MovieChat Forums > When the Wind Blows (1988) Discussion > Boomer mentality

Boomer mentality

posted a year ago by LatkeKid (4)
1 reply | jump to latest

I know that Jim and Hilda or not technically “baby boomers” but they are exactly what people mean when they complain about “boomers.” It’s interesting how in recentish discussion of When the Wind Blows, viewers have two different views of the couple.

Some viewers find them relatable, cute and heartwarming. Others find them annoying, ignorant and insufferable.

I personally felt bad for them and at times they did remind me of my beloved grandparents, but their attitude is highly toxic. They complain about things they don’t understand, like their son’s college and “beatniks.” They dream of a war that killed millions because they were children when it happened and 40 years later, they still don’t appreciate the brutality of it.

These two seem like the kind of people that were born at a very convenient time and that likely had opportunities that “kids today” can only dream of. These two don’t even know who their prime minister is. It is understandable to me that some people dislike Jim and Linda; they are the original “bootstraps” type of boomers that go around saying kids these days are lazy.

I think that these characters are excellent, and that they were made like that because it was relatable to many adults of the time, but I hate the mentality they have.

[–] RoloTony (1207) 6 months ago

It makes sense since Boomers are children of WWII parents.

I just watched and I agree with you. I am 50 and I can't tell you how much these two remind me of my grandparents as well. My grandfather was also in WWII but didn't see much action. My grandma was there just to serve grandpa and she knew the role of, "The wife". He and grandma just talked and talked and talked - nonstop - about the glory days, of course...but mostly about nothing. They were in an eternal Seinfeld episode. It's like their inner-dialogue was always pouring out. Everything was positive and "no big deal because we've done it all already" to them. They were super sweet but their naivete is quite apparent to me now that I'm older. It's definitely a toxic attitude in certain situations (such as this).