Podcast
1. 1968 - Born to be wild
The EconomistJohn Priddow, Chuck Hagel, Thomas Vallely, Margot Alexander, Kit Back, Fry Gillyard, Bill Baxley, James Baker, Richard Smith, Roger Ebert
- If Joe Biden remains in the race, voters will choose between a candidate who will be 86 and one who will be 82 by the end of the term; if Biden steps aside now, the delay risks plunging the election into chaos.
- A baby boomer remains a potential president at the end of the current decade, with the series planning to explore the legacy of those born in the 1940s as they near the end of their political journey.
- The four years from 1987 to 2020 will be examined to analyze the mindset of the generation, which is described as being shaped by 1968 events when boomers were most impressionable.
- The legacy of the boomer generation is expected to include breaking long-standing barriers for both good and ill, with their inheritance defined by their parents' defeat of the Nazis and victory in the Cold War.
- Material conditions for the generation included stepping changes in antibiotics, air travel, and personal computing, alongside an arrival at the jobs market during a unique period of wealth creation.
- Future perspectives may view the social changes led by boomers as necessary and important, though current fears suggest the generation became elitist, excessive, and out of touch with working Americans.
- Political dynamics trace back to a 1968 precedent where the strategy of exploiting division, as started by George Wallace, has been repeatedly stirred and exploited, though it is uncertain whether Robert Kennedy's healing arc or the division arc is currently stronger.
- The disruption strategy used in 1968 reportedly worked to gain sympathy in some instances but backfired to help elect Richard Nixon; this same year is viewed as a turning point that explained much of the generation's journey.
- Current political events are compared to a "zombie apocalypse" with a horrifying prospect, featuring two main parties accusing each other of wrecking American democracy as the last act for this generation.
- Historical unrest following the 1968 assassination of Dr. King included city riots and National Guard deployments in predominantly black neighborhoods lasting nine months.
- The "psychodrama" of the baby boom generation is anticipated to be a tale rooted in old grudges and revenge plots originating from college campuses, while the 1968 political consensus from their childhood is viewed as having become a carcass.
- Events of 1968, occurring when the generation was impressionable, are expected to continue defining what it means to be an American, despite the current landscape looking different than the historical "year that changed everything."