In some ways, we could say that Boomer culture is the apex of Western Civilization. The generations following will watch the West die.
There’s lots of room to research, consider and even debate how Boomer culture was provoked by previous generations. There are two primary elements that are the chief sins: materialism and self-centeredness. Boomers are convinced that they are the greatest generation to ever live, and demand homage in the form of wealth that has already deeply impoverished succeeding generations. Worse, they refuse to let go of anything they control, striving to live way too long and rule until they collapse in place.
Let’s look at something quintessentially Boomer: the TV show American Idol. If you’ve ever wasted time watching it, you’ll notice that all the candidates are counseled in a particular brand of showmanship which is frankly arrogant. A signal motto of Boomers is “believe in yourself,” with the connotation of feeling entitled. Notice that it’s not really the words, but the assumed baggage of the words.
Meanwhile, there is a whole range musical talent that wouldn’t have anything to do with American Idol. They perform their music without the arrogance and swagger, drawing an audience on sheer talent and production. Some go out of their way to avoid showing their faces. While there is some overlap with the mainstream entertainment business, the distance between them is growing.
The entertainment industry is currently still almost entirely a Boomer creature. It will be interesting to watch it die, and see how that affects all of those who bought into the system.
The same could be said of mainstream churches, though. They reflect the Boomer culture. Even the new wave of entrepreneurial churches is just a half-step away from Boomer culture, offering a little less pretense. It was during my lifespan that your common country church started showing the US flag in the auditorium, and the vast majority embraced Dispensationalism. I can recall when no pastor would permit the American flag, and Zionism was disparaged as pure politics, not something that belongs in church. I can recall when Dispensationalism was pushed into the churches, and how it was marketed.
During my youth, it was really hard to avoid the Boomer culture. As an adult, I often embraced the negative consequences of rejecting the Boomer path on things. The only reason I hope to live a while longer is so I can see it all come crashing down.
“I can recall when Dispensationalism was pushed into the churches, and how it was marketed.”
I don’t care to look it up, but I think the two Left Behind writers were Boomers, or at least old Boomers/young Silents. Granted, that franchise was just riding dispensationalist trend, but it definitely showed its appeal.
They were the third wave; the first populist was Hal Lindsay back in the late 1970s, up through the late 1980s. However, I recall seeing the first publication via pamphlets and cheaply printed workbooks among Southern Baptists in the 1960s. I have read histories where the biggest single pusher before that in the US was John R. Rice and his prophecy conferences in the late 1950s, but that was confined to the likes of Independent Baptists, which have never been exactly mainstream. Prior to Rice, Dispensationalism was exceedingly rare.