2020 U.S. Census figures show us that approximately 10.2 percent of married couple households in America are interracial or interethnic. It is estimated that this number has increased since that date. Among interracial couples, the most common pairings are White-Hispanic at 42 percent; White-Asian at 15 percent; and White-Black at 12 percent. Of the interracial marriages, the most common are among same-sex couples at 31.6 percent as compared to opposite-sex couples at 18.4 percent. Based on the 2020 U.S. Census count, 8 percent of Americans consider themselves LGBTQ+; which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual. The 2020 U.S. Census figures also tell us that 57.8 percent of the U.S. population is White; 18.7 percent is Hispanic/Latino; 12.4 percent is Black; 5.9 percent is Asian; 4.1 percent is two or more races; and 1.1 percent is American Indian/Alaskan Native. The Hispanic/Latino percentage of our population has grown 23 percent from 2010 through 2020. They are the largest ethnic minority group in America and are expanding that position. These are the official government facts: https://www.census.gov/ .
It
is estimated that Boomers (born 1946-1964)
represent about 20 percent of the population.
That would be around 67 million people.
The Gen Xers came along in 1965-1980 and represent about 18 percent of
our population. Those Americans born
1981-1996 are considered Millennials and represent about 22 percent of the
population. That translates to roughly
72.5 million people…making them the largest generational
segment of our American population. Gen Zers were born in the years
1997-2012.
Now
I do not know who…or why…or what…contributes to the media advertising that inundates our daily
lives; I have no practical experience in the marketing industry. No doubt, it is driven primarily by money;
but it appears to me that one of the
main elements in today’s advertising is style
and messaging…as opposed to product
information. I suspect that part of
my dismay and puzzlement with such advertising results from the simple fact
that I am a 73 year old Boomer and simply out of touch with the latter
generations that populate the ad agency segment of the business world. Whatever the reasons might be, I must
confess that the overwhelming majority of the advertising I see around me
either makes no sense whatsoever, appears to be much more vested in image and
presentation than the substance of the product or cause, and is often indecipherable to the point of not even mentioning or presenting the
product or cause being advertised.
But
here is the true mystery in this matter: Is
not the purpose of advertising an effort to get someone viewing the advertisement
to purchase a product, avail themselves of a service, or support a specific
cause? If that is true…then why in
the world would these corporations and businesses who spend millions (billions?) of dollars on advertising
apparently ignore the aforementioned and following realities? It is estimated that the Boomer generation
controls 51 percent of the wealth in this nation today; that would be about 85
trillion dollars. The Gen Xers and the
Millennials…combined…control as
estimated 10.6 percent of America’s wealth; that being about 17.5 trillion
dollars. Excuse me if I am mistaken on
this, but I have always understood that targeted
purchasers of a product or a service should be those individuals who are financially capable of purchasing a
particular product or service?
Once again, taking into account my inadequacy in
the field of marketing and advertising…I will present for your consideration an
explanation of this obvious conundrum.
The corporations and businesses of America are largely controlled (managed) by Gen Xers and Millennials.
These individuals make up the CEOs and advertising executives who ultimately
determine the content of the advertising that we experience. These young, intelligent, ambitious folks are
predominantly college graduates who are exiting an education system that is
largely insulated from diverse ideologies and perspectives. It is a
bubble environment where individuals tend to talk, debate, and discuss ideals
among themselves; seldom venturing out to uncomfortable places or entertaining
thoughts/ideas that run counter to what they are being taught by academia.
Once
they graduate and move into the world of career development, they carry this
bubble philosophy with them. Constrained
by the limited amount of exposure they’ve had to opposing or different thoughts
and preferences, they ply their talents towards a form of advertising that is
pretty much defined by the standards and elements of the bubbles which they
have been…and continue…living
in. They do impressive work…but that
product is limited by their lack of
vision or expansive thinking. Even
worse than not realizing this deficiency in their understanding of how their messaging is received and who their marketing targets should be…it
seems to me remarkable that someone in this advertising mix doesn’t point out
this vacuum and rectify it.
I
have two children…a late Gen Xer and an early Millennial. Both of them, like their generational friends
and peers, are great individuals. I
respect them; I love them and would lay down my life for them. They are smart, have good work ethics and
morals, and are full of caring with big hearts.
But I must say…there are times
when they are totally clueless. They
are of generations who have been, to a large degree, privileged. They are also of generations who have never
really been tested in a significant way by wars, depressions, or severe
deprivation; I hope they never are. But reality dictates there are some lessons
in life that must be lived and cannot be taught; they have not lived those lessons.
Even more grievous is the fact that many of them refuse to even
acknowledge this gap in their understanding and for those who do…they ignore or
discount the knowledge and wisdom gleaned from such adversity.
To
cap off this discussion, it must be pointed out that it is entirely likely the
ultimate decision makers in this process of determining what type of marketing
or advertising we are exposed to in our daily lives…is predominantly a group of wealthy corporate board members or business
owners who happen to be Boomers themselves.
They would be the ones who put the Gen Xers or Millennials in charge of
the marketing shop and turn them loose to their own ends. I don’t
know about you, but that strikes me as being quite ironic. Why
would these folks enable and endorse a form of marketing that does not seem to
jive with their generational characteristics? I suppose at least a partial explanation for
this is the fact that many of these folks are uber-wealthy and it is quite
possible that the uber-wealthy simply don’t concern themselves with marketing
or advertising. That is, of
course…assuming it is not a marketing faux pas of such magnitude as to rock the
company…ala Bud Light or Cracker Barrel.
Bringing
this piece full circle, the upshot of the entire process to me is this: Excessive tolerance and virtue signaling
have become personal traits of significant value to Gen Xers and Millennials. This is not intended as a judgment, but
simply an observation. I believe this is
due to that bubble environment that I alluded to earlier. To me…an avowed Boomer…virtue signaling is
thin gruel and is the equivalent of talking
the talk, but failing to walk the walk.
Perhaps I, the typical Boomer, am the one that is out of touch and
simply detached from reality. But I must
say that based on my life experience,
when one ventures out to emphasize style over substance and preening over
production…one is traveling on thin ice and shaky foundations. I will leave with this note: After carefully
considering the facts presented in the earlier part of this piece…does this
type of virtue signal-driven
marketing really make any business or financial sense?
If
an alien visiting our planet for the first time based their impression of
America solely on the media marketing and advertising that exists in our nation
today…would they get an accurate impression of what America actually is? Are we really as shallow and pliable as the
marketing universe assumes us to be? I
think not. I hope not. It is not a reach to also submit that the
out-of proportion detachment from reality that I have tried to illustrate in
marketing and advertising also exists in America’s culture, society, and
politics. Review those numbers once
again and think about that.
Now
we come to a time where I must indulge in a moment of self reflection. Do I…as an aging Boomer whose life is mostly in
the rear view mirror…feel somewhat marginalized or ignored because the
movers and shakers in this world…mostly
made up of Gen Xers and Millennials…don’t really concern themselves with me
or my generation? Perhaps a bit. Should I more readily acknowledge that the
bubble inhabitants of Gen X and Millennial have no more…or less…empathy for my
Boomer bubble than my generational co-habitants have for theirs? Most certainly, yes. Is it probably the case that I look back at
them with a more thoughtful and analytical attitude than they assume when
looking at us? Absolutely. Why do you suppose that is? Most likely because most of “their” lives
lie ahead of them.
The
Gen Xers and the Millennials now behave just as we Boomers did while we were
chasing our careers, raising our families, and trying to figure out the world
around us. We were then fully consumed
by ourselves and the environment we fit into and interacted with; that was our bubble. No doubt, at that time and place, the
Greatest Generation (1901-1924) and
the Silent Generation (1925-1945)…in
the last chapters of their lives…looked
backwards at us Boomers with the same contemplative notions. Such is the gloriously colorful and
texturally diverse tapestry known as America.
Such is the cycle of life.
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Here
is some more interesting information re: American generations…
https://brightislife.com/generation-names-years-in-order
We
must keep the focus on education, education, education…
https://mindingthecampus.org/2026/02/09/an-ivy-league-president-breaks-ranks/
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/should-community-colleges-offer-four-year-degrees/
Unbridled
and unwise allegiance to climate lunacy is waning…
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/vermont-cold-weather-shock/
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/finland-cold-weather-shock/
Tolerance
for the mere sake of tolerance is always a mistake…
Donald
Trump’s economy continues to surprise…and the best is yet to come…
Beware
the Democrat wolves (read: Progressives) in sheep’s (read: Moderate’s)
clothing…
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/02/virginias-gerrymandering-vandalism/
National
voter ID requirements and laws that insure election integrity make good sense
for ALL national parties…
Democrats
and Republicans Beware!!! This problem
is not going away…
