Okay, this will be a long one.
How is this construct supposed to manifest itself??? Does this concept, as your new reality, already exists? - if so, where? How will centralized power be disbursed?
As you can tell, I have not explicitly described every aspect of how this should develop. It would probably take a book to describe how the social, political, and economic aspects of life would be affected in both the "white" and non-white communities throughout the country.
This new model will not reflect baby boomer lifestyles of the 60s (drug use/sexual revolution), the 70s ("Me" generation/women's liberation), the 80s (crack/AIDS/yuppie generation/more drug use), or the 90s (McMansions/mini-malls/Mercedes), or today (terror/war/Surveillance society).
Baby boomers were irresponsible, reckless, and selfish at every stage of their lives. They were never willing to make the sacrifices necessary to improve the country.
Crumbling rail network, schools, energy infrastructure, with bloated government and military.
They didn't want to give up their drugs, their fancy homes, their gas guzzling cars, their big paychecks, their comfortable lifestyles for future generations.
Instead, I see a society moving toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
Instead of cul-de-sacs, there will be grids.
Instead of mini-malls, there will be corner stores.
Instead of gas guzzlers, there will be gas sippers.
Instead of surveillance of the people, there will be surveillance of the government.
Instead of the throw-away society, there will be the reusable society.
Instead of "me first" and the profit motive, there will be mutually beneficial trade and the charity prerogative.
Instead of chasing paper, people will chase production.
Seriously, are you just talking out of your ass?
Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it won't happen.
I don't know
Give specific examples please. Assume, as is really the case, I know nothing. Show me that you know what you're talking about.
You are already seeing car companies moving away from the trucks, SUVs, and Hummers to build more fuel efficient vehicles to meet an energy-deprived reality.
You see it as this unending building is leading people back toward the cities and away from the far flung suburbs with its energy wasting high ceilings, subdivisions, and huge footprints.
The cities that suffer the most are the ones with the newest building, because it never should have occurred in the first place, if not for typical baby boomer greed.
You see it as people are starting to abandon the brand-conscious, latest-and-greatest lifestyle.
From the sexual revolution, to women's lib, to yuppies, to bling-bling, it was all self-indulgent BS that baby boomers pushed.
Thats what I thought. YOu have some "class" issues going on. Its quite evident from some things you say that you have some kind of hope that there will one day be a dictatorship of the proletariat (working class) -- that is, one day the working class will rise up and rule over the the political, business and military classes. Karl Marx's theory has never come to past and never will, see: China, Russia, Cuba, etc., etc., ad infinitum.
i don't know how you jumped to this conclusion.
I suspect this "Babyboomer" thing too is another of your manifestations with "Class." You've been careful not to define it (babyboomers), but I've noticed who you have included in it: presidents (Clinton, Bush and Obama); and, by insinuation, anyone else who presently make decisions, at the top (who because of their age are likely to be a part of the so-called baby boomer generation). In other words, your Baby Boomer theory is merely a Class argument wrapped in baby diapers which you should know, are typically full of shit.
QueEx
Of course, it's a class issue. The baby boomers have made it clear it's their way or the highway. They don't want to sacrifice for the future. They don't want to help the younger generations prepare for leadership. They don't want to listen or consider any opinion that doesn't fit their outdated worldview.
It is a self-indulgent perspective that has been coddled and tolerated their whole lives.
The children of the Depression (1926-1944) were overshadowed by the greatest generation (1907-1925) and squeezed by the baby boomers (1945-1964).
So the Greatest/Depression generations indulged/spoiled the baby boomers. And, this is what you get. Baby boomers who are selfish/stubborn/party people who think the world revolves around them.
The computer/digital generation (1965-1983) looked at the baby boomers with admiration until they started realizing they were complete f**k-ups in politics and leadership (I'll admit, they did great in computers - Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Bill Joy, etc.).
The Internet generation (1984-2002) will continue the trend toward a more cooperative world since they will bear the brunt of the irresponsibility of the baby boomers.
So, I say it is more about generations than about class (since class operates within a generation).
If you think that presidents before 1993 were more respected because you thought thye were better than you, that simply means that "YOU" have or you are starting to grow-the-fuck-up. It implies that you are either young and/or naive.
Its not uncommon to look up with a certain reverence towards those older and in positions of authority. Once, however, you mature and begin to reach the age where it is or is beginning to be "Your Time", you see that those you once thought were icons, weren't quite as tall as you imagined; were not quite as smart as you thought; and that they are more human, than you had given them credit for being. It is about that time that one begins to rebel against the status quo. Its about that time that one begins to feel that he knows as much about whatever as anyone else. Congratulations, Grasshopper. You're arriving.
Please know, that when Nixon was president, that s.o.b. was detested about as much as anyone you've known. That bumbling as Gerald Ford was a joke; Jimmy Carter was detested by half the nation, especially for allowing Iran to keep and hold hostages until it brought his presidency down to a screeching halt; and that JFK was cool, but a whore; . . . do you get the point ???
You don't think there were people during JFK's administration who saw him as a playboy whom they could be out drinking with ???
I agree with all of this, but no one claimed any of these guys were dummys. The baby boomer Bush broke that tradition. Clinton looked like he couldn't control his own White House with that "I did not have sex with that woman" moment.
As much as those other Presidents were derided/detested/mocked, there was still a certain level of respect for the office and belief in the government.
That's gone now.
If you judge every man/woman by his/her mistakes, its is likely that none of us will be worthy, you included. I'm not supportive of anything that you accuse these people of being or doing; I am saying, however, if you live in a glass house, don't throw no stones.
If my parents raised me right, without womanizing, without drug use, with a serious mind and careful demeanor, why can't I expect that from the holder of the highest office in the land????
If this is what the baby boomers are offering, I can't respect their judgement.
You haven't defined "Babyboom" but as I understand it, it generally refers to those born post WWII between 1946 and 1964 and refers to both Black, whites and non-whites.
So, to say it was a "whites thing" is grossly incorrect.
You say I have a we-are-the-world mentality. Where is this black, white, non-white, together as one argument coming?
It's this kind of mentality that has devastated, destroyed, and neglected our communities. I am not white and do not identify with them. To say my interests and their interests are the same speaks to the self-indulgence many non-whites (born during the "whites" baby boom) have in wanting to identify with them rather than making their own way.
Hangers-on and groupies of the "white" agenda.
And, to say that it was a lost generation is a clear demonstration that you have no fucking idea of which you speak. If I need to search down some states let me know, but I feel confident that your pioneering business people, professionals (doctors, lawyers, etc.,), teachers and all those others than I regret I am omitting -- were babyboomers. AND, it is off their backs, mind you, off of their sweat and tears that we get many Black Americans today who, fortunately, have never had to deal with the harder part of the struggle that preceded them.
Lost generation??? Hardly. You need to get your facts straight. No, you need to "get you some facts."
<font size="3"><s>Are</s> <u>IS</u> you crazy ???</font size>
First, let me define my term. "Whites" are from the baby boomer generation, while non-whites are from the "lost generation."
It's ego stroking when you say you are a trailblazer and then block the path.
I don't know where you live, but in my city, this "lost generation" abandoned the cities, abandoned the local banks, abandoned the schools, and abandoned those left behind.
Why? Because they were the "first" to get a good job in a "white" company. They were the "first" to get a good position in government. They were the "first" to get recognized by the "white" establishment. So, why do they need to be with non-whites. They have "arrived" and "made it" and can be the "token" or "two-fer" on the "whites" plantation.
Believe me, this "lost generation" didn't do anyone any favors but themselves. They didn't stop the crack epidemic. They didn't prevent the gang problem. They want to ignore this ridiculous incarceration rate. They didn't care about all the non-white businesses dying.
Why? Because it's a post-racial society. Skin color doesn't matter anymore. We are as good as the honkeys. Well, the "lost generation" can believe this BS, but many in the next generation do not.
Do you realize the people that you are omitting ??? Do you ???
I would name some of them; but, obviously, you need to first take off your blinders, as they are all around you.
Name some. Tell me who these great thinkers and leaders are who have been invisible in my community and on the national stage. Name me uncompromising, strong leaders of the community, whether business, politics, or academic. No plantation workers, please.
I see this "lost generation" all the time in my city, running the schools into the ground, sitting in their ivory towers, pushing paper (but not producing a DAMN thing), kissing white boy ass and apologizing for them every chance they get, driving their fancy cars, living in their suburban homes with the honkeys, and acting like the city is somehow beneath them.
You have issues bro. Issues.
Yes I do. It's good you can see that.
There are no people in my family from this "lost generation" so it gives me an outside view of them. Either too old or too young. I look at these other generations and see how weak and ineffectual the "lost generation" is.
It's kind of sad so I don't blame them. They simply tried an approach that didn't work. They couldn't create their own identity so they attached themselves to baby boomers (the whites). The baby boomers dominated so much of society for so long, it was hard to make their own way with that kind of influence affecting them.
Nevertheless, please be advised that: (1) not everyone can or should own a business; (2) that it is OK to get an education and get a good job -- thats America, not white, Its America. Its why not only African Americans do it; its the reason why people come from all over the globe, including Africa, to do it -- its part of the American Dream; (3) We own more businesses than YOU give us credit for; I'm just one of them (how else would I find the time to bullshit with you?; and NO, we have not achieved the number of business owners that we'd like -- and a lot of that has been because of systemic reasons. But some of that is because some of us have not made the preparation or the effort.
I wouldn't be too proud of this system the baby boomers have created in the United States. Those people who wanted to come here for so long could very easily stop once they see how f***ed up the country is.
And, you say we own businesses. But what kinds? Do we own the local pharmacy? Do we own the local market? Do we produce energy or textiles? Do we own farms and factories?
All these service-oriented, paper-pushing, government-dependent so-called businesses are a sign of failure to my eyes. They are just an extension of complete dependence that typifies the attitude of the "lost generation" to depend on the "baby boomers" rather than be independent.
Instead of patting themselves on the back for how much they "accomplished" with whites, they should be ashamed.
Or, better yet, humble.
But humility is hard to find.
Moreover, Mr. Young Revolutionary without a damn cause, its okay to move any fucking where in this country you feel the got damn urge to move, provided you have the means to do so. Of course, always look back from whence you've come and extend a hand everyway that you can. But its OKAY to be successful. Its fucking permissible to be successful. AND its NOT white to be successful, its "Right" to be "Successful."
So moving anywhere you want (e.g. living with whitey) is a sign of "success" to you? To me, that's the trick the baby boomers pulled on the "lost generation" to get them to abandon autonomy for acceptance/integration.
It is a trick they use with poor countries and their best talent. You take all the doctors, engineers, researchers out of a poor country and you cripple it indefinitely. The "lost generation" fell for this trick the "baby boomers" pulled.
And, what is this revolutionary stuff. That sounds like a 60s/70s mentality. It is thinking I believe best left in the past. We are way beyond that now.
Trust me; I hope the NextGen exceeds the current one by leaps and bounds (its what my parents insisted upon; its what their parents insisted upon; and its what I insist upon with my kids, as well). I want to tell you something, however, that a major part of the next generation is, NOW. And from what I have seen of parts of it, you're going to hate it worse than you do the so-called baby boomers -- because they feel even less connection with a lot of our past (and, perhaps, understandably so); and they are more apt to do all of the things that you accused the baby boomers of doing, and more.
All they need is a common enemy. Once the yonger generations realize how much the baby boomers screwed everyone over, you'll be surprised how quick the response is.
The kids are being trained (whether they know it or not) to despise everything the baby boomers represent. When they get the chance to make the rules, the country will be permanently changed, and I HOPE for a better, more sustainable future.
Why are you so angry ???
QueEx
Because the baby boomers are avoiding responsibility for their f***-ups, yet again! These A**HOLES always want to have fun and party but leave everyone else (other generations) paying the bill!
Just trying to interject thought-provoking dialog. Of course, both of you have valid points! Many of us are angry, I just wanna take my energy and use it to promote unity & positive solutions.
