Americano: will anyone miss the Boomers?
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 8 December 2025
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Christopher Caldwell joins Freddy Gray to discuss why the 'Boomer generation' – those born between 1946 and 1964 – became one of the most hated generations in recent history. Chris argues that the Boomers uniquely benefited from the resources of other generations, and were able to enjoy the benefits of leftist politics alongside the political and economic freedoms associated with the right; the apex of their power perhaps being the Clinton/Bush era.
To what extent are the Boomers responsible for the decline of America? And what merits are there in judging society through age? Plus, do the digital-millennial generation – those born at the late 1980s and early 1990s – mark the next era of cultural configuration?
Produced by Patrick Gibbons and James Lewis.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Give something clever this Christmas. |
| 0:02.2 | Treat a loved one to a year of The Spectator, in print and online, for just £99. |
| 0:07.9 | And we'll send you a bottle of our very own English sparkling wine worth £48 £48, absolutely free. |
| 0:15.3 | Have a bright and sparkling Christmas with the Spectator. |
| 0:17.7 | Go to spectator.com.uk forward slash Christmas. |
| 0:27.6 | Hello and welcome back to the Americano Show, a series of discussions in which we talk about American politics, power and prejudices. |
| 0:36.6 | Each week, we will do at least two possibly more episodes |
| 0:41.4 | speaking to an American or an American expert about what is going on in America. We will cover |
| 0:48.3 | the Trump presidency, of course, but we will also be doing quite a lot of non-Trump-related podcasts, because if you're anything like me, the story of Donald Trump can get a bit overwhelming. |
| 1:00.2 | Please keep listening and enjoy. |
| 1:05.0 | I'm delighted to be joined today by Christopher Colwell, the great Christopher Colwell, who is a columnist for the Spectator, among other things, and author of many great books, and I recommend that All's |
| 1:15.9 | Americano viewers and listeners read all of Chris's work, because it's fascinating. And he has a particularly |
| 1:24.1 | good column, I'd say, in the latest edition of Spectator World. |
| 1:28.1 | There's a little bubble here. |
| 1:29.2 | The Eclipse of the Boomers. |
| 1:31.2 | And Chris, you've written about how the boomers. |
| 1:33.7 | I think I'm going to be hostile. |
| 1:35.7 | I'm going to start hostile and say that you are a boomer. |
| 1:39.7 | And your piece, while brilliant, read a bit like a self-hating boomer because you were born |
| 1:46.4 | at the very end of the boomer generation. |
| 1:48.3 | So, 1962 were you born? |
| 1:50.9 | Yes. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 22 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Spectator, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Spectator and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.