This week on Women for Living in Community we want to reach out to readers of this blog to answer a burning question: what should we call ourselves?
Certainly there are already several applicable titles. We fall easily within the Baby Boomer generation. Since most of us are over 60, at least, we could also be called seniors. However, when I hear those titles I find myself cringing inside just a little bit. They are the easiest but are they the best?
Most of us know the history of the term Baby Boomer. If not, here is a quick recap. It came about after World War II between 1946 and 1964. Our nation experienced a baby boom which led to one of the largest generations in U.S. history. Today that privilege goes to the Millennials. Boomers are also associated with a rejection of traditional values. Our generation was the first hippies of the 1960s and 1970s. We also achieved greater success than the generations before us and were responsible for many of the technological innovations that continue to shape the foundation of our society today.
However, Baby Boomer doesn’t really describe what we are or what we do. It was a label thrust upon us before we were old enough to toddle. Did you know that boomers born after 1957 were sometimes called Generation Jones? This title also bridges over to the first few Generation X years. This is just further proof that generational titles are not always accurate. This is as confusing as the recent trend of interchanging Generation Y with Millennials.
So this begs the question: what do we want to be called?
Rather than allowing the media or our parents or society at large to determine the right term for individuals in our age bracket maybe it is time to take control of it for ourselves. This may be a fool’s errand. Other organizations have tried to determine more applicable titles. Maybe there isn’t just one title that applies to everyone in our age bracket. But we think it will be fun to try.
What name do you prefer for our generation? We want to hear your ideas. Tell us in the comments what terms you prefer for our generation. Or, you can join the conversation on Facebook and answer there.
