You’re Messing With the Wrong Generation (Quintuple Barf Alert!)

Op Ed News ^ | 3/11/04 | Becky Burgwin

[qam1]

We were born at the end of World War II to a generation that had just won a war against pure evil. We were their hope for a brighter future. The forbearers of a new era. An era of peace and prosperity. An era of fun. We had hula-hoops, silly putty, slinkies and slip 'n slides. We ate Spaghetti-o's, Alphabits, TV dinners and Spam. We watched Ed Sullivan, I Love Lucy, The Flintstones and American Bandstand. We witnessed the first manned space flight and prayed for Apollo 13. We saw a man step onto the moon and suffered through the tragedy of the space shuttle Challenger. We danced the jitterbug, the mashed potato and the twist and listened to Murray the K, Porky Chedwick, and Wolfman Jack. We brought you the Beatles, Motown, Bob Dylan, Sonny & Cher, Rock and Roll, R&B and Woodstock. We inspired movies like Grease, The Graduate, Animal House, and American Graffiti and TV shows like Happy Days, Laugh-In, The Wonder Years and Saturday Night Live. We were there when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and we saw the first black students walk into their federally desegregated college. We heard Martin Luther King say "I have a dream" and then we watched as he was gunned down. We witnessed the murders of JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald, Bobby Kennedy and John Lennon and the premature deaths of Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Elvis.

But, through all of this, what stood out most of all, what came into our living rooms night after night right along with Bonanza and The Wonderful World of Disney, was war. A war that was happening half way across the world complete with visions of napalmed children, self-immolating monks and huge helicopters flying over palm trees. We asked our parents what was going on but they didn't have very good answers. We asked our teachers the same question but never got very satisfactory replies. Then as we got older and started demanding to know what you were doing over there, you said, "None of your business. Shut up and register for the draft." It didn't take long before it was us you were sending over there and we were forced to take to the streets shouting, "Hell no, we won't go," and singing, "All we are saying is give peace a chance." We dropped out, grew our hair, dressed, danced, sang, played music, made love, got high and changed all the rules with only one thing in mind… to get your attention and show you that it's possible to end war and live in peace. And when we were done, it was over. We had won. Do you know who we are? We're Greasers, Hoods, Beatniks, Long Hairs, Freaks, Hippies and Yuppies.

Now there's a new war. Well, it's not really new. It's the same old song and dance, really. The same old lies and fabrications. Just history repeating itself thanks to those who, if they ever did learn it, seem to have forgotten. So once again, millions of us all over the world tried to tell you, "Hell no, we won't go," and "Please, please give peace a chance." But you didn't listen. You invaded a country. You destroyed homes, cities, schools, power plants, palaces, museums and hospitals. You killed thousands and thousands of innocent people and hundreds of good kids who were willing to give their lives for their country. And this time, when we asked you why, you told us it was to give them something you call "freedom". But, you see, we don't think the kind of freedom you're talking about is actually real freedom at all. In fact, we don't think the people in that country are feeling anything that even remotely resembles freedom right now. We think they're feeling devastated. We think they're feeling fear and horror. We think they're wondering where their children are and where they're going to sleep tonight and how they're going to get food and water and shelter from the sweltering desert sun. And we're almost positive that if they did this to us, you wouldn't call it freedom. You'd call it terrorism. Oh, and one other thing. A long time ago there were these smart men who, unlike you, cared about our country and its future. And they predicted that people like you would come along and try to use something called a "military-industrial complex" to acquire even more money than you already had. We don't know exactly what that is but it sounds a lot like what you're doing when you give huge, expensive contracts to your friends to re-build things that you actually destroyed.

So here's the thing. We're tired of being lied to over and over, day after day, while the rest of the world looks on in pity and disgust and we'd just like you to know a few things. We think your war stinks. It stinks of lies and greed and murder and stupidity. There's no honor, no truth, no accountability, no remorse. In college we learned that people like you are called sociopaths but we think you're just plain evil. So we just wanted to give you a heads up and let you know…we're baaaaack. That's right. Remember us? The Hippies and the Freaks? Well, we're the Baby Boomers now. And, guess what? We're all grown up and we have money…and not only that, one of us is going to be the next president. So fasten your seat belts kids. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. And any day now you're going to figure out that things aren't as hunky-dory as you thought they were because, as much as you tried to pull the wool over everybody's eyes and get rich quick off your dirty little war, it just ain't gonna happen. Why? Because, plain and simple, you're messing with the wrong generation.

Ms. Burgwin’s writing has appeared in Newsweek, Time, New York Magazine, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Tribune Review as well as several online Op Ed sites. She is also involved in gay rights, women’s issues and the environment. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family

[GrandMoM]

....???????BUMP

[Amelia]

Stop complaining, and suck it up and help pay for the huge increases in social spending the over-50 set are voting in for themselves.

You'll notice that most of these benefits were voted in by "The Greatest Generation" for "The Greatest Generation"...that is, WWII vets.

Personally I'm on the younger end of the "Baby Boomer" generation, and I expect Social Security will be bankrupt before I get back much of what I've paid in. I'd much rather be able to invest that money in a 401K or similar plan.

Yes, it is a government-sponsored Ponzi plan. Of course, I don't think the people who invented it ever foresaw declining birth rates....

[Glenn]

who's going to be crushed under the burdens of a metastasizing government and a Ponzi scheme named Social Security? People who are entering the workforce now.

You are blaming the wrong people for your therapy-worthy angst over your tax status.

[Amelia]

Her self-righteousness pushed a few buttons. :)

She's definitely missing a few screws.

[dave k]

Should I feel bad? My purpose in life is not to validate another generation's misguided ideology.

[Glenn]

proceeded

preceded.

Reply in anger. Repair in retrospect.

[Glenn]

Should I feel bad? My purpose in life is not to validate another generation's misguided ideology.

This may come as a total shock to you, but YOUR generation gave us 8 freaking years of William J. Clinton.

Yes! You should feel bad for being the "MTV" generation of enabling.

[John W]

John Kerry Birthdate: 12/11/43

Technically,is he a boomer?

[Rutabega]

I'll tell you maybe what the idea behind being annoyed with boomers is (and it is, I am certain, a small, vocal minority of boomers). . .

The boomers (again, please see I am not discussing the majority, just the loud, obnoxious ones) handed feminism to us on a plate, and let me tell you, it's rotten. As a female Xer, our husbands were brought up to expect us to work away from home to provide, as well as do everything (or most of it) around the house (sort of stuck between generations). Most of us, once we hit thirty or have small kids, really want to stay at home, but we've been told that it's not really an option. I fault this directly to my mom's generation of women.

Also, protester Boomers have glorified their hippy days to such an extreme that they have made it seem like in order to be a feeling human being, you must protest wars. Yes, I know that buying into this is ignorant on the part of the younger generations, but it is something that no other generation had to experience, and it is hard for a youth to stand strong in the face of jeers and taunting from the rest of the pack (this gets much easier past twenty-one by the way!)

How about the advent of the fault divorce which left a lot of us X-er's in split up homes, as well as latch key kids?

Granted, a lot of good things came about because of the Boomers (let's look at lots of technology, Civil Rights, advances in medicine, and much more, I am sure!) and then let's look at the spread of liberalism, anything-goes atmosphere, and the over-emotioanlism of 'if it makes you feel good, do it!' that has permeated our society. From what I have read, my generation (referred to as whiners, slackers, etc, quite often from the Boomer side) is much more conservative than yours. Could it be that we were the victims of your generations social experiments, and we have learned a little more from it?

Like I have said, I certainly do NOT mean the entire Boomer generation, or even specifically my folks (who are still married, conservative, and generally awesome people). My husband is being re-programmed to understand that staying at home with small kids is a good thing for the family unit as a whole. Slowly, I hope we can get some of the stain of liberalism washed back out of the fabric of our society, and Boomers on Free Republic really are sort of exempt from this sort of rant.

Wow, I've never done this before! I hope that I haven't stepped on too many toes (I just spray painted a bike, so I guess I can claim paint fume for foggy my brain!)

[dave k]

Ah, yes...assigning blame, are we?

And, of course, your generation had absolutely NOTHING to do with getting Clinton elected, huh?

[pending]

"Perhaps your parents are also the hippie-type boomer?"

Those kids lived the effects of abandoning "traditional values".
Hopefully they wont repeat it. It looks like it could be trending that way.

I like the Xers, myself. I think there is great potential there, but lets face it, you got your share of Doh.

"generation X will be the greatest", repeats the worst aspect of the very unlikeable ego driven stereotypical "Me generation shallow hippie turned SUV lovin yuppie".

One difference is todays boomers who spent summers on acid dont have the tattoos and piercings to prove it.

You will be living those down to your kids... Ha ha.
Just teasing...

[Sloth]

Boomers suck.

[Glenn]

How about the advent of the fault divorce which left a lot of us X-er's in split up homes, as well as latch key kids?

Another "xvictim" heard from.

[socal_parrot]

Couple things,

I'm nowhere close to over 50 and....

My point was that his was the most whiny, wimpy, victicrat ping list explanation I've ever seen. You fit in just fine.

Blaming Boomers for all of the spending program increases when some members of the "y" generation have been voting since 1983 is a specious argument.

[normy]

My generation grew up on "kill a commie for mommie" and Red Dawn and the Miracle on Ice. We grew up on USA all the way and dominating the Olympics. We loved the A-Team and Rambo. We played with GI Joes and loved Back to the Future. We grew up in the eighties and it was like the fifties all over again. We love America and freedom with responsibility. We believe having at least one gun is the responsibility of every American as part of their cultural heritige. We like cowboys and soldiers and brave men. We think our Founding Fathers were men of integrity, not just rich,old white, slave owners who didn't want to pay taxes.

Our parents were not lazy suburban hippies, but worked hard and love their country as well. They went for Carter in the seventies and for Reagan in the eighties and never looked back. The hippies are yesterdays news, and even some old hippies know they were mistaken in the things they did and would advise their children to not behave the way they did. Only a tiny minority thinks what hippies did was cool or it matters now.

[nobody_knows]

"I am the generation that came after this twit. All my teachers were people like Becky Burgwin. I hate hippies."

Hey now....Not all us hippies are crack heads like Becky. Easy on the stereotype son.

[Howlin]

In 1994 made one of the biggest mistakes in my life. I worked for George Pataki for his campain against Mario Cuomo. While Pataki's first term was wonderful after that he turned out to be further to the left than Mario and has turned New York into a bigger socialist hell hole than Mario or even Hillary for that matter could ever dream of

From the "bio."

I think I am beginning to see the problem.......LOL.

[socal_parrot]

Oops...

Y=X


Darn

[Trampled by Lambs]

Speaking as a member of the last wave of boomers (born 1959), I have to confess, I used to think this way.


Then I grew up.

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

Burgwin is a lesbian. No more need be said.