I wasn't sure whether to word the title in past tense or present tense, but chose the latter. I'll explain the reason in a few minutes.
I was fortunate to have known many, many people from the WW II generation. Looking back, there are similarities and differences. An example of both: long ago, when I approached some of the older folks with questions about Civil Rights, asking why no one had actively participated, I received two responses. I was told they did not know what to do; and I was told most people were busy raising their children and doing their jobs. The difference, though: at least most individuals were aware of the problems. Even if they didn't know what they could do, and were busy with their families, they at least knew about the goings-on.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for myself and people I've known the longest in my generation. While we, also, generally settled into nice middle-class lives, raised children, did jobs, there has been too much that simply slid by, unnoticed. The last few decades have brought disaster after disaster, but it was not so much the inability to do anything, but not noticing these changes were occurring.
The age group I am referring to is known as the second wave of Baby Boomers. There were differences between us and people included in the “first wave.” For us, there were changes in federal laws and some states that granted us full legal, adult rights upon turning 18 years of age. Ours was also the first age group for whom higher education was available to nearly all students. And, for us, the military draft no longer existed, and the Vietnam war was officially over.
The most disturbing difference, though, has been the ways in which the generations are perceived. For individuals in the older generations, virtually everyone recognized “average middle-class folks” were, indeed, the majority. But while that fact has not changed, fewer people today recognize it.
While most of us do not want our generation misrepresented in history books, there is another, more pressing issue. Not only do we have adult-aged kids, most of us also have grandchildren. Because of this, we need to take a good, hard look at “the way things are these days,” and decide without any doubt that the younger generations deserve better.
Why did I choose the present tense? Because, as Yogi Berra said: “It ain't over til it's over.” Whether they directly participated or not, the older generations knew wrongs could be changed and mistakes could be un-made. If individuals in previous generations were capable of making changes in the best interest of themselves and future generations, so can we. At the very least, we have the responsibility to try.