Dear Fellow Sixties-L List Members:
In the interest of thwarting a growing image of baby boomers as a generation
of self-indulgent navel gazers, I respectfully refer you to the June 12,
2000, issue of TIME magazine. In an article entitled "Twilight of the
Boomers," 52-year-old turncoat and journalist Daniel Okrent positions baby
boomers as a "generation committed to nothing more (or less) substantial than
what we appear to be leaving as our signal (sic. single?) legacy to American
culture: casual Fridays."
I've seen more and more articles and book reviews in the mainstream media
foisting this attitude. I hope some of you, as activists and scholars, share
my indignation and commitment to challenge ageism, no matter how cynically
it's framed.
I'm pasting here my reply to TIME with the hope a fraction of the letter ends
up in print. I invite you to do the same.
TIME Magazine Letters
Time & Life Building
Rockefeller Center
New York, NY 10020
To the Editors:
In his recent article, "Twilight of the Boomers," TIME journalist Daniel
Okrent demonstrates ageism in its most disparaging form. At best, he is a
revisionist; at worst a bigot.
Okrent agrees with the accuracy of the satirical newspaper the Onion in
arriving at a foreboding conclusion: "The ravages of age will take its toll
on boomer self-indulgence, and the curtain will at long last fall on what is
regarded by many as the most odious generation America has ever produced."
Substitute "African American," or "World War II veteran," or "feminist" for
"boomer" in the first clause of the above sentence, and then substitute
"group" for "generation" in the second. Is it difficult to understand my
outrage?
Those who buy into his prejudices gloss over the baby boom generation's true
contributions.
Whom, exactly, does he think built the digital economy and set in motion the
longest economic recovery in American history? Boomers set the stage by
developing the personal computer, operating systems software, and the
Internet. Look at advancements in almost any field from 1975 through
mid-1990, and you will discover significant, unsung contributions by baby
boomers.
Has my generation lived off the fat of the land without suffering or
sacrificing?
Although 58,000 of us died in Vietnam and another 300,000 became injured, our
war was within US borders -- a war against arcane values and a hegemonic
political and social power structure. Because of many noble sacrifices
1) Never again will a million US citizens be sent to fight in an undeclared
war;
2) Never again will women live in this society as second-class citizens;
3) Never again will racial minorities suffer segregation and discrimination
sponsored by sectors of our government and its institutions;
4) Never again will companies paternalistically and autocratically control
employee's lives;
5) Never again will companies dump poisons unabated into the natural
environment
Blatant prejudice is hardly the worst implication of this article. By using
an acerbic lens through which to view the aging baby boom, Okrent invites the
war between generations that his sources haunting predict. Because of the
size of his soapbox - TIME magazine -- he is contributing handily to a
loathsome image that younger generations may learn to detest -- ushering
elderly boomers toward becoming a hate symbol like the Jew became in Nazi
Germany.
Okrent needs to disavow membership in my generation; we don't want him.
Sincerely,
Brent Green
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