I don’t know if I qualify as a “Baby Boomer” or not; I was born in late 1960. I grew up in the midst of them, though, and I watched their actions and activities with great interest. I idolized the ones I knew; they were socially conscious, community oriented, and really “hip”. They tuned in, turned on, and dropped out. They started co-ops. They protested unfair practices by corporations and governments. They stood up for what they believed. And there were a whole bunch of them!

          Now, I look around and wonder where they all went. I see a whole bunch of people that seem to be about their age, but they behave nothing like the folks I grew up wanting to be like. They drive shiny new cars. They have IRAs. They are the very bedrock of consumerism, a practice that the “Boomers” I knew would have seen as wasteful and selfish. They seem to be living by the “Cheez-it” credo; “Get your own box!” They go to exclusive restaurants. They belong to exclusive clubs. They protest nothing but high taxes and the insolence of the younger generation, and you certainly don’t see them organizing socially conscious rallies or cooperative lifestyles. You’ll more likely find them living in the suburbs.

          Oh, you might hear them bemoaning global warming. You might even note that they claim to be for the “progressive” political party. But, like most Americans, they will most likely vote for the politician who they think is most likely to win. Everybody wants to be a “winner”.

          So what happened to those brave souls that were willing to risk bodily injury and incarceration to make their feelings about social injustice and war known? Where is the strength of spirit, the conviction, the heart? Is there no longer a heartfelt belief that peace and love are the ultimate answer? Do they believe that they have come to an acceptable compromise? Or did they just get tired? Or greedy?

          I find it interesting that the “Boomer” generation was the first to have such an incredible preponderance of lavish living offered to them. Before the 1950’s, people saw comfort very differently, and much more simply. Back then, even an indoor toilet was considered as a “convenience”, or a “luxury”. “Fast food” was unheard of, and most meals were actually cooked from “scratch”. So, did these “Boomers” just get so soft that they couldn’t even imagine an afternoon on the Capitol steps in the rain, waving peace signs and chanting slogans? Do they so fear the recriminations that such acts of conscience might bring? Or are they just very comfortable?

          The next time you are at a Rod Stewart concert (if you can come up with the 100+ dollars that you’ll need to see a concert these days), look around. I fear that you’ll see a lot of graying hair, complacency, and self-absorbed inertia. I wonder how so many of those motivated “radicals” of the 1960’s and 70’s managed to melt into such puddles of blubber and blindness. They had a good thing going; they were seeing real social change coming from their hard work. Now, we see the entire world slipping down into a nightmare of greed and domination, oppression and fascism. These are the social diseases they were fighting, and fighting successfully. It is so disheartening for me to see the “Boomers” as the “fat cats” now.