Look I'm 69. I'm a gen-nothing, smack from the middle of the Boomers. Our front end is dying at a rapid clip, and we remainders are pissed off beyond all reality. Our world was destroyed by a drooling cretin.
That said, trying to 'return' to what the hell ever was before is no bueno. It's not possible for two reasons: 1) Short-run history is a ratchet. No backsies allowed. The world was different after WWII, and after every other upheaval in history. Ignore that shit, not happening. 2) What was 'there' back then wasn't even there. It took me a chunk of a lifetime to *slowly* realize that my black-and-white Leave It To Beaver childhood was a bubble. It wasn't real. It was a carefully constructed playground, safe and nurturing, created by our Greatest Generation parents because they did NOT want us to experience the fear and horror that they did.
So, onward through the fog. On to something new. What? Fuck if I know. But trying to 'reach' the Z's, or anybody else, and convert them into getting behind the illusions of the past is a self-defeating fool's errand. Cozy two-party system? Huh, had a good run. A new quasi-democratic republic where the franchise is conditional? Yeah, okay, tell me more. Parliamentary system of governance?
Absolutely not! Such radical ideas have no place in these United States Of America!! Why, you might as well say we could be taken over by Nazis! More than two parties is *absolutely* impossible, the country would never allow it. /s
Thank You Lisa for the good article! I am a Baby Boomer! We need to figure out a plan for those young people! Especially to welcome them aboard! I’m talking about voting for democracy and against authoritarianism! We need a, plan to help this along!
Let's begin with that now and in the past, none of this is about "generations," at all. It's about lies and distorted history. We need a social welfare system that makes life livable for us-- all of us-- and we don't have one because we don't acknowledge our racist, eugenic history and here we are. Gen Zer's may see all this clearly and so? The Oligarchs keep grooving on unabated, as they always have even when we vote and vote and vote and economic neccessity-- as I've seen with my sons-- trumps (ironic now, no?) all and always has . . . all that said, the old crows need to go and have needed to go since yesterday . . . for example, the mayoral race in NYC--argh!
The Democratic leadership hasn’t done anything to demonstrate opposition leadership to the Trump Dumpshow, let alone have strong policies for reform where reform is needed, so it comes as no surprise that they see the Democratic Party as inept and weak.
Echoing Reagan’s words to Gorbachev WE the People have had enough with Cheeto’s government carnage and blatant disregard for rules because they seemingly don’t apply to him This calls for a French Revolution which led to the beheading of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette but this time 21st century style with the political beheading of Cheeto, Just Dance Vance, and all sycophants
After that there needs to be political exigency with legislative militancy 1 The failied coup by the US billionaires needs to punitive The wealth gap needs to be closed by tax gap legislation simplifying the tax code so the wealthy class pays 50% tax 2 The illegimate SCOTUS needs to be expanded to 13 justices 3 Cheeto’s edifice to himself ballroom needs to be partially demolished to 50% (45,000 sq ft) and named the People’s Ballroom 4 Put the country on gold standard and join BRICS 5 Codify Roe v Wade 5 Strong Immigration Reform Bill and discontinue ICE 6 Voting rights protection with a stop to gerrymandering 7 Legislation to limit Executive Branch with penalties for abuse
As was seen in 18th France WE the People hold the power and our anger should be displayed with a rapid legislative agenda to decapitate the MAGA movement and begin rebuilding our government by and for the People
I think of history as a brew of the social conditions at any given time. Some participants have a better grasp of the threads of what is happening on the ground than others, but the detailed assignment of “who knew” always happens after the fact. All of us, regardless of age, are in this together. We all have a personal world view formed up to the given moment by circumstance and choice, and by what is projected by different agents around us on social media, popular entertainments, the news, etc.. I prefer not to be pigeon hole based on my generation, granted I could also be pigeon holed based on income, education, job history, race, places I have lived, etc.. I bring my kit to the fight and have been trying to use it to best effect. I can do no more than that.
Ok that's fine--we can all agree to move forward. If 70% of the folks not wearing tinfoil hats can agree on a way to reduce the oligarchy, hyper-capitalism, environmental degradation, effect of big money on politics, and values that don't serve everyone's best interests, then let's head that direction!
My friend has a gen z son Who is not voting at all in Prop 50 calls it partisan ship. I m stunned. They live in a state where they have a decent government. My thoughts are confirmed Gen Z wants this perfect candidate.a person who cant be human and grow into the role of president. I lived under 3 GQP presidents and 2 Dems honestly I learned the presidency reveals who are inside.
This resonated with me. My Gen Z son is now a visa-holding resident in Switzerland, and plans to build a life there with his fiancé. The chaos of our politics, the deadlock, the cruelty, the economic uncertainty, are all factors in his decision, which I respect entirely. Top of mind for him is quality of life for his children. He grew up in Massachusetts (currently the top state in the US re: educational outcomes) but he sees a far better system in Europe. He definitely sees a better system in nationalized Healthcare in Switzerland. I hope he will continue to be a US citizen politically, but we have to fix the mess we made. We can't ask our children to be "patient" while they have no opportunity to build generational wealth.
eye opening and thoughtful...I see my grandchildren differently.... what we & the world has "given" them since the '90's... Thank you... I have work to do
My seventeen-year old granddaughter is more politically savvy than most adults i know. She is quicker to pick up on information from various media and has the skillls to spot AI and simple lies rapidly and accurately. She is often ahead of me in understanding situations even if her geography is a little shakey Sadly, she sees exactly the kind of world she is entering, and how difficult the struggle will be. We all need to listen to each other, as Maxine Hunter advises.
Very thought-provoking article. Looking at the world through the lens of a Gen Z-er is hard. Well, each generation has its own battle, but key for me is how we all connect generationally. How we value each other's judgement, etc. For example, what I heard from the Harris campaign was not same old, same old--but lots heard something different. I often think that putting generations in "boxes" of Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, to Gen Z and whatever the next box will be, is not helpful. NOW is the challenge. We are in this together. Need to Stop, Look and Listen to each other. That is the challenge of all our times. Again, very thought-provoking. Thanks, Lisa, for all you do.
Look I'm 69. I'm a gen-nothing, smack from the middle of the Boomers. Our front end is dying at a rapid clip, and we remainders are pissed off beyond all reality. Our world was destroyed by a drooling cretin.
That said, trying to 'return' to what the hell ever was before is no bueno. It's not possible for two reasons: 1) Short-run history is a ratchet. No backsies allowed. The world was different after WWII, and after every other upheaval in history. Ignore that shit, not happening. 2) What was 'there' back then wasn't even there. It took me a chunk of a lifetime to *slowly* realize that my black-and-white Leave It To Beaver childhood was a bubble. It wasn't real. It was a carefully constructed playground, safe and nurturing, created by our Greatest Generation parents because they did NOT want us to experience the fear and horror that they did.
So, onward through the fog. On to something new. What? Fuck if I know. But trying to 'reach' the Z's, or anybody else, and convert them into getting behind the illusions of the past is a self-defeating fool's errand. Cozy two-party system? Huh, had a good run. A new quasi-democratic republic where the franchise is conditional? Yeah, okay, tell me more. Parliamentary system of governance?
Absolutely not! Such radical ideas have no place in these United States Of America!! Why, you might as well say we could be taken over by Nazis! More than two parties is *absolutely* impossible, the country would never allow it. /s
Thank You Lisa for the good article! I am a Baby Boomer! We need to figure out a plan for those young people! Especially to welcome them aboard! I’m talking about voting for democracy and against authoritarianism! We need a, plan to help this along!
Let's begin with that now and in the past, none of this is about "generations," at all. It's about lies and distorted history. We need a social welfare system that makes life livable for us-- all of us-- and we don't have one because we don't acknowledge our racist, eugenic history and here we are. Gen Zer's may see all this clearly and so? The Oligarchs keep grooving on unabated, as they always have even when we vote and vote and vote and economic neccessity-- as I've seen with my sons-- trumps (ironic now, no?) all and always has . . . all that said, the old crows need to go and have needed to go since yesterday . . . for example, the mayoral race in NYC--argh!
The Democratic leadership hasn’t done anything to demonstrate opposition leadership to the Trump Dumpshow, let alone have strong policies for reform where reform is needed, so it comes as no surprise that they see the Democratic Party as inept and weak.
“Mr Cheeto, Tear Down This Ballroom!”
Echoing Reagan’s words to Gorbachev WE the People have had enough with Cheeto’s government carnage and blatant disregard for rules because they seemingly don’t apply to him This calls for a French Revolution which led to the beheading of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette but this time 21st century style with the political beheading of Cheeto, Just Dance Vance, and all sycophants
After that there needs to be political exigency with legislative militancy 1 The failied coup by the US billionaires needs to punitive The wealth gap needs to be closed by tax gap legislation simplifying the tax code so the wealthy class pays 50% tax 2 The illegimate SCOTUS needs to be expanded to 13 justices 3 Cheeto’s edifice to himself ballroom needs to be partially demolished to 50% (45,000 sq ft) and named the People’s Ballroom 4 Put the country on gold standard and join BRICS 5 Codify Roe v Wade 5 Strong Immigration Reform Bill and discontinue ICE 6 Voting rights protection with a stop to gerrymandering 7 Legislation to limit Executive Branch with penalties for abuse
As was seen in 18th France WE the People hold the power and our anger should be displayed with a rapid legislative agenda to decapitate the MAGA movement and begin rebuilding our government by and for the People
I think of history as a brew of the social conditions at any given time. Some participants have a better grasp of the threads of what is happening on the ground than others, but the detailed assignment of “who knew” always happens after the fact. All of us, regardless of age, are in this together. We all have a personal world view formed up to the given moment by circumstance and choice, and by what is projected by different agents around us on social media, popular entertainments, the news, etc.. I prefer not to be pigeon hole based on my generation, granted I could also be pigeon holed based on income, education, job history, race, places I have lived, etc.. I bring my kit to the fight and have been trying to use it to best effect. I can do no more than that.
Ok that's fine--we can all agree to move forward. If 70% of the folks not wearing tinfoil hats can agree on a way to reduce the oligarchy, hyper-capitalism, environmental degradation, effect of big money on politics, and values that don't serve everyone's best interests, then let's head that direction!
My friend has a gen z son Who is not voting at all in Prop 50 calls it partisan ship. I m stunned. They live in a state where they have a decent government. My thoughts are confirmed Gen Z wants this perfect candidate.a person who cant be human and grow into the role of president. I lived under 3 GQP presidents and 2 Dems honestly I learned the presidency reveals who are inside.
This resonated with me. My Gen Z son is now a visa-holding resident in Switzerland, and plans to build a life there with his fiancé. The chaos of our politics, the deadlock, the cruelty, the economic uncertainty, are all factors in his decision, which I respect entirely. Top of mind for him is quality of life for his children. He grew up in Massachusetts (currently the top state in the US re: educational outcomes) but he sees a far better system in Europe. He definitely sees a better system in nationalized Healthcare in Switzerland. I hope he will continue to be a US citizen politically, but we have to fix the mess we made. We can't ask our children to be "patient" while they have no opportunity to build generational wealth.
eye opening and thoughtful...I see my grandchildren differently.... what we & the world has "given" them since the '90's... Thank you... I have work to do
My seventeen-year old granddaughter is more politically savvy than most adults i know. She is quicker to pick up on information from various media and has the skillls to spot AI and simple lies rapidly and accurately. She is often ahead of me in understanding situations even if her geography is a little shakey Sadly, she sees exactly the kind of world she is entering, and how difficult the struggle will be. We all need to listen to each other, as Maxine Hunter advises.
Very thought-provoking article. Looking at the world through the lens of a Gen Z-er is hard. Well, each generation has its own battle, but key for me is how we all connect generationally. How we value each other's judgement, etc. For example, what I heard from the Harris campaign was not same old, same old--but lots heard something different. I often think that putting generations in "boxes" of Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, to Gen Z and whatever the next box will be, is not helpful. NOW is the challenge. We are in this together. Need to Stop, Look and Listen to each other. That is the challenge of all our times. Again, very thought-provoking. Thanks, Lisa, for all you do.