source : the age
Ever since reading Douglas Coupland’s Generation X, I have been interested in the idea that we can be collectively defined by the era and circumstances of our birth. But is generational identity merely a tool for consumer marketing, or is there something deeper at play? Can the era in which we were born determine how we think and act? Generational battle lines have been drawn over everything from how we wear our socks or part our hair to far more serious realities of our times, from attitudes towards corporate careers to our financial status and wellbeing. No group has been more maligned in these debates than the Baby Boomers – the cohort born between 1946 and 1964 during a time of post-World War II economic prosperity. Their perceived advantages, ranging from free tertiary education to accessible home-ownership, have made them objects of envy, exasperation and even derision (“OK, Boomer”). But is that the whole picture? Greg Callaghan’s story introduces you to Boomers who argue it is not. – Melissa Stevens, editor
