Deck 11: Aging Boomers: Boom or Bust

Question 1

In the story, Boomsday, what does the "perfect economic storm" refer to?

A) The Great Depression of the 1930s
B) The mortgage lending crisis that began in 2008
C) Seventy-seven million people retiring during a time of economic crisis
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In what year did the oldest baby boomers turn age 65?

A) 2008
B) 2010
C) 2011
D) 2029

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What proportion of the U.S. population do Boomers make up?

A) About one-half
B) About one-quarter
C) About one-eighth
D) About one-third

Answer 3

B

Question 4

People of all ages were affected by the expansion and availability of the Internet in 1990s. This is an example of what kind of effect?

A) Aging effect
B) Modernization effect
C) Period effect
D) Cohort effect
E) None of the above

Question 5

In the excerpt from Buckley's novel of political satire, Boomsday refers to the year 2011, when the first of the baby boomers begin to retire with full Social Security benefits.

Question 6

Which of the following will shape the impact of aging on the baby boomer cohort?

A) Chronological aging effects
B) Period effects from the past
C) Period effects in the future
D) Sources of diversity, such as ethnicity, class, and gender
E) All of the above f. A and C

Question 7

"Generation Jones" is another name for the baby boomers born between 1946 and 1954.

Question 8

In the essay by McArdle, what does the analogy "like watching a pig move through a python" refer to?

A) The slow progress made in ending ageism during the 20th century
B) The movement of the huge boomer cohort from childhood through adulthood and into old age
C) The impact in on society in 2011 when most members of the huge boomer cohort begin to receive Social Security benefits
D) The resistance of most Americans toward retirement planning

Question 9

Aging effects are effects brought about by the physiological process of aging, along with social responses by others to those effects.

Question 10

What are events that influence groups of people during the same years, such as the influence of World War II on the "GI Generation"?

A) Period effects
B) Cohort effects
C) Rites of passage
D) Aging effects
E) All of the above

Question 11

Roszak asserts that the boomer generation will change the meaning of old age, that it will constitute a different kind of older population.

Question 12

In the story, Boomsday, which of the following "transitioning" refers to?

A) Opting to take reduced Social Security benefits starting before the age of 65
B) Opting to forgo Social Security benefits all together to keep the money in the government reserves
C) Opting to move from one's home to an assisted living facility
D) Opting to be legally euthanized in return for huge tax breaks and subsidies

Question 13

Boomsday depicts conflict between members of different generational cohorts over economic resources and social programs.

Question 14

When considering any cohort, such as the boomers, it is important to keep in mind not only age, period, and cohort effects, but the impact of class, ethnicity, and gender as well in shaping individual experiences.

Question 15

Among the oldest boomers there is a not insignificant proportion who are working part- or full-time and collecting social security benefits.

Question 16

According to McArdle, when the boomers are fully retired, there will be how many workers per retiree?

A) 42 workers per 1 retiree
B) 10 workers per 1 retiree
C) 3 workers per 1 retiree
D) 2 workers per 1 retiree

Question 17

According to McArdle, the next 20 years will require a transfer of resources away from the care of children to the care of older people.

Question 18

Boomers were the first generation in American history where more than half achieved some level of higher education.

Question 19

The boomer cohort is extremely homogenous, making it easy to objectively characterize it.

Question 20

The generation of the "boomers" refers to people who were born in the United States between 1946 and 1964.

Question 21

Boomers in the United States have been represented to the public in contradictory ways: on the one hand, as selfish and negative, on the other hand, as idealistic and positive. Discuss this, providing examples of these conflicting stereotypes used to characterize the boomers.

Question 22

A 2011 Harris Poll revealed that aging boomers are planning to delay retirement, perhaps by several years. What are some of the factors contributing to this trend? What are some of the opportunities and challenges for a multigenerational workplace?

Question 23

Are there stereotypes projected on to the generation to which you belong? Where do these stereotypes originate? Which characteristics do you identify with and which do you reject, and for what reasons?

Question 24

What do sociologists Berger and Luckman mean by "social construction"? Discuss how this approach can be used to understand the complexities of the baby boomer generation.

Question 25

The excerpt from The Longevity Revolution concludes with the assertion that in their old age boomers will bring to public awareness important questions about "fate and purpose." What are these important questions and what experiences have made the boomers prepared to raise these questions? Do you agree with Roszak's assertion? If so, why? If not, why not?

Question 26

According to multiple AARP surveys, most boomers plan to retire before the age of 65 because they no longer wish to work or because they have the savings to support themselves while not working.

Question 27

According to Goldsmith, the boomer crisis predicted by the "catastropharians" cannot be avoided-it is inevitable.

Question 28

Most of the large-scale surveys conducted with boomers unfortunately do not take into account the ethnic diversity of the cohort, thus these general findings can be quite misleading and obscure health disparities for ethnic minorities. How might different sub-groups of boomers experience later life? How will programs, services, and policies need to change in order to meet the particular needs of different groups of aging boomers?

Question 29

McArdle begins the excerpt from No Country for Young Men by asking the question, "Will America look better, worse, or just different?" as a result of the aging of the boomers. How do your answer her questions? Provide support for your answers.

Question 30

Goldsmith acknowledges that American society faces a crisis in the future. According to him, what is the nature of this crisis? How does what Goldsmith has to say challenge the popular portrayal of the aging of the boomer?

Question 31

There are several factors that must be considered when trying to predict how members of the boomers will experience later life. What are these factors? Are there any additional emerging social trends that might exert an influence on the aging of the boomers?