Deep-catalog Boomer cultural paraphernalia.

Just Asking:

Are hipsters really so endlessly fascinating that they need an entire column devoted to answering questions about them every week? How about a weekly column called Ask a Baby Boomer? That would be a far more interesting endeavor.

— Thomas Quigley, via email

Found this question languishing, unanswered, in a letters column from last month’s Reader. If you’re reading, Thomas, why didn’t you email me directly? We could already both be over it by now.

U.S. Birth Rates: 1940-1980

If you want to get the Baby Boomers’ perspective on...well, anything, really, have a go at Time; Newsweek; The Wall Street Journal; Forbes; Car and Driver; Soap Opera Digest; U-T San Diego; Cat Fancy; The La Jolla Light; fine art museums; contemporary art museums; 105.7 The Walrus; popular novels by John Irving, James Patterson, Clive Cussler, or Tom Clancy; NPR; network television; cable television; closed-circuit televised broadcasts of the U.S. Congress; pharmaceutical ads; Hollywood; Bollywood; or even just the opinions of your myriad friends over 50, all of whom would, I am sure, be more than happy to weigh in on just about anything under the sun.

You see, Thomas, you Boomers have been in charge of everything (except for Bollywood) since the Greatest Generation started retiring. The mainstream media already reflects the way you see the world. Sure, film studios are starting to produce movies and TV shows that you hate, and you never really “got” rap music (it’s too late now that Lil’ Wayne killed it), but, for the most part, you’re still in the meaty prime of your generational greatness.

As for my fellow hipsters and I, well, we don’t exactly have your collective attention, but we would like to, so keep reading. What else you got?