Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET Booming Impacts by MARGARET DICKSON Years ago when one of the Precious Jewels was Animal House and All in the Family, minivans, personal approaching adolescence and just awakening to computers and their technological descendants and the American popular culture, he informed me that he had Red Hat movement. With some spectacular exceptions, just discovered a great new singer who was sure to we have been a largely tolerant generation, supporting become the next big thing. Civil Rights, women's rights, gay rights and religious And who might that be? I inquired, certain that I freedoms. And, even though it does not feel like it for would never have heard of him or her. many of us now, we prospered in the post-World War II "Rod Stewart!" economic boom even though we have not built the nest Astonished and amused, I informed my bouncing eggs our decade-plus longer life spans will likely require, baby boy turned tween that Rod Stewart had been a fact that scares the socks off our children. around for ages and is actually older than I am, a reality O'Rourke chronicles what he labels the "10 Essential my boy could hardly fathom. Boomer" books, movies and albums, a wonderful and Which brings me to a jolt I recently experienced. revealing stroll down Memory Lane as well as a look at By the end of 2014, every single one of the 76 million cultural influences still at work today. or so Baby Boomers will have turned 50! Some seem obvious influences that have followed us This calculation is not rocket science, of course. Baby from our adolescence to this very moment displaying Boomers are defined as Americans born between 1946 our angst, our euphoria, our responsibility and and 1964, so if I had done my math this factoid would irresponsibility and our just plain silliness. have been clear. Our books include The Catcher in the Rye, The Whole As a Baby Boomer, I was shocked nonetheless. There Earth Catalog, The Female Eunuch and Catch 22. Our are no more babies among the Boomers! movies: The Graduate, Easy Rider, The Godfather, No less a publication than the AARP Magazine Parts 1 and 2, All the President's Men, Annie Hall and has taken note as well in an article by humorist P. J. Kramer vs. Kramer. And our music — oh, my! Bob O'Rourke entitled "How the Boomers Ruined/Saved Dylan, the Beatles, Motown, including The Supremes, Everything." Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, the Rolling Stones, One could certainly make the point that our current Carole King, Bob Marley, and the Eagles. The Precious dysfunctional U.S. Congress is largely composed of Jewels and their contemporaries know this music almost Baby Boomers, that the titans of American finance who as well as we do, a testament to its innovation and Humorist P.J. O'Rourke sheds light on how Baby Boomers so recently brought the world economy to its knees enduring quality. And, then of course, there is always have impacted the world. were Boomers, and that — love'em or hate 'em, Bill Rod Stewart ... Clinton and George W. Bush brought Baby Boomers' O'Rourke offers this assessment of the Baby Boomers, sensibilities to the White House. and it is hard to disagree. O'Rourke, however, concentrates on our social and cultural contributions. "We may not have managed America's money well, but the Boomers' demand As the first American generation raised by the book, Dr. Spock's The Common for more and better gizmos has filled the nation with amazing playthings. We are Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, we Boomers have changed everything we the generation that will die with the most toys. have come into contact with from cradle to grave. Our parents, the generation "Until that day finally comes, we'll still be riding our bicycles, jamming in which survived both the Great Depression and World War II, had to pony up garage bands and wearing jeans and T-shirts. We're famously careful about the for new schools to accommodate our vast numbers and then send more of us to way we raise our kids, because somebody has to grow up. It won't be us." college than ever before. As we slide into our personal autumns, our healthcare is Tom Brokaw famously dubbed our parents the "Greatest Generation," and they costing so much that it helped push Congress into passing our nation's first stab were; it is hard to argue with that. at universal health coverage. And, when the end comes, many of us — or our Maybe we Boomers will be remembered as the children — opt for an economical cremation, something our parents rarely did. "Fun-est Generation." MARGARET DICKSON, ConWhen the 22nd century rolls around, though, we Boomers may be remembered tributing Writer, COMMENTS? more for our other contributions. Think MAD magazine, Woodstock, pet rocks, Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. Focus on the Family 20 Countdown Magazine Adventures in Odyssey Contest & Request Line: 910-764-1073 Keeping the Main Thing ... the Main Thing. visit us online www.christian107.com Daily Specials • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Fresh Seafood • Hand Cut Steaks • Homemade Desserts • Italian & Greek • Children's Menu Banquet rooms available up to 100 guests WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 484-0261 1304 Morganton Rd. Mon-Sat: 6am-10pm Sun: 7am-2:30 pm Serving Fayetteville Over 50 Years! JANUARY 8-14, 2014 UCW 5