In 2024, the final wave of the boomer generation is hitting the big 6-0. When they came of age, in the late 70s and early 80s, they were leaving behind the era of peace and love for what Tom Wolfe would call “the Me Decade.” They’d be the pioneers of disco music, flared pants, multiple divorces, and, dare we mention, cocaine. So, not all bad.
To mark the occasion, AIR MAIL’s brain trust has compared and contrasted the appetites, tastes, and cravings of the boomers’ youthful prime with those of today’s bright young things.
Can the predilections of tech-savvy but emotionally indecisive New York Gen Z–ers, trapped in overpriced, undersized studio apartments, hold a candle to the boomers’ era of massive SoHo lofts, fruit-juice-heavy cocktails, and casual sex (and casual sexism)?
| Aesthetic | Outer space | Old money |
|---|---|---|
| Alternative News Source | Spy magazine | TikTok |
| Aspiring … | Andy Warhol groupie | D.J. |
| Brand | Halston, or anything new | Sandy Liang, or anything vintage |
| Car | DeLorean | Cadillac Escalade S.U.V. |
| Celebrity | Bianca Jagger | Hailey Bieber |
| Cocktail | Harvey Wallbanger, or anything with fruit juice | Espresso martini |
| Coffee | Black coffee in a paper cup | Earth Glow matcha in a ceramic tea bowl |
| Destination | Tehran | Tokyo |
| Dinner | Steak frites | Sushi omakase |
| Dream Job | Architect | Freelance creative director |
| Drug | Quaaludes (if there’s no cocaine) | Cocaine (if there’s no ketamine) |
| Flaw | Loves the patriarchy | Fear of missing out |
| Fight | Shut the fuck up! | That’s so politically incorrect! |
| Item of Clothing | Skinny tie (men) / Ruffled blouse (women) | Cargo pants (men) / Cargo pants (women) |
| Marriage | Multiple | Late, or very early |
| Mecca | Union Square | Dimes Square |
| Money drain | RadioShack | Teddy-bear NFT |
| Musician | Diana Ross | Olivia Rodrigo |
| Nightclub | Studio 54 | The Nines |
| Novelist | Ken Follett | Taylor Jenkins Reid |
| Original Thought | “Sexism might be bad.” | “We need to start a creative collective.” |
| Piece of Advice | “Give them a firm handshake.” | “Work smart, not hard.” |
| Politics | Socially liberal, fiscally conservative | Anarcho-capitalist-socialist-libertarian |
| Revolutionary Technology | The Pill | The “like” button |
| Threat (looming) | Nuclear war | Climate change |
| Threat (present) | Velvet rope | Getting canceled |
| Topic of Conversation | “How’s your stock portfolio doing?” | “Where do you buy your chocolate shrooms?” |
| Unconventional Living Arrangement | Rural commune | Influencer high-rise |
| Wine | Château Margaux | Natural orange wine |
| Word | “Gnarly” | “Rizz” |
| Work of Art | Spiral Jetty, by Robert Smithson | The Return of the Girls Next Door, by Anna Weyant |
| Vice | Marlboro Red | Watermelon Ice Elf Bar vape |