For the record, I don't really think that the Greatest Generation are all bigots

[Hippo_Tron]

For those of you who aren't aware I started this thread here and I think that 90% of the people who replied to me didn't get what I was trying to say.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2772611&mesg_id=2772611

My intention was never to bash older generations for their lack of tolerance for homosexuals. I'm aware that many older people are tolerant of homosexuals and support gay marriage and I'm also aware that many don't because they grew up in a society that did not tolerate homosexuality.

What I was doing was simply responding to this consistant bashing of my generation and the notion that we are all lazy, spoiled, and politically inactive. Further, the notion that we need to be drafted into either military or civilian service against our will to pay for our laziness and sense of entitlement. That we're simply more concerned about our Playstation 3 and Wii than we are with things that matter.

First off, we're not ALL politically inactive. This is why I used the broad brush smear in my subject line to make a generalization. The point was that people are making generalizations about my generation and therefore I was making a generalization I knew was not true about older generations to make a point.

Secondly, yes many of us are politically inactive and yes it is a flaw with my generation. But the fact is that older generations have their flaws too that mine do not share and one of them is that the vast majority don't support equal rights for homosexuals, whereas mine does.

The fact is that many of us are politically inactive because we grow up oin a society where we are taught that we are powerless to change anything and that participating in the process won't make a difference. Just as older generations grew up in a society where homosexuality wasn't acceptable.

So can we start working toward trying to change the society that tells us we can't make a difference instead of talking about drafting young people to "wake us up".

[babylonsister]

1. Gee, I'm sorry I missed that thread -

not really. ;) For the record, I'm fully in support of homosexuals and their right to be treated like everyone else. But I'm 'only' 50; where does that leave me?
As for politically inactive, I had been also until this clown got elected. I was aware somewhat which encompassed watching the network news most nights and CNN occasionally, but not involved.
And you could help me; what the hell is "Wii"? I have seen it referenced, but couldn't get past the spelling, and only know it's electronic-related, right?

[nini]

2. I didn't see the youth attacking threads.. so my reaction to your post..

..was because I didn't see all the other stuff happening. ( I haven't been online much lately)

I don't think all young people aren't doing anything. I don't think all the greatest generation folks are saints either. You are right - generalizations do us no good.

Thanks for clarifying.

[Hippo_Tron]

3. Read this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2775776&mesg_id=2775776

Apparently because I'm 19 and my generation has IPods and computers I'm spoiled, lazy, and don't care about things that actually matters and therefore I need to be drafted into national service to fix this. Therefore I wanted to point out that yes my generation has some issues just as every other generation does.

If my age group needs to be drafted into national service to fix our problems, then older people need to be force dto attend re-education programs where they will learn not to tolerate homosexuals.

I don't support either of those proposals but I was trying to make a point.

[nini]

6. don't worry.. those old farts don't speak for all of us old farts

:-)

there are plenty of winners and losers in EVERY generation.


You are right in that we all need to contribute to society. Older folks aren't off the hook either.


Stay focused and ignore the BS.. it just bogs us down.

[Sapphocrat]

7. To be fair...

...your generation is spoiled and lazy thanks to iPods and computers.

And my generation was spoiled and lazy thanks to television and electronic calculators.

The point being: No one can appreciate what the generation(s) before our own had to deal with, because anything that happened before we were born may as well not have happened at all. That's why history repeats itself, and that's why we never learn from anyone else's experience.

If it makes you feel any better, my father had very little good to say about all-volunteer armies, and thought everybody should be drafted. While Vietnam was still in full swing, we would have long arguments about the draft. When he would insist that when they finally started drafting women, I would serve, or go to prison, I always told him I'd rather go to prison.

[KoKo]

4. Who are you talking about? The "Greatist Generation" is mostly in

80's and 90's.

Do you mean Boomers or "War Babies" (born during WWII) but not part of Greatist Generation.

While we have some 80 year old DU'ers who post...I kinda think those aren't the ones you are talking about. :shrug:

[Hippo_Tron]

5. Early boomers and war babies fit in as well

But the subject line only permitted so many words and the poll I posted said over 65.