In "The baby boomers have come of age" (Op-ed Page, Jan. 2) Richard Reeves sounded a sour note for the new year as he marked the 40th anniversary of the birth of the "baby boom" generation. His bleak celebration of a generation that he apparently believes has received its comeuppance is a perfect example of the media disdaining one of its own creations, in this case, the fuss over the baby boom generation. The fascination with this generation is rooted in the media as much as anywhere else.
Letters To The Editor Don't Mourn The Baby Boomers Yet
No one would argue with Mr. Reeves that the baby boom generation has been self-indulgent, but it is difficult to understand his eagerness to blame the baby boomers for their purported frustration at not "having it all." This generation was, after all, the product of a self-indulgent era. To suggest, as Mr. Reeves does, that no one ever told this generation that it could have it all is to forget that after World War II the entire nation believed it could have it all and continued to do so well into the 1960s until things came
unraveled during the Vietnam years.
Despite Mr. Reeves' questionable forecast, the baby boomers presumably have more to hope for than the prospect of increased political strength by virtue of their sheer numbers. While no one can say what is really going on in the minds of today's baby boomers, the silliness of trying to categorize 78 million Americans, let alone writing them off as a "used generation," speaks for itself.
Daniel B. Wofford
Philadelphia.
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