Archives for January 2024

Tired of reading/hearing how baby boomers are ruining the economy, sucking up resources, and hoarding houses and wealth? It’s almost like people have forgotten all the positive things our generation contributed: the peace movement, civil rights, gay rights, feminism, environmentalism. Instead, the storyline seems to be that we’re greedy bastards just taking everything we can get.

The problem with blaming boomers for being greedy is that it’s complete bullshit. In fact – this is the key takeaway here – baby boomers put in more than they take out. How do we know this? Because the facts tell the story.

Boomers are working longer, well past what used to be considered the conventional retirement age. Remember when your parents and their friends retired at 65? Not many boomers fit that stereotype. Yes, the pandemic pushed some to take retirement early, but it also encouraged many more to stay on the job. That means that we are paying payroll taxes for more years. We might not ever see any of that money via social security, but nonetheless, we’re still paying into the system.

Even boomers who are drawing social security are not sucking the system dry. We still pay taxes on our income (including social security). We pay for supplemental medical benefits. We pay sales, property, state and local taxes. There’s no escape!

Bear in mind also that retirement is essentially self-funded. Vacation and holiday costs are out-of-pocket expenses, and they help stimulate the economy to boot. AARP discounts? Big deal. You get a little off on your rental car or dinner, and those discounts are coming from the private sector that is trying to earn your business, not your government.

Last but not least in the argument that boomers put in more than they take out, here’s the bottom line. When we die, our offspring and/or our designated charities are going to get whatever cash is left, which will most likely be substantial sums. We really can’t, as the saying goes, take it with us.

The next time you read an op-ed that blames greedy baby boomers, be sure to go to the comments section and set them straight with the simple fact: we put in more than we take out! You’ll feel better when you do.

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. You can also visit his author page here. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon. But that’s not all. You can also purchase the Best of BoomSpeak on Amazon.

My grandsons were taking turns with a video game when one of them stopped and began shaking the remote control. Then he tapped it gently. Nothing. Next he tapped it on the table. No response.

Then the ‘man the inventor’ gene kicked in and one of them used a small Phillips screwdriver to remove the lid and peek inside the battery slot. They looked like primitive soothsayers in search of clues as they thoughtfully poked and separated the internal wiring of a sacrificial offering. They took the two AA batteries out, then reinserted them and replaced the lid. Then, with lips jammed tight in apprehension, they pushed the ON button. Still nothing.

At that point, I looked up from my ‘reading the papers’ facade and asked, “What seems to be the problem, guys?”

“Battery’s dead. Shouldn’t be. We just put fresh ones in a couple of days ago. They were working yesterday.”

“Hmm, mind if I take a look?” I asked before catching the pre-teen glance and mild smirk that seemed to say, how would an old fart know anything about hi-tech gaming-hardware. But then, the years of my caring and loving kicked in and the oldest boy shrugged and said, “Sure Gramps. Why not?”

They fiddled with the gismo, removing the screw while I put on my wise-elder face and studied the elctronics guts. The two shiny batteries reminded me of organs…sleek, shiny organs in fresh dressed game…but I digress….

Just to let you know…I love these guys and have no desire to put them down or show them up. But I did want to help fix their problem. I might be playing the ‘out of it’ old fart, but that wouldn’t be the first time, like when they let me play touch football in the backyard with them or when I whiff at whiffleball.

I popped the batteries out, licked my tongue on the positive posts and dropped them back in place. I pushed the on button and Bingo…game on.

I got a quiet stare from the guys¬—as if I’d shone them how to make a fire by rubbing sticks together. Somebody has to be the custodian of throwback technology.

Retired trainer, and writing instructor, Joe Novara lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Writings include novels, short stories, a memoir and various poems, plays, anthologies and articles. Read more at https://freefloatingstories.wordpress.com/

It’s time to call out ageism in all its forms.

Yeah!! What he said!

There’s only one problem. Boomers themselves may be the most ageist among us. Think about it. We are the ones complaining about aching joints, or hearing that’s rapidly fading, or knees that need replacement, or no longer being able to race through an airport to catch a flight.

That’s right, we’re old. Not only does the rest of the population recognize that we’re old, we know it as well. You may say what about “you’re as young as you feel?” Bullshit. We are definitely feeling it. Especially when you wake up each morning. There is this brief inventory in which you codify what hurts today. The bursitis? The bad knee? The wrenched shoulder that still aches?

Holy cow! We really are old! We know it and so do the people around us. They see the gray and white hair. They see our confusion when our iPhones tell us to do something but we have not figured out what it wants us to do. They try not to look at us texting with a single forefinger instead of both thumbs.

We are on the losing side of life. Losing memory, strength, balance, cognition, and more.

But all is not loss (or lost). Some things are found. We appreciate each other in deeper ways. People, places and moments mean more to us then when we were rushing around trying to be someone and be someplace. We have the luxury of time and the insight earned by experience to more fully enjoy what’s happening around us. We take less for granted and that alone can deepen our appreciation for this time in our lives.

It’s a good time to remind ourselves of the elders who continued to exhibit vitality and artistry well into their 90s and beyond. We all know someone in this category, whether they be personal acquaintances or famous artists or philosophers (Jimmy Carter comes to my mind). They made the most of their life experiences in order to maintain mental vitality despite the physical constraints that come with old age.

Okay, we can do this. Ignore the physical decline and appreciate what we can do with our minds. Starting NOW!

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. You can also visit his author page here. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon. But that’s not all. You can also purchase the Best of BoomSpeak on Amazon.

“How much longer do you think we’re going to let you drive?” my son asks me. Is he kidding? Well, he’s only half kidding. He doesn’t really think I shouldn’t be driving anymore. Yet. But when will he really think it?

I drive with supreme caution when one of my kids (or grandkids – the little spies) are in the car. I do everything with supreme caution when I’m around them. I walk the stairs carefully. I carry my bagged grocery items with the greatest ease. I remember to turn off the oven when I take something out of it. I exit the bathtub with extreme caution. I try to cover it when I can’t think of a word – I don’t need to do that with my friends; they get it. But my kids – in their fifties – haven’t experienced this yet. Or have they? Are they, too, beginning to feel things start to slip, and are they seeing their future in me? Or are they just angels trying to protect me? I may never know. Most likely, it’s a little of both.

And I’m not complaining. I know I’m lucky to have them. But the truth is, I’m also a little afraid. Could they take my car away? I’ve read that what most people don’t know about dementia is that it’s not all or nothing. Which means you could have trouble finding the right word at times, or forget where you put your house keys, but you’re still okay to drive. Or it could be the other way around. But often if children see their parents slipping in one area, the first thing they think is that it’s no longer safe for them to drive.

It’s a fine line to walk. For now, I’m going to continue being careful and lying if necessary – or shall we say covering a bit – whenever I’m around anyone who could take my car keys. And being hopeful that they are able to see through the cover-up if and when the time comes that I really need their help. Something tells me they’ll see through it and then some.

Norma Libman is a journalist and lecturer who has been collecting women’s stories for more than twenty years. You can read the first chapter of her award-winning book, Lonely River Village, at NormaLibman.com.

My son’s boyfriend, Kyle, recently graduated with a 3D modeling and design degree. Curiously, I asked him why he chose that degree. Kyle replied he wanted his profession to reflect his skills in technology and creativity. I understood that desire: Forty-plus years ago, I made the same attempt to connect my writing and art skills and ended up with a BS in graphic design. I asked him about his background. It included graphic design and website design. Woo-hoo! I could talk to him about graphic design. His eyes glazed over when I mentioned how I started in my profession with typesetting galleys, photostats, and paste-ups. Seeing this, I went for my sure-fire joke: I was also a stripper.

The joke fell flat, and I realized then I am a graphic design dinosaur, a dying breed that remembers the world of print before computers when comps had to be drawn out before any idea was approved. Once approved, a project cycled through the complete process. The artwork had to be sized and broken down by color. Written content had to be specced and typeset. Galleys and for-position-only art had to be pasted up. Negatives had to be made and stripped for printing plates.

When computers, like the Macintosh SE, first came out, Martha, my co-worker, returned from a trade show raving about the possibilities on the horizon. My boss, an older, former ad agency owner in the 1950s, swore computers would never replace the traditional way of doing graphic design. “The quality isn’t there.”

I progressed through my professional life and assimilated the new way of designing. I did catalogs, brochures, and all manner of print, and I was a satisfied professional, confidently navigating new computers and software until the advent of the website. I’m not alluding to the essential, informational website; I’ve done those. Spreadsheet and code-based websites were my asteroids, signaling my extinction and my hurried exit from the profession.

I was happy to see Kyle excited for his future, and I congratulated him on his anticipated future.

This morning, on the web, I saw an item about the progress made in robotics, and I wondered if the combination of mass-produced robots, with dexterity in their hands not seen before, coupled with AI, would make the field of graphic design something scientists in the future would unearth as part of an ancient era.

Maura Morgan joins the rest of us graphic designers waiting for AI to initiate our professional demise.