were raised in very authoritarian homes.”

If you study it closely, it’s not hard to find the empirical evidence to support how and why our Baby Boomer parents have always been such interesting individuals. And I stress individuals. For 40 years America snubbed its nose at conformity. But as Bob Dylan once grunted, “The times, they are a-changin’.” Our parents’ idealistic perspective is being replaced by a more civic-minded one.  Are you one with the forces at hand?

Prove it:

1.    Get connected. Study the practical applications of new media.

2.    Get involved. Make a difference by being part of something bigger than you.

3.    Steer clear of hype and pretense. Say something powerful instead of powerfully.

4.    Be transparent. It’s okay to let them see you be real, no matter how typically you see yourself.

5.    Don’t “we-we” all over yourself. It’s not nice to boast about yourself and your company. Better to steer your message towards your civic interests.