Boomers, Xers and Other Strangers by Rick and Kathy Hicks | a review by Sadi Ranson Polizzotti

i've been reading a lot lately about my own generation and writing about it as well. i find myself mired in a swamp or sea of books about the difference between the so-called boomers, like my husband, and the GenXers like me. There are many good books on the topic, and the title of this piece is but one of them that i highly recommend. I actually came across it in the remainders and sale bin of the local Brooks Pharmacy of all places (you see, being a highly neurotic and pissy GenXers, it is inevitable, i expect, that i would find myself waiting in the drugstore for my Ritalin or what have you, along with the likes of the Elizabeth Wurtzler's of the world, who are in turn waiting for their respective bottles of Prozac. And no, we're not going to talk to each other; we're far too sulllen and sulky for that and we want to stay that way.

Boomers of course, are all too busy rushing about in their corporate Audis and BMWs to talk to the likes of me, which leaves me with the younger generation - the so-called Net Generation that i just don't get, because really, they are a lot like Boomers with their nausiating corporate loyalty and gung-ho attitude. Hey, i'm all for working hard and being productive, but please, not in the name of the greater good. We Xers know that the greater good just doesn't exist and if it did, well then Boomers took too much of it for us to reap the rewards, so maybe just now we are coming back around to a world that is palatable for another generation, but the Boomers helped dispense of any benefit we might have. Not only did they take all the good jobs. oomers are just old enough than us to still have them, so we are forever relegated to the hell that is middle management, unless you are insanely driven like yours truly (which really isn't a GenX trait; for the most part, we are an apathetic bunch so i would be the exception to the rule. By and large, we are willing to work hard but only if it is to our own good, not the common good, which long ago stopped believing in). Note, this obviously doesn't apply to everyone; these are what the book here tells and i find this interesting and sadly, largely true. We seem to be really disillusioned as a group because of the way we grew up in such unstable times and environment.

If you don't know, you are a GenXer if you were born between the years 1965 and 1976. Boomers fill the generation 1946-1964. I won't review the whole book here, but i will pull-out a few of the major differences between the generations and some qualities common to each. It's always interesting to take a trip down memory lane and identify the differences between us.

Corporate Culture

Boomers believe in institutions and the good of the world and the goodness of other people. Essentially, boomers will work for the common good, which is why they are so darn good in corporations. They will work ridiculuous hours on paperwork. What's more, Boomers are close enough in age to Xers that they have occuppied all of the mid and high level jobs that are good, letting us Xers linger in the bottom rungs. By the time Boomers retire, we too will be later in age and past those types of jobs. It's a conundrum.

GenXers: Absolutely do not believe in the common good. Sadly, we feel that the Boomers kinda recked things for us. What's more, we have lived through one of the biggest eras of serious nuclear threat. Oh sure, you all had the Bay of Pigs and what not, but for us, nuclear power plants seemed to just pop up all over the place and in our home town. We're scared. We grew up with the whole "push the red button" thing with the Soviets. As for corporations, we have seen that the Boomers were one of the most greedy and self-serving generations and it did little to improve corporate america for us. We'll work incredibly hard, but must be motivated by a benefit to the selfish self. Yes, i said it, it is selfish, but we are not willing to experiment with our futures the way Boomers are, according to this source.

State of Mind

Boomers are idealistic and optimistic about their own and their corporation and country's future. Grew up accepting the posibility of change, but not hte expectation.

GenXers are cynical, worried, and nervous about everything. We are, remember, the Prozac nation. We fear, we sulk, we get depressed, we are moody and brooding but to make up for it, we look good doing it. Xers grew up knowing only change. We don't welcome it. We want a stable environment and are willing to sacrifice a great many things to have that environment.

Knowledge | Information

Boomers grew up when information was valued, but not so easy to come by. You had to really hunt for it.

GenXers grew up with an information explosion. At first, we had to work for it, but within a short period, it became very easy to acquire. We value it, but we know it is readily at hand.

The Economy Stupid

Boomers have known huge economic expansion and growth, hence the term "boom." This was the era of Reaganomics and a truly booming economy. This is why you had yuppies who had expensive kitchen appliances that were shiny and made of crome and cool cars, etc.

GenXers have a very different approach. We've had to work for less money and the times haven't reflected the increase in salary that would reflect the increase in the cost of living. For the Xer, we are successful if we make as much as or more than our parents. We want a house and a good car, but are more willing to settle for one. We had "bo-ho" or shabby chic instead of yuppie-dom. We are the mini cooper drivers of the present and the future; all BMW inside, but kinda groovy on the outside - a good compromise car for GenXers and still incredibly hip.

Family Values

Boomers always respected their parents. This was just intuitive to them and part of their core values. Shows on television reflected this attitude, with the Leave It to Beaver and Ron Howard spin offs and The Waltons. For the Boomer, the original idea of the nuclear family and parental respect is what will always count. Families are more traditional, and likewise, the divorce is going to be more traditional - ex'es do not become friends in this generation who grew up with more "traditional" ideas of divorce which were along the lines of either you didn't do it at all no matter what, or if you did, you hated that person by and large. I remember our parents, mine and friends' too, who would divorce with such animosity. GenXers seem better equiped to remain friends with anyone with whom they have shared a large part of their life. It's not just "for the kids."

GenXers are very adaptable when it comes to family. The GenXer will reject the traditional definition of family and is more likely to view the network of friends and select relatives as their chosen family. The Xer will make their own definition. Parents, too, do not have as much authority in this generation due to the sudden increase in the rate of divorce from the previous generation; a GenXer is more likely to have divorced parents and be used to the step-parent or casual partner of either or both parents. Likewise, if we divorce, it is more likely that it will be less contentious and are more likely to remain good friends after splitting up. For all of the generational apathy and cynicism, GenXers are more accepting of major change because they grew up with it.

Culture Club | quick overview of generational qualities | the broad strokes

Boomers: self-indulgent, materialstic; have unparalleled economic expansion; see work as a top priority (end in itself); information hard to obtain; optimistic; traditional family values; nuclear family; steady or firm foundation; corporate loyalty.

Xers (aka Busters): defensive; adapatable- changable; desire for high-quality of life; feel abandoned; more sensitive to people; pragmatic; disillusioned; flexible; pluralist; unconditional family values; work hard for self or ideal/artistic endeavor.

Okay; those are the very, very broad strokes. Yes, they are generalizations culled from various source materials, but overall, they seem pretty accurate. It seems both generations have their strong suit and qualities to be desired. Certainly being pissy and sensitive and disillusioned is nothing that i or my fellow Xers have really desired nor is it something i think we strive to or are proud of, but then overall, i'm not sure we desire much of anything except perhaps some stability. I enjoy those Boomers who have those jobs that they fill so well that we Xers are no longer really desired. I like the idea of traditional family values, even though i grew up with far from traditional values. i see that those things didn't always work. On the plus side, i want to have that sort of youthful optimism that Boomers have and that real corporate loyalty, even though i don't see many corporations being loyal themselves (they want utter loyalty but will lay you off in New York minute.

The new generation - the so-called Net generation has retained some of what the Boomers had. In a sense, they combine the best of both generations, with their real work-ethic and crowd-like it-takes-a-village values. I want to be those things; i want to go to retreats and yoga-thons and jesus-in-the-woods retreats where everyone wears a groovy wooden cross and has names like Illiana and Zeke and Zach.

Perhaps the Net generation got it right and the young will lead the old. I don't know. All i do know is that, like a good GenXers, i envy those people, i'm disillusioned with my own generation, i'm wary of the future, i'm sick of all this change and i want my mommy and daddy. someone bring around the wahm-buulance, please.

Oh, to be young again.

sadi ranson-polizzotti