What would happen if you called one of these a participation award?
(Personally, I have a strong inclination against doing so)
It could be argued that participation awards have been in the military since long before the boomers were born.
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That’s true of both Gen Xers and Millenials. The difference is that the Boomer parents of Millenials promoted the idea that the trophies meant more than they did – mostly to show what good parents they were to other Boomers – while the Silent and Greatest parents of Gen Xers said “that’s nice, sweetie” and left it there.
In other words, the whole Boomer complaint about Millenials and participation ribbons is – like so many of their other complaints – nothing more than projection.
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The National Defense Medal is more or less a participation ribbon. Pretty much EVERYONE in the service gets one.
Though technically it is only awarded during times of conflict. Campaign ribbons in general are given out to EVERYONE who participated in a campaign, from the mechanic to the front line soldier. They don’t really reflect one’s actions, only that they were part of the campaign. Things like Bronze Stars are ribbons for one’s actions.
The Army Service Medal is even more so a participation ribbon. This isn’t to knock anyone who has one, but it literally is given to everyone who gets through boot camp. It doubles as a pride ribbon 
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Those are places for making artisanal flint tools: knapping stations.
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Yeah i don’t care for american football either, its boring but i’m also not fond that it causes brain damage to those that play it and take constant hits. It’s a pass for me on multiple levels.
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(1964, raises hand)
I don’t think “generations” as such really fall into solid 20-year blocks. Indeed, I don’t really consider anyone too young to vote in 1980 qualifying as a boomer. By the late 1970s, the perks and privileges that boomers got were already starting to be yanked away, and that only accelerated during the 1980s.
And the boomers weren’t really monolithic, either, with the cool people too cool to show up at the ballot box when they were needed most, and the squareheads squarely voting Reagan then and Trump now (and almost all of them kicking out the rungs on the ladders they climbed).
The counterculture was co-opted with surprising speed. I have to laugh when I hear a Vietnam War-era protest song being used to sell auto insurance. Funny how none of the anti-war lyrics make it into the snippet they use, though.
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This is always good to remember. Despite getting all of the historical attention, the counterculture only involved a minority. Quickly looking it up, Nixon got 52% of the under 30 vote in 1972 (and in 1968, Nixon and Wallace combined for 53% of the under 30 vote).
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