Older Baby Boomer: 72-80 years old.

CBS Documentary on 1966 High Schoolers and their parents in Webster Grove, Missouri, USA

1960s. Rich Missouri Baby Boomers Who Never Questioned Authority

https://youtu.be/3sBSNYNe2-0?si=KHplNHeBba1Ew8hL

What were you like as a teenager?

Be honest.

A “Socie”, Normie, Fringe/Wild One/Rebel or None of the Above?

Personally I was a mix of the first three: artist, rebel, intellectual from good middle class family. I wasn’t a good looking athletic elite. I didn’t want to live like my parents did beyond having a roof over my head, three squares a day and some money to spend. And a car. I like having a car. Always did. I didn’t want to be a tradesman, I wanted to work at a higher intellectual level, like an artist that charges lots of money to museums or maybe as a computer artist making computer generated videos. And oh, lots of sex, drugs and rock and roll. I got As on my grades but also was happy with Bs or Cs. Party on, I was sweet 16

Hilarious the slow-witted townsfolk's reaction to watching the finished documentary.

We acted like rich, entitled <deleted> who don’t question authority in the middle of the turbulent 60’s that we’re trying desperately to ignore and pretend it’s not happening...

And when we get to see ourselves acting like that on film, we don’t like it!

But oh, they liked saying those arrogant words to the camera, didn’t they?

Also funny that the one sensible, clear thinking individual in the town who almost had what could be considered an alternative viewpoint was the police officer, 555.

I was the good looking athletics star, but also with brains and intellectual, so I had it all back then. I sometimes think I peaked at 16. What a wonderful time the 80s were. Fortunate to grow up where others holiday and had beach, basketball, horses, friends. It was wonderful. But sometimes I wonder if growing up in the 50s or 60s would have been even better.

5 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

I was the good looking athletics star, but also with brains and intellectual, so I had it all back then. I sometimes think I peaked at 16. What a wonderful time the 80s were. Fortunate to grow up where others holiday and had beach, basketball, horses, friends. It was wonderful. But sometimes I wonder if growing up in the 50s or 60s would have been even better.

So a “Socie” and even though you hit the genetic lottery (looks, wealthy) you still had doubts and insecurities.

And you are not an older baby boomer, you are Gen X, very different generation, very different times with the Thatcherism and Reaganism destroying the middle class.

You're right that didn't happen in the 50s and 60s.

Of course, you already said you weren't middle class so you probably don't care.

I know a lot of rich people and how self centered they are. What a bubble.

1 minute ago, SiSePuede419 said:

not an older baby boomer, you are Gen X,

I have serious issues with these labels. I'm on the cusp and by these labels I'm a late boomer - but this is just so wrong.

I listened to 60-70s pop on AM radio, but as early teen into progressive rock and then new-wave/punk and micro genres. There were definitely boomers involved in this music in 1977-79 but it's not Boomer music.

While Vietnam was a huge concern to me as I headed into high School the war ended when I was still a good many years away from the draft.

To me classic boomer was like 16-18 between 69-74.

There's nothing about me that ever was hippie outside of the overall genre that kind of fell over the US like a cloud ... The feel-good do what you want to do 1970s

I did unfortunately for myself started smoking weed far too early in life I guess that's kind of hippie, but surfers love a good smoke too 🤷

3 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

I was the good looking athletics star, but also with brains and intellectual, so I had it all back then. I sometimes think I peaked at 16. What a wonderful time the 80s were. Fortunate to grow up where others holiday and had beach, basketball, horses, friends. It was wonderful. But sometimes I wonder if growing up in the 50s or 60s would have been even better.

I was born in 1951. From my viewpoint, the transition to the 60s was gradual until it wasn't, and by the mid 60s the world had changed. We had a music revolution, a cultural revolution, and an anti-war movement, all in the last half of the decade. The 70s were OK, from my perspective, as were the 80s. By 1975 the Vietnam war was finally over. Regan became president in a landslide in the early 80s and around that same time the computer revolution began. I'm not sure what decade I'd choose if I had to do it over. For me, they were all good, but with differences. You can't really knock the 80s.

At age 16, I was in an all boys prep school, I had a shiny red sports car and no adult supervision, to speak of. I had fun. I never made any effort to excel in school, although that didn't really hurt me at all, because I could always ace standardized tests. I ended up being in school for almost 20 years, after which I worked for 20 years, on and off, and then retired early.

I feel sorry for kids growing up today. They seem to have bigger problems to deal with than I ever did.

Just got on with life.........school/sixth form Mon-Fri, laboured on a building site Sat/Sun.

Left home to live with a girlfriend at 16 as her parents went to work abroad and left her and her sisters with a four bedroomed house.

Remember, a lot of those high school kids at 16 in the year 1966, went to Vietnam after graduation and never returned. Thanks LBJ and McNamara. Especially if you were poor (White, Black or Latino).

45 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

I was the good looking athletics star, but also with brains and intellectual, so I had it all back then. I sometimes think I peaked at 16. What a wonderful time the 80s were. Fortunate to grow up where others holiday and had beach, basketball, horses, friends. It was wonderful. But sometimes I wonder if growing up in the 50s or 60s would have been even better.

Naah, the 70's and 80s were the best.

My children are always saying that they'd wished they grew up in my generation.

47 minutes ago, jas007 said:

I was born in 1951. From my viewpoint, the transition to the 60s was gradual until it wasn't, and by the mid 60s the world had changed. We had a music revolution, a cultural revolution, and an anti-war movement, all in the last half of the decade. The 70s were OK, from my perspective, as were the 80s. By 1975 the Vietnam war was finally over. Regan became president in a landslide in the early 80s and around that same time the computer revolution began. I'm not sure what decade I'd choose if I had to do it over. For me, they were all good, but with differences. You can't really knock the 80s.

At age 16, I was in an all boys prep school, I had a shiny red sports car and no adult supervision, to speak of. I had fun. I never made any effort to excel in school, although that didn't really hurt me at all, because I could always ace standardized tests. I ended up being in school for almost 20 years, after which I worked for 20 years, on and off, and then retired early.

I feel sorry for kids growing up today. They seem to have bigger problems to deal with than I ever did.

It's the music really, when you listen to Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Elvis, or Ricky Nelson and then you watch Back to the Future you get this rose-tinted view of the 50s and 60s. Clearly a lot of things were worse then, but it seemed more wholesome. Imagine a world without real immigration problems. One of the worst memories of my childhood was being attacked physically by Italian, Serbian and other migrants, some with mental health issues. I don't think Elvis or Chuck had those things to contend with.

22 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Naah, the 70's and 80s were the best.

The 80s were wonderful. I also feel sorry for kids today with their problems of mobile phone social media addiction and terrible music. Though they'd probably feel sorry for me that I didn't have video games like they do, and they'd probably hate my music.

23 hours ago, Cameroni said:

I was the good looking athletics star, but also with brains and intellectual, so I had it all back then.

Oh my God! How does that feel now? 😂

4 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Oh my God! How does that feel now? 😂

I wistfully look back on the glory days.

16?

I was shagging everything that moved.

Mostly my hand.

6 minutes ago, Packer said:

I was shagging everything that moved.

Seems you´ve always been a man without demands. 😂

23 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

What were you like as a teenager?

Be honest.

Why don’t you tell us since you’re still in that state of development.

A right spoilt, selfish <deleted>, who knew nothing.

Already on my 3rd job, S D & RR. Might of had a DL, but no vehicle. Too poor till 19 yr old, and never really needed one. 1970 for me, so great music & Nam war still going on.

Suburbia, Philly PA, and guess you could call it one of the poorer white towns, out of city limits. Next to one of the poorer black towns, which lived on the border of. Hence my lack of racism, as we all had a blast together.

Normal for us, but we were considered N-lovers, by the honkeys on the other side of the track, but still the same town. The great divide,(DMZ) 4 RR tracks of the Penn Central & Metroliner (N / S), major rail line, freight & psgr, & 2 block of us poor folks.

Edited August 5Aug 5 by KhunLA

On 8/4/2026 at 12:05 PM, Cameroni said:

I was the good looking athletics star, but also with brains and intellectual, so I had it all back then. I sometimes think I peaked at 16. What a wonderful time the 80s were. Fortunate to grow up where others holiday and had beach, basketball, horses, friends. It was wonderful. But sometimes I wonder if growing up in the 50s or 60s would have been even better.

I have to assume you are American? If so, the 50s were very much better on your side of the pond than mine. Towards the latter days of the 50s, thing were improving in the UK, and what I remember of the 40s looking back, were pretty grim. The 60s things were improving considerably, but I think perhaps a little late for me, I was married and a child on the way by 64, so kind of missed a lot of the fun of that period. No regrets on my part, just glad I'm not starting out now.

On 8/4/2026 at 6:58 AM, SiSePuede419 said:

What were you like as a teenager?

Be honest.

A “Socie”, Normie, Fringe/Wild One/Rebel or None of the Above?

Hippie...

I played rebel rock music and became a pro, when I got little more matured. Cool time with lots of chicks, but boomed no babies, even that my generation is called "baby boomers" — the hippies slogan back then was "make love, not babies" — genuine photo of a 16 years old me...

3 hours ago, Surasak said:

I have to assume you are American? If so, the 50s were very much better on your side of the pond than mine. Towards the latter days of the 50s, thing were improving in the UK, and what I remember of the 40s looking back, were pretty grim. The 60s things were improving considerably, but I think perhaps a little late for me, I was married and a child on the way by 64, so kind of missed a lot of the fun of that period. No regrets on my part, just glad I'm not starting out now.

You make a good point, it would have been very different in many countries in the 50s. The 60s were the real global boom years.

It's only the US 50s that have that aura, the music, the prosperity, the films, so it's more a perception thing. Even in the 80s people were fascinated with the 50s, hence films like Back to the future and many others.

Children and marriage change things for everyone of course. I guess we all need to appreciate what we got. All this hankering after even more is a bit womanly.

At age 79, bleeding edge of the post WW II "Boomers". I had observed somewhere on social media, it was a golden age for us. For many in the USA, Asia and Europe was devastated by the Depression and WW II the USA was the supplier to the world. Raised blue collar, union. The typical "Ozzie & Harriett" family of the time. Not a jock so my modus operandi was being myself ... a listener and sympathetic ear. Thus, driving jocks to bewilderment trying to figure out why I had many pretty girls in my locale. I suppose rather boring, not a rebel but certainly identifying with the '60s idealism. Age 16 = Eagle Scout. My Cousins and I would be the first in the family to attend college. One of those who still hold to the idealism, hope hopes and promise of the American experiment ... yes, bruised and battered but still here.

Age 16 I was working a 40 hr work week while attending HS, drove a 1970 Mach 1 428 CJ

When I was 16, in 1967, my family moved to Okinawa, which at that time had not yet been returned to Japan. My Dad worked for the US Department of Defense as a civilian and we moved around a lot when I was growing up, one of six kids. By the time we hit The Rock, the two oldest kids were on their own in the US, although one came over and got a military job for a couple of years.

Dad had officer ranking so we got free officer rank housing, a fairly large single-family home. We had a full-time maid and a gardener; Mom finally got a break on all the housework and cooking. The DoD schools were fully-integrated--we had moved from Alabama where integration was just very reluctantly starting. I remember there was one token black student in my Alabama homeroom class--who looked miserable to be there.

We were on Okinawa from 1967 through 1972--one of Dad's longer assignments. I graduated in 1970 and went back to the US for college, returning to Okinawa on the summer breaks.

There was a lot going on in the US during those Okinawa years but we were rather sheltered from all of that. The Vietnam war was raging--Okinawa was playing a big part--and my Dad was in charge of Army ammunition on the island. The US military was pretty firmly in charge and there wasn't much in the way of protesting that I remember. However, Jane Fonda did make a stop on her protest tour and my brother went to see her.

Military families mostly shopped at the PX, with limited choice on a lot of things, so there wasn't much oneupmanship in what everyone was wearing to school. You'd often see another classmate wearing the same shirt you had on--both bought at the PX. We were all military brats, in much the same boat.

I hated moving around growing up because I was shy and didn't make friends easily. Usually by the time I had made some friends it was time to move again. I had managed to make some good friends in Alabama and I didn't want to move to Okinawa. My siblings all felt the same way, too, with my younger brother trying to run away when we were at Travis AFB in California, waiting to fly out.

In hindsight, living in different countries, and visiting others, was good for me--I think too many Americans don't travel enough and experience other cultures. My Dad had four sisters and I don't think a single one ever visited even one foreign country--although one did visit us when we were stationed in Hawaii.

As a 16 year-old uprooted to Okinawa, I didn't have many real friends and I hadn't at that time identified any real talents or strong interests. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do as a profession, or what to major in when I went off to college. And, I was struggling with my sexuality, not wanting to come to terms with being gay but, instead, pretending to be straight. It wasn't all bad, of course, and there were lots of good times, as well, but, overall, not the happiest period of my life.

On 8/4/2026 at 12:31 PM, Taboo2 said:

Remember, a lot of those high school kids at 16 in the year 1966, went to Vietnam after graduation and never returned. Thanks LBJ and McNamara. Especially if you were poor (White, Black or Latino).

Yes, it was definitely a concern for me. I think I had a fairly low draft number but somehow I got registered in Washington, DC--maybe because we were overseas at the time when I registered--and I remember someone telling my Dad not to worry, since I was planning to go to college and DC easily met its draft quota with numbers lower than mine.

Born in 1950. Not a great childhood. Parents divorced when I was 14 yo. Became rather unruly and my poor mom had to provide for my sister and I.She tried her best but allowed me to drop out of high school to work at KFC next door. Met a couple sailors who were visiting our city whose ship was in town. (Welland Canal)

They impressed me a lot and I joined the Navy at 17 yo in 1968.I grew up there and the fun times and discipline changed my life forever. Became a submariner for 6 years. Got out and went to vocational school for 1 year. Got a job as a Stationary Engineer and retired early from there @ 55 after 30 years. I'm retired comfortably here in LOS since 2004 and consider myself very lucky and the hard work paid off in spades. Had I not joined the military when I did I think my life would have turned out completely different and not for the better.

I imagine I was just as insufferable as any teenager is today.losing my dad was a blow but it kinda kicked started my development.still had fun surfing diving and hangliding I was lucky I didn’t get killed!+ the pill came out and liberated the lady’s!times good and bad.

On 8/4/2026 at 12:31 PM, Taboo2 said:

Remember, a lot of those high school kids at 16 in the year 1966, went to Vietnam after graduation and never returned. Thanks LBJ and McNamara. Especially if you were poor (White, Black or Latino).

I was one of them, but in 1967 at age 17, then spent the entire decade of the seventies in SE Asia in the Army, can’t say I regret a minute of it all.

On 8/4/2026 at 12:24 PM, KornPop said:

To me classic boomer was like 16-18 between 69-74.

Me too. The days of hard rock and prog-rock bands and concerts. The problem with the boomer category is it spans so many years. As the OP want ages 72 - 80 that is the very beginning of the baby boom and it runs until kids born in 1966 I think. So more than 20 years. If you were born at the end of it, you might have a sibling who was already in college or getting married (or already had a kid). The music scene was so different too as the years passed. I have a sibling who just squeeks in at 72 - her teen music was Santana, the Who, Beatles, whereas mine encompassed all the hard rock acts and prog rockers of the 70's. By the 1980s, the main audience wasn't even Boomers (disco, new wave)

Edited August 19Aug 19 by ronnie50

10 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

Me too. The days of hard rock and prog-rock bands and concerts. The problem with the boomer category is it spans so many years. As the OP want ages 72 - 80 that is the very beginning of the baby boom and it runs until kids born in 1966 I think. So more than 20 years. If you were born at the end of it, you might have a sibling who was already in college or getting married (or already had a kid). The music scene was so different too as the years passed. I have a sibling who just squeeks in at 72 - her teen music was Santana, the Who, Beatles, whereas mine encompassed all the hard rock acts and prog rockers of the 70's. By the 1980s, the main audience wasn't even Boomers (disco, new wave)

The Boomer generation extends to 1964. The term "Generation Jones" was coined to describe the late boomers, referring to the idea of "keeping up with the Joneses." Early boomers and later boomers have different experiences, but they share more in common with GenX.

On 8/7/2026 at 9:39 AM, EVENKEEL said:

Age 16 I was working a 40 hr work week while attending HS, drove a 1970 Mach 1 428 CJ

Living at home, in my early teens, my bedroom had a clear look at an intersection.

We lived in a cul-de-sac, adjoining a smaller cul-de-sac.

There was this guy dating a high school girl down the road he had a Mustang 428ci (very cool car 👍), he'd drive slow, stop at the intersection, then hammer it, smokin it all the way up my street, it made my day. 😀

My mum would go out to that intersection at times, with her broom and sweep away the loose stops, trying to prevent burn outs.

How embarrassing 😒

Edited August 19Aug 19 by SAFETY FIRST