Earth Day, April 22, 1970: Our generation tried to rouse awareness… we knew… we understood…we had seen the rivers burning, the floating garbage in the Gulf of Mexico, the dying trees, the shrinking of species, the burden of the growing human population…and many of us have never stopped trying to not only raise awareness, and speak out, but to change our lifestyles in order to reduce our personal impact on the earth.

But our voices were drowned out, shouted down, dismissed, mocked:

– the churches wailed about a loss of membership ( a loss of tithing and funds) and the sanctity of life- never mind that life was dying all around them and quality of life matters.
– the politicians hissed about a loss of tax income (never mind they were steadily trying to reduce taxes on the wealthy (and themselves),  and transfer the burden to the backs of the working class via sales tax, housing taxes, rising costs on licenses, permits, and so on)

– the generation of our grandparents and parents told us we were being over-reactive, worried about things that didn’t matter, that communism was a worse enemy, that the planet was big enough to sustain itself against humans, or that God would “fix it” for us, or not let the bad things happen.

And now, after 51 years of raising the red flags, of speaking out, of making lifestyle choices that put limitations on self-indulgence, of repurposing and recycling and not buying new but buying secondhand or trading for goods, of doing without so that others could live as well, I admit that, while I will continue to speak out, live a thoughtful lifestyle and write about this issue, I no longer have the funds or as much physical energy as I once did.

So listening to the younger generations being convinced by cunning pundits and wanna-be leaders, and with some looking for a scapegoat to excuse some of their own irresponsible indulgences, that my generation (the boomers, which came in two waves) are to blame for all the problems of the planet, despite our efforts over decades, despite the fact that we were first to give the alarm and speak out, the first to understand the slippery slope we were all on, I am weary.

The truth is, every generation has its “takers”, from the aging who have lived high and well and enjoyed every self-indulgence and convenience to the youngest who are now raised to be some of the most indulged, self-entitled consumers in history. I would ask everyone to realize just how easy it is to slip into the rabbit hole and become consumers on an immense scale. For every Greta Thunberg, there are 100 young people taking global vacations several times a year, wearing brand name clothing that depends on slave labor to be made, who drive expensive cars, go to spring break parties in other countries, who are employed in industries or corporations that are destructive environmentally, politically and that take subsidies that others have to pay for , and eating ‘exotic” foods at $50 a plate. Members of the boomer generations do not have a monopoly on taking without giving back.

For every well-off retiree living in comfort and traveling the globe while staying in 5 star hotels, there are many more living in trailer parks, homemade cabins, homeless shelters, dingy apartments, choosing to heat or eat, watching in fear as the COL rises annually, or still working into their 70s and 80s not because they want to, or even can without doing physical damage, but because they have no choice if they are going to pay the bills, no matter how frugally they live.

Remember the old words and ways:

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
“Live simply, that others may simply live”
“Reuse, repair, repurpose, recycle”
“You don’t need every latest tech trend or new clothes every season or every year for that matter, or the latest ‘toy’, or the newest appliance and gadget… learn to need less!”

Most of us from the boomer generations learned these and applied them to our lives; we came from working class and working poor stock and we integrated those lessons into the choices we made each day and continue to make. And sometimes, yes, we were laughed at and mocked by those in our own generation who did not have to worry about money- but we learned to ignore those whose judgements fell short of kindness. To now be accused of “selfishness”, to now be blamed for the ruination of the planet shows a touch of disingenuous thoughtlessness by our accusers.

Some of those same younger people blaming the boomers (as though it were a single entity acting as one thing) are mass consumers- most houses for an entire average family were only 1000-1500 square feet when I was young. Now, even if it is only for a single person or a couple, I see more and more 3000-5000 square feet homes being built for, and bought by, younger adults. What happened to “save the planet”?

I wish we could get over the “generation” thing and recognize it is not about the generation a person comes from but how they lived in that time, what cultural conditions they were/are in and what they had to survive.

I am 70 years old, and have struggled financially my entire life. I had to deal with prejudice, misogyny and a lack of opportunities; I have been fighting for a better world- for the environment, for animals, for people, for our children and grandchildren, for the future- since the 1960s; I spoke on campus on the first Earth Day, in April 1970.

I listen as younger people complain there is no job security while claiming boomers have had said security. Well, I have done back-breaking field work, cleaned toilets, worked in a care home, been a clerk at a small market, sold greeting cards to try to supplement my income, raised and sold livestock and waterfowl to make ends meet, owned my own businesses, been the director of two performance companies, a cultural specialist, a tutorial specialist, and been the director of a federal facility…because in a changing world and changing economic policies, there has never been job security for the majority of us.

I have been paid less than, and had to perform to a higher standard than, my male colleagues and have raised a child when at one point I was earning only $3 an hour and was living in a 600 SF home with a leaking roof and a crumbling foundation. I’ve been homeless and I’ve lived in a nice home.

I’d been “promised” a secure retirement if I worked hard that never happened due to retroactive political decisions, and I expect I will always have to confront the demons of threatening poverty into my old age- not because I have not worked hard, but because the cultural/political values and policies changed and left some of us stranded… but we carry on anyway, exactly as some of you must do.

I’ve seen us go from party lines to mobile phones, from no computers to a world dominated by computers…and It has always been feast or famine, as I won and lost work, saw jobs disappear and new jobs arise.

I think the vast majority of us has struggles to come, and while I agree some older people had the feast for their entire lives, I know many who never got a seat at the table their entire lives.

I know many younger people who are struggling and overworked, and many who are so well-off that they are oblivious to- and don’t concern themselves with- the struggles of those in their own generation or after- or before or after.

So can we just stop the dividing of generations and admit it is more complex than some would have us think?

This has to be said and remembered:  many of the boomer generation are also living and struggling in the world today, with the same concerns about terrorism, the destruction of communities, the environment, the political divisions, social conditions, and most of us never had job security, are also unable to afford a house, and in fact, our knowledge of global economics and the need for better funding for public services, infrastructure repair, our concerns over the privatizing of what were public services, our fears for the poor education many are receiving leaves us even more worried than those who might be less experienced and not know how things used to be, the positive things that have happened as well as the negative.

Many, if not most, of us live far differently than you have been told by “researchers”, polls, pundits and politicians and political parties with their own agendas… many of us are still trying to afford a home, have never had job security, women in our age group had far less “rights” and support for our lives and got paid far less which is why so many elderly women live in poverty now; we founded the movements that have helped young people today- civil rights, women’s rights, equal rights- many accepted living simpler lives in order to take the burden from the environment and have been working decades to try to help;  we grew up under the same shadows of war – from helping our frightened parents build nuclear survival bunkers in the back yard to dying in wars we never started or agreed to or even agreed with.

It’s time for generations to stop letting themselves be manipulated into division by those whose agendas are served by that division next time you hear them talk about the “bad boomers who are to blame”, ask yourself “CUI BONO?” and maybe, just maybe, start seeking allies in every age group.

© 2021