Remember Nostalgia? Boomers Long For Decades Past, But Which Ones?
Posted on Thursday, February 18th, 2010
When you are given to flights of fancy, waxing and waning between now and then, which decade are you most apt to feel all warm and fuzzy about?
Yes, it depends on your age.
The Baby Boomer generation is reportedly anyone born between the years 1946 to 1964. If that’s true, then Holy Mackerel, our Dads and Moms were busy celebrating after WWII for a long, long time. Can you really credit (or blame depending on your perspective) the population explosion on celebrating the end of WWII if folks were still “celebrating” into the 60’s?
But, I digress. We of a certain generation tend to temper our speech patterns, etc., depending on if we’re talking to a person who remembers where they were when Kennedy was shot or not. I can’t relate my feelings of sitting in front of the television “that day” to someone born in 1964. So, the whole “born 1946 to 1964” is arbitrary and produces a vastly different nostalgic process of thoughts and feelings.
Which brings me to this wonderful website called I Remember JFK. I’ve been reading this top notch “remember when” website for some time now and I really enjoy the plethora of nostalgic tidbits Ron offers there.
You’ll find very detailed posts on everything from Bugles to Herb Albert (wait, aren’t those two topics related somehow?). Ron gives your memory banks gentle nudges with some perhaps long forgotten muscle cars, vanished toys, and all sorts of memorabilia from times gone by.
But, which decade do you remember when you “remember when?” I would guess that if you were born in 1946 your “I remember when…” sentence would end drastically different from a fellow Boomer’s “I remember when…” sentence if said fellow Boomer was born in 1964.
My hubby and I are 12 years apart in age. Let’s just say our CD player has an interesting mix of music. So, the 19 year spread between Baby Boomer #1 and Baby Boomer #2 must produce a whole stretch of nostalgia that speaks to one but not the other.
I guess because I talk to so many Boomers anxious to discuss “the good old days” that I’ve noticed this chasm in our meaning of nostalgia.
Do you get nostalgic over 6.5 ounce bottles of Coke? How about Poodle Skirts? Pennies in your loafers? Peddle Pushers? Dippity Do? Teaberry Gum? Black Jack Gum? Televisions as furniture? Giant ashtrays? Ed Sullivan? The Beatles on Ed Sullivan? Mini skirts? Paisley prints? Madras prints? Knee socks and shorts? Davey Crocket hats? Pebbles? Barbie’s Dream House? Real cherry candy ornaments? Herman’s Hermits? The Monkeys? Hip hugger bell bottoms? Sock hops?
You see the problem? Just in that one paragraph I’ve bounced around decades of nostalgia. How is a Boomer to choose?
The answer is – we don’t. Our memory banks are gathering nostalgia throughout our entire lives. What I fondly recall from my childhood is not exclusive of the memories I cherish from my teen years, or beyond.
Give I Remember JFK a read and see how Ron gathers all those decades together, ruminates on just how we might have lost something during a few, and see if you can decide which decade was your favorite.
I, for one, can’t decide if one decade has it all over another.
I just watched a clip from “Saturday Night Fever” and still have to love it. But, I also long for the days when we had three television stations and played outside all day and all night. I get all warm and fuzzy when I think about my embroidered hip-hugger bell-bottom jeans, but still cherish my little poodle skirt. My CD player has everything from The Fleetwoods to Jimi Hendrix to “Hotel California” by the Eagles.
That’s how it is with us Boomers. We’ve lived long enough to have memories that span decades.
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Love the post, Patty. I am closer to the ’64 end of the range and agree with you completely on the JFK references and such. I’ve always thought the “boomer” span was far too wide, and I often feel like I don’t fit in that category at all.
Great food for thought. I’m glad you stopped by Grandma’s Briefs; I love finding out about blogs by other boomers, even if we’re at opposite ends of the spectrum! :o)
I’ll be back …!
Wow Lisa! You are quick on that comment button!!! 😀 Thanks ever so much! I found you on BlogCatalog and picked your website out right away as a MUST go see what this is about… Grandma’s Briefs!? Your site did NOT disappoint… you had me at the undies! If anyone is reading this, go check it out!
Yeah, the Boomer span is something that we just have to shake our head at, eh? I’m so glad to hear from others who agree! I love talking with folks who are on both sides of the spectrum because it’s good to know what everyone lived with, and through.
I look forward to hearing more from you, Lisa, and I will sure be back to visit at Grandma’s Briefs! Ha! Love it!!!
Thanks for the very kind words! I’m glad you enjoy my humble site.
So true. We aren’t one demographic but we still move the economy. How I miss summer days……going outside to play all day. No predators. Anyone’s parent could yell at you – and your mom would support, not sue, them. Blissful memories………..and I know exactly where I was when JFK was shot.
ah… yes…. I remember those days well.
Thanks for visiting and reminiscing with me here, Mary Anne. We’ve got to keep those days alive with our stories.
My co-author, Cookie Horowitz and I share the 6.5 decades of baby boomer nostalgia, history, personal observations and memories of our former high school classmates in an upcoming book, ONCE UPON OUR TIMES: (Because Life Isn’t A Fairy Tale); Subtitle 65 Years Growing up Baby Boomer. We would like to keep your readers current on some of our activities and interesting happenings.