The most selfish generation

In 1984, NBC’s Nightly News anchor, Tom Brokaw, traveled to the Normandy beaches to witness the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. He was enormously touched, admiring the sterling qualities of the many survivors present. These individuals, who were mostly born in the first quarter of the 20th century, had survived the bleak times of the Great Depression before dutifully defending not only our nation but also Western civilization in fighting the evil forces of Nazism and fanatic Japanese nationalism. Brokaw came home and later wrote a book, dubbing those wartime heroes “the Greatest Generation.” The label stuck.

The Greatest Generation was known for its patriotism, its fierce “can-do” work ethic, its honesty and integrity, its sense of kindness and community spirit, and its modesty. The people of this generation respected and supported their parents and grandparents in old age and were devoted spouses and parents themselves. They defined the American exceptionalism that was so triumphant in the middle of the 20th century.

Fast forward several decades. How would we characterize those born later, roughly in the second half of the 20th century? While various labels have been used to describe later generations, such as the baby boomers (born 1945–1965), Generation X (1965–1980), or even millennials (1980–1995), it strikes me that the individuals leading America today would be better dubbed “the Most Selfish Generation.”