Latest news with #Boomers'
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Beyond Boomers, Millennials and Gen Z: Why India needs its own generational framework
Written by Madhu Bhavaraju Millennials. Gen Z. Boomers. These tags have become so embedded in our vocabulary that we seldom question them. They're used in marketing decks, recruitment discussions, and even family WhatsApp debates. But their origins are distinctly American. The 'Boomers' emerged from post-WWII prosperity in the US. 'Gen X' from the disillusionment of the Cold War. 'Millennials' came of age during the tech boom. These markers are born from Western economic, social, and political events. US-based frameworks don't account for the complex social, economic and cultural factors that play out in India. An 80-year-old 'Boomer' in the US is very different from an 80-year-old in India. This is because India's story is different. It is a nation where the pace and nature of change defy imported frameworks. The same household often contains people born in different Indias — an Independence-era grandparent, a liberalisation-era parent, and a child who is fluent in the language of reels. We need a generational framework that reflects our own reality. One that is shaped by Independence and post-Independence idealism, by black-and-white Doordarshan and colour cable TV, by the 1991 liberalisation and the 2010s internet boom. A framework that captures India's own unique and eventful journey over the last 75 plus years. Here's an attempt to decode India through five homegrown generations: Defining trait: Scarcity mindset, frugality, nation-building This is the generation of Independence and Partition. Of handmade goods, ration lines, and radios. They witnessed wars, food shortages, and the slow churn of the socialist economy. Their icons were JRD Tata and MS Subbulakshmi. They placed immense value on institutions such as LIC or HMT — brands that stood for trust and self-reliance. For them, ownership meant pride. Travel was rare and mostly by rail. They taught us 'jugaad' — not as a hack, but as a necessity. Defining trait: Aspirational, but restrained This is the generation that grew up waiting: Waiting for milk, gas cylinders, scooters, jobs and opportunities. They were used to delayed gratification and their dreams often went unfulfilled. Icons ranged from Amitabh Bachchan to Rakesh Sharma. Brands like Nirma and Bata dominated consumption. Foreign travel meant migration out of India. This is the generation that taught us to 'study hard' so we could escape the system they were stuck in Defining trait: Dual identity, with one foot in old India, one in the new Cable TV, the cola wars, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan. This was the generation that saw India open up. This generation saw the first PCs and dial-up internet. They grew up on Doordarshan and graduated to MTV. They were the first to experience choice. They have a strong brand affinity and will pay for quality. Brands like Levi's, Coke, and Maruti became badges of identity. Travel behaviour slowly changed to budget airlines and international vacations. They were the first to see India go from scarcity to abundance and they remember both. Defining trait: Americanised, digital native, less baggage more choice This is the generation of smartphones, Instagram, and global exposure. They grew up with Facebook, and YouTube. Their icons are Virat Kohli, Elon Musk or Deepika Padukone. They value convenience over brand loyalty and experience over ownership. They travel to Insta-worthy places and stay in Airbnbs. They are India's first truly digital consumers but also the most distracted. Defining trait: Native internet fluency, cultural confidence They don't know a world without smartphones. They are growing up with ChatGPT tutors and influencers. The big cultural change is that their worldview is shaped by social media influencers. They don't just consume content, they create it. They expect brands to play by their rules. They will shape a future of creator-founded D2C (direct to customer)-first brands. Any strategy to connect with the people needs to account for cultural memory, not just age. A 40-year-old in India is not the same as a 40-year-old in the US. The reference points, anxieties, and aspirations are different. Policymakers designing pension plans or digital literacy schemes need to understand generational mindsets shaped by tough times, not purely income brackets. EdTech companies need to speak to parents or grandparents who fear technology and children who are digital natives. Consumer brands must evolve rapidly to catch up to internet native customers who will soon become primary decision makers with big spending capacity. India has seen major events from Independence to wars to socialism to economic stagnation to growth. At the level of the family unit, we have changed from large joint families to solo living within two generations. We've lived many lives in a single lifetime. We deserve to define those lives on our own terms and not borrowed ones. The writer is Founder – The Brand Ignition Co
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
13 Childhood Realities That Hit Hard If You're a Boomer
For those who grew up in the '60s and '70s, the world looked a lot different—often grittier, less sanitized, and filled with experiences that would seem unrecognizable to today's kids. The Boomer generation witnessed the rise of technology, social movements, and an entirely new world order. But with those advances came moments that shaped them, often in ways that can now feel like time capsules from another era. Here are 13 childhood realities that hit hard if you're a Boomer. Before the advent of streaming, on-demand content, or even remote controls, television was the center of entertainment in many Boomers' lives. Parents had one major rule: "Don't touch that dial!" If you were lucky, you could get control of the TV during your one hour of free time. For many Boomers, the TV wasn't just a source of entertainment—it was the thing that kept you occupied when the grown-ups needed to do grown-up things. From the crackling opening of 'The Twilight Zone' to the family-friendly charm of 'The Brady Bunch,' TV created a generation of viewers who had no choice but to absorb whatever was on. It wasn't a passive experience because commercials were relentless, kids became familiar with the ad jingles, product placements, and brands far earlier than today's digital-savvy generation. You didn't just watch TV; you were shaped by it. According to Jenny Lorna Herring's thesis, television profoundly impacted Baby Boomers' speech patterns, dress, and intellectual processes, becoming a primary agent of socialization during their formative years. In the pre-digital age, kids were pushed outside as soon as the breakfast dishes were done and told not to come back in until the streetlights flickered on. There were no phones, no screens, and no apps to distract you from the magic of play. You could be found roller-skating down the sidewalk, building tree forts, or organizing impromptu games of kickball with neighborhood friends. Those were the days when summer stretched endlessly and boredom was the best motivation to get creative. While safety concerns today might prevent kids from being outside unsupervised for hours on end, Boomers know the thrill of a true outdoor adventure. Those summer nights under the stars, the freedom to roam, and the knowledge that you were part of a collective neighborhood experience cannot be replicated in today's world of isolated, digital-first childhoods. According to Frontiers in Public Health, outdoor play remains crucial for children's physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development despite the challenges posed by modern lifestyles. While modern parents track every bite their child eats, counting carbs, calories, and even sugar grams, this was unheard of in the Boomer era. Candy bars were a rite of passage—there were no food labels to dissect or nutritionists urging you to stay away from artificial flavors. Sugar was just part of the fun, and you could find it in everything from the sugary cereals at breakfast to the sweetened Kool-Aid on hot summer days. For many, there was no guilt, no tracking apps, and certainly no judgment when you reached for a second serving of dessert. But as we've learned more about the long-term effects of sugar on our health, it's hard not to feel like our childhoods were one big, unmonitored sugar binge. It was a simpler time, yes, but also one that feels, in retrospect, a little reckless. Insights from Kaspersky highlight how technology has changed parenting approaches, including nutrition monitoring. Remember when kids were told to "sit down and be quiet" while the adults talked? It wasn't just a mantra—it was a rule that carved a deep line in the power dynamics between generations. In a time when respect for authority was paramount, children were often seen but not heard. You didn't have an opinion, at least not one that mattered in the eyes of the grown-ups. Today, parents are more inclined to engage with their children, listen to their thoughts, and even take their feelings seriously. But for Boomers, childhood conversations were far more one-sided. It's hard not to look back and think, 'How did we survive the sheer amount of adult jargon we didn't understand, yet were expected to listen to without question?' Research from Sage Journals explores how these dynamics have evolved. Before ride-share apps, family minivans, or the luxury of 'Uber-ing' to the mall, kids had no choice but to walk. Whether it was to school, to a friend's house, or just around the neighborhood, walking was your primary form of transportation. For many Boomers, this meant an impressive level of independence, especially when they became old enough to walk to places without adult supervision. The thought of "getting a ride" as an option didn't even cross your mind. The freedom to walk was also a rite of passage, teaching you responsibility, independence, and navigation. There was no GPS to tell you where to go, just a sense of direction and an internal map you created over the years. Can you imagine living like that today? Before cell phones and texting, there was the house phone—a clunky, tethered device that could only be used in certain places. If you wanted to talk to someone, you had to call their house and hope they were home. The concept of privacy, in the form of a phone call, was utterly foreign. The phone rang, your mom answered it, and you prayed she didn't make small talk with your crush's mother. There was no hiding behind a screen, no texting 'just checking in,' and no sending a quick DM to say 'hi.' You had to pick up the phone, dial, and hope the person on the other end was available. And if they weren't, you left a message on the answering machine, which, of course, you had to listen to in front of the family when you got home. In the '60s and '70s, childhood seemed to come with a sense of responsibility that's rarely seen today. From an early age, many Boomers were expected to contribute around the house, help take care of siblings, or even get a part-time job once they hit their teens. The idea of 'growing up' wasn't a distant concept—it was an expectation. This urgency to mature fast left little room for the frivolousness of youth. While kids today may be coddled a bit longer, many Boomers had to face adulthood head-on. Whether it was learning how to manage money or becoming a surrogate parent to younger siblings, their childhoods often blurred the lines between play and work. And let's be honest, it wasn't always the most fun. There were no 'safe spaces' in schools, no educational reforms aimed at individual well-being—just pure survival. From playground bullies to tough teachers, it was a time when your social and academic success was often directly linked to your ability to endure. You learned the hard way that standing up for yourself or being too vocal about your opinions could quickly earn you a reputation you didn't want. Education wasn't necessarily a joyous experience for many Boomers; it was more about discipline, respect, and the constant need to prove yourself. The idea of a nurturing classroom environment or a 'well-rounded' child was an afterthought in the era of strict academic rules. If you didn't fit the mold, it was your problem to fix. Without the luxury of smartphones, Netflix, or YouTube, boredom was a frequent companion for Boomers. But instead of being glued to a screen, you learned how to occupy your time creatively. You read books, wrote in journals, played board games, and created elaborate scenarios with toys. In some ways, it was a more imaginative era, one where your mind had to be your primary source of entertainment. Not having instant access to entertainment meant you became resourceful. You didn't wait for someone to entertain you—you found a way to do it yourself. It was this creative survivalism that laid the foundation for some of the most resourceful and imaginative generations in history. That's not something you can download on your phone today. For many Boomers, life was about learning to cope with the fact that things weren't always going to go their way. This wasn't just a metaphor for disappointment—it was the reality of growing up. Whether it was dealing with parents who had their own set of rules, struggling with friends who didn't have your back, or being judged for things outside your control, fairness was often a distant hope. Today's generation may be more vocal about injustice, but Boomers learned to brush off slights, not to dwell on problems, and accept that life often wasn't equitable. You survived by picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and moving forward. In some ways, it taught resilience—something that can sometimes be hard to come by in today's world of instant validation. Before the internet turned every conversation into public knowledge, Boomers had the rare luxury of privacy—real privacy. There were no social media posts to be found years later, no embarrassing Snapchat stories to resurface, and no digital footprint that followed you forever. If you made a mistake or had a secret, you had a real chance to keep it to yourself. Not everything needed to be shared. Your thoughts, your social life, and even your worst decisions were things you could keep to yourself. Privacy was not just a luxury—it was an expectation. And while privacy might seem like a bygone thing now, for Boomers, it was an essential part of growing up. If you grew up before the zero-tolerance policies and 'everyone's a winner' mentality, you likely encountered a schoolyard fight or two. Whether it was over an argument or just plain old aggression, it was part of the social hierarchy. These weren't just fights; they were rites of passage that determined your social standing. While today's generation might never have to deal with this, Boomers knew how to throw hands and make peace after the bell rang. These encounters were tough but formative, teaching many how to stand up for themselves, assert their boundaries, and navigate complex social dynamics. Today's soft-handed world can seem a little out of touch with the raw reality of how many learned to stand their ground. Failure wasn't something to be avoided; it was something to be learned from. In the Boomer generation, failure was not seen as the end of the road—it was the first step in learning what didn't work. Whether it was failing a test or losing at sports, it was an opportunity to figure out how to improve, how to adapt, and how to bounce back stronger. This gritty mentality created some of the most tenacious and hardworking people. Today, with an increasing focus on success and perfection, it's easy to forget that failing is a necessary part of success. For Boomers, it was all about trial, error, and improvement—something that often feels forgotten in today's world of immediate success stories.
Atlantic
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
The New Old Sound of Adult Anxiety
The often-cited statistic that 50 percent of American marriages end in divorce has long been overstated: The divorce rate started sliding from its historical peak way back in 1980. But the myth of the modern marriage being doomed to fail endures because it was seared into the cultural consciousness—like so much else—by Baby Boomers. After the sexual revolution of the '60s and the legalization of no-fault divorce, they availed themselves of the freedom to leave their spouse—and then parlayed that experience into now-classic movies, books, and rock about going your own way. Boomers' children aren't getting hitched as easily, and those who do are less likely to split up. That's probably a result of living in an ever more individualized, ever less traditional, and ever more expensive society—and of having studied the cautionary tales of their elders. But Millennials do have their version of divorce rock: the softly grooving Los Angeles band Haim. The group's three members have never been married, but their new album, I Quit, cleverly remixes the breakup-music canon for a generation that's wary of tying the knot. Since their 2013 debut, the Haim sisters—Este (39), Danielle (36), and Alana (33)—have gained fame as pop celebrities who are fluent in TikTok and friends with Taylor Swift. Yet, as a rare band in an era of solo stars, they're also a throwback. Haim's songs blend the rollicking chemistry of Fleetwood Mac, the muscular femininity of Heart, and the mystic cheesiness of Phil Collins (with a smattering of new-jack-swing sparkle). But the sisters swap the earnest grandiosity of their influences for cheeky nonchalance, hinting that nothing they sing about is all that serious. In videos, they strut down streets like Tina Turner, except with all of Turner's outsize emoting replaced by smirks. The band's great 2013 single, 'The Wire,' is about ditching a perfectly nice partner, counseling, 'I just know, I know, I know, I know that you're gonna be okay anyway.' Though the band's lyrics have long been preoccupied with breakups, I Quit is the moment these Stevie Nicks disciples attempt their Rumours: a kaleidoscopic and questing pop epic about unraveling commitments (though made in circumstances of sibling solidarity rather than burning tension between bandmates). The three sisters were each single while recording the album, and have marketed that fact by sharing dating horror stories online. The most consequential breakup here is that of the lead singer, Danielle. In 2022, she exited a relationship of nine years with the producer Ariel Rechtshaid, who'd worked on all of the band's previous albums. The split apparently represented both a personal and an artistic unchaining. Danielle told ID magazine that Rechtshaid took a 'searching, labored' approach to recording, whereas I Quit 's lead producer, Rostam Batmanglij, is 'quick' and 'kinetic.' The album's title is meant to convey liberation: 'The exit is also the entrance,' Este said to GQ. The music does feel quite unshackled. Haim's previous and best album, 2020's Women in Music Pt. III, was a delicate jewelbox of sound, but I Quit is all surge and excess. Its songs go on longer, say more, and do more than is expected or, sometimes, advisable. The opening track's grating sample of George Michael 's 'Freedom! '90' feels like the result of a dare; a number of genre digressions—into drum and bass, industrial rock, and shoegaze—are amusing but inessential. The highlights, though, are Haim-ian in the best way: instinctual and playful. Incongruous musical styles join up through ingenious, gliding transitions. The arrangements sizzle and fizzle like Pop Rocks thanks to creative instrumentation and digital editing. The lead single, 'Relationships,' is the album's manifesto: 'I think I'm in love but I can't stand fucking relationships,' Danielle sings. Bickering and restlessness has her running a cost-benefit analysis on her beloved, and the music sounds as confused as she is, rotating from goofy hip-hop to plangent quiet storm to handclap-driven hoedown. Boomers loom in the background: 'Oh this can't just be the way it is / Or is it just the shit our parents did?' Really, it's not the shit her parents did—they're long married with three daughters. The narrator of this song, by contrast, sounds barely tethered, like a Mylar balloon on a fraying string. Which isn't to say she finds a serious relationship painless to sever. The album serves up the expected outpourings of post-breakup grief ('Cry,' whose elegant melody evokes Annie Lennox), anger ('Now It's Time,' which interpolates a pounding riff from U2's Zooropa), and horniness (the country romp 'All Over Me'). But its centerpiece tracks march from ambivalence to … a different kind of ambivalence. The excellent 'Down to Be Wrong' is the confession of someone defiantly leaving the life they've built, all the while maintaining a pit-in-the-stomach terror about the unknown. As the song builds from iciness to fieriness, Danielle conveys a belief in following your own desires—even if you don't fully understand what those desires are, much less where they'll take you. In moments like that, Haim's music attains a newfound sense of drama: the drama of experiencing life as a purely internal, self-directed struggle. The narrators of these songs don't worry about betraying an oath or straying from a traditional role; friends and family figure in only as concerned characters wondering whether their newly single buddy is okay. Everyone seems to agree that happiness, or at least liberation, is the noblest goal. But that prerogative to chase self-actualization at all costs brings with it the dread of failure, as heavy as the booming drums that ground the album's otherwise spry arrangements. At one point, Danielle quotes Bob Dylan in 1965: 'How does it feel to be on your own?' She's repeating a question asked at the dawn of a social revolution whose effects, sonic and spiritual, ripple ever onward.
The Advertiser
17-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Caporn to begin Boomers reign with college warm-up
Adam Caporn's reign as Boomers head coach will begin when the side tunes up for the Asia Cup against the University of Colorado on the Gold Coast. The low-key July 31 contest comes before Australia aim for an Asia Cup three-peat in Saudi Arabia from August 5-17. It will be Caporn's first games in charge since taking over from Brian Goorjian, who stood down after last year's Paris Olympics. "I couldn't be more excited to return to Australia and get on the floor with the group," Caporn said. "I see the Asia Cup as a critical first step in building our system and re-establishing the Boomers' culture." Caporn was on Goorjian's staff and is currently an assistant at the Washington Wizards. The Boomers' Asian Cup squads are traditionally made up of NBL, Asian and European-based players and do not feature any of the country's NBA talent. Thon Maker was the star when the Boomers beat Lebanon in Jakarta in 2022 to defend their title. Adam Caporn's reign as Boomers head coach will begin when the side tunes up for the Asia Cup against the University of Colorado on the Gold Coast. The low-key July 31 contest comes before Australia aim for an Asia Cup three-peat in Saudi Arabia from August 5-17. It will be Caporn's first games in charge since taking over from Brian Goorjian, who stood down after last year's Paris Olympics. "I couldn't be more excited to return to Australia and get on the floor with the group," Caporn said. "I see the Asia Cup as a critical first step in building our system and re-establishing the Boomers' culture." Caporn was on Goorjian's staff and is currently an assistant at the Washington Wizards. The Boomers' Asian Cup squads are traditionally made up of NBL, Asian and European-based players and do not feature any of the country's NBA talent. Thon Maker was the star when the Boomers beat Lebanon in Jakarta in 2022 to defend their title. Adam Caporn's reign as Boomers head coach will begin when the side tunes up for the Asia Cup against the University of Colorado on the Gold Coast. The low-key July 31 contest comes before Australia aim for an Asia Cup three-peat in Saudi Arabia from August 5-17. It will be Caporn's first games in charge since taking over from Brian Goorjian, who stood down after last year's Paris Olympics. "I couldn't be more excited to return to Australia and get on the floor with the group," Caporn said. "I see the Asia Cup as a critical first step in building our system and re-establishing the Boomers' culture." Caporn was on Goorjian's staff and is currently an assistant at the Washington Wizards. The Boomers' Asian Cup squads are traditionally made up of NBL, Asian and European-based players and do not feature any of the country's NBA talent. Thon Maker was the star when the Boomers beat Lebanon in Jakarta in 2022 to defend their title.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More Canadians plan to carry mortgage debt into retirement: Royal LePage
More people are planning to enter retirement while still paying off a mortgage, a new report from Royal LePage says, with affordability and an evolution in when and how people retire among the factors. A survey conducted for the real estate company found that 29 per cent of the Canadians planning to retire this year or in 2026 will carry mortgage debt into their retirement. Separate data from Statistics Canada show that in 2016, only 14 per cent of senior families had mortgage debt; in 1999 that proportion was just eight per cent. 'In the era of rotary phones and station wagons, burning your mortgage was the economic finish line,' Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage said in a statement. 'Today's retiree reality is much more nuanced.' A factor in Canada's housing crisis is the concentration of single-family homes within the Baby Boomer cohort, Soper told Yahoo Finance Canada in an interview. 'We knew that eventually the tide would turn,' he said. 'People would just reach the age where they'd start to exit those family homes.' But, he added, the report shows that Boomers' exodus from property ownership 'has been much delayed compared to previous generations.' Boomers are subject to the same affordability challenges that define the current housing market in Canada, the report says, which have left many with significant mortgages. The report also notes several demographic trends — some related to affordability — that are likely also factors. This generation of retirees is entering retirement sort of kicking and screaming, saying, 'I won't go quietly into the night.'Phil Soper, president and CEO, Royal LePage The age of first-time home buyers has been creeping up, the report says, 'increasing the odds of future generations of retirees carrying a mortgage further into retirement.' In a 2023 report from Royal LePage looking at first-time homebuyers, it found 43 per cent were 35 years old or older — up from 33 per cent in 2021. The average retirement age has also risen fairly steadily: the age was 61.6 in 2000, according to Statistics Canada data, and 65.3 in 2024. Canadians today are also living 'about 50 per cent more years after turning 65' compared to their grandparents, the report says. 'People are working longer,' Soper said. 'People are staying active longer. The whole Zoomer thing didn't exist for Boomers' parents. They were just expected to retire and spend time with grandkids. … There's obviously exceptions but generally this generation of retirees is entering retirement sort of kicking and screaming, saying, 'I won't go quietly into the night.' "It's no surprise their attitudes toward home ownership have evolved with the times. With people buying their first homes later and working longer, it's increasingly common for Canadians to carry a mortgage well into retirement, often by choice rather than necessity.' In a survey of brokers and sales agents across Canada about the attitudes of people in the retirement window, Royal LePage found that 44 per cent saw an even split between people who planned to stay in their home and people who planned to downsize. 28 per cent said a majority were choosing to downsize and 21 per cent said a majority were choosing to stay put. Those preferences vary in different regions, and Soper said one factor was likely the particularly steep rise in home prices in greater Toronto and greater Vancouver. 'The amount of capital gains you could surface in our two largest cities really dwarfs what you see in other parts of the country,' he said. 'So I think we will see different trends in the GTA and the lower mainland of B.C. than for example what we might see in Halifax or Calgary.' Smaller Canadian cities may not have as many huge houses and may also have condo options that aren't as compact as many of those available in Toronto or Vancouver, Soper said, making a downsize move less 'dramatic' for someone retiring. Furthermore, someone in Montreal or Toronto contemplating a move into a larger condo may be deterred by the costs, Soper said. 'The price that is demanded for large condos in the city can be so high that once you include condominium fees, if you do the math over 10 or 20 years you're not saving any money by moving to a larger condo in our bigger cities.' John MacFarlane is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jmacf. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
