Winner of the
64th Annual
Peabody Award
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Programming!
 A Five Part Series from TTBOOK! |
BOOMER BACKLASH LISTENER COMMENTS
Listener response to the recent programs "Re-thinking the Sixties" and "Boomer Backlash" continue to arrive. Take a look at what the audience is saying
| To whom it may concern, I suppose I'm a little late with this note. I listen to your podcast, so I am usually a little behind your broadcast schedule. In any case, I've just listened to the episode "Boomer Backlash" and I'd like to thank you for it. Before listening to that episode, I felt like one of a very few people who wasn't all that impressed by the boomers and the history associated with them. Now, my parents are boomers and I love them madly. I think they are good and wise people. When I was growing up, they didn't really glorify anything about the time in which they grew up so I wasn't given a persepctive one way or the other toward the boomers and the 60's... but eventually I formed my own attitude and it's not been an especially pretty relationship. Like every other person my age, I went through a stage of thinking The Doors were the greatest and thought Woodstock would have been a pretty cool thing to see. But, at some point in college, I grew up and wondered why all that was supposed to be so great -- all that stuff we always heard about in history class. Obviously, civil rights is a great accomplishment, so let's just accept that. But ending the Vietnam War is said to be this wonderful accomplishment of the boomers. After college I taught citizenship classes for senior citizen immigrants in the Bronx. Most of my students were Vietnamese and had lived through the war. Each one of them told me a history very different from the one the boomers shoved down my throat in school. They were all appreciative of the United States getting involved. They all suffered at the hands of the communists, many of them spending time in concentration camps because they had worked for the South Vietnamese government. They felt let down that we'd ever left there. When I heard their stories, it became obvious to me that boomers were wrong about that. I really shouldn't go on, but that's just one example of what I was presented with by the boomers, but their version of history turned out to be little more than an ego stroking exercise looking back on a time where they decided to break laws because bucking the system was cool. Working around baby boomers now is a real pain in the ass. Every problem the country ever encounters is somehow Nixon's fault. Every piece of music produced after 1969 is crap because it's not The Beatles. Everything, according to them, that they ever touched turned to gold and they changed the world. But what did they leave us? A legacy of promiscuity (which, by the way, only accomplishes the opposite of the women's rights movement -- that is, by giving men exactly what they want without having to work for it, women debase themselves), a legacy of boundless drug use that left nothing but human wreckage in its wake, and smug self satisfaction that they were somehow the best generation just because they lived through some incredible times in history and nothing will ever match it (or them). The revolution is over, if it ever started. When the boomers (at least the ones in our faces about how amazing their generation was) were young, they acted like clowns, and now that they've grown up, they're a flock of insufferably conceited suburbanites who are always repeating the same tired old drum beat of how everything in the 60's was great and everything about Gen X is without soul. I could go on, and I've just finished listening to the episode so my thoughts are coming fast and furious, but I'd better wrap it up. Excuse my salty language, but there's a line in the novel "Twelve" by Nick McDonell that sums up my attitude toward the baby boomer posturing I've had to live through -- "Fuck the Beatles." Thank you for the episode. Well done.
Regards, John |
| Dear Mr. Fleming:
1. Mr. Steinhorn resents the way in which some Gen Xers may fail to appreciate the legacy of Boomer accomplishments, as well as their tendency to draw attention to the failings of Boomers, such as rampant materialism. I agree that cultural failings such as materialism are hardly unique to Boomers ("bling" anyone?), but Boomers do seem to have a particular talent for claiming all the credit for the good--in epic terms--while proclaiming the bad inherent to all generations.
Take civil rights. Any serious student of the history of the civil rights movement would acknowledge that, yes, young people who put their lives on the line (remarkably few in number, especially among white Boomers) were an essential component of the accomplishments of the movement; but they were building upon foundations built before their time and led by non-Boomers such as King, Bob Moses, A. Philip Randolph, Stokely Carmichael, and John Lewis. And who was arguably the most important person in the passage of civil rights legislation that actually changed the law, and society? The Boomer-vilified Lyndon Johnson.
And the bad? It should be unsurprising that the historical and cultural narcissism of many Boomers elevates the criterion by which the generation is judged by.
2. I imagine that many Gen Xers who were listening cringed as I did at Charles Monroe-Kane's "rant" and even Jeff Gordinier's broad characterization of Gen Xerdom. Why? Because I believe we tend to (A) want to speak for ourselves, and (B) we don't think of our generation in epic terms. For both, think "indie." (And, yes, I realize the inherent, somewhat humorous contradiction: I'm speaking for my fellow Gen Xers, and characterizing them in broad terms.) |
| Dear Jim Fleming:
Once upon a time...oh, back in the mid 80s when Doug Copeland's book came out and I was 20, I used to be a Gen Xer. Recently, though, I've noticed that the very definition of my generation has been pushed forward further and further to exclude people like me (in our very early 40s) who remain too small an age cohort for (largely boomer driven) media to define or understand. But if Doug Copeland wasn't writing about us, 24 years ago, who was he writing about?! My boomer family and co-workers are wonderful people; but they do not have a clue to the nature of the world that I graduated into, as evidenced by the fact that they keep including me in their reminiscing about the good old days. Opinions of people born in the late 70s seem to have replaced any comments by actual Gen Xers on what it was like to come of age immediately after the boomers.. Though I work with and love those kids, to me the things that defined Generation X as unique, were mainstream, consumerized commodities by the time they were old enough to learn the lyrics. Anyone who thinks the Beatles are relevant, that the Rolling Stones rock, or finds cozy comfort in the words of CSNY or the Grateful Dead, is a Boomer Wannabe, in my eyes, not Gen X. Back then, I wanted my own culture, not theirs and....well, that's still how I feel today. Essentially, I do feel that Generation X has been redefined by Baby Boomers to be...surprise!...more relevant to them by focusing mainly on ...again, surprise!...their kids. As a relatively small demographic, the path of actual Gen Xers will continue to go largely unreported, and that's a shame because we are truly canaries in the coal mine. Organic food, recycling, green concerns? We were looking for ways to do it way back then. The only generation to grow up during a time when the EPA had some teeth, only to see Ronald Reagan systematically destroy it. There were just too few of us to stop it. Watch what happens to us as our economy implodes. For most of our working lives, as a generation, wages have been virtually stagnant while credit has fueled escalated prices for everything. Now, we will have to weather this downturn during what should be our highest income producing years. We will almost certainly enter our retirements worse off than Boomers, with whatever shambles is left of Social Security offering little protection. I guess that's just what we deserve for all that "slacking" we did (unlike the boomers who have been justly rewarded for being so motivated to get jobs as flower children and stay stoned from 1969 til....well, now, in some cases) If you want to know the trends and tribulations that loom for our culture and our country, start talking to the people you know who are between 38 and 44. We will be living it ahead of the curve. I always enjoy the show! |
| The funniest part of this was listening to the boomer
who insisted that they get credit for ending racism and sexism and
stopping the Vietnam War. Racism? Funny, because the last time I checked racism was alive and well. Why should the boomers get credit for the civil rights movement anyway? Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and JFK were all born way before the boomers. The only civil rights leader who's even close to being a boomer is Jesse Jackson, and he was born 5 years too early. Sexism? The boomers couldn't even pass their Equal Rights Amendment. The gender income disparity still exists, and if you take into account the fact that most of the changes recently have been in reductions in men's pay, hasn't budged since the early 70s. Vietnam? Maybe, but don't fool yourselves into thinking that a rock concert did anything for society. I've seen that South Park episode. By the way, thanks for looking the other way during every war or U.S. invasion after that (numerous shenanigans in Central and South America, CIA installation of Saddam Hussein, Middle East and Central Asia CIA operations). During the 2004 election, the ONLY age group that didn't vote for warmonger Bush was the 18-29 year olds. Boomers need to get over themselves as some agents of positive social change. Have they been paying attention? Once they got to be in charge of the economic reins, pay and benefits for the workers tanked. Meanwhile, companies like Google, indeed, many Gen X run companies, offer world-class benefits. Boomers get to enjoy pensions and now, Social Security; meanwhile, this Gen Xer is doing WORSE economically than my parents with MORE education and doesn't expect Social Security to be there at all when I retire, if I can ever afford to retire. Not because I'm lazy; I did everything "right." But where my dad was able to get a job that had full benefits and allowed him to buy a house with 1 year in the navy and 1 year of community college, I'm still in an apartment when my husband and I both have undergraduate degrees and I'm a Ph.C. Bitter? Why shouldn't I be? Thanks a lot, guys. Oh, and the "music?" Was he talking about rock and roll, perhaps? A word coined by Alan Freed (Greatest Generation) and style that emerged during the 40s and 50s, when boomers were still in diapers or learning to ride a bike? Maybe the folk movement of the 60s? Oh, wait, the folkies were singing a style of music that had been around for decades. Gen Xers invented an entirely new art form called hiphop. But I guess to most boomers it's not really music. Which is probably how a lot of Greatest Generation parents felt when the boomers brought home their acid rock crap. Sincerely, Rachel -- |
| Dear TTBook Staff, I listened with surprise to the
interview in which a young woman said boomers were working longer
than we should and taking up all the good jobs (among other things).
Here's a question: If you were born in 1945 and retired at 65, wouldn't
full retirement begin in 2010? The people she is complaining about
really haven't reached retirement yet! I don't know about her, but
I can't wait to retire, as soon as I can afford it. But that probably
won't be till after my full retirement age of 66.
|
| As a mid-twenty-something, whatever that makes me,
listening the past few weeks' discussion has been quite interesting.
A few thoughts:
Lisa Chamberlain claims that poor Gen X got no attention and now everyone's looking at the generation following, I must will point out that, considering the ugly name she repeatedly used to describe her, we don't even get a name except in relation to X. Every generation overprivileges its own experience to some extent. I think a lot of the emotion that's come out in the letters from both sides comes of the fact that it's always easier to notice such tendancies in the other guy; I'm sure I have my own sacred cows that I assume are the sole property of my own generation, and I'm sure whoever comes along next will get my goat in their share of ways, too (actually, I work with elementary students, and I can tell you right now that they already do). By the way, love the show; keep it coming! Keep having fun, |
| I know this is a bit late, but I figured I'd put
my two cents in:
Your boomer backlash story was an interesting piece of pop history and a fun listen. I was born in 1980, which, depending on your sources, makes me one of the last of Gen X or some weird Gen-Y near-millenial kid. I'm too young to identify with Slackers and the pop culture of the 80s and early 90s, but I also remember a time before the Internet and consider myself a bit old for MySpace. Yeah, I'm tired of hearing how great Woodstock was, but I'm similarly tired of hearing relatively privileged young women qualify themselves as "not a feminist." I appreciate the boomers' accomplishments and don't think they're overblown, but I'm young and cynical enough to believe that half the boomer nostalgia today is whipped up by marketers of classic rock music collections aimed at a large group with a lot of disposable income. As someone whose age doesn't have an accurate two-word title, who can't look to a generation to define me, I guess what I'm saying to the boomers and the Xers is: You're both right. Now quit whining. --28 in Seattle |
| You will forgive my tardiness on this email, but
I listen to your (excellent) program via podcast, so I tend to listen
to several weeks in a chunk. Speaking as a Gen Xer, and one who noted
that with the exception of one article from CBS news, no one has pointed
out Senator Obama's Gen X status, I was frankly infuriated by your
"side of the boomer" guests on the program talking about
feminism and civil rights as a legacy of the baby boom, so I proffer
this query:
Name 2 famous civil rights leaders.
How many of them are actuall baby boomers? Now do the same with femenist leaders. The answer is none. The fact of the matter is the boomers when they actually got to exercise power gave us the Clintons, Newt and the junior Bushes. Even in the 60s, it wasn't the Boomers exercising power, it was the PT boat manning "Greatest Generation" Kennedy's they idealize. For the boomers to somehow claim that Dr. King, John Lewis, Lyndon Johnson, Gloria Steinem are one of their own is both laughable and self deceptive. What defines the boomers is the Reagan 80's when they first represented the power in the business and social world, and it was an age of sell outs (and cocaine fuled casual sex). Gen X of the late 80's and early 90's is the generation that grew up believing condoms were mandatory and that you had to work hard for your keep. While clad in jeans and t-shirts, we worked the long hours that made the dot-com boom happen. Aside from Hendrix, Joplin and the Stones, the boomers it seems to me contributed little to even the cultural west. Nevermind that it was punk, post-punk and grunge -- the "GenX" music -- that delayed the ultimate death of the boomer art forms from death. We had our own sins on this front, but noone can compare Menudo to New Kids to NSync to the Jonas Brothers. The trajectory leading to the death of rock and roll started before our time and didn't see its full blossom until after grunge and its ugly step child emo faded from the scene.
I can live with that. |
| randy COMMENT: OK, this is the real message: pardon the delay, but at this late date I stiff feel compelled to respond to your episode of To the Best of Our Knowledge 2 or 3 weeks ago, in which you allowed two staffers, baby boomer and gen-x'er respectively, to Bare Their Souls. Gil Halsted's account of his attitude and activities against war revealed an announcer who is very, very pleased w/ himself. Where he could and should have been righteous, he only knew how to be self-righteous, w/ the result that his message was not important, just self-important. I've dealt briefly w/ Mr. H while participating in an event which rated WPR coverage, but now I will always see his news reporting in the context of the rigid orthodoxy he revealed in barely two minutes of airtime. Charles Monroe Kane(!),by contrast, had free use of the microphone to voice his opinions, and in the doing left us no doubt he was of The Younger Generation in that in his quest to be wittily outrageous, the local Ira Glass, he also left no cliche unturned. To paraphrase my DI, he is young and opinionated, so we can expect him to be stupid, but darn it he abuses the privilege! No, I don't object to the social or political content of either piece, just their lack of creativity or freshness, or even basic reasoning. In my work in print journalism, I learned very quickly to never tell somebody "you can just write whatever you like, and we'll print it" Surrendering your power to edit, or reject altogether, is favoring one person over all your readers. Seems an equally vaid lesson for broadcasters. |
| Mr. Kane:
I just heard your rant (or bleat) against your parents' generation. I am not a member of that generation but I was struck by your demand that they 'get out of your way.' Perhaps before they do that they (and we) might ask where you plan to go. Nothing you (collective) have done so far gives us much reason to hand you the keys to the car.
|
| I may not have the correct program but I believe
yesterday (8/26) a piece was read on your program, written by someone
on your staff, slamming the "hippie generation". What an
arrogant, ignorant little twit! I'd laugh except it's people like
him who evaluate what preceded them based on their own narrow life
experience and they get support from others with like, narrow attitudes.
Grow up! Life isn't black and white ... it's infinite shades of grey. TJ |
| Hi there TTBook staff, Jim, Steve, Ann, Chuck, and
everyone:
Well, you've done it now! You've put out a subject, Boomer vs Gen X, which has generated enthusiastic commentary AND you put it online! I enjoyed the reader commentary but I think this subject was akin to poking a critter with a stick just to see it jump. I agree with several of your listener/writers who describe this as a 'manufactured issue'. Sorry but it sounds like sensationalist, shock talk shows that exist to poke and provoke people with outrageous comments. Its a cheap thrill. Charles Monroe, I guess you'd best stay out of dark alleys from now on. Us so-called Boomers are just waiting in line to kick your juvenile ass. You provoked a response. Sorry that all of this reader attention didn't come in response to your much deeper stories. Stories like the Tom Hayden interview, the Islamic stories. Touching the Sound, the Embed and much more all deserved accolades. The reader comment forum is a good thing. I'll bet if you keep it up, it will draw out many more responses that you might not normally receive. Possibly..even on less inflammatory subjects than this one. Thanks. Jim in Verona Wi |
| Mr. Fleming, I'm just amazed how many of you boomers think that you had something to do with the civil rights movement. Brown v. Board of Education was in 1954. The Montgomery bus boycotts were in '55-'56. The lunch counter sit-in's were in 1960. The 24th amendment was passed in 1962, and ratified in 1964. The march from Selma to Montgomery was in 1965. Not to mention, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the voting rights act of 1965. Due to the fact that the voting age wasn't lowered to 18 until 1971, NONE OF THE BOOMERS COULD EVEN VOTE UNTIL 1966! Sure, a VERY few of the OLDEST boomers MIGHT have joined the early 60's demonstrations at 16, but for the vast majority of boomers, the civil rights movement was all but over before they were even in high school. What's slightly less amazing is that the boomer bosses that run public radio let this claim go unchallenged time and time again. Maybe, when the boomers are gone, my generation should claim we ended the Cold War, or invented the internet. Zach, |
| Hi - I am responding to the TTbook show speaking
on the books targeting “Baby Boomers”. The Generation X’er
states a practice called “voluntary transition” where a
retirement age baby boomer checks into a hospital to the euphemized.
The voluntary transition is supposed to help the economy by decreasing
SS payments and Medicare/Medicaid costs.
This reminds me of movie that came out in the 70’s called Logans Run: Living in domed city, residents are scheduled to die at the age of 30. A chip is implanted in their hand and at the age of 30 the implant lights up. Not wanting to die, the two heroines escape the domed city. The highlight is when they escape the city and find the Lincoln memorial – the statue of Lincoln is the first old person they have ever seen.
Is this the type of society that we want to create? Gen X’ers are complaining about baby boomers being responsible for materialism – is not this method a way to allow only the young to be materialist without worrying about the a human’s beings future. You would not have to worry about your health, or retirement income, or have responsibilities. Maybe that’s it! The Gen X’ers don’t want responsibility. They seem eager to blame and they show no gratitude or appreciation for what came before them. We appreciate what they have contributed to society (Silicon Valley inventions – scientific advances) and many of them have made millions off of us because of their contributions. Could they have done it without the trials and errors of the past?
Here is the clip: I don’t recall the “free sex” part of the description.
Set in the year 2274, when ecological disaster has driven civilization to the protection of domed cities, the story revolves around a society that holds a ceremonial death ritual for all citizens who reach the age of 30. In a diseaseless city where free sex is encouraged and old age is virtually unknown, Logan (Michael York) is a "sandman," one who enforces this radical method of population control (but he's about to turn 30 and he doesn't want to die). Escaping from the domed city via a network of underground passages, Logan is joined by another "runner" named Jessica (Jenny Agutter), while his former sandman partner (Richard Jordan) is determined to terminate Logan's rebellion. —
Kristie Capitola, CA 95010 |
| Gosh, I thought I had gotten Sean Hannity by mistake.
. . . Since when does NPR broadcast vitriolically personal and unresolved
parent issues that a given individual would more productively have
presented to his therapist?
To be fair, some of his points were valid, particularly to do with the hypocrisy of boomers who still think they're hip while exhibiting the fruits of a life turned as exploitative as what they used to protest against. I don't mean to defend the boomers' excesses. But are they the first or only generation whose youthful idealism succumbed to permutations and combinations of practicality, reality, laziness or greed? Are their reversals any more serious than the previous generation's which killed 6 figures of innocent noncombatant citizens after the war had already been won? This procession back through the generations could go on indefinitely: Younger folks have always thought older folks were morally bereft and insufficiently aware. At a deeper level and broader scope, does our friend honestly think that the experience of a void at the center of existence has to be the result of political action that didn't achieve all its goals? What does he suppose philosophers and serious thinkers, going back as far as human consciousness has been keeping track of itself, have been grappling with all this time? Complaints about their parents? By the time this fellow gets to the age where his kids are complaining about him and possibly sooner, I suspect he will have a very different perspective. Till then, I hope his editorializing keeps to a more objective aspect of things. Oh, and one more thing. Next time an x-er starts to complain about the way things are, he or she would do well to recognize that there might have been different outcomes if their cohort had been going to the polls the last decade or two. Anneke |
| I don’t often tune in, but was dining &
the off switch was out of reach. The purported gap between “baby
boomers” & “gen-Xers” is a classic non-issue huffed,
puffed, & fluffed by a few journalistic opportunists into pop
“culture” flatulence. What genuinely exists is not some
fictive divide between arbitrarily demarcated “generations,”
but the few significant individuals at any time who loom in relief
against the riff-raff, the crowd, the mob. As a philosopher noted,
You want a movement? Or a generation? Add zeros. One needn’t
be religious to appreciate Dante’s astuteness in placing the
enormous majority of all who ever lived in the antechamber to his
Inferno – they are the mediocre, those who live by and with pop
“culture,” pursuing every fad & media gas bubble - &
they are simply not sufficiently outstanding to be admitted to Hell.
And for all the spuriously “enraged,” I have a personal
message: Your world loses color & interest for me about the year
I was born, the year Rachmaninov died: I pre-date the so-called boomers:
just keep paying your taxes, all of you – the little bit of social
security income thus provided funds a few fun items.
|
| Dear Jim Flemming,
I love your rebuttle against your producer. I agree with your producer that your generation does have a bad side of consumerism, and I understand his point of view. I understand it, but I also understand your side of things. My dad told me, "with out my generation,
you wouldn't have the EPA, or civil Rights." And I couldn't
help but agree. But I never did get those events like concerts to
free Tibet or something. Like the younger generation, I ask "So
how is this going to free Tibet?" Maybe you boomers lost it
all after Woodstock and gave us Aids. But each Generation has a
bad side. Xers were a bad group causing trouble in there teen years.
But they got over that and really showed the world. So little in
numbers, well they still have a roll to play in this comming crisis.
But here the fact, I will not have Social Security. I hate the fact that the Baby Boomers as a whole are against fixing it. What will it take to fix it. Now I believe that I'll live to the ripe old age of 200 yrs, or so, but at least I'll retire at 150 or so. Sir Bikes A Lot |
| Dear Jim Fleming:
I want you to know that I greatly appreciate the work you do on To The Best of Our Knowledge, and I am a regular listener. I just listened to the Boomer Backlash podcast, and I thought it would be worth commenting on a couple of things. First, the cultural hallmarks of both generations
profiled on the The second, related point, is that it sounded a lot like the two generations were fighting over which decade, the 60s or the 80s, best represented the Baby Boom. I wish someone pointed out that for every liberal progressive moment dropped in the debate, there could have been an equally conservative example cited. Our current president is a Baby Boomer, and many of the prominent conservatives in this country got their start in the 60s. This is not to say that Gen Xers are perfect or without fault. But I think too often the public debate about the Baby Boom is overly celebratory and leaves some crucial stuff out of the story. Thanks for reading this e-mail. I hope you are well. Best, |
| I am a member of Generation Y, and after having
listend to 'The Rant' about the Baby Boomers from Charles Monroe Kane,
I have to admit I was completely confused. When my fiance and friends
listend to it, they too were confused. It had never really occured
to us to blame the Baby Boomers as a whole for our problems, let alone
bother being so angry about it! There certainly are things we are
concerned about [Social Security, for one] and they certainly don't
always have their priorities straight as far as we see it, but what
generation as a whole does? One could hardly say that Gen X's choice
to 'tune out' was a good choice.
|
| Dear TTBOOK,
I listed to your program on Podcasts and I enjoy it immensely. However, your recent discussions regarding inter-generational squabbling,
left me very frustrated. I am, by statistics a member of the baby
boomer generation. To focus your discussion using these terms only leads to muddied thinking. The boomers brag about the accomplishments of their generation. OK, there were lots of improvements associated with the societal changes that occurred in the 60's and 70's. But it was individuals and groups of individuals that caused those changes, not the "generation". I don't take credit for those changes, because, it was other people that made the sacrifices that led to these changes. I also don't take blame for the excesses of those times, or the "materialism" of other people my age. I only take responsibility or blame for my own actions. Also, no changes belong to any one generation. People in each generation make contributions and make mistakes. The roots of the women's movement and the civil rights movement go back to the 19th century, or earlier. Whatever improvements occurred in the 60's and 70's built on the efforts of those that came before and are not wholly owned by anyone. I think it would be more useful to look at the positive changes in society (and the negative ones) and talk about how we can work together to continue the positive trends and change the negative ones, rather than arguing about which generation is "better". It is pointless, and destructive, contributing to an "us vs. them" world view. Thanks again for your great show. Craig |
| Several years ago, I raised some eyebrows by warning
my boomer co-workers of a pending generational war. Rather than engaging
in dialogue and brainstorming solutions, silent anger quelched the
conversation. By their sheer numbers, the boomer tsunami will break the current Medicare and Social Security system. Many boomers have retired early, relying on their pensions and blissfully spending their vast inheritances from the Greatest Generation. Boomers who retire on a "fixed income" are currently pitied because of their poor earning power, and are blessed with senior discounts. "Fixed incomes" are nothing to be pitied; they are a pot of gold that will be unavailable to younger generations. We will not have pensions. We will not have Social Security. Most of us will not have fat inheritances because of the spending patterns of our parents. We have no safety net. Don't get me wrong. Younger generations are no angels. Until just recently, we have exerted little political power. I have watched my peers spending time sucked in their iphones, buying the latest gadgets, wracking up more debt, and not giving a thought to how they are going to stay off the street in old age. We can't continue the spending pattern of our parents; if we ever want to retire, we need to adopt the habits of our grandparents. Yeah, those old fogies who we always teased for picking up pennies and saving plastic containers. Word is starting to spread. I am hearing more and more younger folks discuss their future, and complain about the divide of benefits that separate us from the boomers. As we wake up from our high tech stupor, we may realize we need leaders who will help us find solutions and spread the pain. Divying up the pain is when the real generational war will begin. Raise taxes on the workers? Every working couple will have to pay enough taxes to care for their own retiree. Taxes would have to skyrocket to fund the existing entitlement programs offered to older generations. Alternatively, do we eliminate those senior programs? That would kick many grandmas and grandpas out on the street if we strip them of their health care and social safety nets. Welcome to our world, folks. That is the future the younger generations face. Harmony fades when the money dries up and we have to scavange for our fair share. Yet, the sooner we act, the more options we will have. Spread the pain, spare us the blame of pointing fingers. We have to remember these are our collective grandmas and grandpas, kids and grandkids. We all share the goal of restoring America's greatness and giving the future generations the best opportunities to succeed. Obama's Blueprint for Change confronts these issues, and warns us the solutions won't be easy. We all will need to sacrifice. A true leader listens to all sides, bridges divides and searches for balanced solutions. Obama is our generation's Abe Lincoln, and we will be fools if pass up the opportunity to give him a chance to lead. Linda 36 years |
| Stereotypes are stereotypes. All boomers are not
the same, and neither are all gen-Xers. TV shows do not reflect who
we really are. And when you're talking about bad boomer leadership
- I'm 59 but please don't lump me in with George W Bush - I did everything
I could to prevent that disaster. My gen-X kids and I get along fine,
thanks, and respect each other. I agree completely that passing debt
to future generations is terrible and am actively involved in politics
to try to change this direction. I (and my 83-year-old mother) love
the creativity of my children's generation including the satire on
Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. We're all people like people have been throughout history. Every generation takes for granted the good things their parents gave them and resents what they don't like. To me this feels like another issue made up for the media to talk about. Sincerely, Matty Ventura, CA |
| Dear To The Best Of Our Knowledge,
I was born in 1983. I am writing to you regarding the program on Baby Boomers and Generation X. The problem with Generation X is that it is obsessed with trivialities. I was excited to hear what Mr. Gordinier would say about Baby Boomers. I was expecting to hear him lambast the decadence and short-sightedness of that generation, but was disappointed him focus on how awful it was for poor Generation X to hear Baby Boomers drone on about their music, mannnnn, and their delusion that Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of them. Gordinier ignored entirely the forty years Baby Boomers have spent squandering the wealth of the world on Saab convertibles, interstate highways, trackless suburbs, granite countertops, 600-ship navies, and gambling in financial markets. He didn't mention the way Baby Boomers have presided over ecological devastation and the utter destruction of the working people of the world, while refusing to invest in their descendants' future in the same way that their parents and grandparents invested in their future. Baby Boomers aren't just annoying; they are the true apathetic,
cynical slackers. They are killing us and our children with their
selfishness but will be dead before any of the real suffering begins. Steven |
| Hello, I would like to take vigorous exception to Lisa Camberlain's assertion that it is the boomers as a generation who have gotten us into the various big messes we in the U.S. now face. I am a boomer by age and am repulsed by the individualistic and foolhardy materialism which seems to trump all in our society. But I am just one person and so no proof there. What does seem demonstrable, though is that it is NOT boomers as an age cohort, but the ascendancy of conservative ideology which has us on such a treacherous path. "Greed is good", the idea that if each single individual goes for it, the commons be damned, all will be well (besides being evil-wooops,my point-of-view petticoat is showing) is a conservative, not generational ideological tenet. The willful head-in-the-sand idea that we can always have more, that that is "the american way" comes out of the excessive valuing of the individual over the common good . This is a conservative value not a generational one. That stubborn bullheaded bellicosity is somehow the best way to deal with the rest of the world, again is not a generational value, but rather an ideological one. end-o-rant, thanks for listening, Nan Oakland CA b.1953 |
| Listened with difficulty to the very fair presentation
of the battle. A little like 9/11 for me- I'm 57, I didn't know they
were at war with me. I scribbled down a few remarks that came to me
in the different segments. "Pushing our strollers to the coffee shop" then complaining about materialism. In my anti-materialism days 35 years ago, i did not go anywhere for a $4 coffee, or even a $2. Main ingredient for self absorption- take your child to the coffee shop??? The nature of the anger being expressed, especially the "die already" business, is pretty irrational. Anger is a natural response to unwanted circumstance but taking the anger further by enmeshing one's personality into theories from/of where those sometimes random ontologies are born, give anger a chance to simmer and become a steady diet in one's life. Not a good strategy for any age person. Which helps us get to the best focal point of the story. Labeling everyone age 50 to 60 a boomer, therefore a child of woodstock is hardly any different than saying all negroes have wide noses and are lazy. Such is the death of intellectuality, when abused. Seems every generation beginning with and some thanks to, the greatest generation, contributed to boomers slowness to mature; the gen xers, much slower, as evidenced by venemous criticism, and the millenials, will they ever have any idea what maturity is? Thanks for your show. Good job. |
| Hi, I'm a baby boomer living in Florida (originally from Wisconsin). People assume that I'm retired. In reality, I'm still looking for ideas about what to do someday when I grow up. The 'Boomer Backlash' show was quite entertaining and enlightening. Thank you! I wrote and recorded a song about making the transition that many boomers have had to face... from "hippie" to "yuppie." It's called The Huppie Song — "Hippie at heart, Yuppie by default." You can hear it on MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/oceanbirdmusic . Thanks for a great radio show! Susan |
| The Rift between Baby Boomers & Generation X I listened to Charles Monroe-Kane’s “rant from Rethinking the Sixties” & I listened to the Baby Boomers’ subsequent responses, or rather shock, to CMK’s rant. I listened to Jim Fleming’s opinion & interviews with “experts” in the realm of Boomer v. Xer. Mr. Fleming asked for our opinions and I was surprised how much CMK’s rant struck the resounding nerve that runs through us GenXers. Baby Boomers, you call yourselves the “Me” generation. I guess that makes us the “What about me?” generation. We were labeled Gen X by you and it’s fitting, you crossed us out of the equation long ago. You called us the Slacker Generation before we could even really begin and you wondered why. Why? It’s because we were raised being told one thing, but seeing another. You said, “We’ve opened the door, you can be anything you want to be.” But experts told us before we chose our paths that no matter what we do there’ll be no money when we retire. We were instructed in high school, those tender years before being tossed into the “real world,” that you are so numerous you’ll bankrupt the system, leaving nothing for us in our old age. It was hard to get motivated to work with that looming on the horizon. We were constantly regaled by your stories of how you changed lives in the 60s and what you did was amazing! But you’ve criticized us for years for not speaking out, but what is there to say? We agree with civil rights. We agree with women’s rights. But ultimately no matter what we have tried to say, we’ve been drowned out. We’re too few in number. Our underlying rage has always bubbled because we see you drunk on the power your of success in the 60s. You spoke about equality in your youth, but have created larger and larger gaps between the classes. We’ve seen you balance the budget then destroy it & take us and our children into Iraq. Our anger, what you’re calling “The Baby Boomer Backlash,” has always been here and vocalized. It’s only being heard by you because we’re finally screaming. And these screams are coming because our children are beginning to feel the crushing weight of your numbers and your decisions. The Eternal Boomers- who refuse to age and let us speak, let us decide, let us make change. We live the values you spoke of in the 60s- we expect blacks, women, homosexuals and all minorities to have a voice. And we try to listen because our generation knows what it’s like to be small in number. You have taught us much, but listened little. We’re trying to find a way to send our children to college knowing that it doesn’t mean as much as it did in your generation. You Boomers make all of the money. You brag about your past fight for equality while paying yourselves more and more, never thinking about the X Generation who not only won’t have social security, but can’t save for retirement because we’re paid too little. For the last 20 years most beginning wages for those with college degrees is $25,000, while your top management salaries have increased exponentially. We and our children hear words like “pension” and “social security” and think of them as mythological beings. Our rage is surfacing because we’re sick of the Me Gen. You have done much, but have looked only at yourselves. We’ve been treated like a middle child for too long. And while you may have labeled us “X” to show we’re already negated or crossed off, we’re taking this X and using it as a target. And Baby Boomers, we’re sorry, but you’re the bull’s-eye. Quit booming about like babies and let the grownups step in. Tina Tucson, Arizona |
| The two hours of "To the Best of Our Knowledge"
on JPR are highlights of my week.
However,the recent boomer bashing is getting to me. I am not oblivious to the phenomenon of every younger generation fighting to find their place among their elders. Why, at this time of increasing divisiveness, you feel it necessary to highlight this particular divide by giving voice to sarcastic spoiled brats who think they invented resenting their parents, is beyond me. Every generation -- including Boomers, the Greatest Generation, Gen Xers, Millenials, and any other that has ever lived -- includes money-grubbers, self-centered egoists, cynical former idealists, warmongers, and every other unpleasant category of human beings. Every generation also includes altruists, philosophers, teachers, innovators of all stripes, and all other positive categories. I am 58, have taught special education, raised three excellent children alone, found time to play music and write, and saved to put solar panels on my home. I am terrified of the actions of <all> of us in creating an Earth that Thomas Friedman calls "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" for generations yet unborn (and unnamed!), who will most assuredly curse the names of all their ancestors. So please stop encouraging us to go at each others' throats, and start helping us learn how to work together to meet the most severe challenges we, as a human race, have ever faced. Deborah in Eureka CA |
| I wanted to write a response as I seem to have a
bit more of an ambivalent attitude towards the Baby Boomers as some
of fellow non-boomers that were airing their opinions. I was born
in 1977 so I'm either a Gen X'er or a Millennial depending on who
you talk to.
On the one hand, I feel I was raised with all the best of the 60's ideals. My parents met while working at an alternative high school in St. Nazianz, Wisconsin called JFK Prep. Their colleagues/friends from that time period became my extended family. We the children of this community have definitely felt the effects. A lot of us went into service-related careers, such as education, or have made creative life choices such as working for a Cambodian newspaper. I feel the 60's generation has given me an openness to a wide variety of ideas and people, and a healthy skepticism of authority. I'm also grateful for the social movements the baby boomers participated in, particularly the women's movement. However, while my generation needs to give the baby boomers credit, the baby boomers also need to remember to give credit to both the generations that preceded and came after them. I've noticed with a lot of baby boomers, a sort of smug self-congratulatory air about the women's movement, the peace movement and the Civil Rights movement. However, think of the most famous leaders of those movements: Gloria Steinem, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, the Chicago 7...not one of them were boomers. Also, while the anti-war movement was successful, it was also during the time when their was a draft, and the majority of the population was draft age. The peace movement wasn't totally noble, it was also about self-interest. With the current war, there is no draft, and the majority of the population is getting towards retirement age. But for the boomers that lament that my generation isn't doing anything about the war, I'd suggest stop looking outside for peace rallies and start looking on your computer. A different era calls for a different form of dissent. BOTH baby bookers and Gen X'ers need to do a lot less whining, a lot less patting themselves on the back, and a lot more listening to each other. Hilarie P.S. A wonderful song that shows some of the tension between the Baby Boomers and Generation X is the Bellevue Cadillac jazz song "Pull the Plug," which sounds like it would be a good soundtrack for the novel "Boomsday." Jonathan Swift style, they propose that the solution to Baby Boomers and social security is "Pull the plug and flat line 'em, Lord have mercy and bye-bye." |
| Are Jon Stewart and Jeff Bezos really gen-Xers as
Jeff Gordinier asserts? Well, if Mr. Gordinier will indulge this baby
boomer's use of gen-X technology, let me Google that ... Hmmm, they
were born in 1962 and 1964. Makes them late boomers, doesn't it? Well,
it gladdens my boomer heart that Gordinier had to pluck two from our
team to establish the general superiority of his.
P.S. — Kudos to Chris Buckley for carrying on the family tradition of purveying half-baked notions in posh-sounding locutions.
Beaver Dam AZ |
| Hello from a boomer born in 1949. I was surprised to hear about the seething rage in the hearts of the gen-xers. I wasn't aware that we were forcing Camelot and Woodstock down their throats. I hadn't thought of either for years. I wasn't at Woodstock and have never been particularly interested in it. I'm not sure why Camelot was even mentioned. Even the oldest of us were young teenagers when Kennedy was president. If the media think it's profitable to refer to those topics, why don't they blame them or capitalism instead of us? I have heard people (including the seething ragers you interviewed today) say we are materialistic and self-indulgent but when I think of the people I know, over and over, the ones who fit that description are my son (born in 1970) and others in his generation. I have a friend near my age who drives an Infiniti but who buys everything else at garage sales and grows much of her own food. She does volunteer work and donates to causes. Maybe it's just the circles I hang out with but I truly don't see the world the way your angry guests are describing it. Regarding our "golden years", it seems that there is no acceptable alternative that would meet the approval of these whiners. If we keep working instead of retiring, we are taking their jobs. If we plan for our retirement so as not to rely to much on social security (or our children who are few in number because we were concerned about over-population), we are being materialistic. If we don't plan for retirement and go onto social security, we're taking money from the mouths of their babes. What alternative does that leave us? Euthanasia? And please remind the gen-exers that we are not responsible for the size of our generation, it was the "Greatest" generation who went nutso in the having babies department. We early boomers suffered huge class sizes in elementary school as they frantically built schools to accomodate our numbers. It was common where I was growing up (Orange County, CA) for there to be 40 kids in our classes in elementary school. In junior high and high school, some of our classes were in quonset huts because there weren't enough classrooms even though the city I lived in (Anaheim) had built six high schools in the seven year between the time I entered first grade (1956) and the time I entered high school (1963). Quonset huts were hot in late spring and early fall and cold the rest of the time. And the class sizes were still large. And when we needed jobs as teenagers, there were 10 kids for every available job. It wasn't all roses. I think the gen-exers finally got off their slacking butts, decided they don't like the smell of the coffee, and are looking for someone to blame besides themselves! And if you have a chance, please thank Leonard Steinhorn for his nice words. Although I was unaware of the seething rage, I have been aware of snide comments from other generations for years and it's nice to have some admiration for a change. Thank you for the program, even though it was upsetting. Ladonna |
| In the Sunday interview with Christopher Buckley,
he failed to mention two products that are constantly advertised during
the news: Cialis and Viagra – or I like to refer to them, boner
medicines. These products and their air time on television epitomize
the self-absorption of the Baby Boomers; especially when it comes
to their sexuality. The “Free Love” generation typically
got married and had children in their late teens or early twenties,
much like the generation before them, but unlike the generation before
them they decided that their own quest for self-satisfaction was more
important that their obligations, and as a consequence many people
of my generation have in some cases multiple step-parents. As the
Boomers aged their libidos began to wane, but their sexual obsessions
did not. In my early working years during the 1990’s everyone
was suddenly worried about sexual harassment – were apparently
even asking a co-worker on a date could be construed as harassment
and grounds for termination of employment. I guess the message from
the Boomer bosses was, “If we ain’t getting any, no one
is.” Now that the Boomers are in the twilight of their years
the latest obsession is everlasting youth, that can be found in a
bottle of pills or a bottle of hair color. Wasn’t there a time
when “erectile dysfunction” was known as impotence and old
men had grey hair? So far I haven’t had to explain to my children
what an erection is, but if they ever show any interest in current
affairs I’m sure I’ll have to explain why the grey-haired
old man needs to call the doctor if he has an erection that last more
than four hours. I just can’t wait to see what self-indulgent
obsession the Boomers will have as they enter their 70’s.
Bob Arlington, TX |
| Thankfully, I did not hear the original rant against
boomers, but I did hear the responses. It is remarkable that these
people so easily blame an entire age-group for their problems. The
post-boomers were educated in the Reagan era and after, and an essential
part of the "Reagan Revolution" was an attack on all class
consciousness and all racial consciuosness. The result is that class
consciousness is now dismissed as class warfare (ironically, since
the working class lost the class war) and racial consciousness is
dismissed as racism. And so a rant against another class or another
race would never be aired on NPR. It seemed likely to me that all the anti-boomers speaking were white, and raised with expectations of affluence. Yet the anti-boomer equate boomers with yuppies, and the gen-Xers who flooded my home town Sab Francisco during the dot-com bubble were as materialistic as anybody else, Uber-Yuppies even, driving SUVs and buying the condo lofts built where the printing plants and warehouses once stood. Sadly for them, the greed exceeded the deed, and the bubble collapsed. Now one speaker points to Google as a world-changing X accomplishment, but a majority of the world's population does not even own a telephone, much less use the internet. I don't believe the hype that twenty-somethings forty years ago changed the world by themselves. That's just a marketing hook to sell things to a target audience. It took a lot of people of all ages, colors and classes involved in the civil rights, antiwar, and women's movements to bring about even modest changes. Now, I'm 53, do remember the Summer of Love forty years ago, but am just as tired of the 60s nostalgia as anybody younger. Especially irritating is the 50s and 60s music nostalgia during PBS pledge drives. Don't blame my whole generation for THAT! It is actually a gen-X producer who is responsible for that godawful trend. --Eric, SF Calif |
| Three cheers for Jim Flemmings response to Mr. Kane,
the "almost 40 year old" adolescent! I didn't hear the original
opinion piece by Mr. Kane, but what I heard on Sat., 9/13 was more than enough. That young man needs to pick up a simple "young adult" book at the library that describes the amazing changes that came over this country during the 60's and 70's, much of it inspired by the hard work and activism of the baby boomers. As you pointed out, Mr. Kane would not likely be pushing his baby's stroller if it were not for the society changing efforts of his parents' generation.
|
| To The Author:
I found this piece amusing. When a person has lots of time on his hands to think about how thoroughly messed up many things in the world are - the energy system we depend on, growing world wide poverty, climate change, our own polarized national politics, the shrinking of the middle class, etc, etc, etc, - and in turn feels powerless to fix any of these things, it is natural to want to blame THOSE RESPONSIBLE for the crappy circumstances under which we live. Yo dude, blame us because IT'S ALL OUR FAULT! Baby boomers caused all the world's problems. We discovered that you can run cars on gasoline, and we figured out that with easy, cheap transportation, people prefer suburbs and big houses to compact, walkable efficient neighborhoods, and then we made everybody move to them! We created suburban sprawl, dependence on foreign oil, global warming, and along with Balkan style genocide, clear cutting forests, and every other social and environmental ill. I'm not promoting these problems as good things - I'd just like to point out that they all had their beginnings a long time before we got our hands on the system. Do us all a favor, and spend some time reading before you write your next screed. I suggest any book by David McCullough, Alistair Cooke, or Edmund Morris for history, Thomas L. Friedman and Matthew Miller for economics, and James Michener and Gore Vidal for a more literary view(historical fiction) on how we got where we are. On my wedding day, my father said to me that he had been "waiting for this day for a long time." When I asked why, he replied, "I want to see you with kids!" The implication was obvious - all my complaints about how I was raised and "the way things are" were going to be distilled and presented to me from another perspective, that of the responsible adult. The persistent question "WHY?" would now demand a mature answer from the new guy in charge. I feel that as soon as the your stroller gets put aside, and you can't go to the coffee shop to see the other dads because the stroller's former occupant is too damn restless for it, you may hear stuff that the Boomer that raised you once said escaping your lips. At that point you may hate yourself, OR you may begin to realize that your parents aren't as stupid and self absorbed as you seem to think they are. The older I got, the smarter my father became. When I joined the Navy at 23, I complained heavily I didn't agree with. Since I was free with my opinions, my bosses started to give me some of their work to see if I could do any better. The more I got focused on getting things done for the group, instead of bitching about how things were, I began to think more about which obstacles were institutional (in need of change), circumstantial (impossible to change), and personal (my own damn fault), and by working to change the problems that I could, working around those I couldn't, and admitting that sometimes I was my own biggest problem, I started to become an adult. At 49, I still consider myself a work in progress. Eventually, I was put in charge of groups of personnel (4 - 45 people) and given the responsibility for their success or failure in their work in the military. The pay got better, and the headaches got bigger. I had to subjugate my ego for the benefit of the group. For a better perspective on life, you should ask for more responsibility. Run projects with diverse groups of people; include people you don't like. Do some work you don't enjoy, and stake your reputation on the outcome. Perhaps your perspective will broaden a bit. Don't get so impatient, we'll all die off eventually, and eventually, so will you. Sincerely, Bill |
| The boomer generation was not made up of a bunch
of hippies. There was a full spectrum of types from the ROTC characters
and their Jock Frat brothers depicted in Animal House to just plain
nerds and all the semi participatory masses in between. The Hippies
were just the most news worthy For all the headline grabbing change
and protest there was also the anti change as exemplified by those
characters in Animal House. We all grew up. Some of us stuck to the
best ideals of that age, some dropped it as youthful folly and got
a job, others never possessed those ideals in the first place. The worst aspects of generation X and those beyond are exemplified in the Enron fiasco, the mortgage meltdown, and the dot.com crash. There is perception out there that creating value and selling that is "so yesterday", so they are moving sailboat fuel. Hence the state of the economy built on air and the trillions disappearing into a thin version of it from the retirement funds of the boomers among other things. |
| To the staff of TTBOOK --
Over the years you've done an amazing job in bringing the world to us in so many fascinating segments. Your program has been an education in itself. Steve and Anne are excellent interviewers. As a former reporter who prided herself on her interviewing skills, I know good work when I hear it. (I hope you will find some new, talented interviewers to work with you. New perspectives are interesting and useful.) This being said, my heart sank when I heard the program on Boomer Backlash. Do we really need more anger, hatred and conflict between "us" and "them" in this country? There is already so much rage abroad in our land that it is frightening to any thoughtful person. So much of this rage/hatred is media-driven. And that includes YOU! In real life how many Gen 'Xers and Boomers are actually at each others throats because of their generational divide? Many Americans may not even be familiar with the terms. The media has created this artificial "war." I teach at the college level, and find very little of this angry point of view in my classes. The hatred caused by media-fused sensationalism and the need to fill 24-hour TV news spaces is all too real. I was shocked this week to hear a segment on Bill Moyers' great television show covering hate speech on radio and TV. I knew it was bad out there, but because I only listen to public radio and TV, I didn't realize that the hate-filled rhetoric against liberals is sliding dangerously toward the level of de-humanization found in media in Rwanda, former Yugoslavia and even Nazi Germany. If anyone on TTBOOK has not watched this segment, please do. It will haunt you. It will shock you. It probably make you worry about Barack Obama's physical safety. I am a political progressive and, while I've found much anger on my portion of the radio-newspaper-internet side, I haven't experienced this level of hate toward the right. If it's out there in the media, I would like to see it uncovered and exposed. I know plenty of enraged leftists, and they, too, disturb me. In fact, I think it's time for your program to explore Hate in America. You have done great investigative work in the past that has potential to contribute to the common good. I think this would fall into that category. Please consider it. Sincerely, |
| Hello Jim Fleming, I am listening to the show right now (on Jefferson Public Radio) and cannot help but feel total deja vu. I remember about 25 years ago feeling all the same things. I felt the depression/WWII generation needed to get out of the way and that they were so concerned about stability and retirement, that they couldn't see they were bringing down the country, ultimately the culture, and maybe the whole world too. The Gen-X'ers are just getting their chance to notice that that is what their elders are doing--getting old(er) and looking toward stability and retirement, and as a result (may) have lost their courage to deal with the greatest problems facing us now. Boomers can boast accomplishments, as could the depression/WWII generation. Hopefully, if tradition holds, Gen-X'ers will be able to boast too, but I also expect that they'll age and turn to some kind of stability and retirement too. And if the world hasn't already collapsed (due to global climate change, shortage of consumable water, food shortages, economic collapse and armed conflict as a result of all these pressures) they too will face their children complaining that they aren't a viable generation anymore and need to get out of the way. Notice that each generation blindly goes out there and procreates, assuming that they will successfully curtail all the great problems facing humanity (that their parents--or other previous generations--are responsible for), only to add more people to those problems and exponentially exacerbate those same problems. Cheers, Bob Arcata, CA |
| Thank you for your series on the GenX v. Boomer
conflict. Just yesterday I watched a movie at the theater and no fewer
than three of the trailers preceding it were Boomer-centric. I muttered
to one of my friends that it was just a last ditch effort before they
all died... and then she and I ruminated for a minute on what the
movies _we'll_ be making at that place in our lives will look like.
We are GenY instead of X, but we have very related concerns: We don't
know what we have to contribute to the universe because the Boomers
are still in the jobs that we think we should be inheriting - especially
as we see Boomers _not_ retiring as soon as they're able to. One of
the new trends coming down the pike is that kids graduating college
are sticking around in their college towns and working whatever jobs
they can find there because there doesn't seem to be any point in
moving on since the job scene is about the same anywhere we look.
What's the point in not "slacking off" if we aren't finding
anything when we do look? I have a work ethic and I have aspirations,
but I'm stuck in a dead end job. I've been told most of my life that
that Boomers are destroying Social Security for us, and I haven't
heard many good (ie realistic) solutions for that. Why shouldn't I
be angry? Why shouldn't my friend who works three jobs just to pay
rent be depressed and apathetic?
Should I say - I like 60's music, I will rabidly support the rights I know I take for granted, and I love my parents - I don't want them to have to die just so I can live.... I could go on, but I'm not getting more eloquent as I think about these things I actively try not to dwell on. :-) Thanks for airing the widely opposed viewpoints! I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in my frustration. I also appreciate hearing the "defense" viewpoints. We both have valid arguments - maybe we can eventually become friends? :-)
|
| I am truly of a forgotten generation. I was born
in 1939. So, I was not old enough for the "Greatest Generation"
and too old to be a "Baby Boomer." And I refuse to call
them "Boomers" since their overpopulation occurred because
the GIs coming home after WWII were sex-starved; thus, a boom of babies
occurred. I might add that Kennedy does not belong to the Baby Boomers. They were in high school when he was assassinated. Camelot occurred before the Baby Boom was old enough to ruin it. I became a teacher just as they reached high school in 1961. I taught them sophomore, junior, and senior English. I heard their adolescent prattle every day. I might also add that what the politicians are arguing about is exactly what that teenage prattle consisted of. The hippies wanted one world; the conservatives wanted another world. And there were definitely as many conservative Christians then as there were flower children. The flower children got most of the publicity, which I think also reflects in our world of conservatism today. The conservatives are still jealous of how the media ignored them in 1968. Let's look at who we elected President from the Baby Boom--Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Is that the best that "outstanding" generation could produce? And what has America accomplished with those outstanding examples? Yes, there are no longer "colored" and "white" restrooms. Yes, I, as a female, can have credit in my own name and play sports. However, I don't think we have reached nirvana on either of those situations at this point. Quite a few people who weren't born between 1946 and 1964 had something to do with what improvements have occurred in those areas. I really resent that the Baby Boomers claim all of those accomplishments. Look at the ages of the people protesting in both the Civil Rights and Women's Rights movements before you brag about the wonderful accomplishments the most self-important, egotistical, self-centered generation our country has produced thus far. Okay, I'm old, jealous, irritated, and probably constipated. Thanks for letting me rant. Pat Bryan, Texas |
| What a phony manufactured issue in order to sell
books and radio shows. You might consider moving on and covering some
real issues other than the self-interested navel gazing of a bunch
of generational chauvinists. The "spokespersons" of both
"sides" are laughable. Every one of them has an agenda that
includes the sale of something, even if it is just their own little
career. The labels put on every generation are just another way to
divide us into consumerist categories. One generation has always stood
on the shoulders of the previous and anyone who cannot see this is
taking the short view of cultural history. You broadcast angry people
in order to boost your little program. You want anger? Ok, I'm done,
both with this email and with your cynical little radio show.
Mark |
| I have long had strong views on this subject and
was pleasantly suprised to hear your show dealing with this issue.
As a gen-xer, I can look at my parents and see two adults who strove
to make changes as a part of this society. But when I look at the
legacy of the baby boomers, I see not only the great things that they
have done, but the legacy of destruction that seemingly is inevitably
coming our way.
What do I mean by this? Well, we are looking at this generation reaching retirement. A time where they will receive medicare, social security, and basically expect to be supported by the younger generations. In a way, I can understand why the elders of our society should be taken care of, they are our parents after all and have been paying into the system with their taxes all of their lives. However, the baby boomers also saddled the generations to follow with a debt load that is truly astronomical. What is it, ten trillion dollars currently? I think that when historians of the future look back at this time, they will focus on two-generations. One being 'the greatest generation' who brought America to an unparalleled height of accomplishment, including many of the civil rights bandied about by the boomers. And secondly, their children, who through a sense of entitlement first bled its nations coffers beyond recovery, and then in their old age demanded even more. |
| I was listening to To The Best Of Our Knowledge
today and head Chris Buckley talking about his book Boomsday. I must
admit that I didn't hear every word, but what I also did not hear
was anything about the brilliant short story by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
called Ethical Suicide Parlor, which appeared in the Welcome to the
Monkey House collection. From what I heard, Buckley just ripped off
Vonnegut's idea and To The Best Of Our Knowledge treated it as if
it was a wonderful new concept. Great ideas by great writers are hard to keep down. Booo, John Venice, FL |
| Hello.
I listened this afternoon to most of your program on the topic of boomer backlash and was just amazed at what I heard. I learned that baby boomers--all 78 million of us--are Lexus-driving,
Brie-eating, shallow, self-involved, self-congratulating materialists
whose grandest achievement was creating the consumer culture. Really?
How about me, certainly not the best representative of my generation, but born in 1956 into a comfortable, white, middle-class home. I was 11 when Woodstock happened. I have never even been in a Lexus and if I were a materialist on my small income, I'd be over my head in debt. Instead, I do work that I can feel good about, raise as much of my own food as I can, drive a 12-year-old Ford Escort (as long as we're dropping brand names), and opt out of the consumer culture as much as possible. That includes buying used clothing, cooking for my family, limiting my energy consumption, and not watching TV. Enjoy my retirement? I'll be working for at least the next 15 years. This tilting at some presumed monolithic enemy marks the height of absurdity. As a Massachusetts resident, I am reminded of the incident this summer in Falmouth in which a rabid Red Sox fan attacked a passerby who dared to wear a Yankees cap in enemy territory. (Don't get me started on the monumental idiocy of professional sports and its fans.) The TV bit is key. I can only guess at what is on TV, but from
your program, it seems that what riles some people younger than
myself is the use of music popular in the 60s in commercials. ("Grab
that Yankees cap and stomp on it!") When I was a kid, lots
of people seemed to enjoy Frank Sinatra. I didn't. Did I sit there
and listen to him, whining about how it was hurting my ears? In
addition, various soft news programs (I assume) seem to focus on
things that happened in the 60s, such as the assassinations and
hippies and how great things used to be. Here's a useful piece of information they don't seem to teach in Every time you sit down in front of a TV, you are being manipulated
to buy in ways both subtle and laughably obvious. You, as you are,
are hopelessly inadequate--too fat, too wimpy, too everything that's
bad. Lots of magazines, like /Details, /the one your first guest edits, work hand in glove with TV--the print ads back up the TV ads. These magazines are dominated by advertising that is designed to remind you of what you saw on TV and get those jingles running in your head again. There is too much that divides us as a nation. Let's not start hating each other based on the year we were born. That would be as dumb as, say, hating people for the color of their skin, or the gender they happen to be, or how much money their parents make, or any other of those things that make us different from each other. Neither I nor any of the 78 million Americans born between 1945 and 1960 are messing up the Social Security system. Look instead to the political system. If it worries you, do something to fix it. Don't demonize the people of all races, religions, backgrounds, and income levels who are no more the cause of this country's considerable troubles than you are. Educate yourself, take action, vote out the incumbents, make your voice heard. By the way, "Die Already?" We can't even get the Baby Boomers' parents to die, so don't waste time waiting for us to die. With the health care crisis we have, though, you may get your wish sooner than you think. Joan |
| Dear Ladies and Sirs,
I was astonished at Mr. Caine's explosion I heard on the air this morning. I have missed something in the last 41 years. I failed to observe any behaviors in my generation that would legitimize the type of judgments that Mr. Caine asserted. This must have been a stunt to gain attention. I can't see another productive reason for an individual to condemn an entire generation. Sincerely, Mark |
| Well, he hates us, whoever we are, whatever we believe
in, no matter what we're up to now. We both lost Vietnam--a war designed by members of a previous generation--and hypocritically take credit for the end of the war. Who is he talking about? I don't know anybody who fits his caricature, but that's not surprising because it's a mass of contradictions. He first assumes that we're all the same and then lambasts us for not being what he thinks we're pretending to be. His commentary is, at best, an indictment of the failure of our educational system to ensure that our children have acquired a smattering of logic and a passing acquaintance with history. Cissy and David |
| I sort of missed the sixties since it was a time
of demanding medical education and serving as a military doctor with
too much responsibility in Greece 68-70. One of my fellow interns
was drafted to Vietnam because he was not married and, as he predicted
to me, was killed almost immediately. It was a horrible time when
we all failed, had some success, suffered , and were at times infantile,
courageous and self centered on all sides of the spectrum. Not a time
to be glorified, except for its passion. But we went on to get our
lives together, stomach our anger, and become co-opted (a 60's phrase)
in order to raise children like CMK, who now rightfully point out
that we dropped the baton. Why? Because we were worn out and needed
to earn a living, do music lessons, help with homework and do treasure
hunts for birthday parties. But at least in our day many of us spoke out against what was wrong, took to the streets or risked military discipline and eventually helped stopped the horrific unjust war or our time. GenX today can't even drag itself to the voting booth, let alone protest against the flagrant corruption, greed and duplicity of this administration or step up to stop their horrific war. Are they asleep and too secure now simply because there is no draft to personally impact their lives? I hope we all wake up and face our failings, past and present, recognize our courage and vision when it was and is, and do what is right for today. Hopefully Obama can rouse genX out of its torpor and blaming stance (though brilliantly expressed) and put an end to politics of cynicism and fear from the 60's that still haunts this country. David |
| I hear your show on KANW in Albuquerque. During
today’s “rethinking the sixties” segment, you ran a
terrific rant by a Gen-X member of your staff. I’ve looked for
it on your website, to no avail. I’d love to be able to hear/read
that piece again. It was brilliant. Can anything be done?
Joe |
| I heard “to the best of our knowledge”
yesterday. Someone named Charles Monroe Kane was ranting about baby
boomers. Nasty, vituperative, really full of hatred. Kane made Rush
Limbaugh sound like a reasonable guy. He had no point, no insight
to impart, just rage. Why have this bile on the radio?
Rich |
| It would be nice if you would have -- how shall
I put it? -- a dissenting opinion regarding Charles Monroe Kane's
rant about Baby Boomers. Technically, I'm a boomer but only just;
I was born in 1958 -- old enough to be aware there were riots in Chicago
in 1968, too young to join in. But even I can see the accomplishments
(and, yes, misguided actions) of the other boomers.
Women aren't getting paid the same as men? No kidding but since when is that this generation's fault? And how many female CEOs were there in the 1950s? And it's not as if the generation isn't aware of coming up somewhat short of its original goals. See Landford Wilson's "Fifth of July" for a good attempt at reconciling idealism with reality. I'm just writing off the top of my head, so this isn't an in-depth rebuttal. And to be honest, I didn't always disagree with Mr. Kane -- I get a little tired of the nostalgia sometimes. But he's being a bit myopic when he tells the Boomers to step aside and get out of the Gen X'er's way. My, my, my...sounds like something the boomers were saying to their parents not long ago. Now you're talking my generation, baby. Sincerely, Frank |
| Dear Charles,
I just heard your commentary on TTBOOK concerning and thought you described my generation very succinctly! I just turned 50 this year and am at the tail end of the Baby Boom. Many times I have told my daughter (she is 20) that her generation will invent a "Patriot Suicide Pill" and order each of us boomers to take because they are going to be so tired of us. The baby boomers were part of a movement and now feel it was the best thing that ever happened in this country. How about we take credit for the disaster that has been 8 years of GW Bush. Our complacency allowed the rise of the religious right as well as justification of torture in the name of fighting terror. And don't even get me started on the swooning ads featuring music from the 60's aimed at our generation. Ugh. However, lest you think your generation is off the hook think again.
But I digress. I think your essay is worth a longer piece on TTBOOK.
Best, |
| This morning as I headed around town on my Saturday errands...new bi- focals (OMG!!), sweet corn at the farmer's market and dropping a book at the library...I heard your wonderful piece on baby boomers and how they/we have dropped the ball. I agree. My son, a 25 year old Gen-Xer in Chicago, would love the story. Would you be willing to share a copy of your remarks? Johanna, age 50....Manitowoc, WI. |
| Listening to the "almost 40" year old
take the "Boomers" to the woodshed on our generation was
interesting. At first I was angry and then I started to think about
how our generation really coined the idea that older individuals should
move out of the way and let the young people run things. Remember,
"Don't trust anyone over 40"? I do. We convinced everyone
that our elders were uptight, martini swizzling, incompetents who
had squandered the world that was handed to them. Now these kids say,
we are sellout, marijauna smoking, corporate idiots and we need to
get out of their way. I sure hope that they have a radio at the home in ten years when his kid gets to comment on Generation Next, who will be longing for the good old days of the 90's, Ecstasy and IKEA. Their kids will roll their eyes upward and say, "Hey Dude, we're here now, move out of the way." Phyllis , Fort Worth |
| Your "producer" (with whom I agree in
many respects) will no doubt be delighted when John McCain is elected
president. What greater feeling to have all your dark disillusionments
ratified, all your childish resentments proved to be simple truth.
Jeez, congratulations on concentrating on all the stupidest stereotypes
of a generation. It's a big target, but hey, you really hit it. What
an achievement; it's surely never been done before. Oh, except for
every moronic television comedy of the 70's and 80's and 90's, and
the commercials that you seem to think were OK'd by a central committee
comprised of Wavy Gravy, John Lennon, and Ken Kesey. What a lot of crap. You think that everyone over 50 resembles your parents? Most of us know that the whole deal was co-opted. Many of us are still working in relevant ways to make the world a more humane place. What's so funny about Peace, Love and Understanding? You honestly think that you're the first person or generation to see the failings or weaknesses of a previous generation? To the best of our knowledge? Hardly. -Mark |
| Just now on NPR I caught the last half of your presumed
letter to an aging hippy generation. I loved what I heard. Where might
I find an audio clip/podcast/whatever of you reading that, or at least
a transcript?
Thanks! :- David |
| Dear Mr Kane,
I listened to your comments about the Boomer generation. And I had to respond, although I don't expect to have much of an impact on your thinking. As a member of the group about which you were ranting, much of the protesting and the social change activities happened before most of us were 25. We were out there, taking a stand against the war, trying to bring some idealistic changes to an imperfect system. Some changes took root, such as civil rights & women's rights. The war was finally ended. We weren't interested in staying in Viet Nam endlessly. It was a bad decision on the part of our leaders, the same as the Iraq war. But we at least had the courage to face our leaders & try to influence them to end it. Even at the risk of injury or arrest, we marched. We made noise. We tried to make things better. You say you're nearly 40. You produce the show on which I heard your comments. What else has your generation done, besides complain about the prior generation? Are you trying to make this world a better place? Are you working for social justice? Do you speak up for the oppressed? The victims of this administration's war? It doesn't appear that you have anything on your mind, except whining about the mess in which we find this country today, and blaming the older generation. In case you hadn't noticed, no generation is encapsulated, isolated from the next. We live with the same problems you complain about. Most of the issues you mention were not the result of the rank & file citizenry. The boondoggles were choices and decisions made by the machinery of big brother. You'll find out, the same as we did, that changing the direction of bureaucracy is akin to trying to change the direction of a herd of elephants on the run. But your rant displayed an attitude of shameless selfishness and arrogance. You'll learn, hopefully, someday, that no man is an island, & neither is one generation. Until then, keep working on the future for all of us. Maybe with your help, instead of your whining, we CAN achieve the ideals for our beloved country and for future generations. Patricia |
| Hello!
Re: Rethinking the Sixties; 8/24/08; To the Best of Our Knowledge I'd like to comment on Charles Monroe Kain's (or is it Cane's? or another spelling?) spewing of how he is "sick and tired" of the baby boomers' nostalgia regarding the sixties. I am a baby boomer and I believe Mr. Kain would benefit from really getting to know a diverse group of people from the sixties, not just a small sampling of guys who are willing to pick up a hitch-hiker. Mr. Kain talks about how the baby boomers lost the war, lost the civil rights movement, provides drugs (at least he thanks us for them), and women's lib. First of all, it wasn't our war. We didn't create it. Our friends, brothers, neighbors and classmates were drafted into it. Let me repeat that word - drafted. Something you personally may not know about and may never know about (possibly as a result of the boomers and the sixties). These soldiers were not old enough to vote, but they were old enough to fight in a war. The voting age has changed since then (You are welcome). Secondly, civil rights was not only about desegregating schools. Open your eyes and look around. READ history books. WATCH those shows on PBS (that you seem to loath) through their entirety and truly listen with your ears and your heart. Blacks were not allowed to sit next to whites in restaurants, drink from the same water fountains, use the same bathrooms and certainly never was it thought possible to run for President of the United States! You may not realize any of this because you have not had to witness the prejudices that were before your time. Because of the sixties and some boomers, as well as people who came before the boomers, you, hopefully, will never witness them. Thirdly, we didn't invent drugs. Drugs have been around for years prior to the sixties. Lastly, women's liberation was and is not just about equal pay for equal work. It is about freedom of choice for both men and women. It is the reason you feel comfortable as a dad pushing your stroller to the coffee shop to meet your friends and think nothing of it. In the sixties, it was extremely rare to see a man pushing a stroller any where, and certainly not to meet his buddies so they can talk about parenting concepts. You (and your children) have the women's lib movement to thank for that. (Again, you are welcome.) I am not saying that the sixties made everything better, but that era did more good than you realize because you seem to take so much granted. Take for example your major in college - Peace Studies. You wouldn't have found such a major in the sixties, but you do now. Another result of the era and the boomers. The boomers didn't give up, as you say. I certainly haven't. That is why I am writing to you. There will always be generational friction - that's normal. But to put all baby boomers down and tell us that we lost everything, well...that's just simply not true. If you are angry with the way things are today, don't blame that on all boomers or even on the sixties. The sixties didn't happen in a vacuum. Today's problems are the result of greed and the ego-centeredness of people of all ages, not just boomers. There is much that boomers can learn from Gen X and other generations, but there is much we have to offer as well. I'd love to read a piece that you might write on what Gen X has done for the good of humanity and what Gen X has to offer the next generation. Thank you.
|
| Dear Jim Fleming,
A long time listener, member and born in 1949 (no choice in the matter) I just listened to Charles Monroe Kane's rant about "boomers". I am sure he needs his diaper changed. I also am sorry I help support his salary. I greatly appreciate and often listen to your program but was saddened today that you let the village idiot on stage. Best, Bill |
| Hi there. I enjoyed your whole show about the 1960s.
I was caught short by the guy who is 40 and is sick of us. I had to
laugh but of course, I have to say we are not all like that! But most
of all, I reject the idea that "generations fail." This
is not an American idea, the same criticism is leveled at generations
in Latin America (just one example). Generations are vastly too varied and complex and the circumstances in which they grow up and live are also too complex to be able to either congratulate or blame a generation as a whole. Getting old can be hard. And I can't blame people looking back at the "good old days," especially if those days were lived intensively. And there are many people for whom the 1960s were very intense. It really isn't different than my 93-year-old Dad recalling WWII. He lived it in Europe and the Middle East. Nothing could be more intense than that. Two more things. First, the changes effected in the 1950s and 1960s - especially for Afro-Americans and women -- were immense. But I am not surprised that younger people who cannot really imagine what it was like before don't appreciate it. In this too, history repeats itself. Second, there are still plenty of us who continue to work on social justice issues, human rights, etc. and don't own BMWs and never "sold out." Many of us don't look back at the 1960s with nostalgia because there is just so much to do and so many problems here and abroad that we need to try to change, knowing that maybe all we can do is change one life at a time. Take care, Joanna |
| I want to reply, please, if that is still permissable
to the comment of your producer to the Baby Boomer generation: 1. You are right-we did fail in some things. But, so does EVERY generation and so will you. 2. I do not drive a BMW or SUV, and unlike you, I never got to take a stroll with friends to a coffee shop with my baby son. And, yes, my generation probably does talk too much about the sixties BUT- (a) I, personally, consider that better than being expected by men of your age and younger to screw them and then being blatantly harrassed, some times to the point of physical harm because I will not. I NEVER encountered such behavior from men of my generation; (b) I, also, consider it better than sitting around with the women of your generation who only seem to think life is acting like a rutting-in-the gutter whore, getting knocked up. Sure, family, is important and the sexuality that makes families but I am a human being and I have the right and dignity to do something more with my life now. I am 54 and going through menopause and frankly, when it comes to sex-I've been there and done that. Let's move on with life ok? And, then (c) I hate to be redundant but living in the past is better than trying to interact with men of your generation who all seem to act like they are going to jerk themselves off right there in public any time they speak with a single woman like me. 3. As for me enjoying my retirement-it has been quite evident to me for some years now by the behavior of your generation which you verbally and intenationally gave credence to that I probably will not live to do that. I was pushed out of a good career-nusing- by those of your generation(both male and female) because I was from the hippie generation and was not married. Again, I was sexually harrassed and when I TRIED TO STAND UP FOR MYSELF these people got rid of me. I am now trying to continue to make a living at companies that supply the stupid technology that you all think makes you so special, but both male and females of your generation bring substances to the workplace that is making many of us who are older very ill-many to the point where they are taken to the hospital by ambulance. Not to mention some generation x doctors that I have tried going to for treatment have been hostile and lectured me about how I am supposedly trying to prevent them from having children instead of caring for me. I guess after seeing my age and that I am single it is automatically determined I must be a feminist that hates childbearing for ANY female! I am NOT going to live to retire from the way I see it. 4. Oh, it's quite evident to me what your generation and your special Mr. Obama are all about. Just like what Hitler, Ayatollah Khomeini and those Roman Catholic inquisitors were all about! You betcha my generation failed! So, I give you my middle finger which I like many others during the Vietnam war did to the military which, yes, was a mistake. I did capitulate to the military and entered into the U.S. Army. I also was given the ONE AND ONLY chance in my adult life to pursue a career equally and with respect - something you punks and whores will never allow me to do. Mr. Fleming-don't bother sending me a reply "Thanks for your comment" -I will never listen to NPR again. |
| Dear Fleming,
My wife and I both listened to your program this morning. The
segment "Return to Vietnam" Regards, |
| This topic is close to my heart because I came of
age listening to the 60.'s generation reminisces about their great
accomplishment. I never could understand the significance of the cultural
phenomenon know as Woodstock. How did a muddy rock concert attended
by the self-proclaimed world's smartest generation change America?
What was the attraction to the Kennedys? Baby-boomers had the best
economic conditions of any generation of Americans that existed and
still whined and cried about it. The ugliness of drugs and causal
sex will be the destructive legacy they left to generations of Americans.
It is wonder they haven't built a memorial to that in Washington,
DC. If there is one thing Boomers are good at it would be to building
memorials. They have built more than any generation in American history.
I am sick of Boomer vague, artsy double speak. The unleashed the destructive genie that cannot be put back in the bottle and are proud it. This is one generation of Americans that will have a real fear of dying since they think they are going to live forever - perpetual youth even in death. Danny Lafayette, Indiana |
| I listen to the show on Sunday mornings here on
89.1 in San Antonio, TX. I like the show a lot but had never been motivated to write til I heard Charles Monroe Cain's spot railing against the nostalgic boomers. As a Gen X-er (I didn't even know I was one til his spot, but as a 37 yr old I guess I am, lol!) I say: RIGHT ON!!!!! He summed it up so well. I've come across several of my age who roll their eyes at the commercial flogging of the 60s. And really, was EVERYONE then a hippie?? The way pop history recounts it, you'd figure that was the case! If it actually were the case, why did Republican Richard Nixon win '68?? I guess no one wants to recount nostalgically about being conservative during the Summer of Love. I just about wanted to throw up when Fortunate Son was used in a clothing commercial during the highpoint of public support for the current Vietnam. The only lyric that made it into the commercial was "Some folks were born made to wave the flag, ooh they're red, white, & blue..." before the narrator came on to identify the product. I guess it was a preferable lyric compared to "some folks inherit star-spangled eyes, oh they'll send you off to war". All I could picture was John Fogerty somewhere going "Ka-ching!!" with glee upon each airing of that thing. Pfft...typical of the selling out of the hippie generation. That all written, we're also not without blame in the current state of affairs. We share in the complicity of a 2nd Bush administration as well as not more actively pushing for an end to the war and the rest of the administrations "high crimes & misdemeanors". Maybe not wholly complicit, but its something to consider before we opt to blame every current little thing on the "60s generation". It may not give us a wholly higher moral road but it'll at least be a more sincere one. Warm regards, gus |
| I am a 55 year old retired educator. I listen to
your program every Sunday morning. I usually enjoy all of your thought
provoking shows. But not today...
|
| Hi Jim,
I listened to Charles Monroe Kane’s monologue on the Rethinking the Sixties.
I expect more from the best of our knowledge.
Give us listeners a break, we are not interested in hearing someone rant and rave about his hatred of the hippies. His piece was stupid and childish and self loathing – sorry some hippie broke his cookie when he was ten and he hasn’t got over it. What’s next – are you gonna give air time to ranting racists?
(btw – your programming is great.)
mb |
| Hi,
I was just listening to the this weeks show, and suffered from a repeated and sever case of "Driveway Moments." This weeks show, "rethinking the sixties" spoke to an issue near and dear to my heart - My youth. I was in 5th grade in 1968, and was chastised in school for bringing up the My Lai Massacre. My parents were were anti-war activist, and our idea of "family time" was typically a mass demonstration in Washington, or a local peace vigil. Making this weeks show even more poignant is that the only other activities we shared as a family were folk-music events, many of which were in Greenwich Village. Listeners were asked to write in if they had residual feeling from the Vietnam War. Well I do, and I don't think they are terribly unique. My entire youth was consumed by the movement to end the war in Vietnam. Stronger than any value that was instilled in me as a youth, was the idea that War/killing is bad. And, as a child, I did not have a deeper understanding than that as to what the issue was that my family was so dedicated to. My values have not changed dramatically over the years, but my understanding of the isseus has. I have forced myself to at least listen to other peoples views, which was not something I was taught at home. Today, 40 years later, I live in a community that is heavily impacted by the military. In the shadows of NORAD, and just an hour away from from the site of the upcoming DNC. I have many friends whose families have been in the military for generations. Many of my contemporaries served in Vietnam and have come home with significant physical and emotional scars. Here is my residual issue. The notion that ALL the "hippies" (code name for anti-war activists) were throwing tomatoes at the returning Veterans.I certianly wasn't. And no one I ever knew in my youth, wished any harm to those who fought in the war. I don't apologize for my values, I was raised to be against that war, I'm against the current war and I'll be against the next one. But I don't understand the sentiment of being against those who are against war. Is anyone really for War? |
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