The Shallowest Generation

Raging Debate.com ^ | 11/3/08 | Jim Quinn

[iThinkBig]

The Baby Boom Generation will never be mistaken for the Greatest Generation that survived the Great Depression and defeated evil in a World War that killed 72 million people. I hate to tell you Boomers, but putting a yellow ribbon on the back of your $50,000 SUV is not sacrifice. Our claim to fame is living way beyond our means for the last three decades, to the point where we have virtually bankrupted our capitalist system. Baby Boomers have been occupying the White House for the last sixteen years. The majority of Congress is Baby Boomers. The CEOs and top executives of Wall Street firms are Baby Boomers. The media is dominated by Baby Boom executives and on-air stars. We have no one to blame but ourselves for the current predicament. Blaming Franklin Roosevelt or Lyndon Johnson for our dire situation is a cop out. Baby Boomers had the time, power, and ability to change our course. We have chosen to leave the heavy lifting to future generations in order to live the good life today.

[RobinOfKingston]

We have our Ipod’s ...

Toki, dump your ipod. I see people everywhere with earphones plugged in to their heads. They are filled with other peoples music and thoughts. Get comfortable and familiar with that person who resides between your own ears. You can't do that while plugged in to someone else's noise.

[CottonBall]

The attitude of the “Greatest Gen” that they would be sure their kids a better life than theirs was is big time to blame here. They should have said they would be sure their kids got out there and made a better life for themselves.

You're so right. The Greatest Generation is that just because they made it through tough times and that created their characters and values. Having it too easy doesn't develop those qualities.

In my extended family are several young adults that have had trust funds set up for them. Just huge ones - just enough to survive on. Every single one of them is directionless, unmotivated, and depends on that trust fund money like it was welfare. They're not a happy group, needless to say.

We've already put it in our will that our son isn't to get our money (what there is left of it) until he is 45 - time enough for him to learn to stand on his own 2 feet. Or not. Either way, it's up to him. I think this is critically important.

[TaraP]

I too am a Baby Boomer and with all the problems of the 60’s and 70’s one thing we had is the Traditional Family.

We had parents of the Greatest Generation, parents who taughts us traditional values, working hard, doing the right thing, when we were out of line had the right to spank our behinds without it being called child abuse.

We knew what is was like to play outside all day, yet be home before dark to sit down to the family table and have dinner....And even though many strayed into the world of rebellion, every friend of mine in there 40’s and early 50’s are traditional people who remember what our parents and teachers believe it or not! taught us...

[CottonBall]

Before I go on, I’d like to remind people of Rush, Hannity, Levin, Palin, Savage, my wife, etc.

Aw, that was sweet. :)

[ohiogrammy]

Amen, I too am a boomer, one of the earlier ones. I raised 4 children on my own, sent them to college and was never given a dime from anyone else’s pocket. Maybe the younger group are spoiled, but not us older ones.

[freekitty]

I agree. As a baby boomer; I am not amongst the idiots that want to tear this country down. Don’t sell us short. The problem is not the baby boomers; it’s the left nutwings of this country and outside of it.

[zendari]

The Baby Boomers are not quite as pathetic as the ‘Millenials’ generation that’s voting for the 1st time now.

[CottonBall]

Great post.

Our family values certainly have declined since then. At least half of my son’s friends come from broken homes - and the turmoil it causes these kids is so sad. Many go back and forth, from home to home, every other week. I’d like to see the kids stay put in one house - and have the parents rotate back and forth. Whether it’s on a weekly basis or every other weekend. If they think that’s such a great idea, they should do it themselves! They are at least adults and putting their kids who are still developing emotionally through this chaos is very self-serving.

[polymuser]

IMO, adults after WWII were glad it was over, vets were getting college from the GI Bill, Americans were living well after years of war, and their focus became enjoying life and family.

They paid little real attention to the leftist insurgency of the late 50’s and early 60’s, to Walter Cronkite’s push to tolerate leftists and viet Nam defeatism, or to their own their childrens’ leftward trend. They snoozed peacefully in their LazyBoys.

Now, many of them are understanding, too late, what their kids were really heading.

Fortunately, many of their grandkids are now seeing reality.

[Polybius]

Part of me says the Boomers built some incredible technology innovations that spurred many years of growth.

"Pigmaei gigantum humeris impositi plusquam ipsi gigantes vident" ("A dwarf on a giant's shoulders sees farther of the two") ...... Isaac Newton

The Boomers built increadible technology because they had the benefit of starting out already siting upon the shoulders of the Giant composed of the scientific discoveries of generations past. When the Boomers stood up, they thus reach a greater height than the Old Giant himself.

Your generation, before it even tries to fully stand up, is sitting on the shoulders of the Giant at it's greatest height. Your generation will therefore produce even greater technology innovations unless the country, so currupted by Bread & Circuses, no longer has anybody left that cares to even bother to stand up.

[prismsinc]

{BLUSHING}

[Rudder]

Any writer who would conjure up an indictment of an entire generation is a lazy and shabby intellectual.

I'm not a boomer.

[CottonBall]

Your generation will therefore produce even greater technology innovations unless the country, so currupted by Bread & Circuses, no longer has anybody left that cares to even bother to stand up.

I have little hope of the next generation producing much, as a whole. The dumbing down of our education system saw to that. For example, while the last decade saw the number of liberal arts degrees in the University of California system increase by 18%, the number of degrees in math, science, and engineering decreased by 9%. However, Japan and China are educating engineers as fast as they can - I think the new innovations will come from those areas, as well as the former Soviet satellite countries that are enjoying capitalism to its fullest. (Without the excessive taxation we have.)

[Cacique]

The fact is that a lot of my fellow baby boomers especially on the left never grew up or evolved. A lot of them live in the nostalgia of the 60’s and 70’s. Maturity is unfortunately not a trait of that generation. I have only my parents to thank for bringing me up to question everything around me.

[mentor2k]

Fast-food generation . . I want it NOW!

[iThinkBig]

HAHAH. Yeah that one is worse :)

[Toki]

I only got an Ipod for the geek factor years ago (I was 16). I wanted to carry writing around. :D

I'm one of the few who doesn't have an Ipod on campus. Then again I have had (till it broke) my computer with me at all times. I lived on that thing, it's been semi-nice (but annoying) not to have it.

Get comfortable and familiar with that person who resides between your own ears.
/giggles So true. I have been trying to do this actually. Growing up is hard though...

[iThinkBig]

That is a great point.

[Citizen Blade]

I can also seem my generation not steping up (including myself... I’m trying... It’ll be easier when I can drive). I’m in college right now and we are a generation caught within itself.

The younger generations are the ones fighting the wars in Iraq and Agfhanistan, and doing a damn good job.

If young people in this country are so worthless, then how are we able to put together such an effective military?

[Nick Danger]

Stop believing in the cohort nonsense.

What's wrong with characterizing people according to the year in which they were born? It makes every bit as much sense as grouping them by whether they are Aquarius, Pisces, or Capricorn.