Running head: THE BABY BOOMERS: A CRITICAL MASS 1

The Baby Boomers: A Critical Mass

Pat Carden

University of West Georgia

PSYC 5085-05

December 8, 2021

Christopher Aanstoos
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The Baby Boomers: A Critical Mass

Critical mass is a concept we have discussed in terms of creating change in the sixties.

The explosion of childbirths that followed the end of World War II created a demographic

critical mass that shaped the sixties. However, a careful analysis of the prominent leaders of that

era reveals that most were born before the Baby Boom Generation was conceived. So while the

Boomers provided the critical mass, the leaders of the movement that provided the catalyst for

the sixties were part of an earlier generation. The Baby Boomers were the followers who

provided the critical mass.

The Baby Boom Generation: Graphically Depicted

United States birth rate (births per 1000 population).

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The Baby Boom generation is generally regarded as those who were born between 1946

and 1964 (although these dates are somewhat controversial). I was born in 1949, the peak year of

births.

The term was first coined by, Sylvia Porter, a columnist for the New York Post. In 1951,

she wrote: “Take the 3,548,000 babies born in 1950. Bundle them into a batch, bounce them all

over the bountiful land that is America. What do you get? Boom. The biggest, boomiest boomy

boom ever known in history.”

The demographics of this generation, and their sheer volume, create the anomaly that

influences economics, politics and in general culture, to the extent no other generation in

America has.

From Wikipedia:

“In general, baby boomers are associated with a rejection or redefinition of traditional

values; however, many commentators have disputed the extent of that rejection, noting the

widespread continuity of values with older and younger generations. In Europe and North

America boomers are widely associated with privilege, as many grew up in a time of affluence.

As a group, they were the healthiest, and wealthiest generation to that time, and amongst the first

to grow up genuinely expecting the world to improve with time.”

As we begin to contemplate the legacy of the sixties and the lasting change that was

wrought from the struggles of the times, the Baby Boomers contemplate their journey through

middle age towards their demise. At the least the chronology dictates that consideration,

although the reality seems to be quite different.

Again from Wikipedia:

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“As of 1998, it was reported that, as a generation, Boomers had tended to avoid

discussions and planning for their demise, and avoided much long-term planning. However,

beginning at least as early as that year, there has been a growing dialogue on how to manage

aging and end-of-life issues as the generation ages. In particular, a number of commentators have

argued that Baby Boomers are in a state of denial regarding their own aging and death, and are

leaving an undue economic burden on their children for their retirement and care.”

And thank again to Wikipedia:

]”In light of the generation gap and the poor state of the environment, Social Security,

etc., Andrew Smith, in his novel Moondust, said that Baby Boomers have the unique distinction

of "pissing off" both their parents' and their children's generations.”

My personal observations of my peers in the Baby Boom generation causes personal

concern reflected in the above two paragraphs. Many of our generation are in poor economic

condition as they near retirement age. The prevalence of divorce has left many with a strained

social network. The advancing age of our parents adds a dynamic that many of us will struggle

with. Even more troubling, is the lack of vigor that seems to permeate the spirit of many of the

Baby Boomers. What has happened to the activism and idealism that was so characteristic of our

youth?

Should we as a generation accept the legacy of the sixties as it exists today or perhaps can

be mobilize our generation to add another chapter to that legacy? The Human Potential

Movement was born at a time when our idealism and activism was at its peak, but maturation

and pragmatic concerns for “getting along”, for the most part, returned our generation to

passivity.
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Could a revitalization of the Human Potential Movement (without using psychological

terms) reignite the spirit of the sixties among the Baby Boom Generation? Could the Baby

Boomers coalesce into a movement to rewrite the legacy of the Sixties in a way that would bring

lasting and meaningful change to our society? Through providing opportunities for service and

education, could a grassroots organization of Baby Boomers help themselves deal with the issues

related to the end of life: congruity, spirituality, generativity; even the meaning of life? Could

these same opportunities for service provide the boomers in poor financial condition a way to

improve their economic position while serving others? Could such an organization provide

opportunities for the Boomers to become more self-actualized? Could such an organization

develop a more individual system of commerce?

The Baby Boom generation needs a purpose in life beyond self; a reason to make the

final stage in life worthwhile, the resources and the means to accomplish, the vision to stimulate

healthy growth in remaining years, and the social and organizational support to make a

difference to our generation and for our descendents. Let’s offer a suggestion or a baseline for

the issues that face us as individuals and as a society and come up with some pragmatic, but

radical, solutions to the problems that hinder the development of the human potential. And then,

in a less radical way than in the sixties, let’s find pragmatic, yet fundamental, ways to actually

implement a radical way of doing things.

Could the Baby Boomers at this point negate the “pissed off” attitudes of both our

parents’ generation and our children’s generation? Should we address the many issues that face

our society and culture to leave a lasting legacy? We have the critical mass and there is a glaring

lack of purpose.

Now is the time for the Baby Boomers to take the lead!