rockmom

Depending on which moral panic, Gen-Xers were either going to become urban super-predators who would have the boomers cowering in their homes as we went on violent crime sprees or we were slackers who would never have job and spend our days glued to a television eating Doritos and living with our parents.

Rowan

The Boomers were brought up by parents who in many cases experienced something that we don't ever want to experience. They wanted a better world for their kids.

Irrespective of what anyone says today, the world is still a better place than it was, and likely will be better again in the next generations.

Just as an example of a case in point: Some of us ride aluminium bikes or even carbon fibre or titanium ones as mass production items; that would not have been thought possible only 60 or 70 years ago.

Rowan

Prosperity can generate some of these traits, but disasters can also bring out the best in people. I can't speak to natural disasters in the US, but when they occur in Australia, there is a huge mobilisation of resources, in many cases volunteer, and generosity in donations to assist the victims. I was on the receiving end of that mobilisation and generosity after the 2009 bushfires, and it is something I will never forget.

I should also point out that there are many cycling organisations throughout the world which rely on volunteers and "community" to go about their business.

The indoctrination of "win at all costs" is perhaps the thing that has stained most the concept of "community", but I have yet to be convinced that community has been replaced by it.

Hypno Toad

What?!? Laughing out loud at this post! I'm sure people were saying the exact same thing about you and your peers when you were 23 years old (they did about me and my friends). Clearly, your generation is too lazy to find the shift key to start a sentence with a capital letter, or was that just that you had a lesser education, or less inspired? But now you're an 'adult' and all kinds of grown up. Congrats!

I'm more than 10 years older than you. I work with a ton of recent college grads, they have their issues but nothing like your long list of biases. My wife works for one of the largest employers in the nation, they hire 20-somethings all day long, they do start with a lower wage, but that doesn't last long. Many of them out-earn their parents in the first 3 years.

Lastly, 40 hour week? A 40 hour work week sounds like a holiday. With laptops and smart phones, everybody connected 100% of the time, social media during 'work hours' is not an issue, since 'off-time' no longer exists for a large group of the workforce. We overwork and underpay the workforce in the US, just so that the C-level can make so much money they can't find a yacht big enough to haul it all.

Yep, the Millennials are the biggest issue in the US.

Hypno Toad

Nailed it!

Roody

+1. As bad as things seem now, they are actually better than ever in many ways. Warfare is way down, according to historians, as are crime rates worldwide. The young people of today--even those who were provided with poor educations--have knowledge and skill that we couldn't even imagine when we were their age. Productivity rates have increased at record breaking paces over the last decade, indicating that younger workers are the opposite of lazy.

A lot of serious problems remain, such as the environment, changing climate, dwindling resources, and severe social problems. But I am confident that the young people of today will face those problems and give it their best shot.

Hypno Toad

I just deleted a long post before posting it ... basically, I agree. However, the Greatest Generation made one error that lead to the issues of today, they forgot the frugal ideas of 'waste not, want not". Leaving that idea behind has lead to decades of issues we are still trying to fix (consumerism, suburban sprawl, auto explosion, etc). All brought about by the consumer-driven idea of "it's better for our kids".

Footnote, my grandfather was my primary male-role model. Grandpa lived through the Great Depression as a young man, and ran the family farm during WWII. I was very close to him and learned many lessons that I think about every day. The Greatest Generation had/has some amazing wisdom, I still enjoy talking with my 97 year old grandma about her history and experiences.

Roody

The Greatest Generation--a mixed bag (as is any generation, or for that any group of people). My own parents were fantastic--kind, intelligent, lifelong fighters for social justice and peace. My dad and his brother did fight in Europe and Japan, respectively. My mom did eat "gravy sandwiches" during the depression.

But most of my friends had very different experiences. Their parents were bigoted, narrow-minded people who were always throwing that "We grew up in the Depression and fought the war" thing in their kids' faces.

Yeah, grew up in the Depression--in Grosse Pointe. Yeah, won the war--at the University of Michigan with a student deferment.

Hypno Toad

Very true.

Cyclosaurus

This is a natural consequence of our current economic state. It's possible to feel you are "self-sufficient" because you have enough money to buy food, shelter, medicine, clothes, bikes, etc. without really feeling like you need to truly cooperate with others. However, our current levels of consumption, pollution, waste, economic policies, etc. are not sustainable and at some point in the future, humanity will require a more explicitly cooperative state in order to survive.

MZilliox

I would agree with this. its a shame, and will change when the fossil fuel boom collapses.

plumberroy

I will agree on the tech stuff kids today blow the kids of the same age from my time away. But at the same time they would be lost in my time . I grew up outside a small town in Appalachia the boys I hung around with at 12 years old were comfortable with a pocket knife could build a fire clean a fish or squirrel and cook it over a fire . And often on weekends summer and after school rode a bike or walked all over the place . I can not see today's parents letting a half dozen 12 years old boys take a tarp old army blankets boy scout canteens pocket knifes kitchen matches a couple of coffee cans and some fishing line and hooks and may be a couple of pellet guns and go 2 miles into the woods by themselves . We did it two or three times a summer . I don't see many 12 year old today that would have the desire, little lone the know how to do that .

Here is one thing I am positive of , I would never make it through school today !! I can not remember a time I did not carry a pocket knife . After about the 5 grade I was in a fight at least twice a month . By high school I averaged a fight a week . I never did homework and aced test and generally annoyed the hell out of most of my teachers . They were quick to point out I could graduate as a junior and not have to go my senior year


Even when I was taking collage courses for my apprenticeship I was called before the board on a couple occasions Mostly for absenteeism only thing that kept me out of trouble was a 4.0 G.P.A. they would claim I was missing too many classes. I would point out My O.J.T. reports were perfect (on the job training) I had a 4.0 in classroom and was running jobs as a second year apprentice . Maybe they needed to make the course more challenging. I could pass the journeyman's test with or with out them as soon as I had enough time .
Roy

Artkansas 

And we boomers were supposed to be bringing down civilization with our hippie LSD sex orgies and loud rock and roll music.

Roody

And long hair...the biggest sin of our generation was our hairdos. Get a job, hippie! Put some shoes on!

ka0use

schools say they have no money for that stuff. guess the powerpoint stuff has priority...

Stucky

We didn't even have a car

(What a blessing! It was great!)