Generational argument

[johnsmith]

Had this argument at work, what are your thoughts. I argued that the 'baby-boomers' are the most worthless, wreckless, and fucked up generation in the history of America. Their social, political, and financial "ways" have ruined everything for every generation beyond them.


Thoughts?

[Wild Cobra]

Had this argument at work, what are your thoughts. I argued that the 'baby-boomers' are the most worthless, wreckless, and fucked up generation in the history of America. Their social, political, and financial "ways" have ruined everything for every generation beyond them.


Thoughts?
Only that your thoughts have to be wrong. We are being ruined because of younger voters putting politicians that are destroying us. Not the Baby Boomers. Maybe "Generation X," but I'd say more so the younger voters yet. Also, count people of all ages that drink the liberal Kool-Aid.

[ChumpDumper]

Right, anyone but you.

[Winehole23]

Had this argument at work, what are your thoughts. I argued that the 'baby-boomers' are the most worthless, wreckless, and fucked up generation in the history of America. Their social, political, and financial "ways" have ruined everything for every generation beyond them.


Thoughts?I'm son of. My parents survived the sixties with their minds and their earning capacity mostly intact. We scrimped in the 1970's, let ourselves go in the 1980's, and witnessed unparallelled prosperity until very recently.

(Neither one went in much for real estate or exotic noveties, so they'll both be fine, hopefully.)

There is a default maelstrom that hasn't even been booked yet, that is sucking in wealth that strayed too close...

This is the other side of *unparalleled prosperity*.

[Extra Stout]

Had this argument at work, what are your thoughts. I argued that the 'baby-boomers' are the most worthless, wreckless, and fucked up generation in the history of America. Their social, political, and financial "ways" have ruined everything for every generation beyond them.


Thoughts?
The boomers did give us the innertubes.

They were not as good as their parents. However, their kids are worse than they are, and their grandkids are vastly worse.

[Winehole23]

It will include government control of strategic industries, pension obligations etc.

[sam1617]

I would agree that it is partially their fault. Baby-boomers and later generations have a certain lack of work ethic that the Greatest Generation didn't. There is a sense of entitlement that I think lead to many of our current problems. Our country has stagnated on many fronts, and obviously, the generation that started that stagnating process and its following generations are to blame. With that said, its not like they are the root of all evil...

[Winehole23]

The boomers did give us the innertubes.

They were not as good as their parents. However, their kids are worse than they are, and their grandkids are vastly worse.Declinism never goes out of style and it can be hard to refute.

[Extra Stout]

Declinism never goes out of style and it can be hard to refute.
The WWII generation was better than its parents. This is probably because growing up during the Depression and spending one's twenties fighting a war halfway across the world tends to instill a different kind of character than growing up in wealth and comfort does.

[Extra Stout]

But hey, look at the bright side! The generation that grows up when America implodes into murderous chaos will probably have a lot of character.

[Nbadan]

But hey, look at the bright side! The generation that grows up when America implodes into murderous chaos will probably have a lot of character.

That won't happen until they shut down the electricity, cable and satellite TV...

[Winehole23]

But hey, look at the bright side! The generation that grows up when America implodes into murderous chaos will probably have a lot of character.Ever read JG Ballard?

[jman3000]

But hey, look at the bright side! The generation that grows up when America implodes into murderous chaos will probably have a lot of character.

I knew I'd have something to be proud of with my prospective grandchildren.

[DarrinS]

they were not as good as their parents. However, their kids are worse than they are, and their grandkids are vastly worse.


+1

[Winehole23]

But hey, look at the bright side! The generation that grows up when America implodes into murderous chaos will probably have a lot of character.Occupational hazard. There is honor among theives.

[Extra Stout]

That won't happen until they shut down the electricity, cable and satellite TV...
War is kind of hard on the infrastructure.

[Nbadan]

But hey, look at the bright side! The generation that grows up when America implodes into murderous chaos will probably have a lot of character.

Conspiracy theorists!

[coyotes_geek]

War is kind of hard on the infrastructure.

True, but if Iraq is any example it's now expected to clean up after your own mess. You bomb it, you bought it.

[LnGrrrR]

Each generation has slackers, and each generation has hard workers. Humanity does not change so drastically from generation to generation. The only thing that changes is the scale.

The Greatest Generation learned 'hard work' and 'ethics' because if they didn't work hard, they wouldn't have survived.

Societies expand to fill what their resources will allow. In the aftermath of the Depression, only the financially secure (or lucky) ones survived. In the 60's and 70's, during relative prosperity, people had the ability to use their time on other things (new age stuff, music, etc etc)

This generation is no more 'lazy' than the older generations. It's just that, due to technology and advances, life is easier overall, so needed work is lessened.

I think Gen Y will be the next big voting bloc, and it's my feeling that most will fall somewhere between liberal and libertarian on the political spectrum.

[jman3000]

Umm.. we're talking about another civil war. You bomb it, you bought it doesn't matter when you owned what you bombed in the first place.

[coyotes_geek]

Umm.. we're talking about another civil war. You bomb it, you bought it doesn't matter when you owned what you bombed in the first place.

Sure it does. If we have a civil war are other countries going to come in and rebuild for us? Or do we have to foot that bill ourselves?

[Extra Stout]

Ever read JG Ballard?
Not even a bit.

[Winehole23]

True, but if Iraq is any example it's now expected to clean up after your own mess. You bomb it, you bought it.There's going to be an overall ongoing cost to maintain our fortresslike possessions in Iraq and Afghanistan, right? On top of cleaning up whatever previous mess. (BTW, Did we already *clean that up*?)

Geostrategic designs. Hot war. Contractors and boots on the ground. Drone attacks.

Nation building, perhaps....

[Wild Cobra]

I say it's less of a generational argument than it is an argument of responsibility. Some people want the government to take care of us, and some of us want the government to leave us alone. It is those who want a bigger government who are worthless fuck-up!

[jman3000]

ehh... that depends. You're trying to somehow equate this to the Iraq war.

If China came in and sided with the People's Republic of California and proceeded to help the PRC invade New Nevada... then yes, China would have a vested interest in building up the lands they just conquered.

If it's just hot American on American action, then I'd expect nobody to help. At least not in any altruistic capacity.

[Winehole23]

Not even a bit. Crash is a pretty good distillation (the movie was crappy, but accurate) though he gave a hint of his cheekiness in his short story "The Assassination of JFK Considered as a Downhill Road Race".

Empire of the Sun was made into a movie directed by Stephen Spielberg.

[Extra Stout]

True, but if Iraq is any example it's now expected to clean up after your own mess. You bomb it, you bought it.
What?

[Winehole23]

Concrete Island and High Rise focus on more explicitly survivalistic urban themes.

[Extra Stout]

Sure it does. If we have a civil war are other countries going to come in and rebuild for us? Or do we have to foot that bill ourselves?
You know, there are a fair number of wars in history where things just don't ever get put back together the way they were.

[Extra Stout]

Crash is a pretty good distillation (the movie was crappy, but accurate) though he gave a hint of his cheekiness in his short story "The Assassination of JFK Considered as a Downhill Road Race".

Empire of the Sun was made into a movie directed by Stephen Spielberg.

I had been thinking of developing a dystopian story that wasn't trying too hard to be a dystopian story.

[Extra Stout]

ehh... that depends. You're trying to somehow equate this to the Iraq war.

If China came in and sided with the People's Republic of California and proceeded to help the PRC invade New Nevada... then yes, China would have a vested interest in building up the lands they just conquered.

If it's just hot American on American action, then I'd expect nobody to help. At least not in any altruistic capacity.
Yeah, if we're talking about one of these "wars of opportunity" like Iraq where the idea is to rebuild a country into something easier to exploit economically... there is an unspoken assumption that leaving said country in ruins doesn't quite fit the objective.

On the other hand, in a war of "it's your fault all this bad stuff happened; we hate you and want to kill as many of you as we can," leaving the country in ruins is the point.

[Winehole23]

I had been thinking of developing a dystopian story that wasn't trying too hard to a dystopian story.That would be like the opposite of Crash.

Have you read The Road?

[Winehole23]

by Cormac McCarthy.

[Nbadan]

Had this argument at work, what are your thoughts. I argued that the 'baby-boomers' are the most worthless, wreckless, and fucked up generation in the history of America. Their social, political, and financial "ways" have ruined everything for every generation beyond them.


Thoughts?

Who cares, they all taser the same..


EQljBMJ2q8o

...proceed with your inter-generational squabble....

[Extra Stout]

That would be like the opposite of Crash.

Have you read The Road?
I've read The Road.

My idea, only very nebulous, is of a future where a sort of virtual Gnosticism is the norm, where people's minds are directly tied to the global electronic network, and people become so engrossed with the false world found therein that it becomes their true world, where all their experiences, sensations, relationships, work, etc. are found, and the physical, external world becomes irrelevant and more or less an impediment to them.

But write it from the perspective of somebody in that world, where such an existence is considered the norm. Don't call attention to the premise.

One key problem is that I am not good at writing.

[Winehole23]

But write it from the perspective of somebody in that world, where such an existence is considered the norm. Don't call attention to the premise.

One key problem is that I am not good at writing.Not that I am either, but you can use tricks..

Like Flann O Brien's the Third Policeman. To tell you more would ruin it, but I consider it a real feat of storytelling, and it relates to what you just said.

[Winehole23]

Where talent fails us, tricknology rushes in.

[Winehole23]

Make things difficult?

Get tazed.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

millennials are a close second

[Wild Cobra]

Who cares, they all taser the same..


EQljBMJ2q8o

...proceed with your inter-generational squabble....
I saw that in the news last night. I cannot believe it. You don't taser a feisty granny. She wasn't a threat. That officer should be jailed for assault.

[LnGrrrR]

I've read The Road.

My idea, only very nebulous, is of a future where a sort of virtual Gnosticism is the norm, where people's minds are directly tied to the global electronic network, and people become so engrossed with the false world found therein that it becomes their true world, where all their experiences, sensations, relationships, work, etc. are found, and the physical, external world becomes irrelevant and more or less an impediment to them.

But write it from the perspective of somebody in that world, where such an existence is considered the norm. Don't call attention to the premise.

One key problem is that I am not good at writing.

Not sure if you've ever watched Red Dwarf (a BBC sitcom), but they have a 'game' called Better than Life that's very similar to what you're describing. One of the novels do examine the game from inside, at least, for a section of it.

[LnGrrrR]

Make things difficult?

Get tazed.

Don't taze me, bro!

[Winehole23]

Don't taze me, bro!If they're tazing granny now I can't be very far behind.

[Nbadan]

...the greatest generation was truely the greatest generation...

[LnGrrrR]

...the greatest generation was truely the greatest generation...

I don't know; I still think that Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson et all had them beat.

[Duff McCartney]

Every single generation is the worst one...every generation since the beginning of time has been bickering and fighting over the same bullshit over and over again.

War has never escaped any generation, disease, poverty, hunger...every generation has it and will always.

The only "greatest generation" will be the one that can solve all of these problems and move humanity in a greater direction with a greater purpose. Sadly, neither the old farts, nor the middle aged losers, nor the young punks that live today will ever be part of that generation.

[FaithInOne]

Each generation is the new weakest until this country faces another World War.

That's just how the cycle works.

[FaithInOne]

Every single generation is the worst one...every generation since the beginning of time has been bickering and fighting over the same bullshit over and over again.

War has never escaped any generation, disease, poverty, hunger...every generation has it and will always.

The only "greatest generation" will be the one that can solve all of these problems and move humanity in a greater direction with a greater purpose. Sadly, neither the old farts, nor the middle aged losers, nor the young punks that live today will ever be part of that generation.

Not really imo. Older folks understand hard work and real sacrifice because of the societal environment they found themselves in. Spend 10 minutes with one and you will see. They are leaps and bounds above us weak noobs.

[SnakeBoy]

...the greatest generation was truely the greatest generation...

because they endured all the hardships that they created?

[Duff McCartney]

Not really imo. Older folks understand hard work and real sacrifice because of the societal environment they found themselves in. Spend 10 minutes with one and you will see. They are leaps and bounds above us weak noobs.

Stop with the stupid generalizations...there just as many slackers back then as there are now. I'm sure when they were young the old asses were probably tell them they weren't worth shit either.

[EVAY]

Had this argument at work, what are your thoughts. I argued that the 'baby-boomers' are the most worthless, wreckless, and fucked up generation in the history of America. Their social, political, and financial "ways" have ruined everything for every generation beyond them.


Thoughts?

Yes. You are absolutely right. I should know. I am one. And you are right!!