Gen-Zers were the indifferent generation: too busy to critique the generations before or after them. They just went with the flow, which wasn't exactly a good thing since it was a continuation of what Boomers had put in place.
Like, no way. That was the establishment that we rebelled against - turned on, tuned in and dropped out to avoid. We became folk singers and feminists, social activists and journalists, rebels with a cause and enthusiastic anti-antidisestablishmentists. But then came the eighties and so many of our fellow anti-war protesters decided to work for Wall Street and it was the age of greed. And we had kids. You can take one baby to a protest but two gets difficult. So blame it all on boomers if it makes you feel good but acknowledge that you kind of like equal pay for work of equal value, the end of the war in VietNam, rights for women and LGBTQ+2Setc, equal marriage rights, the end of segregation, and I could go on. We like to think there was progress on many fronts and now our grandkids are blaming us for offshoring manufacturing when we had no input in that and a lot of other stupid decisions. But donтАЩt worry - weтАЩre dying off and will soon be out of your way. Your welcome.
I don't like blaming generations for this or that, but I think you may be taking a bit too much credit for some of the above.
Rosa Parks refused to move when the oldest Boomer was 9. The Freedom Rides were when the oldest were just getting into high school.
I'll give you Vietnam and Women's rights, but LGBTQ... well, Ellen didn't exactly get open arms in 1997, Don't ask Don't tell was the best compromise that could be reached in the late 90's, and DOMA was also in the late 90's with a boomer President. Greatest was fading then, but boomers were the biggest chunk of the electorate. We can blame the Silent, they won't make a peep.
Again, I don't get into blaming generations and obviously there are wide swings within generations. People act like the hippies all just changed overnight into Reaganites, but that's generally not what happened. The Okies from Muskogee became Reaganites and the hippies just mellowed a bit into more classical liberals.
YouтАЩre right that boomers built on a continuum started many years before. You could go back many decades on feminism as well as civil rights and non-cis rights and pacifism and any of the issues and those battles are still being waged today along with a whole lot more. The children of the sixties didnтАЩt invent dissent. Every generation has its time in the sun. My grandchildren will fight different but related battles. But I do get a little peeved at boomer blaming and wanted to rant for a bit. At least weтАЩre not talking about Kevin.
I thought that piece identified a problem but not its origins. Talk radio, cable news, and social media have all made politics "interesting" for profit by generating outrage, targeted with ever-increasing techical efficiency for a segmented audience. Blaming Hollywood, celebrity PSAs, and MTV completely misses the mark.
I read it and if you get rid of the first part I think he actually frames our current situation pretty well. I am in my mid 50s and can remember back when politicians were trying not trying to be celebrities and social media stars. Getting things done for the people you represent was a bigger factor than getting likes. I'm still on the fence about what helped Clinton win, being on Arsenio or the little Perot guy. Getting people to vote is a good thing but they also need to learn that there is more than just pulling the lever and that just because they got "their guy" elected things don't magically get better. I really liked one of the descriptions of Masto of Nevada on The Focus Group podcast. She's a work horse not a show horse. I will take representation from someone who gets results over one that is merely looking for attention. When I looked at it from this point of view I found it to be a little more relative how we got here.
That's why I found it so frustrating. He has some excellent points about talk radio, social media, and cable news, but he really didn't want to blame the flamethrowers, so he blamed the 1990s, the last time he remembered outreach to voters he didn't like.
Oof, I read that piece of crooked intellectual dishonesty. God knows how much the Washington Post and the National Review pay for blatant propaganda like that. I miss reporters.
1990's you say? How am I supposed to blame Millennials and Gen Z for that?!?
LOL, there's this generation between Baby Boomers and Millennials, but don't tell anyone. We're trying to keep that secret.
Gen-Zers were the indifferent generation: too busy to critique the generations before or after them. They just went with the flow, which wasn't exactly a good thing since it was a continuation of what Boomers had put in place.
There was Generation X. They don't seem to get much press.
Pretty sure that wasn't Ted's point. Millennials and Gen Z weren't old enough to be responsible for the Gingrich era.
"That's a joke son. You missed it. Flew right by ya."
- F. Leghorn.
Ahh say, sometimes sahcasm don't translate well in print, son.
Not even Gen X! Most of us were teenagers in 1990. Even the old GenX were 20s. Way too young to contribute to the decaying of a society.
In conclusion, it is all babyboomers' fault!
Like, no way. That was the establishment that we rebelled against - turned on, tuned in and dropped out to avoid. We became folk singers and feminists, social activists and journalists, rebels with a cause and enthusiastic anti-antidisestablishmentists. But then came the eighties and so many of our fellow anti-war protesters decided to work for Wall Street and it was the age of greed. And we had kids. You can take one baby to a protest but two gets difficult. So blame it all on boomers if it makes you feel good but acknowledge that you kind of like equal pay for work of equal value, the end of the war in VietNam, rights for women and LGBTQ+2Setc, equal marriage rights, the end of segregation, and I could go on. We like to think there was progress on many fronts and now our grandkids are blaming us for offshoring manufacturing when we had no input in that and a lot of other stupid decisions. But donтАЩt worry - weтАЩre dying off and will soon be out of your way. Your welcome.
I don't like blaming generations for this or that, but I think you may be taking a bit too much credit for some of the above.
Rosa Parks refused to move when the oldest Boomer was 9. The Freedom Rides were when the oldest were just getting into high school.
I'll give you Vietnam and Women's rights, but LGBTQ... well, Ellen didn't exactly get open arms in 1997, Don't ask Don't tell was the best compromise that could be reached in the late 90's, and DOMA was also in the late 90's with a boomer President. Greatest was fading then, but boomers were the biggest chunk of the electorate. We can blame the Silent, they won't make a peep.
Again, I don't get into blaming generations and obviously there are wide swings within generations. People act like the hippies all just changed overnight into Reaganites, but that's generally not what happened. The Okies from Muskogee became Reaganites and the hippies just mellowed a bit into more classical liberals.
YouтАЩre right that boomers built on a continuum started many years before. You could go back many decades on feminism as well as civil rights and non-cis rights and pacifism and any of the issues and those battles are still being waged today along with a whole lot more. The children of the sixties didnтАЩt invent dissent. Every generation has its time in the sun. My grandchildren will fight different but related battles. But I do get a little peeved at boomer blaming and wanted to rant for a bit. At least weтАЩre not talking about Kevin.
I wish I could тЭдя╕П this 1,000 times.
Does that may you feel better? Sheesh!
I don't like being blamed for societal problems I didn't cause. Sorry my post offends you.
I wasn't responding to your post, Kathe. In fact, I agree with you.
Not this liberal baby boomer. Blame it on Newt et al.
This guy blames MTV: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/04/mtv-rock-the-vote-politics-entertainment/
I thought that piece identified a problem but not its origins. Talk radio, cable news, and social media have all made politics "interesting" for profit by generating outrage, targeted with ever-increasing techical efficiency for a segmented audience. Blaming Hollywood, celebrity PSAs, and MTV completely misses the mark.
I read it and if you get rid of the first part I think he actually frames our current situation pretty well. I am in my mid 50s and can remember back when politicians were trying not trying to be celebrities and social media stars. Getting things done for the people you represent was a bigger factor than getting likes. I'm still on the fence about what helped Clinton win, being on Arsenio or the little Perot guy. Getting people to vote is a good thing but they also need to learn that there is more than just pulling the lever and that just because they got "their guy" elected things don't magically get better. I really liked one of the descriptions of Masto of Nevada on The Focus Group podcast. She's a work horse not a show horse. I will take representation from someone who gets results over one that is merely looking for attention. When I looked at it from this point of view I found it to be a little more relative how we got here.
That's why I found it so frustrating. He has some excellent points about talk radio, social media, and cable news, but he really didn't want to blame the flamethrowers, so he blamed the 1990s, the last time he remembered outreach to voters he didn't like.
Oof, I read that piece of crooked intellectual dishonesty. God knows how much the Washington Post and the National Review pay for blatant propaganda like that. I miss reporters.
"All the President's Men" is on one of the channels. Back then reporters actually worked instead of relying social media.