Boomer Kids vs. Silent Generation in 1969 by Dave Berg

Generation gaps have probably existed for as long as there have been generations.

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Inter-generational conflicts have been going on for countless… generations.  Older folk have always complained about the latest batch of youngsters.  Today, a vocal group of youngster Gen Z and Millenials complain that Boomers have ruined everything by hoarding resources and keeping those starting out from being able to build their own secure futures. Boomers often scoff at this (if they’re even aware of the complaint) and claim that the youngsters are lazy and entitled.

To me, this type of argument is counterproductive and borderline stupid. Bad behavior is not a generational trait, though each generation might have different ways to exhibit that bad behavior. I’m pretty sure a lot of that conflict is propped up by the internet algorithm that feeds off of outrage. Plus, it seems that our corporate overlords want us divided and arguing with each other in as many ways as possible so that we don’t see their crimes.

Okay, I’m getting kind of intense. It’s time to lighten up.

Back in the 1980s, the only generation that had a name (that I was aware of) was the Baby Boomers, which I originally thought was a silly name until I realized there were so many of these former hippies because of post World War II birth rates.  Now they’re just referred to as Boomers because they’re not babies anymore.  

Well, technically they’re not babies, though some people claim Boomers still act like babies. Hahaha! Just kidding.

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It’s almost funny to see how younger generations like Gen Z can’t stand Boomers because as you can read from these comic strips from Mad Magazine in 1969 that these Baby Boomers exasperated their parents too.  To me, it seemed like Mad Magazine made fun of the Boomer kids more than they did the Boomer’s parents(now considered as Silent Generation and Greatest Generation parents).

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Dave Berg was one of my three favorite cartoonists at Mad Magazine when I was a kid, my other two favorites being Don Martin and Sergio Aragones.  Dave’s comic strips had the most realistic illustrations and realistic situations in Mad Magazine, and I liked how his comics contrasted with those of the other Mad artists, most of whom had crazier illustration styles.  I haven’t kept many Mad Magazines from my childhood, but I’ve held on to one treasury collection for each of my favorite three artists, and each volume satisfies my occasional fix.

Even though Dave Berg was old enough to relate to the parents, he still made sure that the parents bared the brunt of their fair share of the punchlines. To be effective at writing this kind of generational humor, a cartoonist has to be able to see and understand multiple perspectives, and a lot of people, authors included, have a tough time with that.

When I was a kid, I thought that old guy’s hairline was funny. Now, I… I sympathize.

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Mad Magazine cost $15 at the local B&M Booksellers the last time I was there, and I wasn’t familiar with a lot of the references in the modern comic strips in it as I flipped through a copy, so I can’t tell if Mad’s kind of humor is as palatable to its intended audience as it was 50 or 60 years ago when these humor magazines were 25 or 50 cents on the magazine stand. Price matters a lot, and stuff has to be affordable in order for people try it. I know inflation has gone up a lot since then, but 50 cents in the 1970s is a lot different from $15 today.

I’m not trying to revive Mad Magazine or anything like that. I just think that some of this Dave Berg humor from 60 years ago is still relevant, I think. Maybe I’m wrong about that. I’m not even trying to do a nostalgia post, even though it might seem like I am. I just like to show how some things don’t change that much, how in many ways, the challenges that we think are unique to our time have actually always been problems. Dave Berg comic strips are a great way to see that.

For more about Mad Magazine cartoonists, see…

Robin Hood: Men in Tights vs. Don Martin in Sherwood Forest  

Three Days of Mute… guest starring Mad cartoonist Sergio Aragones!!

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Do you know another aspect of society/culture that has always been a challenge? Relationships! And nothing demonstrates that more than relationship humor, especially pre-internet 1990s relationship humor!

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