"The self-aware, or self-absorbed, feel less self-fulfilled and thus are racked with self-pity...So, then, to those who once never trusted anyone over 30: Raise that bowl of high-fiber granola, antioxidant-rich blueberries and skim milk and give yourself... a happy birthday toast...Here's a simple explanation of how: Previous generations were raised to...speak only when spoken to and to endure in self-denying silence. But baby boomers were raised on the more nurturing, child-as-individual teachings of Dr. Benjamin Spock, and then placed under the spell of television, whose advertisers marked their wares directly to children. Parents were cut out of the sale — except, of course, for the actual purchase of that coonskin cap or Barbie doll...It created a sense of entitlement that had not existed before..."
Dan Barry
