BOOMER FILES

The Games of Their Lives

From getting high to getting rich to getting serious, boomers kept changing the meaning of success.

By Jerry Adler | NEWSWEEK
Updated: 2:33  p.m. ET Dec 15, 2007
From the magazine issue dated Dec 24, 2007

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  • Posted By: MichaelX @ 01/22/2009 4:28:09 PM

    Boomer or bomber? We all had ideals and ideas that maybe didn't work out right. Other forces came into play at crucial moments either for, or against you. Luck of the draw. Today's Gen-Whatevers expect always to have things handed to them, just like as a child. Of course they got stuff! Who wanted to hear the whiney little slackers complaints!
    I've never owned a house, and never will. The forces are too against me. Having a car under ten years old is a good thing, and having good credit is an absolute necessity. Sure, I can go buy a ton of stuff, but still will owe for it.
    I've been sucessful in four careers, I dont stay at anything longer than ten years. May get in another before retirement.
    That's all I can do:Survive.

  • Posted By: 1999jag @ 04/19/2008 12:12:03 PM

    IT'S 3 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING (RING) (RING) (RING)
    DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE?
    I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE MY HUSBAND IS!

  • Posted By: 1999jag @ 04/19/2008 12:11:53 PM

    IT'S 3 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING (RING) (RING) (RING)
    DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE?
    I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE MY HUSBAND IS!

  • Posted By: tatianahunt @ 04/17/2008 10:27:58 AM

    I am a gamer from 1998, and it was a problem to find the game that I would like to play after it???s release and for the cheap price or even for free. But I am in the seventh heaven write now because 3 weeks ago I have found a sources that contains all the games that I need. So gamers should help to each other, hope that would help you too. Search engine for rapidshare is http://fileshunt.com and for megaupload - http://filesfinds.com. What do you think? May be you have your own experience.

  • Posted By: tatianahunt @ 04/07/2008 10:36:54 AM

    More information for this topic see at http://fileshunt.com. Maybe it will change your point of view.

  • Posted By: Doved41 @ 03/24/2008 1:22:07 PM

    Check some videos of it at http://loadingvault.com

  • Posted By: Doved41 @ 03/24/2008 1:20:46 PM

    I guess I saw more of this at http://loadingvault.com

  • Posted By: zach55 @ 01/28/2008 9:14:34 PM

    Oops, so many babyboomers on boomermingle.com find their partners. They said that Senior internet dating is appealing to lots of senior dating singles because it doesn???t take a lot of time.

  • Posted By: zach55 @ 01/28/2008 9:14:07 PM

    Oops, so many babyboomers on boomermingle.com find their partners. They said that Senior internet dating is appealing to lots of senior dating singles because it doesn???t take a lot of time.

  • Posted By: AnnieF @ 01/28/2008 10:25:44 AM

    Great article and very true. I was born on the first day of the boomer generation .. 1/1/46. I've been through it all. What I see now in my exploits and through my writing is that boomers -- with all the toys, are NOT feeling fulfilled. There's something missing. They're looking at all the "stuff" and saying, in the words of a song we all knew, "is that all there is?" The decisions they start making now will move them exponentially towards how they want to end .. how they want their last 30+ years to go. They're re-examining, looking for purpose, re-inventing and many are now living life on their terms ... not selfishly, but in sync with what they'd like to be remembered for. There are adventurous boomers who are taking bold new steps and there are those beholden to causes that touch their heart. It's an exciting time.
    Thanks for the focus.

  • Posted By: phiomalibumalibu @ 01/23/2008 1:24:39 PM

    Well in 1966 those boomers were 16-20. The beatles were breaking and LOVE was the word. Vietnam was in full swing and I thing the older americans were feeling the stress of it. Now many boomers go to lifecover.us for life insurance and to prepare for retirement. They went through a lot. There are many intelligent and experienced boomer in country. And many are retiring now.

  • Posted By: getupstandup @ 01/21/2008 10:58:42 AM

    Is this guy the Designated Hitter brought in by Newsweek from less liberal climes to beat up on Boomers who let loose of the liberal teat to enter the real world? Oh, shame, shame, Boomers! Get thee to the tent of the True Boomer Believers, who took jobs in academia where they could hide in jobs guaranteed for life (a lot like the former USSR) at a really good salary and produce nothing. Or go to work for Newsweek where they could continue preaching the Love Is All We Need gospel forever and ever.

  • Posted By: dad12 @ 12/24/2007 11:16:18 AM

    The 60's generation does not encompass the entire boomer generation and actually is not a fair representation of the entire group of boomers. For 40 years the realtively small group of people who proudly attach themselves to that fortunately short era, continue to think we care what they think. Quit equating the two eras. I was born in 58 and have spent the past 30 years tripping over the mess the 60's activists created and continue to create. Your article points that out very well that they keep evolving and trying to find the perfect answer to life. Obviously your experiment failed so sit down and ride out your lives in the sunset. Don't mislead our younger generations into thinking the entire boomer generation was typical 60's that sat around and smoked pot, did mushrooms and thought they were smarter than everyone else.

  • Posted By: avitus @ 12/19/2007 1:44:57 PM

    This article reminds me of a Dylan quote, which I must paraphrase: "They all want to know where I'm at because they don't know where they're at". But the article highlights something which I've long-suspected isn't true; that is, by virtue of the fact that Boomers came of age in "the 60s", which was supposed to be some sort of mystical window in time, they, are each individuals with messiah-complexes who desire to get to some objective cosmic truth. In reality, they couldn???t care less about truth. Instead, they nervously watch each other for cues on what to ???believe??? next, living with the fear that they???ll be left behind by the pack, or worse, viewed as un-hip. They have no real desire for any real truth, don???t seek it and don???t really believe it exists. And anyone???Dylan for example in the late seventies???who purports to have found a truth which isn???t currently sanctioned by the pack, is roundly jeered and dismantled until they shut up. I???m a ???Gen Xer???, and I dislike the 60s generation for being the mindless yet bigoted sheep that they are. Perhaps they should rethink pushing through their ???compassionate??? assisted-suicide bills. If they think GenX is bad, just wait; their kids, the ???GenYers??? have been raised in a moral vacuum and will have few qualms about about putting Mom and Dad to sleep to get that new car.

  • Posted By: avitus @ 12/19/2007 1:40:41 PM

    This article reminds me of a Dylan quote, which I must paraphrase: "They all want to know where I'm at because they don't know where they're at". But the article highlights something which I've long-suspected isn't true; that is, by virtue of the fact that Boomers came of age in "the 60s", which was supposed to be some sort of mystical window in time, they, are each individuals with messiah-complexes who desire to get to some objective cosmic truth. In reality, they couldn???t care less about truth. Instead, they nervously watch each other for cues on what to ???believe??? next, living with the fear that they???ll be left behind by the pack, or worse, viewed as un-hip. They have no real desire for any real truth, don???t seek it and don???t really believe it exists. And anyone???Dylan for example in the late seventies???who purports to have found a truth which isn???t currently sanctioned by the pack, is roundly jeered and dismantled until they shut up. I???m a ???Gen Xer???, and I dislike the 60s generation for being the mindless yet bigoted sheep that they are. Perhaps they should rethink pushing through their ???compassionate??? assisted-suicide bills. If they think GenX is bad, just wait; their kids, the ???GenYers??? have been raised in a moral vacuum and will have few qualms about about putting Mom and Dad to sleep.

  • Posted By: bbailey642 @ 12/17/2007 5:42:23 PM

    eldorf2003 - Duh! Going all the way back to 1933 with the New Deal and counting forward to the present, the Democrats were in office for 40 years and the Republicans for 36. It looks like the Democrats will win the next election and continue to blame the Republicans for their (and your) own actual causing of "the mess"...halfwit.

    • Posted By: sheilab @ 12/18/2007 11:05:09 AM

      Why is it the republicans blame everyone for their incompetence? They controlled congress from 1994-2006 and has held the presidency since 2000. The mess we are in is a republican mess. They did it without any help from the democrats. A fact they proudly proclaimed before it became impossible for them to continue hiding the disaster they unleased on the us and world. Republican has come to mean we will not acknowledge or accept responsibility for anything!

      • Posted By: bbailey642 @ 12/18/2007 12:27:35 PM

        Again 40 -36 and counting. Remember too, this is the Global War On Terror, not the Global War on Iraq. Also too, remember from 9/11 when President Bush addressed the country and told us that we were going to fight back (unlike your President Clinton (8 years) who upon learning many Marines were killed overseas by terrorists only launched a couple of Tomahawks in response which emboldened more terrorist attacks - which is directly linked to his intelligence failures) againt the terrorists of the world no matter where. You were probably like everyone else in the country (including your fellow Democrats) jumping up and down in your footed jammies yelling that was the appropriate thing to do. Yet now, because you never served or never fully understood what war looks like, see death, see mistakes being make (intell for example which was available to Dems in Congress as well as Bush) say it is the fault of Republicans/Bush and everyone who does not agree with you. Your Hilliary voted to go and then said no I didn't when she decided to run and when confronted with her previous statement changed the subject. No help from Dems? How fact-ignoring and revisionist you are. You must be right though. I do recall now how the Dems were locked in a closet when the decisions were made and how much the newspapers covered the event. The pictures of indignant Dems abraiding the Bush administration for their underhandedness. Not one Dem thought that international terrorism needed to be addressed with force to preserve our democracy after the United States was attacked ala Pearl Harbor. As later intel reports note from that era, the Democrat President held back the intel from US military that Pearl was about to be attacked. Yes, thanks for reminding me how not one Dem bought or waved an American flag in patriotic fervor because of the "mess" they saw the Republicans getting them into. Democracy is not a spectator sport.

  • Posted By: who says we are free? @ 12/17/2007 1:56:44 PM

    american life is almost completely absurd and meaningless...in the first place, the flower children sold out. now they want to save the enviornment, but they spent years making money in the corporate arena so they can afford to be idealistic again. suburbia represents the downfall not only of america but of the educational system, and exposes the complete moral emptiness of capitalism...get real, its already too late. the Earth will shake us off, and a remnant will survive to start the next cycle...but america has more to regret than to take pride in...comfortable people never care enough enough their neighbor in need...and it isn't a question of giving away money, its a question of lifestyle. i was born in 1964. my parents had already given up believing in anything. suburbia is the most artificial, empty, meaningless nightmare of an existence and only families with traditional values can find use in it. i have a conscience which says it isn't right that americans use up the majority of the world's goods, contribute the majority of greenhouse gases, yet the U.S. govt. refuses to recognize the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples. i cannot imagine on what basis parents today try to teach their children of the greatness of the american democratic experiment. the Graduate is one of my favorite movies, because it so clearly shows how the older generation, instead of offering what was good and healthy, were completely corrupt. it is very sad that it will take a crisis of extreme proportion (but it will be a crisis of our own making), to wake people up to the fact that their empire is crumbling, they are not immortal, that they are not God, that they will be held
    accountable...ever talked to a young person these days? try it. will give you a serious scare.

  • Posted By: Bocaink @ 12/15/2007 8:45:24 PM

    You boomers suck! Thanks for leaving such a mess for our generation to clean up a-holes!

    • Posted By: eldorf2003 @ 12/17/2007 7:23:27 AM

      The mess was left by your Republican party.....nitwit

  • Posted By: eldorf2003 @ 12/17/2007 7:18:04 AM

    This article was mostly bulls@#t. The "He who has the most toys when he dies" line was more of the Ivan Boesky ilk than a real "Boomer" ideology. This grew out of he Reagan 80's which the movie "Wall Street" portrayed. The writer sounds like a sour grapes individual who "wishes he was there". What's the matter pal never got to see Led Zepplin?? [The guy commenting below....is a nitwit.]

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