Hey Greatest Generation, you're all a bunch of bigots

[Hippo_Tron]

18-29 year olds support Gay Marriage 55% to 42%. People 65 and over oppose it 75% to 21%

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Relationships/same_sex_marriage_poll_040121.html

And with that I'll go back to playing my Platstation 3 and other things to distract me from being politically active. Maybe being drafted into military service will make me wake up. Hopefully it won't turn me into a complete homophobe, though...

[Swamp Rat]

1. I don't know about a homophobe, but it WILL turn you into something

[physioex]

2. Well....

We have something to look forward.

[Sapphocrat]

3. Not my parents.

Pop (b. 1919) was WWII Navy; Mom (b.1921) is still here.

He was and she is 100% in favor of marriage equality.

The idiots who aren't either don't have a gay kid, or hate their gay kid.

[Midlodemocrat]

28. Nor mine.

Nor my aunts or uncles. Not a bigot in the lot.

[quickesst]

4. This...

comes as a surprise to you? I know people over 65 who prefer a phonograph over an i-pod. But that's because they're 65 and not 18. Old habits and upbringing die hard. Don't worry too much about it. They'll be gone in a few years. Thanks.
quickesst

[Big Sky Boy]

32. They can still do some damage

If they are 65 right now. We can expect most of them to keep on voting for bigoted ballot measures for the next 15-20 years.

[HereSince1628]

5. Wouldn't you need to be near 80 to be Greatest Generation?

They are the parents of the boomers. And boomers start in about 1945. The older boomers are early 60's now. So 65+ includes the original "tweeners" or "atomic generation" you know--the Doby Gillis generation? Too young for WII and Korea too old for Vietnam. But just right to come of age during the post WWII economic expansion?

I'm actually a bit more discouraged by the numbers for 18-29 year olds. As a boomer and a parent of some of those we fell short raising our kids--having 42% of them homophopic is disappointing.

[sweetpotato]

6. Homophobic young adults - homeschooled? Fundies?

There seem to be a lot of very sheltered young adults around lately, at least in my experience in the South. I know the Fundies preach against gay marriage, we don't know the agendas of all of those that homeschool, it was just a thought - knowing the homeschooling done by my relatives.

[laundry_queen]

20. That 42%, I'd bet

is mostly made up of young men who have no idea of what a 'real' man is and are scared shitless that if they 'support' gay marriage they'll be branded as some kind of 'gay lover'.
I have a brother like that.
The rest are fundies, I'm sure.
Most polls show women are far more open to the idea than men. I think some men are just very insecure in their manhood.

[onenote]

38. yes, but that wouldn't fit the OP's hyperbole

Nor would pointing out that in terms of sheer numbers, the 42% of 18-29 year olds who oppose gay marriage is pretty close to 21% of those who are 65+ (i.e., there are a lot more 18-29 year olds than 65+).

And where did that "all" in the OP come from?

[Hippo_Tron]

49. I intentionally pained a broad brush smear that isn't true to demonstrate a point

I said "all" because some here are suggesting that everyone in my generation is lazy, politically inactive, and too consumed with their video games. Therefore we "all" need to be drafted into military service to wake us up.

This post wasn't about people 65+. This post is about the WWII generation and the baby boomers trashing Gen X and Gen Y when the older generations have their own issues too.

[noahmijo]

7. geez only 42%?? must be fundie spawn

btw how are you liking the ps3? does the blue-ray player work well? (I remember ps2 had serious issues with its dvd player when it first came out)

[we can do it]

8. I Think Its More They Have Sex-Phobia In General

A lot of these people can't get past the Clinton - Lewinsky thing either. It seems odd that after all they've seen (unreasonable mistreatment of groups of people like jews or Japanese, in WWII.....to the "Communist-McCarthy" crap, and general racism and sexism) you might think they would learn that people are people. Not all of them are completely close-minded though (1 in 5), so try to judge them on an individual basis.

[jpwhite]

9. they were constantly told that gays were bad

What do you expect? The church was and still is telling these people that gays are bad and that they will end up in hell if they don't change.

We as progressives/liberals must continue to speak out and tell others that people who are gay should not be discriminated against. Tell others about how cool your friends who are gay really are. Ask any homophobe you know if they even have friends that are gay. I bet you most of them don't.

James
[e-mail]

[Auggie]

10. Maybe in 10 - 15 years this country will be ready for real change

when this population segment begins to dwindle.

[CountAllVotes]

103. this "population segment" as you call them

are very good people IMO. My parent's were of this generation and I miss them and I loved them and had you not guessed, they are now both dead. Happy fucking holidays ok?

My mother's best friend is still alive and is almost 90 years old. She is not a bigot either. In fact, it was she that told me about Bernie Ward & Ray Taliaferro/Karel.

I have learned so much from this woman, I cannot begin to tell you. I just spoke with her yesterday in fact. She has many things to say to me that no one else could possibly say. She is my friend and I love her.

I also have a neighbor, a woman that is 80 years old and is gay. She doesn't talk about being gay as she has lived in the closet her whole life. She is a highly educated woman with a degree in mathematics. We have some excellent conversations and she was the one that turned me on to Stephanie Miller!

However, I really hope they aren't all gone too soon for they have much knowledge that will be lost when they are gone.

I've met the bigots from this generation you speak of and they would have to be born in the 1920's or 1930's to be considered to be a member of "The Greatest Generation" for the most part.

I have met bigots from ALL generations too, even your "generation". Bigotry is not an aspect of age, it is an aspect of the mind, the spirit and the soul.

:dem:

[lukasahero]

11. I think your stats prove your subject line wrong

75% is not "all".

[Arkansas Granny]

12. I'm a boomer myself, and I do support Gay Marriage. However,

I don't know if many of you really understand the social climate that the "Greatest Generation" grew up in. I was in high school before I was aware of homosexuals. It was something that wasn't spoken of openly, especially in the rural midwest, and certainly wasn't considered acceptable behavior, so most of these people grew up convinced that it was deviant behavior and a great social wrong. And when you consider that the generation before mine was even more puritanical, it's no surprise to me that these attitudes linger.

It was very much the same with racial discrimination. There was a widely accepted belief that minorities were just naturally inferior to the white race. There were even scientific studies that seemed to prove it.

The point I'm trying to make is that sometimes it's very hard to forget the lessons you learned in your youth. Even when reason tells you that the position you believe is not the actuality of the situation, it's hard to turn off those old feelings.

[txindy]

16. Excellent post. People do forget about earlier social climates/mores & their effects.

Not to mention the previously-accepted scientific or medical 'wisdom' of each generation, 'wisdom' that was acknowledged as fact because so few could challenge it.

Again, nice post! :applause:

[savemefromdumbya]

18. location too

yes out in the country people tended not to talk about or acknowledge homosexuality

[Big Sky Boy]

33. Segregation Today.... Segregation Tomorrow... Segregation Forever.

Even that old racist member of the GG, George Wallace recanted that statement and became a champion of tolerance in the "New South."

Thanks for pointing out the context is VERY important. Most people are not going to change their minds on some of these long-held beliefs unless we challenge them--and that can be very difficult to do without putting them on the defensive.

I see it as a no-brainer and I am very disappointed in the fact that many of our so-called progressive leaders have a hard time selling the idea of equal treatment under the law for all Americans.

It shouldn't be too hard for members of every generation to understand the value of that.

[Hippo_Tron]

53. I'm aware of all of that

My point is that I wish that older people would give my generation a fucking break once in a while and realize that older generations have their flaws as well.

[mondo joe]

13. Bravo! Good for you Tron. eom

[shifting_sands]

14. Oh please

I am 63 and not even my parents were bigots. I have a ton of friends in the age group you were talking about and they are not bigots. We are not against gay marriage, we aren't against affirmative action, we are, if you know your history, the Civil Rights, "get out of Vietnam," Beatles and rock and roll group. That's like saying that the 18-25 year olds in this country are the least educated and least informed as to their rights, or the Constitution, or even what this country means or so say the polls.

You don't paint a broad brush against a whole generation when you don't even know where they took that poll or what the questions might have been, when we do get out that "broad brush," of judgment without tracking down the whole truth, believe me our ignorance is absolutely showing.

[nancyr]

15. Don't assume we're all bigots if we're "old."

What a silly assumption! I'm 65 and the majority of my friends are not bigots. I may have been raised by bigoted parents, but I had the brains to figure these things out for myself. Don't lump us all into the same category. We may be old but we are not stupid.

[KoKo]

81. Age is a "state of mind," too. There are old "youngies" and young "oldies"

and it's kind of offensive to see crap like this on DU where we try to maintain some semblence of respect for each other in the cause of Democracy.

The OP got their facts wrong about "Greatist Generation" anyway.

[Patiod]

17. My dad was appalled that an Indian guy ran in a local election

I said I couldn't believe anyone would vote for him because he was such a conservative idiot (a guy that competed on "The Apprentice").

My dad said that he and his 80-something friend were appalled that an Arab would run. Arab? Well, his name was Raj, and that "sounded Arab" to these guys.

:cry:

I love my dad, but comments like this still floor me.

[havocmom]

19. "...you're all a bunch of bigots"

Wow, where do I start?

:banghead:

[TahitiNut]

26. I know. I guess a post about motes and logs would be a waste of time.

:banghead:

[havocmom]

29. As I ponder what all I am thankful for...

TahitiNut is way up there on the list. ;)

[TahitiNut]

34. Then you'll probably enjoy my latest fruitless effort.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2775032&mesg_id=2775032

:evilgrin:

FWIW, the feelings are mutual - you're part of my "DU family," luv ... people whom I'm happy are in this world. :hug:

:party:

[bloom]

21. self delete.

.

[raccoon]

24. "as if people are just taught to be assholes. "

I think much that is in the media, movies, TV shows, etc. DOES teach people to be assholes. Often, being an asshole is portrayed as being cute and spunky.

[Minnesota_Lib]

35. I see you studied logic at the same place many on the right did (Anti-Bush=pro-terrorist)

Different sides of the same coin. Yes, "Political Correctness" is a term coined by the right, but if the shoe fits....

Anyone who doesn't toe your line is sexist, racist and homophobic? Yeah, right. The fact is that you folks are pompous, humorless, self-promoting and self-elected arbiters of correctness whom are obsessed only with proving that you are more anti-whatever than the next guy or gal. (Are "guy" and "gal" acceptable terms? I'd hate to accidentally offend your delicate sensibilities?)

You folks like to promote yourselves as defenders of "politeness" yet resort to vicious personal attacks on anyone who disagrees with your ideal of politeness taken to the extreme. You are the self-appointed defenders of other people's feelings. Apparently you think of those you defend as being inferior to you, with no self-esteem, sense of self-worth or humor. If someone pokes fun at Ann Coulter's prominent adam's apple, for instance, you gallantly jump to the defense of transgendered people everywhere who you obviously feel are so insecure that they might somehow misconstrue the comments as being personal attacks on them and being so emotionally fragile they would be forced to jump off a bridge if not for you. You are my hero!

Disagree with Nancy Pelosi? You are sexist. But disagreeing with Charlie Rangel over his draft ploy and calling him "vile" is ok though, even if he is black. Down the road Charlie will say something you agree with and then at that time anyone who disagrees with him will be racist. Making fun of Chelsea Clinton's appearance at the age of 13 is beyond the pale (which I agree) but making fun of Rick Santorum's children--as was done here the other day--barely raised an eyebrow with your crowd because you don't like Santorum. See, I am familiar with your rules.

Hell, the other day a thread about sweat shops and slave labor disintegrated into a flame fest where the OP or someone who supported his post was called homophobic and worse by the usual suspects in the nanny crowd because he was baited into saying that slavery was at least if not more important an issue than gay marriage. In other words, one must table and ignore all other issues until the PC crowd's issues de jour are resolved or you are subject to being called anti-gay, racist, sexist, a freeper troll, a nazi and all the other ad hominid attacks you folks like to throw out there. In another thread, Hsher had the audacity to say she didn't need this crowd to defend her from racist remarks, whether real (like she, as a Jewish black woman has dealt with all of her life) or imagined (which is the forte of the nanny crowd). Naturally, she was viciously attacked with some posters who don't know her from Adam later insinuating (in a different thread as I recall) that she was neither Jewish nor black because she refused to believe she couldn't make it on her own without their help.

Thank god we have self-sacrificing folks such as you to show us lesser humans the way.

BTW, I am 53 years old, a life-long liberal who marched in anti-war and civil rights protests back in the 60s, and I do give my seat up in buses to the elderly, pregnant women and folks with armfuls of packages all the time...plus I love computer (MMORPG) games. :)

[bloom]

44. That was quite a lot to say about nothing. nt

[Minnesota_Lib]

45. Considering you made the original statement, equating your content to "nothing" seems appropriate.

[bloom]

46. I was just testing

your sense of humor.

Thank god we have self-sacrificing folks such as you to show us lesser humans the way.

You seem pretty humorless, yourself.

[havocmom]

89. Amazing how often people are 'testing humor' when their remarks get challenged

and then they make derogatory judgments about a lack of humor on the part of people who call them on poor logic or rude behavior.

bush does that too. It is just annoying. Shows a tendency to not take responsibility for what one says. Rush does it when he gets called on some tripe he pulls out of thin air and tries to pass off as fact... well, ya know, I'm just a comedian... It is really an annoying way to try to pass one's own weak argument off as someone else's shortcoming.

Must be the new fad... but it is getting old. Just a personal observation on the decline of civil, constructive debate and discourse in America in the past few years... pay no attention to lil ol humorless me.

:rofl:

[cwydro]

95. Well said.

Thank you.

And to the OP: my parents are the "WWII generation" and taught both my sister and me that prejudice is wrong, in all circumstances. And that was before they found out we were both gay.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sapere aude]

23. Great broad brush painting. 21% in favor is that part of "you're all bigots?

Your statement sounds like a bigoted statement to me.

[Hippo_Tron]

50. Please see post #45

[BurtWorm]

25. Even the 21% are bigots?

And the 42% of 18-29 year olds are excused from being bigots because their age group is more enlightened?

[ProfessorGAC]

27. And, Not That Much More Enlightened To Boot

Think about it. If 10 out of 100 of eac group changed their minds, the two groups would be equal. So, the disparity that constitutes "all" is 10%.

Gee, that's some logic, huh?
The Professor

[havocmom]

31. Not just civics, history, and logic being neglected in education of late.

Evidently math is not taught much anymore in too many places ;)

Maybe us geezers should set up some mentoring programs? :hi:

[The Straight Story]

30. That's cause a lot of the people in the GG were killed off in a war to save

our asses so we could be free, while the fundies stayed at home and lived :)

[liberalEd]

36. Wow, almost half of 18-29 year olds oppose gay marriage

Young 'uns sure seem to be a bigoted bunch!

I'm guessing it's PS 3 syndrome. Fries their brains.

:sarcasm:

[WI_DEM]

37. This is a pretty insulting post

Those were different times that they grew up in. I have to also say that while growing up in more enlightened times the fact that this poll reports that 42% of 18-29 year olds don't support Gay Marriage is not all that spectacular. By the way, I'm not "one of the greatest generation" but I certainly appreciate what sacrifices they made and their willingness to put their lives on the line for things they believe in. I wonder if this current generation would? and I'm not talking about Iraq.

[onenote]

39. it also appears to be a hit and run post

gotta love those...

[Hippo_Tron]

47. I posted at 3am and haven't been able to log onto DU since then

But I'll respond to all of this when I get a chance. I post these types of topics so that I can stimualte discussion, not so that I can "hit and run".

[onenote]

51. fair enough

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

40. It's true.

We're a bunch of bigots. If you think that's bad, read about how things were fifty years ago.

Imagine growing up with these fuckers.

Now, I'm off to play with my Playstation 3.

[Ezlivin]

41. O'Reilly's audience is comprised of this demographic

The greatest number of O'Reilly viewers fall into the over 60 age group.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

42. The "Greatest Generation" is over 80 and have a reasonable right to be "set in their ways."

They are a product of an entirely different culture that suppressed any open discussion of sexual mores and were taught zero tolerance for any "alternative life-styles." They may have been raised bigoted by a repressed society but they are not hypocrites like many of the boomer's turned out to be. I certainly don't condone it but I have learned to expect it and understand that most can never be expected to change their basic values.

[KoKo]

77. Yes...the OP is kind of off the mark with this tirade. We have some 80 something

posters but I think the OP doesn't understand that "Greatist Generation" was coined by Tom Brokow as those who fought in WWII.

:eyes:

[T Town Jake]

43. Yeah, the generation that defeated the Nazis is just worthless, ain't it?....

:sarcasm:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

54. defeated the Nazis?

So, just how much do those elderly Russians disagree with gay marriage?

[T Town Jake]

59. I guess there's a point somewhere in that pastiche of non-sequiturs...

...but I'll be damned if I can find it.

Please try again.

[baby_mouse]

62. I believe the gentleman refers to the decimation of the bulk of the Nazi forces by the USSR. nt

[T Town Jake]

64. I got the historical reference, but that's not really what the poster is up to...

...anyway. Rather, it's part of his ongoing routine to wrench and distort a subject away from the point of a post and/or reply to make it consistently appear as if bigotry is a uniquely American phenomenon.
This is why I referred to those efforts - ongoing as they are - as a "non-sequitur": the subject was the "Greatest Generation" of Americans, and in my reply to the OP about that generation I was sarcastically referring to their contribution in the effort to defeat the Nazis - not the Russians of that time, or any other nationality that did combat with the Third Reich.
If one really wanted to be nit-picky, I guess they could say that I should have said 'helped defeat the Nazis,' but I think that is rather res ipsa loquitur to the reasonable person, and would've made exactly zero difference to the poster in any event.
That poster's reply, on the other hand, was simply an attempt to deflect the slightest bit of credit away from a generation of Americans for doing anything praiseworthy on such a global scale - or any scale, for that matter. Or any generation of Americans, come to think of it.
This is an ongoing project much cherished by the poster, as a quick check of any of the extant threads on such topics will quickly reveal.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

65. My point is, there's nothing particularly note worthy...

about the "greatest generation," of which I'm a member. That phrase, btw, was basically coined for ratings purposes. So we'd watch Tom Brokaw instead of Dan Rather, or whoever the hell it was.

This "but they defeated the nazis" crap is always trotted out. Frankly, it was the Soviets who deserve credit. We showed up a day late and a dollar short in that particular theater. But yeah, we defeated Hitler. And then we came home and visited hell on our own minorities for twenty some odd years. Blacks, women, minorities. Shit, have you seen how many of us are STILL against interracial marriage?

We ain't praiseworthy. We're not all bad either, but we sure as hell aren't "great." And I'm pretty sure that's the OP's whole point.

[T Town Jake]

66. Your "point," such as it is, is just what I said it was...

...and, by the by, that "Greatest Generation" was the one that did the heavy lifting in the legislative department to enact civil rights laws - or have you not heard of the Voting Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1965? Or the War on Poverty? Or any of the other myriad of bills to help ameliorate racial injustices passed by a Congress made up largely of members of the "Greatest Generation"?
Or did you think the Beach Boys and Gidget did those things in their spare time between gigs, after consulting Stokley Carmichael?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

67. "heavy lifting"

Yeah, and they were also the ones doing the heavy lifting in opposition to it.

[T Town Jake]

69. So you admit the "Greatest Generation" was truly "Great" after all...

...since the Civil Rights Movement triumphed in Congress and the Courts with their "heavy lifting" that ultimately overcame the opposition to those bills, right?

What a happy thing it is to have one's debating opposite number concede one's primary point...rather shortens the debate.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

70. No.

I adamantly stand by the idea that the "greatest generation" label is certifable bullshit. And our members demonstratably more bigoted that those that came after. As shown in the OP.

[T Town Jake]

72. Gotcha.

...all those who died at Anzio, Normandy, and Bastogne - among other places - just "trotted out" latecomers to the party who deserve no credit for fighting the Nazis. Check.

All those who fought year after year after year in Congress - people like Paul Douglas, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, to name but a very few - to advance the cause of Civil Rights and won all part of that "certifiable bullshit" label. Check.

All those hundreds of thousands, white and black, who marched and demonstrated and spoke out to end the ugly practice of Jim Crow - the vast majority of them members of the disdained (by you) "Greatest Generation" - just chock full of folks "demonstrably" more bigoted than their successors (which has been shown by another post in this thread to be bullshit, but never mind), even though their successors didn't have to march or demonstrate or speak out about any of these things. Check.

I think I hear the voice of logic, reason, and factual analysis, alright - just not in your post(s).

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

92. The problem, since you seem to have missed it...

Is that while some were fighting for Civil Rights, others, the George Wallaces, were fighting against it. Granting Civil Rights isn't something you get a slap on the back for, it's something you do. And if you don't, you're a worthless fuck.

Yeah, we helped fight the Germans. Yeah, we get credit for that. Too bad a couple of decades later we sent our sons to die pointlessly in Vietnam.

"which has been shown by another post in this thread to be bullshit, but never mind"

Excuse me? Are you denying this? Because that's just looking at history with rose colored glasses.

[T Town Jake]

93. Oh, I haven't missed a thing. You, on the other hand, appear to be missing...

...a good deal, starting with a sense of history and the Greatest Generation's role in it.

I'm sure there are many good libraries in your area well-stocked with volumes that can help you with this problem; I suggest you consult them for further details.

Good day to you, sir.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

94. Mmhmm.

Well, I was there. But maybe I should go to the library. Maybe Tom Brokaw's book?

:eyes:

[T Town Jake]

98. And while you're locating that library card so you can go educate yourself...

...about the "Greatest Generation" and their times, you might want to, in the interim, check out this post in this very thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2772611#2774447

Granting the OP's numbers, it appears there is barely a 10% disparity between the current generation and the previous one on this issue (lots of math books for loan at that library too, I'm sure, by the way).

Happy reading!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

99. Rather proves my point.

Now look up the numbers on approval of interracial marriage.

Would you like to borrow my library card?

[T Town Jake]

100. Another post, another strawman. Count me *not* surprised....

...had any luck locating that library card yet? It appears to need some use - and soon.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

102. What's that got to do with strawmen?

What purpose did yours just contribute?

[T Town Jake]

104. Here, let me help you with your manifest - and ongoing - confusion:

Main Entry: straw man
Function: noun
1 : a weak or imaginary opposition (as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted
2 : a person set up to serve as a cover for a usually questionable transaction

Even got you a helpful little link right here:
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/straw+man

There - does that help?

Hope you're meeting with success in finding the location of that nearest library; it sure appears to be in dire need of a visit.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

105. Yes, I know what it means.

It's got nothing to do with this conversation though.

Enough with the library gag. I'm not the one being taken to school here.

[T Town Jake]

106. Then act like it - and quit posting said strawmen as a substitute for logic...

...and reasoned debate.

As for the library bit, that's no "gag": I seriously recommend you locate one pronto, and make use of it's services at the earliest opportunity.

"I'm not the one being taken to school here"

Coulda fooled me.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

107. LOL.

"Then act like it - and quit posting said strawmen as a substitute for logic and reasoned debate."

Quit saying "strawman" and other non sequitors as a substitute for an actual argument.

"Coulda fooled me."

Looks like Tom Brokaw beat me to the punch.

[T Town Jake]

108. Yeah, reading those pitiful replies gets pretty hilarious alright...

...it a real side-splitter you might say; best free entertainment going right now.

And it's "non-sequiturs", with a "u", while we're on the topic of the many logical fallacies you seem to enjoy indulging in, the bit about Tom Brokaw being your latest offering in that vast repository of flying straw...

[libnnc]

74. .....

:toast:

[Hippo_Tron]

48. Since nobody seems to get the point I was making

I'm sick and tired of my generation being criticized and people telling us that we need to be drafted into military service to wake up. Your generation has flaws that mine doesn't and vice versa.

[Canuckistanian]

52. Jeez, I tried to make this point earlier this year and got jumped on

Look, maybe you, your older neighbors, your aunts and uncles aren't homophobe bigots.

That doesn't mean they're in the majority.

This is the fallacy of anecdotal evidence.

[Hippo_Tron]

55. Your post was probably pertaining to a different subject

I'm not trying to make old people out to be all a bunch of bigots. I realize that the majority of them were taught things in their childhood that make them believe these things and it's hard to change them now. I'm just so tired of my generation being criticized as lazy and inactive and people saying that we need a draft to wake us up. Our generation is flawed in its political inactivity, which is just as much a flaw of the culture we grew up in as the homophobia of older generations. But older generations are flawed as well.

[Canuckistanian]

56. No, it was the exact same subject

And all the responder's posts started something like "Well, MY Dad (grandmother/uncle/teacher) certainly isn't like that!"

It's not a great fault, as i see it, just the prevailing attitudes at the time of their upbringing.
Just like tolerance of slavery, extreme misogyny and overt racism were at various points in history.

[Hamlette]

57. well, if you young uns would vote, you could change things

still, 42% of your generation is against it. Are they bigots too?

[nini]

58. My parents are part of the Greatest Generation

and I really resent the generalization you just made.


You're talking about a generation that grew up in a society where things just weren't discussed etc.. They have long time beliefs that go way back to a time where kids weren't allowed to speak up etc. While there are surely some who are bigoted, many are simply uninformed and/or set in their ways.


My parents learned to understand the homosexual lifestyle when my brother came out to them. I'm sure at first they had no idea what was to be expected, but since they are both loving people they accepted my brother for who he was and learned there was nothing to fear. My dad is now gone but my mom will smack down anyone who dares to pass judgment on my brother or gays in general..

For those who are just don't know any better calling them bigots may be a bit too much. While some surely are, I wouldn't label a whole generation as such either.

[Hippo_Tron]

63. Please see post #61

[Dem2theMax]

60. I oppose people who insult my parents, part of the greatest generation.

And two of the most liberal people you will ever meet.

Wish you could be forced to spend a week with these people you can't stand.
Maybe you'd learn something.

[Hippo_Tron]

61. You completely missed the point of my post

I don't think that everybody who is part of the Greatest Generation is a bigot. I'm making that statement to demonstrate the point that not everybody in my generation is uninformed and politically inactive and also that their generation has its flaws just as mine does.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

68. My parents are 62 and 63.. and they hate interracial marriage

I love them...

But I'm gay and they don't approve of that.


My brother is married to a WONDERFUL black woman and they don't approve of that.






I will miss them, but I won't miss the bigotry and homophobia of their era when they are gone.

Good riddance to those things.

[janx]

71. This is possibly one of the most ignorant posts I've seen

on DU.

Send me a note when you're over 35 and have some grasp of history. Thanks. ;-)

[Hippo_Tron]

73. Would you read the entire post and grasp the saracsm before criticizing please?

I'm extremely pissed off about the fact that people on DU think that my generation needs to either be drafted into military or civilian service because we're spoiled, lazy, and politically inactive. Well I'm responding by saying that other generations are flawed and also intentionally using a broad brush with the word "all" because older people on DU are painting my generation with this broad brush in the same way.

I know my history and I know that not all people from the WWII generation are bigots. I was trying to make a point, but I screwed up by assuming that everyone who would respond to me has been paying to the "We should draft young people into service" threads here on DU.

[KoKo]

79. I don't think you read the intelligent discussions about what Rangel was

really saying before "popping off" about a "Greatist Generation" that's in it's 80's and 90's.

I think you got the wrong generation to attack and you didn't read the other discussions before posting what you say that is offensive to my Father and Father in Law who are dead and who fought in WWII who are what Tom Brokaw wrote a book about calling them the "Greatist Generation."

You might be confused as to the ages of DU'ers who were discussing Rangel's proposal. And, I read your post and saw the misrepresentation but didn't pick up what you said was "sarcasm" that you now say we should have read the post in the context of. It would have been good if you'd started off with your "facts" correct about "Greatist Generation." Just saying....

[Hippo_Tron]

83. I apologize it's partly my fault for posting out of anger

And by greatest generation I meant to include early boomers and war babies as well but I couldn't fit it all in the subject line.

My point is that other generations are flawed just as mine is.

And yes I read the intelligent discussions about Rangel's proposal. I also read the discussions where DUers were suggesting that we need to spend a year serving our country because we're spoiled and lazy. They broad brushed my generation so I broad brushed another generation knowing full well it isn't true.

I posted that specific subject line because I knew that 100s of people would read the thread. I was hoping that those 100s of people had also read the threads on DU criticizing my generation and know what I was talking about. I assumed wrong.

[KoKo]

86. I missed the folks calling your generation

spoiled and lazy. There are always "spoilers, trolls and some folks having a bad day" at any given time on DU. Please don't take the words of the few for the many here who feel we are all in this together working for change from the Bushies for our country, and don't believe that most here would think that of any of you are spoiled or lazy...just like all Boomers weren't doing drugs, having sex everywhere and listing to the Beatles 24/7 and all WWII Greatist Generation weren't over there invading the Beaches of Normandy as heroes either.
Peace!
:-)'s

[havocmom]

90. Hope tomorrow is a better day for you, really I do.

Cuz mixing the generations you shot off about and branding whole groups as a bunch of bigots is just plain pointless. And now we find out, the generation you popped off about was not really the generation yo have a beef with, but you expected us to understand what you meant and not what you wrote. Such effort is just not a productive venture. Greatest Generation was really more like Boomers huh? And we just didn't get the mismatch of historical context...

So the broad brush just applies to a different generation, but not really, you were just mad at some people who bad mouthed your generation and painted them with a broad brush. Ah, clear as mud.

Really do hope tomorrow brings more clarity to your communications. It would make a difference on the effectiveness of your efforts. ;)

[mitchtv]

75. My $.02

To start I am a "war baby" born in '44. I live in a wealthy retirement region and we have the worst freeper infestation imaginable. Many are the GG and are of the most venomous type (Duke Cunningham types), but there are also many out and out Liberal seniors too, however more are in the 65+ not the 75+. So far we are outnumbered. I am sad at anti war demonstrations and the like when everyone I see has gray hair, and few of the younger generations deign to attend. I am 63." I did my time on the picket line".

[buddysmellgood]

76. Not my parents. Have you apologized yet?....Oh, I see your clarification.

:hi:

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

78. i have more of a problem with the boomers

who grew up with the promise of the 60s, saw the horrors of vietnam

-but then, due to their obsession with their 50s childhood fell for reagan hook, line and sinker and backed him overwhelmingly
then they went for bush as well

not all of them, but most

[KoKo]

80. You are tarring Boomers with a broad brush there. What do you know about

Boomer DU'ers that you can talk about "Promise of the 60's" and falling in with Reagan. Are you a Boomer? Do you speak for all Boomers? Do you only know what you assume? Is everyone you know the exact same as you that you make assumptions about an age group of Boomers which spans 20 Years in TIME?

:shrug:

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

82. polls show they went for reagan big

yet my generation has had the images of the 60s shown to us multiple times. i have to wonder about a generation that grew up on antiwar movements, civil rights activists, the beatles and more and overwhelmingly went to the right. maybe i'm just resentful of the way every thing form their childhoods and adolescences is shoved down our throats as the greatest moments in human history, yet as a whole, they learned nothing from it.

not generalizing - but it seems to be the pattern for the majority

[KoKo]

85. I don't know any Boomers in my age span (remember Boomers cover 20 years)

that turned to the right and supported Reagan. And, I didn't really care for the Beatles and didn't spend my time stoned. I never smoked stuff or shot stuff. But, I did attend anti-war rallies and supported the Civil Rights Movement.

You need to be skeptical of TV tells you of the 60's from old videos. Just like now the images that we see now..only shows what the Media wants you to see.

A 20 year times span for Boomers does not capture all of us. And, just like those old videos and movies of stoned flower children all screaming for Beatles music is not accurate ...you should be wary of believing that those who were liberal ALL voted for Ronald Reagan. You also need to know that Jimmy Carter had a disastrous Presidency and those of us trying to support ourselves had just come off the horrible Nixon/Ford administration with Wage Price Freezes and there was a recession because we were paying for that war. That many Boomers (including some Dems) went for Reagan was because of the way he was portrayed after years of horrible politics and war.

Reagan looked cheerful to some because folks were so beaten down by all the stuff that had gone on before. Nixon's Impeachment and Carters problems with Iran Hostages that the Media Drumbeat on daily.

Whatever the Media trys to paint of that time is only one snapshot. It's not the whole picture. Just like old video saying America Loved Bush and thought he was a hero and no one ever protested his war policy would be our "media's view" and hardly the real picture.

Just saying...

[brook]

84. Each generation

must build on what was best - and rectify the mistakes - of their predecessors.

You have work to do. This is not the way.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

87. It's not that simple

My mother is 85 years old and grew up during an era when homosexuality was not mentioned in polite society. She literally does not understand the concept. Some years ago, I was involved peripherally in a dance group, and as usual, my mom wanted to know if there was anyone "interesting" in the group. As it happened, all the men who weren't gay were married to or dating other women in the troupe, so I said "no."

"What about those two blond guys who danced the sailor's hornpipe?"

"Mom, those two blond guys are a couple."

Her baffled response was, "But they dance with such cute girls."

Her whole concept of gay men and lesbians is that they either just haven't met the right person of the opposite sex yet or they're just trying to be non-conformists.

That's the most common reaction I've seen from women of my mother's generation, unless they've been around a lot of GLBT people: bafflement.

[crim son]

88. I think of it as "historical context".

The same way I forgive Gramma for being afraid that my sister would be a social outcast when she converted to judaism, I forgive her for opposing gay marriage. Those of us sixty and younger, on the other hand, we know better.

[Kelly Rupert]

91. This is probably the stupidest headline DU has seen

in at least a week.

[jpwhite]

96. many of these responses were from "seasoned" citizens

Well I think the person who started this thread needs to clarify that many of the older conservatives in America are bigots. The "seasoned" citizens who are here are very intelligent and open minded. Wait.....of course they are.....they are liberals/progressives!!!!!

:applause: :applause: :applause:


James
[e-mail]

[Catchawave]

97. Growing up in the 50's.....

I wasn't allowed to have black or Jewish friends :(

[nam78_two]

101. Wow what a brilliant post

:sarcasm:

As someone who is 27, I am so happy to see these well-thought out and intelligent posts supporting my generation.

Yeah! All you older people suck!