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The Silent Generation
By
Nate Murray |
Marshfield - We
can often forget where we came from: our parents, their
parents, our families. We can plow forward ignoring past
generations in our quest to reach our personal goals. With
that in mind, and with the hope of fostering a more
forgiving and respectful approach to serving these clients,
I would like to briefly review some characteristics about
the “Silent Generation.” This generation is often forgotten
in dizzying pace of the massive changes that have taken
place both in culture and technology since the 1950’s, a
time when this generation was ascendant in American society.
First, let’s look at some facts about this generation.
• They were born during 1923-1945.
• They grew up in a time when "Children were seen and
not heard."
• They lived through the Great Depression and the
Second World War.
• They were the first to experience common indoor
plumbing, reliable electricity, telephones and television.
• They experienced a dramatic decrease in infant
mortality rates and the increasing likelihood of mother’s
surviving childbirth.
• They were told smoking tobacco had certain health
benefits.
• They witnessed the House Committee on Un-American
Activities and Senator Joseph McCarthy's rein of
inquisitions.
Think about some of the transitions they have experienced
and witnessed:
• The worst economic time in the history of this
country to becoming the undisputed economic world power.
• From a time when woman were fulltime mom’s who had
only recently received the right to vote to now where women
are nearly an equal force to men in the workplace and
politics.
• From widespread Jim Crow segregationist laws to the
entire Civil Rights Movement culminating with a bi-racial
President.
• Vast technological improvement from using hand
written letters for communication to the development of
email, Twitter and instant global communication via
satellite.
From coal fired steam ships to regular space travel, landing
on the moon and taking rock samples from Mars.
• The change from radio as the primary in-home
entertainment media to having 250+ cable television channels
(and still nothing good to watch).
This generation is very conservative in their spending
habits and had fewer children than previous generations.
This group of people, who are now elders, makes up a large
part of our clientele. While no longer a power in the work
force, and having passed control of our world over to their
children, they are still seen as having the greatest wealth
and economic influence in the world. We are wise to
understand the "Silent Generation’s" characteristics if we
are to serve them well.
They were hard working. Many did not have the opportunity to
go to college and learned their work habits from not only
their parents, but from a sense of survival. They could be
called "Traditionalist" in that they had strong morals,
solid values of family and work, and culture. They believed
in trust and privacy, keeping their personal lives private.
They lived the motto "Responsibility before pleasure." They
believed in the government and were loyal citizens often
working for one company all their lives. We should work at
better understanding these elders. We should love them, not
get annoyed because they may not understand us. And treat
them with compassion when they see things as black and white
and we have a different, less straight forward point of
view. Remember, it won't be too long before we are the next
"Silent Generation." |
About The Author
Nate
Murray, LICSW is the President of Visiting Angels of the
South Shore a private in home care practice serving elders
and their families. He can be reached at (781) 834 -6355 or
on the web at www.visitingangels.com.
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