"Greatest Generation" , NOT!!
I guess I'll stop hearing about inter-generation comparisions after I'm dead. Recently I (once again) came across a spate of articles dealing with the selfishness & self-centeredness of the Baby Boomers as opposed to the noble charecteristics of the Greatest Generation. Oh, bullcrap!
Am I the only one who thinks it's all a bunch of crap? Maybe I'm not normal but I try to take folks as I find 'em. Nothing more or less. I've known some real jerks from that "Greatest" generation and some really selfless folks from the Baby Boomer ranks.
For what it's worth, the "Greatest" generation, those who came of age during the Depression and went on to fight in WWII did what they had to in order to survive. That's it. Period. During both the Depression and WWII they did what they were told and lived to tell the tale.
The Depression years saw them as too young to make any difference in the world. When WWII came along they filled the ranks of the military and successfully brought the Axis to it's knees. Yep. However during that war all leadership and policymaking was done by a generation preceding theirs. The blunt truth is that they were the cannon fodder of WWII. No leadership required, just fill the open billets in the military. With a draft in place to make that happen I question if the call to arms was as willingly taken up as many would have us believe.
Following that the "Greatest" went on to run the country and lead the world. How did they do? The record is a mixed bag, IMHO.
It was the "Greatest" generation in the person of JFK who left our allies high and dry at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Who took us into a no-win war that hinged more on public relations than a true desire for victory (Viet Nam). Thanks LBJ. It was the "Greatest" generation who unleashed the police dogs and turned the fire hoses on peaceful, non-violent civil rights marchers. It was the "Greatest" generation who trashed the enviornment to the point of rivers literally catching fire (anyone else remember the Mahonganela River burning for years?). It was the leadership of the "Greatest" generation in the person of Jimmy Carter who caved in to the Ayotollah of Iran, paving the way for our present day clash with Islamofacists.
On the other hand, they also gave us men on the moon and the leadership of Ronald Reagan. They developed our economy to be the powerhouse of the world.
Like I said, a mixed bag.
As for the much reviled Baby Boomers, what does our record show?
Viet Nam war protests (done by the same age group that was fighting there, I really think one cancels out the other). Sex, drugs, rock & roll, (guilty as charged). Cindy Sheehan, Bill Clinton, John Kerry.
On the other hand we've given the world Bill Gates & the internet, Collin Powell, GW Bush, John McCain and Rudy Guiliani.
Another mixed bag, IMHO.
This crap could go on for days. And generations that follow on could continue playing the game of "one-up". For what reason, really?
Why don't we all take a deep breath, stop the comparisons and start identifying with one another? Hey who knows, we might all learn something in the way of humility then.
And we all might just start growing up!
2 comments:
Very interesting point. The Greatest Generation did raise the totally self absorbed, selfish Baby Boomer Generation, who's gotten us into the mess we're in today. The GG's totally forsook the morals and values of their parents when raising their children. And the Baby Boomers churned out the Gen X-ers.
While true there have been some gems in the bunch, and we wouldn't be where we are today without them, and the GG's can take credit for that, there is a lot they have to answer for as well.
What we all need to do is to start living by moral standards and with integrity and personal accountability. Then things won't seem like they're on their ear all the time.
Lot of truth in what you say. Interesting that you bring up the GG's being responsible for the raising of the Baby Boomers. They did. And if we are responsible for the fubared way Gen X has turned out it would only be fair to take it back a step as regards the behavior of the BB's.
I'd guess that could go all the way back to Adam if you're not careful. However if I remember the Book of Proverbs, that topic is discussed extensively there.
Children learn what they live and grow up to live what they've learned.
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