Iam not, nor have I ever been, a Boomer, okay? Given that I was born less than halfway through Ike’s second term, this claim may seem mad, sad, or worse. Is the thought of the emptying hourglass too much to bear? Am I trying to be down with the kids? Or am I attempting a sort of reverse “I am Spartacus,” refusing to accept my share of the collective responsibility for whatever it is — so, so much to choose from — that Boomers are being blamed for today? Nope, it is none of these things.
There is, of course, much more to people than when they were born. Defining a generation by date is inherent in the notion of what “generation” means and is inevitably broad-brush, but that should not be the end of the story. However, the definition of Baby Boomers as those born between 1946 and 1964 takes no account of ethnic, social, or countless other differences and is based solely on census data, an approach that combines rigidity and inadequacy with an absence of any sociological insight. Naturally, Boomers are the only generation to be officially recognized by the U.S. government.
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