Baby Boomers, The Generation That Made Today's America
America is a proud country and Americans are proud people. The United States of America is a country that is made up of different cultures and different races. It is where people go to seek the American dream. In fact, more and more people from different countries think that the United States of America is the country of choice to seek a better life for them and for their children.
This country experienced many wars and survived. It is also a country that has one of the best economies in the world and is also considered to be the country to embrace freedom and democracy. It is a country that is considered to be one of the most powerful countries today. However, behind it all, the American people are what really make the United States what it is today.
In fact, many generations and history have been left by the American people and influenced the world to live the American way. Some countries even adapted the American law to be implemented in their own country.
Of the many generations that the United States of America went through, one of the most memorable is the generation of the baby boomers. Baby boomers are considered to be one of the United States generations that made a significant impact in the world. This generation is the generation that fought for civil rights and it is also the generation that emphasized widely on equal opportunities for all its citizens regardless of belief, gender, race and age.
Baby boomers were people who were born between the post World War II era and the Vietnam War. This generation is called the baby boomer generation because of the significant increase in birth rate between the years of 1946 to 1964. This generation is considered to be one of the best generations in the United States history where its economy grew and civil rights were largely emphasized.
The baby boomers generation is also where education was one of the main priorities of the United States of America. People who were born in this era experienced fighting for their civil rights during the time of Vietnam War. Baby boomers also created a new kind of American culture. It included The Beatles, Rock and Roll, The Motown Sound, and even Hippies.
You should expect that baby boomers are people who are politically inclined. Besides, baby boomers grew up knowing that the American Military can never be defeated and the bad guys were people who are socialist and communist. These people grew up in the Cold War era and grew up hating people who have communist ideals.
Today, it is considered that baby boomers will have more tenure in the political office than other generations. This is because of the huge population of baby boomers existing in the country today. However, more and more baby boomers are now complaining about age discrimination in the workplace. You should never forget the fact that these people grew up in the era where they came of age fighting for civil rights as an American and where unemployment were virtually nonexistent.
It is also important that the baby boomers are people who have a wide view of politics and are increasingly interested in the way the nation is run. In fact, there have been two baby boomer presidents in the United States. Bill Clinton and the incumbent president George W. Bush was the very first baby boomer president of the United States. Furthermore, these presidents have emphasized widely on civil rights for Americans and have led the United States to economic growth.
If you are in the age of late 40s to 50s, you are considered to be part of the baby boomer population. It is expected that because of the advancement of medical technology, baby boomers will be able to enjoy a healthier lifestyle and also be able to live much longer than their predecessors.
So, if you ever think that people who are in the ages of 40s or 50s are incompetent, you should think again. You should consider that these people were the ones responsible for your current lifestyle and fought for your right as a citizen of a great nation. It is just right that you should treat them with respect and dignity. The baby boomer generation is one of the greatest generations that the United States ever had.
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The Stories behind the Years of Australian Baby Boomer
After the World War II (1945), the women and servicemen of Australia returned home. Their life that was interrupted for almost 6 years of conflicts during the war was resumed. The population revolution then started after nine months where childbirth rates surged more than 4 millions Australians.
These people born from 1946 to 1961 are called baby boomers. During this period, there was also an increased migration of Europeans to Australia. These forces are combined thus it changed Australia in the mid of the twentieth century.
The 1950's were considered the new arrival age. A new market was represented by baby boomers. Their needs were met quickly because of the wartime technology advances combined with innovative economic optimism.
The first audio recording was released in the early 50's known as Long Playing recorded using vinyl discs. In 1955, Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley was released in the market. The younger generation have known rock and roll and accepted it as a new and unique music.
Australian bands started to play new music. Johnny O'Keefe and Cole Joye were the top artists at that time. T-shirts and blue jeans became the fashion of teenagers mimicking movie stars in America like Marlon Brando and James Dean. Comic books rise to popularity as the youth's literature. Hula-hoops twirling became the favorite pastime of children. The word juvenile delinquent was first read on newspapers describing baby boomers. However, most baby boomers in this era represented a big change to the older generation.
The 1960's are marked as the coming age. After eighteen years of existence, baby boomers were hooked on the music of "The Beatles". In 1964, this pop group from UK toured around Australia selling out frequent mobbing and shows. Young people controlled the culture. Rock and Roll became the music's mainstream although 'square' parents don't like it.
Australian bands also hit the music wave. The first Australian band "The Seekers" released their recording reaching sales of one million copies. The controversy made by Jean Shrimpton shocked Australia when she came to watch the Melbourne Cup wearing a mini-skirt. Since then, wearing mini-skirts became the most popular fashion.
Baby boomers also brought great changes in politics. In 1963, Charles Perkins, an aboriginal activist led protestors throughout New South Wales to expose the Aboriginal Australians discrimination. They were restricted to enter pubs, public schools, and cinemas in rural places. The National Liberal government was forced to make a referendum changing the constitution in favor of the Aboriginal people.
The people power in 1970 shut down Melbourne metropolitan because of succeeding moratorium marches in opposition of the Vietnam War. This was followed by the popularity of alternative lifestyle and hippy culture.
The 1970's were the age of power. The adult population of Australia from 1962-1972 increased by approximately three million when the baby boomers reached the voting age. The Australian conservative form of government was challenged by the baby boomers radical ideas for many years. Gough Whitlam, leader of a charismatic labor became a candidate for Prime Minister. He authored the "It's Time" slogan having policies that will obtain the votes of baby boomers. It includes free education on a university, laws on anti-discrimination for Aborigines, and withdrawing Australian soldiers from Vietnam. He declared that the solution to juvenile crimes, vandalism and drugs is not moralizing or repression but rather the creative energies of the youth in a concerned and creative energy.
The 1980's onwards were marked as the period of ageing boomers. Radical streak were tamed by baby boomers to settle down in enjoying comfort and wealth as they reach middle age. Many boomers are represented in the bracket of people with higher income. "Generation Me" was the name given to them. Mark Davis, an Australian journalist states that baby boomers continuously dominate the Australian culture. Other groups had the difficulty of initiating change because baby boomers comprise the highest percentage in the entire population of Australia. They prevent new younger cultures to thrive in the conservative values and classic rocks.
Baby boomers economically represent bigger future challenges. As they get older, they will continue to distort the non-working population of Australia like they have increased the working population from 1960 to 1970 putting higher strain on hospitals, pensions, and aged care.
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