Damn, I may have put my foot in my mouth again…
Wow, I should have saw this coming, in a recent comment by Margie (BTW, I read every comment, regardless of what post it’s put on) is offended, well downright mad at my post on the impacts of Gen Y and Boomers.
Here’s Margy’s comment in its entirety, she raises some valid points, and they deserved to be brought up, here’s the comment she just left:
“Your blog entry is days old, so you probably won’t see my post here, but it’s taken me days to calm down from your post to sputter anything back. (Jerimiah, you made me mad!) I’m a Boomer but in no way ready (or financially able) to exit any stage. When did Boomer (hate that term, btw) become a pseudonym for old fogey anyway? Here’s how Boomers described ourselves to each other in an iconic (for the time) book-cum-manifesto, “The Apartment Book,” dated 1979. Sounds a little bit like the optimistic twenty-something rhetoric of 2008. “Through most of the seventies [we] struggled to invent and interpret a way of life that did not follow the old patterns. For the first time, because of the radical changes of the sixties, young people were not automatically following their parents’ paths to marriage, children and a house in the suburbs. Rather, they were searching, alone or in paris or in groups for a place to live that would express their own values. The community of young people who were, by God, going to live their own brand of life – even if they weren’t so sure what it was yet. Because we come from various persuasions and backgrounds, we approach our subject matter with new eyes. The only discipline is a shared commitment to making real ideas happen, without …hype or the tyranny of status names.”
I still believe that. And I bet if you went back further and checked on contemporaneous advertising and magazines targeting young college graduates of the early 1950’s post-war generation just entering the workplace, you’d again find that same open-eyed wonder at the opportunities before them.
The ready-for-anything attitude you describe can’t be pigeonholed into tired marketing classifications like Gen X or Gen Y. It doesn’t come and go like actors on a stage or styles in fashion. It’s something that, if we’re lucky, attacks us early and stays with us throughout our lives.”
First of all, I’m sorry for offending you, I sincerely mean that, that was never my intent.
Secondly, the post is based off data, and my duties in my day job, as it’s an accurate observation of what is, and what will happen. In fact, I’m working on a Forrester report looking at how boomers use social media (coming in the next few weeks) so this is top of mind.
As an analyst, it’s my job to categorize, segment, and describe trends, and for what it’s worth we didn’t create the “boomers” classification.
Regardless, Forrester classifies the Boomer generations in two segments, Younger Boomers (42-51) Older Boomers (52-62). My previous post was obviously referring to the older boomers, and I’ll suspect that you Margy are of the younger group.
These aren’t pigeon holes, and nor are they intended to de-personalize the individual. They are useful for those who make decisions to see the big picture, make sense of it, and do the right thing.
The fact of the matter is that some older boomers have already started to retire (congrats!) I’ve former colleagues who retired as early as 60.
So to clear up any misconceptions, in my original post, I should have indicated I was mainly focusing on older boomers, those that are getting nearer to retirement within just a few years.
This post is intended to be an explanation and an apology, I’m concerned it could potentially infuriate others further. I’ll forgo that risk and make a public apology.
Humbly, Margie, (and anyone else) I seek your forgiveness and understanding as I continue to explore these generational issues as it ties to web strategy.
I’m somewhere between baby boomer and Gen X status and have never felt like either. I had a professor who did Boomer research and I tried to explain to him that someone born in 1946 and 1964 had such different life experiences (I was in preschool when they were out protesting the war!) that he shouldn’t consider them to be part of one generation just because they all fell within a certain bell curve. Even 5 years, much less 15 years, can make a huge difference in the social conditions one lives under (e.g. whether Bush was President or Clinton).
I guess in the world of stats, I’m a splitter not a lumper. I know I have some shared characteristics with others AROUND my specific age but you go 10 years in either direction and you’re talking major differences in life experience (as I’ve discovered when dating!). But sociologists and marketers sell books packaging people into “generations” (always broadly defined) so I expect that the public will continue to hear about it until the statistics reveal other counter-trends (and I think it is just a matter of time, personally).
Numbers always rule out over people’s perception of themselves and others. We’re a science-loving society and professionals would rather trust in numbers to define reality than listen to what people actually say and think about themselves. JMHO.
And, just to remind you – some Boomers were doing this stuff, web strategy, a dozen years ago. While the technology may have changed, the goals and application were quite similar to the same goals that exist today. Those of us that tried to implement these techniques 10 years ago just had different challenges.
And, I totally agree with the comments that “young boomers” are not set. It has been a constant struggle in these times, and I fear I’ll be working until I’m 80!
Jeremiah,
I have noticed a trend of folks starting to default decisions for Web 2.0 implementations to late Gen X and early Gen Y individuals solely based on age. While I understand the need to “classify” people for research etc.. too much attention to this classification specifically around technology usage and understanding can do more harm than good.
I can’t speak for all young boomers but I am not in a position to retire anytime soon.
which is undoubtedly the most influential in our history
Never mind that Revolutionary Generation that birthed it all, or the post-Civil War Reconstructional, that re-birthed it again or the Depressional, that managed to survive in the worst of circumstances, or the Greatest Generation, which made modern society, surviving a great war.
History is best written, from a future vantage, but at least the Boomers are undoubtedly the most arrogant, byproduct of having no real challenges to overcome.
And Gen X, if we are to persist in pointless labeling, hasn’t even really yet found a voice, drowned out by the constant yip-yapping of the Boomers. Exit Stage Right already, young, middle or old, just go, and take your $4 cups of coffee with yah.
As an “older boomer” and Financial Advisor, I must admit, boomers (all of them) are my worst customers.
Boomers are disloyal. The meaning of “loyalty” is foreign to them. They want everyone to kiss their collective asses. And boomers are cheap…more so than the generation before them. If you born before 1964, I will not work with you. Please find someone else.
I was born on December 25, 1964, therefore labeling me as a baby boomer. Had I been born a mere 7 days later (thats only 168 hours later), I would have been labeled a Gen X’er.
I do realize the need to put “hard” dates onto population groups to put forth statistics, trends, etc… but I believe the classifications are far too broad and generalistic.
My life is dramatically different than someone born at the opposite end of the “baby boom” (which would be someone born the first week of 1946), and I so much resent being called a baby boomer. I don’t even remember the Vietnam War while it was fought or man landing on the Moon. I never remember NOT having a microwave to cook with. The national events that I recall, the TV shows I watched, the schooling I was provided was sooo different due to technology. America’s 200th Birthday in 1976 was one of the first national events I CLEARLY remember, while my so called fellow (older) baby boomers were already 30 years old with kids almost my age.
Sure, I do remember stuff from 1969 or 1970 — The Banana Splits, Sesame Street, my Hot Wheels cars and GI Joe. The older boomers were graduated from college and watching Meet the Press.
Needless to repeat that I detest categorizing us merely by a birth date on the calendar.