60 years of boomers - The generation of the many criticized

Generational conflict - 60 years of boomers - The generation of the many criticized

Boomers are easy to recognize. They type with one finger on their cell phone. They stay in the "writing" status forever and then only send one sentence. They use emojis incorrectly, for example they don't know that the crying face should only be used ironically. They print out e-tickets to be prepared for a possible battery failure.

Boomers are called Sabine and Susanne, Thomas and Michael. They use phrases like "Give the fin, comrade" and respond to "Do well" with "Do better". They don't shy away from asking the 18-year-old grandniece about her "love life" at family celebrations. And these are the harmless points. The really annoying ones come when they express their opinions on gender, veganism or climate change.

The pill marked the end of the boomer generation

That's the view of many late-borns. Now, in 2024, we will probably be talking more often about the boomers, because Germany's highest-birth cohort - the 1964 generation - will be 60 years old.

After 1964, the pill made its presence felt and births went downhill. As a result, the baby boomer years are often placed between 1946 and 1964, between the end of the world war and the pill crisis - or in other words: from Donald Trump and Udo Lindenberg (both 1946) to Michelle Obama and Hape Kerkeling (both 1964).

However, this categorization applies primarily to America, says social policy and finance expert Martin Werding, one of the five German "wise men of economics". In Germany, the baby boomers started much later after the war than in the USA and were also significantly weaker. "In Germany, the peak was 2.5 children per woman, in the USA it was 3.8," explains the Bochum professor, himself born in '64, to the German Press Agency.

However, "Gen Z", the generation born around the year 2000, is not so precise when it comes to classification. They often feel that everyone over 40 is a boomer somewhere. And that is not meant as a compliment. Young people usually use "Ok Boomer" to express their frustration with attitudes that are perceived as narrow-minded.

"Boomers" did not go through life without a crisis

When New Zealand MP Chloe Swarbrick (born in 1994) from the Green Party responded to a right-wing conservative critic's interjection with a curt "Ok Boomer" a good four years ago, it caused a worldwide sensation in her age category.

The core of the criticism of the boomers is that they have spent a lifetime consuming without restraint and thus driven the planet up the wall. Instead of at least humbly acknowledging this, they downplayed their responsibility, continued to jet around the world, pushed cyclists aside with their SUVs and blocked old apartments that were far too big for young families.

Those so scolded naturally have a slightly different view of themselves. What accompanied them throughout their existence was a feeling of fullness: they crowded into class with 40 people and later could often only follow the university lecture on screens because the lecture hall was overcrowded. Journalist Jochen Arntz, who published the book "1964 - Deutschlands stärkster Jahrgang" ten years ago, often felt that life was like a trip to Jerusalem - you constantly had to make sure you got a seat.

"The baby boomers in Germany are a generation that was hit hard by mass unemployment when they entered the job market," says Werding. "I graduated in 1982 and the motto of those years was 'No Future'. Labor market research tells us that this leaves "scarring effects", i.e. lifelong disadvantages in terms of labor market participation, wages and so on. The statement that the boomers got through life without a crisis is simply not true for Germany."

An ambitious and pragmatic generation

With fierce competition for the jobs available, an ambitious and pragmatic generation emerged that was rather apolitical compared to the older '68ers or today's Fridays for Future movement. Book author Arntz - born in '65 - believes, however, that it is often overlooked that this generation shouldered the burden of German unification and significantly advanced European unification. Younger people often take this for granted.

So how do the boomers react to their children's criticism? "I don't want to spend a long time defending my generation against the accusation of a certain carelessness in the use of natural resources," admits Werding. "But, of course, the progress in knowledge has only come slowly over time." And yes, of course there are people in his generation who should actually change their lifestyle but simply don't want to. However, a look at the top personnel of the Green Party shows that there are also completely different Boomer types.

Debates about meat consumption, waste separation and travel habits are part of everyday life in many families. Werding, the economist, also has to listen to one or two things at home. "I currently have the interesting experience that my children and my students are pretty much the same age, in their early 20s. And that always leads to discussions." He doesn't want to evoke a generational conflict, but the fact is that both the students and his children sometimes have different priorities to him. "There's sometimes a nasty look if I throw something in the wrong garbage can. And last year it was our youngest who made sure the heating was turned off."

Friction between the generations is a must

Jochen Arntz thinks the younger generation's criticism is okay, "because basically every generation rubs up against the previous one". Conversely, the Boomers also rubbed up against the '68ers born in the 1940s, who in their eyes always knew everything better. "If there wasn't this friction between the generations, society would grind to a halt."

As statistical life expectancy has risen significantly, the baby boomers still have plenty of opportunity for further development. For example, they could use their enthusiasm for work in such a way that they don't suddenly retire in their millions, but instead continue to contribute to society in voluntary work, for example. "Perhaps they will at least be able to achieve a kind of retirement-work balance in their old age," says Arntz.

And he sees another encouraging prospect: "If you look at all three generational projects together: the '68ers, who renewed and opened up Germany socially and politically, those born around 1964, who shaped German unity and its integration into European unity, and the following generation, who are striving for an ecological and digital transformation, then these three generations together could have achieved something very meaningful."

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The topic of generational conflict is expected to become more prevalent in Germany in 2024, as Germany's highest-birth cohort, the 1964 generation, turns 60. Martin Werding, a German social policy and finance expert, points out that the baby boomer years in Germany were placed between 1946 and 1964 and that the peak birth rate in Germany was lower than in the United States during this period.

In the headlines and top news, this generational conflict has been a topic of discussion, with younger generations criticizing the baby boomers' consumption habits and impact on the environment. Werding acknowledges that the boomer generation did not go through life without a crisis, specifically referencing the high unemployment rates and mass unemployment faced by boomers as they entered the labor market.

The generational conflict has been fueled by a sense of frustration from younger generations towards the older generation's carelessness in the use of natural resources and their seemingly unwillingness to change their lifestyle. However, Werding highlights that there are Boomer types within the Green Party who are working towards ecological and digital transformations.

Overall, the friction between the generations is seen as necessary for societal progress and development, according to Jochen Arntz, a book author and Boomer himself. Arntz believes that the generations together could achieve meaningful change in society, tracing a line from the '68ers to the following generations seeking an ecological and digital transformation.

Source: www.stern.de