Photo by Renato Pequito
I have recently learned that as one of theyoungest membersof the Baby Boomer generation, I can be described as aGeneration Jones-er, someone who is constantly trying tocatch upwith those spear-heading our Boomer cohort. The term comes from the phrase “Keeping up with the Joneses.” This well describes my vantage point within the Baby Boomer generation.The Baby Boomers are defined as those born between 1946 and 1964. However, the tail end of this group—those born 1954 to 1964--missed some key events of this generation because we were too young to be drafted into fighting the Vietnam War, too young to drive a VW to Woodstock, and too young to participate in the Summer of Love.
I have been chasing the older Boomers my entire life.
When I was in elementary school , I remember listening to the Watergate tapes at my orthodontist's office while he was working on my braces. And I remember watching my friends' older siblings protest the Vietnam War. I was intrigued by the world of politics, but I was too young to really understand what was at stake or how to participate. I found it interesting that more and more young people were voicing their opinions. Then in the early 1980s I became a legal adult, ready to explore youth culture. But I discovered that the Baby Boomers had shelved their idealism and found their ambition. The era of the hippies faded and gave way to the era of the yuppies.
After I finished my bachelor degree in English, I moved to Washington, DC and tried moving up the ladder of success. I was able to double my salary in two years in the field of technical publications and purchase a Saab turbo. I ate in fancy restaurants and took weekend trips to NYC. Many of my friends were entering grad school in hopes of becoming doctors, lawyers and business executives. People talked about resumes, networking, and promotions.
After attending graduate school and establishing myself in a career in higher education, I began to watch the older Boomers redefine aging more actively in many ways--physically, socially and vocationally--than the Silent Generation above them. I then decided that rather than being late again for the next trend, I would quit my job and study gerontology. This way I can help the older Boomers redefine late adulthood and I can better manage my own aging process. If I run as fast as I can in my study of gerontology, maybe I can catch up with my older peers. I have felt like the pesky younger sibling tugging on their pant leg, “Can I come, too?”
By acknowledging the political power and market power of the older Boomers and how they shape society, maybe I can be the cool kid, despite being younger, the kid with all the inside information on active aging. Related:
