Generations

Generations
By Paul A. Herbig

A century or more ago many of our forefathers lived in log cabins, houses made out of sod or clay , or a few hundred square feet of living area in a multi-family environment. Compare that to today’s lifestyles with thousands of square feet of living area and all the modern conveniences we have today. Try extrapolating that difference into the future? What will life be like a century hence? What will the next generation perceive as the necessities of life?

This is not just a rhetorical question. My grandparents moved to Indianapolis by 1920 and settled in a typical urban double—a two story house (and a basement) split down the middle (with each side having half of each floor). A high school education was the exception at that time and graduates were noteworthy. My aunt, now in her eighties, remembers when they paved Webb Street during the nineteen-twenties. It was a big deal when they finally added an indoor bathroom that same decade—one bathroom (with tub no shower) for a family of six (during the depression years there were times ten or more people lived in that house, camped out on the sofa and living room, all sharing that single overused bathroom!). They had 3 bedrooms upstairs (my grandparents in one room, my aunts shared a bed in one room and my father and his brother shared a bed in the third room). Hand-me downs were the norm and the baby of any family rarely had anything bought just for him. Necessities of life were simple: a roof overhead, clothes to wear, and enough food to keep from going hungry. The ice man cometh daily to provide coolant for the refrigerators of the time; coal was often shoveled into the basement for the furnace; washer boards for the housewife were typical.

During their entire childhood they had one wagon and perhaps one or two bicycles (for all the four kids to enjoy). No organized youth sports existed; the kids would call out to each other to play ball or some other game and the entire neighborhood would join in or march down two blocks to a city park and play, doing their own umpiring. Entertainment was either attending church socials, watching first run feature films at any of the many neighborhood cinemas, or sitting by the radio as a family listening to the great stars of the time come into your home. Neither of my grandparents ever learned to drive a car; the trolley and buses were quite sufficient for all their transportation needs. Family vacations meant a trip to the next county seat to visit relatives. Trains were the country’s primary transportation mode. Perhaps the family had one phone line that was a party line and you had to wait for the ring to determine if the call was for you or for another party on the line. And yes, they did have electricity but it hadn’t been for long.

They have been called the Great Generation (and few would disagree with that nomenclature), those that were born after WWI or in the twenties, lived through the depression, survived military combat during World War II and launched the great baby boom. The men married in their early twenties, most women married right out of high school. Most did not wait to start a family. Many went to school on the GI Bill, surviving on bare necessities while completing their studies. Prior to the Second War, a high school diploma was considered a superior degree and college education was basically reserved for the elite. These returning GI s found crowded conditions at colleges, housing at a premium, and barracks-like living conditions. But they never complained; they were exhuberant at the opportunity to get a college degree, to better themselves, and to provide all sort of things for their children they did not have themselves. They were determined not to deprive their children of any of the luxuries of life. This they did well. They found jobs in large companies and stayed there for life, thirty, forty years were not atypical; they were the first of the organizational men. They worked hard and long supporting a wife and many kids and nary said a word about their awesome responsibilities.

Their children, the baby boomers, of which I am one, were not, contrary to modern tales told by their parents to their grandchildren, spoiled by rich living. A multi-bedroom ranch home (perhaps 1200 square feet) is not a mansion. But each house had its own refrigerator, washer and dryer and central heating unit. Everyone typically knew everyone in the neighborhood and people stayed for decades. The kids probably had to share rooms like their aunts and uncles but they at least had their own beds. And not one bathroom but at least two. They had their own bicycles, old perhaps even purchased used but it was theirs and theirs alone. Clothing was mostly purchased for the individual. Christmas gifts were typically elaborate. Most families had one car which Dad usually drove (many Moms still did not drive during the fifties); station wagons ruled the roads. Airlines were in their infancy and to fly for many during the fifties and early sixties was an experience you would talk about for years. My allowance was $5 a week (A princely sum I thought) from which I had to spend lunch money (.35 to .50 daily).

Entertainment was watching the one TV in the house—black and white for most of their childhood (during the early years blurry pictures were the norm and we would take turns holding the antenna just so to get the right angle for the best picture)(during those early years few families possessed TVs and block parties around the TV set to watch the prime time shows were not atypical). Most families still had one phone line for the entire family (party lines were quickly phasing out). Little League was about as organized as youth teams got, no soccer; athletics were primarily found through the school system. And Sports for Girls were only a dream for most girls. Pre-School in the fifties meant Mom and perhaps grandma. Many but by no means all had cars—used cars, often very used cars--when they became sixteen (usually purchased by us with the fruits of our hard earned after school work)(Being a baby Boomer meant competing with thousands of other boomers for even the simplest of jobs—every McDs during that time had file cabinets full of applications from Boomers. You worked knowing that there were dozens of other kids just waiting for you to goof up or get fed up and quit—talk about incentive). Family vacations were to bundle up in the station wagon and spend a week or two in the summer traveling the highways to a distant relative or friend’s house, spending the nights in cheap motels all in one room. Not necessarily enjoyable but we didn’t know any better, complained very little, and enjoyed what we could when we could.

We Baby Boomers—both boys and girls now, not just mainly boys as were our fathers the GI s-- went to college during the sixties and seventies, some thrust on by parents who worked their entire lives so their children could live better than they had and some to escape the drama that was Vietnam and the draft. We were thrilled to go to college and appreciated schools would take us (during our interview trips we wore suits and our finest apparel to impress the admissions folks for like everything boomer, there were often many of us and comparatively few spots open; we took very little for granted) We lived in dorms with one large barracks style bath area per floor. No air conditioning; opening the window was the only cure for most of us. Working our way through school, even at state schools, was expected for many.

By the time the boomers grew up, a high school diploma was a necessity and a college degree was quickly on its way to becoming the expected and norm for up and comers. Once out of college, jobs were scarce (and competition tough) so we took what we could get and worked hard. Few of us believed we would work for the same company forever as our parents did. We did join the workforce believing in the American dream, work hard, work long and you will advance and go far up the ladder of success. The Myth of that Dream, for many of us, was by far our life’s worst experience. We found many a disconnect between ability, performance, and outcomes. Life Was (is0 Not Fair we discovered the hard way. But we also discovered life goes on, and so did we.

The Baby Boomers eventually married; often, however, 5-10 years later in life than had our parents. Like our parents before us, the Baby Boomers wanted only the best for our children and a better life for them then we had (and in retrospect, we remembered only what we didn’t have and forgot all we had). Our houses had to be bigger and better (2000 to 3000 or more square feet), two or three car enclosed garages, all the modern conveniences (I wouldn’t dream of buying a house without a dishwasher; to this day my mother still refuses to buy one—she says she already has one called my father) How can you live without Air conditioning (no room AC units, Central A/c and Heating only). Often both parents work (to afford their dream castle) and at-home moms are the exception not the norm. Child care and Mom’s Day outs have blossomed. Suburbia living is a must. We are a nomadic bunch—three years, four if your lucky, and it is off to a new assignment, a new city. You may or many not even know the names of your neighbors and then they move and you must meet the new people. Vacations. We Fly. Aspen for Skiing, the Caribbean over Spring break, Europe during Summer. Spare no expense, nothing is too good for my kids. Forget trains, air is the only way to go/

Our children (the so called Generation Y or baby boomlet) must have only the best. Each have their own room. With perhaps their own computer and cable modem internet hook-up (otherwise you won’t be a good parent and will be contributing to their falling behind their peers). Oh yes, their very own TV—color with cable no less. Their wardrobes are bulging with apparel, much of it last year’s in-clothes--they would die if they didn’t have them then and would die now if they wore them now. Bicycles—not just one per child but a new one every year or so. Organized sports—Soccer Moms in their SUVs require a datebook to keep track of all the events they have enrolled their children in—abound and all tightly organized with coaches, referees, and thick rule books (where has children just playing gone?) With passive entertainment and well organized sports leagues, few kids know what to do by themselves if left alone for any long periods of time (which purposedly many parents book solid to minimize such free time).

Individual phone lines for the kids has become routine (and often not just phones but cell phones for each child as well). Allowances can be twenty dollars or more a week, all too little for all the expenses a child has (movie tickets, make-up, jewelry). Oh , and cars for the little darlings when they turn 16. Not used cars but new cars and the more fashionable the better (can’t embarrass poor dear in front of his friends can we?) Work? During the nineties, every establishment was begging for bodies and if they didn’t like the way they were being treated (often times actually being asked to work!) or if the pay was lower than what they felt they should be earning, they would leave in an instant and go next door where they would be welcomed and working within the hour.

All boomlet kids are expected to go to college. You start thinking about college before you enter high school. The colleges start besieging you with materials your sophomore year (some even have tracking programs for kids in middle school!). SAT or ACT can be the most frightening three letters in your life, those that could well determine your fate for the rest of your life. As all colleges are recruiting heavily, the central question in the student’s mind is what are you going to do for me. Colleges beg you to visit and when the student does, be glad he/she is wearing clothes: Jeans, sneakers, T-shirts, baseball hats on backwards, often unwashed, all body jewelry on and plainly visible. What no lunch, what kind of place is this? What kind of trinkets do you have for me to take home—gee, you’re a cheapskate compared to all the stuff I got at the other schools I visited. If you bore them (any discussion past 3 minutes usually does), they either will tell you to your face or nod off. Take me as I am. If you don’t me like his, a dozen other schools are knocking on my door (and they are right). Who has the best financial aid package? Let’s negotiate some more. I. I. I. I. . . me. me . me. me. …

When they finally select a college, the modern dorms have a two bedroom suite with an adjoining bathroom Many Gen Yers are even demanding private rooms with private baths quickly becoming a necessity. Air Conditioning better be present or scratch this school off my list. Computer hookups in every room with fastest internet connections available so I can download thousands of my favorite songs. And the cafeteria food? No more meatball sandwiches or “guess the entrée” contests as their parents had to contend with. Many universities have decided to enunciate their food as a competitive advantage to recruit students. Perhaps not quite yet French cooks or trained sous-chefs but a menu most restaurants would be proud to have. Deli sections, salad bars, pizza, you don’t see it let us know and we will get it for you. If a student is having trouble in his classes, it becomes the responsibility of the instructor and institute to assist him and to provide instruction according to what learning style he may have. History? History is bunk. If it occurred before 1990, it is irrelevant (Several Yers have told me they will not watch a film if it is over a decade old as it could not possibly have any meaning for them!)

Not that Gen Yers have it totally easy. For most of today’s Gen Y students, an undergraduate degree is just the start of their academic preparations. Graduate degrees are quickly becoming the norm and expected for today’s entry-level employee (a statistic I heard is that there were more Masters degree being given today than undergraduate degrees!). After they graduate, no waiting for them. They want to have it all and want it now. House, car, furnishings, vacations, all the good parts of life they have become used to. It is all for the present. The model of many Yers is the past is irrelevant and the future is unpredictable so enjoy today for today is all there really is.

Within ten years, we will have a fourth generation, the children of the boomlet, our grandchildren. I am not certain what they will be called: Perhaps Generation Z (since X and Y have already been taken). I can only imagine their lifestyle and how they will raise their children. If the pattern continues (and I have no reason to doubt it will), they will spoil their children even more than we spoiled ours and our parents spoiled us. Their children, being like children everywhere, will accept what they can get and always push for more, attempting to find the limits to what they can have and what they will not get. What will their lives be like?

How much larger a home can one have? Do we need one plus cars for every person in the household? Does each child need to have his/her own bedroom and own bath and Jacuzzi? Should each child have his/her own guest house on the property? Should each have own phone/computer/fax/internet connection and fiber optics network? Are they going to demand private day cares with educational experiences guaranteed for their children? What type of demands will be made on public schools systems? Colleges? What will the boomlet as parents be expected to provide to Gen Z to indicate to their peers they are good parents? In attempting to make life better and easier for our kids , will they be expected to do likewise for our grandkids? When will enough be enough?

The United States, with only 5% of the world’s population, already consumes a far greater proportion of the world’s resources (25% of its energy and 33% of its resources). The gap between the world’s rich and poor continues to grow. If the fourth generation is like the previous three plus, it will demand far more resources and luxuries as a means of placating its youth. Can the U.S. or the world afford this drain or will the world even allow us to consume more? At some point will the gap becomes so large, it becomes unbearable to those on the bottom? At what cost will these youthful demands be on the economy and productivity? Already, obesity for the boomlet has reached almost epidemic proportions. Should we expect any less for the next generation? Can this trend continue or will it collapse on its own weight?

What does the future hold? Have we created a Frankenstein we cannot control and that inevitably will destroy us by trying to outdo each other and each previous generation? What will Generation Z be like? More of the same? Or a return to a more balanced lifestyle? The answer to this no doubt holds the answer to how the entire 21st century will develop.