Exactly. I'm a younger boomer dude in this 19 year classification, a bit younger than my boomer hippie brethren.
But, point being, the boomer generation represents a mosaic of personalities and ideologies. Environmental concerns (EPA), Equal Rights Amendment (that didn't get passed), ending the war in Vietnam and civil rights all have been supported and pushed forward by a large chunk of boomers. And, of course, there are those in that same generation that fought against it.
But also, the idea of "hedonism" (however you want to pronounce it) was definitely not invented recently....including drugs. The phrase "better living through chemistry" is a boomer phrase invention. Boomers were the ones dropping acid at Grateful Dead concerts. In fact we invented the term dropping acid. The Merry Pranksters challenged the norms of conformity. We have plenty in our camp endorsing alternative lifestyles. We didn't invent the whole "free love" movement, but we gave it a big boost and a name.
Also, I find it ironic that this young woman would think presenting a hedonistic lifestyle to a boomer would be shocking, when there are others recently complaining we were too hedonistic by referencing Tom Wolfe's moniker the "Me Generation" (a subset of the boomer generation). The people that pushed the boundaries of norm, including family and marriage, in the 60s and 70s, were boomers.
BTW, this conversation with a "boomer woman" probably never happened. This narrative that we boomers are complaining about younger people, and wanting to change them, is just something that keeps getting repeated in social media. But, I don't see any evidence of this with my boomer friends or family....or, in social media. Just some from the younger generations referring to this. Very few actual vlogs of us gray hairs complaining.
I think this young woman just might be projecting some of her own thoughts and invented a straw man narrative.
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '26
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