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Scott J. Milne

Do you remember watching Get Smart, F Troop, Mannix and Hawaii Five-O in prime time? Can you recall what Neil Armstrong said upon setting foot on the moon? Hey – can you recall when Beijing was named Peking? Do you have a clue just who Dr. Rene Richards was? The name of the gang who kidnapped Patty Hearst? Or do you remember where Elvis was supposed to play before his demise? If you answered yes to any of the above, then let’s face it, you, like me, are what are called Baby Boomers − a T Rex − a dinosaur!

I have one more question. Do you remember buying only DVDs and not one VHS tape, couldn’t wait a second to get your hands on a Sony X-Box, haven’t a clue who cartoons such as Felix the Cat, Wacky Races and Magilla Gorilla are and have no idea that schools once practiced Air Raid….didn’t know that Bea Arthur starred in another (even more successful) sitcom before Golden Girls… have never seen an encyclopedia or have a hissy because your Internet connection doesn’t connect like your eye blinks…?

You’re what I call the “other” generation — Generation X, Y, the I Generation, or even sometimes the Google Gen.

Are there differences between the two generations? And how do you tell them apart anyway?! I’m biased because I spent time in the military where we adhered to rules and regulations. Guess I’m a proud dinosaur. But here are the differences I’ve noticed:

The type of person who shows up five minutes early for work are from my generation; ready to start at 9:00 AM. If you are you someone who strolls in at 9:10 and not think anything of it, then you are an “I” guy.

When you know it’s going to snow or rain the next morning, you get up an extra half hour earlier and do your best to get in on time – my gen. Do you come in whenever and blame it on the weather and/or transport system and/or the dog? The Google group.

You are courteous to the person behind you when entering or exiting a building – older sect. You hold the door for them until they reach for it, heck you are my kind of generation. However, if you don’t notice anyone but yourself…those are the younger, “cooler” ones.

To follow the while the cat’s away, the mouse will play rule seems to be something I see a lot of these folks excelling at.

But if you go that extra mile at the office when you want to be promoted – you belong to the T-Rex’s. Or perhaps you are one of those who feel because you’ve been at your job six months you deserve an automatic pay increase…you’re not my crowd, thanks.

There’s a group I see (and I do see ‘em) who even go see a play and refuse to turn off a cell because an important call is on the way!

Enough examples, right? From where I sit the people who enact the unacceptable behaviors are certainly different from those I grew up with. I can’t understand, nor will I make excuses.

The big question I haven’t asked: Does being from one generation make you better than being from the next? No, but it’s very interesting how generations differ in beliefs, morals and values. Maybe this all about upbringing, location where you were raised, or basic socio-economic status. Maybe your parents pushed belonging to the Boy or Girl Scouts, taking in civic work, spending some time in the military. Perhaps it never came up.

These attributes and ideals change from one generation to the next. Look at the folks who were kids in the 40’s, then served in WWII, and had what are always called good morals. Now take a peek at their offspring: those rebellious kids from the 60’s. Then 20 years later the hippies-turned-Yuppies had kids who became young adults in the Me Generation of the 80’s, where money, greed, power and drugs ruled (long live Gordon Gecko!).

Should the blame lay on anyone? Let’s look back . Perhaps it started when Clark Gable said “don’t give a damn” in 1939’s Gone with the Wind. Or when the TV censors let the sitcom couples sleep in the same instead of twin beds. Or when the government ruled that let mainstream movie theaters show X-Rated movies like Deep Throat. Or maybe when all those grainy butt shots of Caruso, Smits and Franz on NYPD Blue aired.

The Generation Gap is something we will study for years – generations – and there will never be a likely answer as to why differences occur with each. But striving for basic values, strong morals and a serious work ethic isn’t something horrible and we all know it is achievable.

The choice is yours.

As for this old-timer, I’m heading out to the La Brea Tar Pits in LA to lay with the dinosaurs so I can be a fossil or oil for the next generation to remember me by (or better yet to use!).

Oh, and you kids dying to know (unless you Googled it): Elvis was supposed to play Nassau Coliseum out on Long Island before his final peanut butter and banana sandwich did him in! That was 29 years ago, August 1977.
Elvis never made it to the building.

Scott J. Milne is Executive Assistant to the CEO of RLM, and a 20-year veteran of the US Air Force. He is feeling his age these days.