Greatest Generation vs Baby Boomers

So I understand many of you are Boomers born right after World War 2. I also understand most of the people who raised the Boomers were from the Tom Brokaw coined "Greatest Generation" who were born from 1915-1929. They are almost gone now, WW 2 vets die every day and I find myself wanting to know more before they disappear entirely.

So basically what I'm asking is what were they like as a whole? Were they typically more conservative? Were they the ones who disapproved of rock and roll and civil rights? What made them great persay?

On the flip side of that coin how do you all see yourselves as a generation? You'll be retiring soon and become the old folks haha. Are you all more liberal? Groundbreakers? A product of the counterculture? What about claims that the Boomers fucked everything up and became selfish and greedy?

Just some food for thought from one upcoming millennial

A lot of questions there Joe. As a Boomer, I can't generalize about politics or greatness. There are so many factors to consider. As a Boomer, the 1960s had an immense influence on my life and probably most Boomers. Civil Rights and the war in Viet Nam had the biggest effect on our lives, closely followed by music which grew out of those two influences. Then there were the assassinations of both Kennedys and King. Born in 1949, I was a teenager for most of the 60s - my "formative years"; puberty to adulthood.

It's futile to throw broad labels, such as "conservative" or "liberal" on any generation plucked out of a specific era and world. Previous generations might deem them radical in some senses while subsequent generations might find them conservative in some regard. But differences in political, cultural and social inclinations aren't as important as the toughness and resiliency of the generation to climb out of a depression in the thirties and fight and win a world war in Europe and Asia. They were defined by their times, which is not to say that other generations would not have overcome wars and economic hardship.

The generation didn't take to rock and roll, but every generation creates their own music and soundtrack of their times. The boomers, in turn, cling to their music of their youth and aren't buying hip hop.

I find that people, who lived through the depression maintain a waste not/want not mentality. My grandparents would never splurge on themselves. My grandfather wore his same cap and threadbare coat every winter. Socks with holes were not thrown out, but mended, and food was never discarded. At the same time they were more than generous to their grandkids.

MC and Kly, I concur. As a member of the boomer generation, I hold the Greatest Generation in the highest esteem. As an educator, I am concerned about the qualities and perspective of the current (and recent) generations.

To answer one of the questions posed by 123 above: the Greatest Generation endured the Depression and WWII, achieved victory over them, and learned from both.

In making a comparison, you need to take into account the radical differences in how each generation was brought up, and what they experienced:

The Greatest Generation were products of the Depression and World War II. Those were experiences everyone shared in, often through sacrifice and deprivation. The era was characterized by a belief in collective action and willingness to respect and follow “great men” in civilian and military leadership. Few attended college, and not many traveled or lived far from their hometowns. Newspaper and radio commentators shaped opinions. People expressed their class identities, values and ideologies through their unions, civic and business associations, and through party affiliation.
The Boomers grew up without those shared experiences. The postwar era was a time of general prosperity, and the prevailing view of childrearing was to encourage “self expression” and “personal development.” Millions went to college, often far from home. Their professors taught them to be skeptical of the conventional wisdom and to question authority—and those in authority. Television, starting with the Kennedy/Nixon debates, was pushing out political pundits by bringing the action directly to people, ever more theatrically. Labor unions were largely irrelevant to the Boomers, and were often viewed as reactionary and racist. Political affiliation was almost meaningless: movement people were motivated by issues, not parties; they used the streets, not the halls of Congress, as their arena. Demonstrations and direct action—often violent-- replaced lobbying and political wheeling and dealing.

Net for me: different times, different people.

I appreciate and agree with many of your assessments and viewpoints.

I did hear Tom Brokaw, who coined the greatest generation label, say once "they weren't perfect. It took them longer to embrace civil rights or for them to recognize their female counterparts could do much more than just cook and clean"

This is why I asked if they were the more conservative generation in relative to the Boomers, Xers, and my own generation. It's amazing how times change isn't it? Back when my great grandfather was 16, Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs, but "ni**er" was still a socially acceptable word, civil rights was a foreign concept, and the Nazi Party was building steam in Bavaria.

But do you all think that the Boomers have screwed up or for the most part were successful? Some seem to think that the Boomers are the ones that are dumping a fuck load of debt onto my generation and the Xers (my parents). Is this true?