BOOMER OK?
I’m developing a conference proposal centered on being a writer/marketer of a ‘certain age.’ Now, I’ve been writing for twenty years, but I only started this journey when I was fifty-two. You do the math. Bottom line: I’m a Boomer. I’m being told I’m not OK.
Confused about the ‘generational’ labels?
Here’s the history:
Great Generation-(born before 1928) -2 million
Silent Generation-(born 1928-1945)-24 million
Baby Boomers-(born 1946-1964) have always had an outsize presence compared with other generations. They peaked at 78.8 million in 1999 and have remained the largest living adult generation. There were an estimated 74.1 million Boomers in 2016. By mid-century, the Boomer population is projected to dwindle to 16.6 million.
Generation X-(born 1965-80)-65 million
Millennials-(born 1981-1996)-72 million
Generation Z-(born 1997 or later)-90 million
How do I answer how good/bad a Boomer is? I was an English teacher for 23 years, infusing knowledge, confidence, and character in thousands of teenagers. After that, I was chosen to serve as principal of a brand new high school, selecting a dynamite staff and crafting a curriculum determined to galvanize all students to learning, to thrive. I worked as hard as a person could work to serve all my students and teachers, too busy to be active politically. Only when I left education and began my career as a writer did I have time to consider our political morass.
But I’m here now, convinced that our country is not okay. We are 72 million strong, we Boomers, and we are ready to help younger generations correct our course for the future. Again, do the math. Together, we are 227 million strong.
We Boomers are more than okay. We represent a force to forge a grand future. Let’s all take our next steps together!
P.S. Here’s a feisty Boomer in Fadeout, my novel about a boutique funeral planner whose clients refuse to rest in peace. He’s a retired general who’s got game!
