Viagra as the Ultimate Baby Boomer Irony

When the baby boomers arrived, their sheer size allowed them to dominate the nation's demographic. In overthrowing the World War II generation's hold on popular culture, they idealized youth. "Hope I die before I get old," was more than a random lyric. Because they were young and wanted social power, they shaped the social picture of happiness around themselves exulting youth above all else.

But then they got old. Although they aged, the image of perfect humanity remained vibrant and youthful -- gray haired couples rising motorcycles and dancing late into the evening. But living up to that image is not entirely possible. Age is not just a state of mind, it is also a state of body. There is a reason why "Cocoon" came out when it did, but it is a fantasy. To help make that fantasy reality, baby boomers turned to pharmaceuticals. Viagra is the band-aid on the baby boomers' self-inflicted injury. To take power, they created an image that they cannot live up to and now have to consult a physician if they do live up to it for more than four hours at a time.