The Problem with Us Boomers

Before there was a John F. Kennedy the game of politics was won by the candidate who promised the most and revealed the least. In 1960 JFK changed that streak of luck when he conquered his challenger by the sweat of his opponent's brow.

Why it happened was a matter of revolutionary technical advancement that forever changed how we viewed our world. How it happened changed the game of politics forever. And when it happened, the consciousness of the boomer generation was forever altered.

Since it was the first-ever televised presidential debate, more than 60 million Americans tuned in to watch then Republican candidate Vice-President Richard Nixon and Democratic candidate, Senator John F Kennedy present their views not just oratorically, but visually as well. Since this was the first-ever televised presidential debate and more than 60 million Americans tuned into watch, our ears became muted as our eyes became memorized. So much data to take in all at once! Because it suddenly seemed strange to hear words spoken when we could also see lips moving, relatively little was actually heard while our eyes busily scanned the candidates bodies, uh faces.

For rather than pay strict attention to what was being said, we listened much more intently to these candidate's posture, poise and facial expression. So much so that when 'The Great Debate' as it was called back then was officially over, the only thing we studied, the only truth we came to was that Kennedy was ridiculously handsome, and Nixon grievously ugly. The next day every newspaper exploited Nixon's exaggerated by TV studio lights sweaty forehead. The next morning it was the only thing an audience of more than 60 million could recall.

But what is a presidential debate except a study in contrasts? Today we have two candidates running for the same White House seat who have never been more conspicuously different in ethnicity, cultural background, age, political policy reform, agenda, voting record or vision, and yet for some aberrant childhood psychologically driven reason, we insist on reverting back to the imaginary days of Camelot and fervently keep striving to superimpose the iconic remarkableness of John F Kennedy on Barack Obama and wistfully note his wife Michelle's choice of dress as symbolically Jackieish.

If it wasn't so delusional sad it would be downright embarrassing. When is our boomer consciousness ever going to grow up? When is our boomer's trauma and grief over losing our beloved knight in shining armour ever going to be healed? From the look of it, never. We continue to yearn for someone we can never get back. We still carry a juvenile ideation of being tenderly governed by a beautiful and righteous hand. If we still can't admit that a politician, any politician, even a Barack Obama, will do anything, anything at all to enhance their chances of getting elected, even if it means taking on the persona of another, then this latest game of politics has already been lost.

For where are the people, my fellow boomers, who were supposed to be listening for the sound of wrong notes during our reign of terror? Why did we subordinately allow our free press to collapse along with the twin towers? Wasn't a free press what we boomers were so in your face, ready to march into hell for back in the sixties? How did so many good people stay silent when so many journalists were captured and had their throats cut in order not to be heard? Why did we just throw our hands up in the air when Bush/Cheney/Rove made expert use of intimidation and illegal scare tactics to shoo away all that wanted to conduct unbiased investigations and probe into matters of high treason and impeachable offenses?

Boomers have to stop thumb sucking on what was once upon a time and impose their better instincts upon their offspring; like the call to arms directive they once followed to question loudly and seek genuine answers, otherwise it's profoundly apparent we've hampered every generation that has come after us to never get past our past.