When you think of a boomer or someone from Generation Jones, which is what some younger boomers prefer to be called, the last thing that comes to mind is a rebellious spirit. Before they went corporate, they underwent a series of social changes that should be celebrated. Let’s see what makes boomers (and Generation Jones) so remarkable and why they are not millennials, the genuine rebels.
Women’s movement
The second-wave feminist movement fought throughout the 1960s and 1970s and gained numerous successes. The approval of the contraceptive pill, the right to hold credit cards, education on domestic violence, and Roe v. Wade were only some of the victories that shaped the U.S.’s future. Despite hiccups, these shifts spread across the globe and changed the world for good.
The Vietnam anti-war movement
Vietnam War protests began in 1964 and soon turned into a movement that ended in 1973. Many people were morally appalled by the government’s involvement in the war, including Vietnam veterans and Martin Luther King. The movement still serves as a lesson in civil disobedience.
Black power movement
The Black Power movement arose in the late 1960s and early 1970s to address the perceived failures of the Civil Rights Movement. It promoted racial pride, economic empowerment, and political and cultural institutions. During this time, there was a greater demand for Black history courses, a deeper appreciation of African culture, and a rise in raw artistic expression depicting the realities of African Americans.
Hippie culture
The hippie counterculture emerged in the 1960s, and the idea was to reject outdated social norms. The anti-war protests empowered the peace-loving hippies, and to this day, despite their shortcomings, hippies are known as activists and visionaries who promoted openness and tolerance.
Daring music
The Beatles, The Animals, Joplin, Hendrix, and the musical Hair are just some of the moments that define a generation. The daring lyrics openly discussed drugs, equality, peace, and relationships and went against everything that Boombers’s parents stood for.
New religions
Rebellious Boomers rejected religious restrictions. Many turned to astrology, spirituality, Eastern philosophy and religions, and psychedelics. Due to society’s turbulences, breaking the norms was expected, but Boomers took things to another level.
Environmental crisis
The environmental movement rose in the 1960s and 1970s due to increasing pollution concerns. Californians and other Americans insisted on banning oil drilling platforms near highly populated areas. On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was born.
Punk rock era
Unlike early Boomers, Generation Jones or Boomers 2 went further into anti-establishment because they believed the message of rebellion against norms needed to be sent more combatively. Rising unemployment and dissatisfaction led young people to express their views mainly through music, which has stood the test of time.
LGBT activism
The 70s brought many firsts for the LGBT population. After decades of horrible mistreatment, the Stonewall uprising in 1969 inspired the country’s first Pride a year later. Harvey Milk became the first openly gay elected official in California. He and Gilbert Baker, an artist, created the Pride flag.
Tech innovations
The first Moon landing in 1969 opened the door to creativity and bigger dreams. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple; Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft; and Timothy John Berners-Lee, inventor of the WWW, are just some of the biggest names in the tech world, and they were all born into the Boomer generation.
Rise of adult entertainment
Adult entertainment began to rise in the 1970s, and str..p clubs went mainstream in the 1980s. Many publications, including Playboy, lived their golden age in this era. These changes allowed younger generations to express their vision of freedom, starkly contrasting what their parents taught them.
The big shift
Some Boomers were actual rebels who created political activism as we know it today. But by the 1980s, Boomers adapted to 9-5, motivated by prestige and success. They moved onto MTV, hedonism, big hair, and the Brat-Pack and continued dominating the world, with nearly half of the lawmakers in Congress being Boomers or Generation Jones.
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Kate Smith, a self-proclaimed word nerd who relishes the power of language to inform, entertain, and inspire. Kate's passion for sharing knowledge and sparking meaningful conversations fuels her every word.