Re: Eliminating competition: The Zeitgeist of the late 90's

["Norm" <normanmo@clark.net>]

On Sat, 25 Jul 1998 16:50:14 -0400 (EDT), Doug Masson wrote:

>A very thoughtful piece and one which I look forward to mulling over.
>However, I have one immediate problem with the above paragraph. The baby
>boom generation IS government. And it is their bankrupt philosophies which
>have magnified the problems created in large part by their parents. Now it
>is up to us whippersnappers to try to iron out the messes being left to us
>(financial, environmental, educational, and otherwise) so that we can
>leave a fresh batch of messiness for our children. Furthermore, I believe
>that the second Gilded Age has already dawned and is now somewhere near
>high noon. Hopefully youngsters such as myself can shut her down and
>create something that will not be labeled as "The Second" anything (while
>still being, of course, just as wide open to the criticism of our
>successors). Far from being distrustful of government, as far as I can
>see, the boomer president Bill Clinton and the rest of the boomers he
>brought into office with him have been the least helpful to civil
>liberties and individual rights in recent memory. (Think CALEA, CDA, WIPO,
>smart cards, and Clipper). So becareful about characterizing boomers as
>distrustful of government; from this nonboomer's perspective the
>generation before me has embraced government wholeheartedly all in the
>name of short term profits and "security". And, for the record, it always
>amazes me how willing individuals of any generation have been to leap into
>a cage in the name of "being safe". I suppose I've ranted enough.


     I wouldn't be too quick to paint an entire generation with such a
broad brush.  I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of the
members of this list (myself included) could be characterized as
"boomers".  Besides the fact that you seem to be confusing a 'subclass'
with an entire 'generation' I'd be willing to bet that the majority of
the 'Clintonites' are much closer to YOUR age than they are mine.

     Ah...but that's okay, I can remember how much I hated being
lectured by 'older people' when I was your age.  However as I got older
I've found there is something much worse, and that's being lectured by
some naive kid without a clue who's never taken even one of their baby
steps in your shoes.  When you have a mortgage to pay and a few kids to
feed *THEN* you can tell us how terrible "being safe" is (albeit my bet
is that we'll need to make more room for YOU in the cage).  Of course I
guess we could have do a few things differently that would have made
security less important an issue...not have *ANY* kids.

     Now that I got *that* off my chest I will concede that age doesn't
give you all the answers (as a matter of fact it's more likely to leave
you with a greater number and more difficult questions than you had
before)...only that it does give you more experience to pull from in
your effort to come up with the best answers.  I don't mean to bust
your chops here but your blanket statement about 'boomers' is incorrect
and way out of line.  There are plenty of 'boomers' out there who work
hard and live their lives by a high moral code that don't deserve to be
painted in such a tainted light.  Believe me, although your opinions
may not change with age (although most of ours have) I guarantee your
perspective will.

--
 ...Cheers,

 ...Norm

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