This is a difficult time to be a Democrat in America (especially in red states), the challenges we face are huge and we’re confronting opposition that is organized, well-funded, and oh yeah, in charge. Most of us have had moments of sadness if not despair, and it’s understandable if people hunker down, avoid the news, and per Shakespeare, “beweep our outcast state and trouble deaf heaven with our bootless cries.”
But wait, a bunch of us have already seen this movie. If you’re a boomer, it’s likely that you were in school during a wrenching moment in history. The Vietnam War was grinding on and the draft required that people either stayed in college, volunteered for the military so they didn’t get drafted (that was me), or left the country.
We responded to this with a collective “HELL NO!” and protests erupted around the country, especially in the spring of 1970 when Nixon bombed Cambodia. While that was going on, protests against racism were happening, women were finding their voice and taking action, gays began to emerge from the closet and we discovered the joys of cannabis.
There is no doubt that we changed the world, for the better, and it was because there were a lot of us, we were active, engaged, and unrelentingly annoying.
Now, 50 years later, we’re experiencing an equally messed up moment in our country’s history. We just lost an election to a regime that abhors the truth, loves money, and doesn’t care what happens to the people.
Organized resistance is emerging, but we don’t yet have traction, and messaging is unclear. It feels like we’re slipping uncontrollably into an abyss that we may not be able to recover from, and that’s just frightening.
There are lots of reasons for us to just quietly commiserate and write checks. We’re older (duh), most of us are either retired or close to it and it’s not a bad thing to just enjoy life, we’ve earned that. Most people will do exactly that, and that’s fine.
But wait, aren’t we the same people who changed the world for the better 50 years ago? We are. Don’t we know how to push back in ways that can disrupt and upset the establishment to achieve our objectives? We do, and yes, I’m bringing the term ‘the establishment’ back because it fits the situation.
We, the boomers, have the experience, skills, and money to not just participate, but to help lead our country back to a place where people are more important than billionaires making more billions and the power is with US, the people. We were badass college students, and now we need to be badass boomers. It’s just as important now as it was when we were fighting back in the 60s and 70s. We need to get off our butts and get going.
Here are a few ideas on how you, a badass boomer, can help.
Post on social media – We’re good at Facebook and Instagram because we have grandchildren and enjoy pictures of kittens. Share posts that help to diminish the power of the establishment, or better yet, write one yourself.
Join groups that share our vision and values to increase our voice and to find like-minded people who will help keep you sane.
Call/email/text legislators, school board members, county supervisors, and anyone who’s in a position of authority – We’re a talkative generation and many of us have the time to contact our legislators and tell them what we think they should and should not be doing. Do it a lot because it will make the point more effectively and annoy them at the same time.
Go to meetings, go to marches, get out there – Remember campus rallies? Lots of people saying the same thing in one place has an impact, and we can leverage the social media megaphone to make more noise from group events.
Finally, tell the truth and call the lies. We must be the repository of honesty and civil society, it’s our role as the elders of our society. Stand up to ignorance.
So, turn off MSNBC, find others who are as frustrated as you, and get moving. We’ve done this before, we know it can work and we can make a real difference in the outcome of this momentary nightmare. Soon, we’ll start to see the changes we want and when we do, the world will know that the badass boomers are back!
About the Author:
Thad Peterson grew up in Colorado, attended the University of Idaho, and is a Navy (Vietnam) veteran. After the Navy, he moved to San Francisco where he launched his civilian career in financial services. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles and Denver and settled with his wife in Atlanta where they raised their kids. He purchased a beach house in the Charleston area in 2001 and moved to South Carolina full-time in 2017. He is active in the Exchange Club of Kiawah Seabrook, currently serving as its president, and he sings with the Charleston Men’s Chorus. Thad is also a new member of the Sea Islands Action Network (SIAN), a democratic community group on Seabrook Island.
Since his first election, Thad has voted Democratic and has supported equality and fairness for citizens for over thirty years. He had the privilege of working on Harvey Milk’s Supervisorial campaign in San Francisco and is a staunch supporter of equal rights and fair treatment for all Americans, regardless of circumstance, gender, or persuasion.
Thanks for your words Thad. I'm a badass senior citizen and lived through my college days with the smell of teargas and "grass". At this stage of life, I make LOTS of phone calls mostly to SC State Legislators always aking pointed questions like: "How much money will SC schools lose when the Department of Education is gone?" Let's all honor John Lewis and "make good trouble".
I, too, am very disappointed in many of my generation.