The road to 40 has been a dizzying ride for baby boomers.
George McGovern to George Bush. Free love to monogamy. Non-materialism to yuppiedom. Drug taking to drug testing.
Why such radical shifts? Growing up, mostly. As people age, they simply become more conservative. And since the baby-boom generation makes up a third of the population, the slightest shift in its collective values attracts an enormous amount of attention: When a huge number of people experiment with pot or buy BMWs, the nation takes notice.
"It's been remarkable to watch as [the baby-boom generation] moves through its life," said David Stewart, 39, a professor of marketing at the University of Southern California. "It's gone through major swings in terms of opinion and lifestyle."
But some values have never changed.
On the issue of race, the baby-boom generation has epitomized "a mentality of inclusion," said Karen Meredith, 36, founder of the American Association of Boomers. "Being racist is like smoking cigarettes. It's a very shameful thing."
Boomers grew up watching the civil-rights movement on TV. They went to college in droves and learned that racism is caused by ignorance. Highly educated, well-traveled baby boomers were not about to let anyone call them ignorant.
"We probably are the first generation that actually experienced working side by side with black colleagues," Ms. Meredith noted.
The baby-boom generation has always been concerned about the environment, Mr. Stewart said. "We're seeing that interest revived, though it was never lost."
The newly fueled interest in environmental matters might be inspired less by news accounts of supposed global warming or overflowing landfills than by baby boomers' basic interest in their children's future, Mr. Stewart said.
"I think there is a better understanding now that growing up doesn't just happen, that the environment the child is in really does affect how they grow up," Ms. Meredith said.
The continuing rightward shift of baby boomers' values also might stem from the fact that more and more of them are becoming parents, Ms. Meredith added.
"For a lot of us, becoming parents is a major perception-altering experience. Having children tends to make you more conservative."
