America finds itself in the middle of a generational change that is complicated by other economic, social, environmental, cultural, demographic and political forces that have also led to major divisions in the way we view our country. The most visible and dramatic manifestation of the change and its complications is in our political leadership that has become estranged from each other to the point that a difference of opinion is reason enough to create enemies.
At the top of the political list are the candidates for the presidency of the United States. Although the candidates and their “bench” reflect some of the representatives of the younger world, it is clear that the sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation, the Baby Boomers, still see themselves in control.
One of the principle cultural efforts of the Chicano Movement was to bring back “to their rightful place” the elderly in the community. It was felt that tradition demanded that the seniors hold a special place because of their acquired wisdom and the collective memory of values essential to the survival of a culture.
That was even more true in our rural migrant families that relied on our patriarchs to head and hold clans together as we moved across the country. In my extended family, my grandfather was our contractor and owned the truck that transported many of the workers to and from the fields.
More than that, grandfather was also the minister of the church and held services wherever we stopped. His sermons and the preaching of those he invited to the pulpit held the ultimate truth for a mind like mine in development.
As I look back at that era, I become more convinced that poverty breeds an endurance factor that teaches us to accept our human condition. The sermons to the congregation tended to reinforce that notion and went further in justifying second class citizenship as a necessary circumstance for heavenly rewards.
So, the Boomer generation leaders do not appear to have aged too well. Specifically they have gone through a complete cycle of unbridled freedom, Woodstock, left-wing activism against the Vietnam War, the embracing of Conservative values under Ronald Reagan and now the MAGA agitation for a White dictatorship.
That is why many in the country are looking at age as a negative characteristic of our national leadership, and especially, what appears to be the presidential candidates (Biden and Trump) this election year. Age also appears to be less of a civil right at the highest levels of the work place.
President Biden is 81 years old and will be 82 shortly after the November elections. Former President Trump will be 78 before the presidency is decided.
Their ages is a matter of political debate because the Boomer Generation they represent has been “going off the rails” for some time. The great divide that it has created and that it, in effect, represent, is the product of historical differences about America and its place in the world.
There is a general feeling in the nation that this is the last time a Boomer will be a finalist for the presidency. The next four years will be like a goodbye tour unless the MAGA crowd succeeds in canceling the Constitution and having their leader stay in power.
To me, age does render a collection of experiences that constitutes wisdom. This attribute should be honored in our public settings.
Yet, it is time for a generational change. It is time for a new national leadership.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of laVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
