It seems like every five or ten years we are reminded of a rock concert in Bethel, NY (no, it wasn't in Woodstock, NY) that brought about half a million "flower children" together and nearly destroyed some poor man's farm who was talked into allowing the event by his son. But my question on this 40th anniversary of the concert (give or take a day or two) is what are these folks doing now, and are they still preaching their glorious message of peace, love, kindness, and disassociation from all the worry, and stress of the real world?
Let's say you were 2o years old in 1969 and you had a fantastic time listening to Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and smoking the occasional ganja. By now you're 60 and hanging on for dear life to a career that needs to be milked for 2-5 more years before you can deplete the social security fund and have enough money to live the same life to which you have become so happily accustomed.
But the economy has thrown us a curve ball at the sunset of the baby boomer's career much like Jimi ripped the raw version of the "Star Spangled Banner" as the sun set over Bethel, NY and an epic rock concert that defined a generation.
Young people have been tossed from companies like Hendrix would throw guitar picks into a frenzied crowd. When 20 somethings are waiting in the unemployment line and worrying about how their credit cards and student loans are going to be paid, older folk sit in their offices and worry about how they're going to afford their country club membership if their company bonus isn't large enough this year.
Former Woodstock attendees decided at some point that they would join the ranks of corporate America and start the slow laborious climb up the greasy pole. And they've done it. The boomers are running our organizations now and I'm afraid that their ethical line ain't quite what it used to be. But they've done well - you can't argue that. When their job was to make money, money is what they made, in whatever way they could. They even charged $9 for a bottle of water at one of the Woodstock commemorative concerts which eventually led to riots. And now they are certainly taking job security priority over the younger generation. And really, that's ok.
I have no problem with giving boomers the respect in bad economies and rewarding them for a long hard career, but please, we have to eliminate money grubbing, sneaky, squirly, and at times unethical behavior that has gone on in organizations and could very well have caused this mess that we're in. You can't get preferential career treatment and be crooked at the same time - one or the other.
Woodstock was more than just a rock concert and a bunch of kids getting stoned. Right? There was a message.
Boomers have short but ample time to bring back their message from Woodstock and add to the growing interest among organizations for a balance between profit and social responsibility. It's a meeting ground between the boomer from 1969 and 2009 (or 2008) - perhaps even meeting in Bethel, New York.
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I'm a boomer, some of us turned out good, and we paid our dues. Boomers are an easy target, we paid in and now want what we bought concerning Social Security and quality of life.
ReplyDeleteYour generation can only look forward while mine looks both ways. Being clever isn't the same as having a plan.
You write a good article and own your opinions,
I think readers understand that, but the present crisis was the result of all generations being greedy and careless.
So what do you suggest be done to get America back on track.
My suggestion is to act more responsible and less greedy and unethical. Everything else will fall into place.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid though that we may have to wait until the boomers "move on". However, I would love for it to happen prior to that.