RASCAL REPORT
An eye on baby boomers since 2022
“I think for a woman, the hardest thing about growing old is becoming invisible. There’s something very front and center about being young.”
– Amy Grant
Senior citizens are the fastest-growing cannabis clientele
Seniors, and not the high-school kind, are the fastest-growing population of cannabis users, a trend that illustrates what a long, strange trip the legalization movement has been.
The share of over-65 Americans who have used marijuana nearly tripled in a decade, from 11 percent in 2009 to 32 percent in 2019, according to a respected federal survey on drug use. More than half of the 60-64 demographic reported cannabis use, another sharp increase.
Cannabis consumption among older adults reached 35 percent in 2021.
How did indie rock become soft rock? (or is it the other way around?)
Weirdly and remarkably, the torch of ’70s AM radio has been taken up by some of the hippest singer-songwriters currently at work. In the early ’70s, breeziness wasn’t taboo among the listening public, and campiness had become a prerequisite for a certain flavor of pop stardom. Slick soft-rock sincerity could help catapult you up the Billboard charts. What’s curious is that heir influence echoes here and there in the mainstream: Taylor Swift, arguably the biggest pop star on Planet Earth, has baked soft-rock earnestness into her very DNA.
Why the ‘navel-gazing’ marketing industry has fallen for the trap of targeting 29-year-olds—and older ‘perennials’ are the key to booming sales
Consumer markets are changing, and this time it’s not necessarily because a new generation of young people is coming of age. After all, talk of generations has always been mired by stereotypes, prejudice, and biases. Extensive research shows that boundaries between generations are fuzzy and arbitrary, and it’s always been hard to ignore the bewildering degree of variability across individuals within the same generation. Blanket generational characterizations have long lost their appeal when it comes to marketing.
Data dive: Baby boomer myths vs. realities
Ok, let’s talk about baby boomers.
When the “ok boomer” memes went viral in 2019, they shone a spotlight on the irritation some younger people felt about an influential generation that has accumulated substantial global power and wealth over the past few decades. Of course, just like other generations, Boomers are much more diverse and complicated than the jokes circulating about them on the internet.
STORY: One more….or one less? There are two ways to consider another birthday
I enjoyed a fantastic two days of celebrating my birthday in Ensenada, Baja California this week with my sweetheart. Three days before Hurricane Hilary made a fuss along the Baja peninsula and is now raining heavily on us, here in San Diego; I partied like it’s 1999.
Not really. But I did laugh much, ate much, and enjoyed one too many margaritas. It was pure fun. Rainy days always inspire me to chill out, read, and write. So on this rainy Sunday afternoon, I’m reflecting on beginning my 69th year.
Sixty-eight. One more birthday. Check!
One less year to live. Check? Mierda!
These two thoughts collide.