I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
-Whitney Houston - Greatest Love of All
We all see the kids shooting up kids and schools and the gangster types on the news all the time . . . but are they really a representation of the kids?
The only "surge" worth a damn this year is the surge in young, idealistic voters who feel a genuine passion and a renewed interest in the political process. Surely this is partly due to the idealism of the Kennedy-like Barack Obama . . . but also due to the criminal, corrupt, ethics-free GOP that has hijacked our Nation, trampled our rights, poured our treasure in terms of both lives and money into the pockets of war profiteers and sneered at us while it picked the pockets of future generations.
But what WILL our future hold? Well . . . the future IS the youth. But each generation considers the next to be a type of youth. If you weren't alive before Kennedy was shot by the mafia from the grassy knoll before communist agents secretly implicated Lee Harvey Oswald and shut him up using Ruby . . . well . . . you're a kid. Using Wikipedia for a generic description . . . let me define some terms in common use:
Baby Boomers:
- Baby Boomer cohort #1 (born from 1946 to 1954)
- Memorable events: assassinations of JFK, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, political unrest, walk on the moon, Vietnam War, anti-war protests, social experimentation, sexual freedom, civil rights movement, environmental movement, women's movement, protests and riots, experimentation with various intoxicating recreational substances
- Key characteristics: experimental, individualism, free spirited, social cause oriented
- Baby Boomer cohort #2 (born from 1955 to 1964)
- Memorable events: Watergate, Nixon resigns, the Cold War, the oil embargo, raging inflation, gasoline shortages
- Key characteristics: less optimistic, distrust of government, general cynicism
Generation X (Generally born in the 65 to 81)
- Disaffectation with governance, a lack of trust in leadership, particularly institutional leadership
- Rampant political apathy
- Increase in divorce (institution of marriage)
- Increase in mothers in the workplace
- The zero population growth movement
- Availability of birth control pills ("Children were things you took pills NOT to have")
- "Devil-child films"
- Increase in educational variance
- Decrease in educational funding and loan availability (simultaneous with increase in advertising for military service)
- Inception of the Internet
- The end of the Cold War
Generation Y (Also called Millenium Generation and Echo Boomers)
Still too young to have forged a rep or a name, Business Week mentions they are " 60 million strong, more than three times the size of Generation X, they're the biggest thing to hit the American scene since the 72 million baby boomers." (I think Business week is interested in . . . customers)!
It's the last Generation . . . The Milleniums . . . that I think we're seeing get involved. And it does my heart proud that having seen the Vietnam War protests finally allow the US a victory by withdrawing us from that spectacle (after 60,000 casualties - we were THAT close to victory too) . . . we now see a new generation picking up the gauntlet and insisting on Peace. Not like the Peace activists did in 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, but legally, and with an inherent faith in the system to be able to reflect change.
THAT'S what this country has as a great strength. We can agree or disagree . . . but we can find peaceful resolution. Some of us have become bitter at the criminality and corruption we see in this current administration. But this surge in the political activity of our youngest is concerned with hope and the future. They either have not seen or have not been overly concerned with the same issues older, more mature people have. People my age see unprecedented corruption. Younger people cannot guage this extreme from their personal experience. They see the issues and resolve to vote them out.
NOW we must consider one serious "What if . . . "
What if . . . the candidate of their choice is not elected? I think, if they see the election as fair, then they will be more motivated and involved. However, if they feel their candidate should have won, but did not because of Super-Delegates and maneuvering . . . they may very well feel they have been 'cheated' by the system. Some of the people with whom I have discussed this venture add that the Democratic Party may very well lose this valuable block of voters for as long as two decades. While I don't think idealism can sit on its hands for two decades . . . I know personally that they can be VERY motivated. We may, for example, see a HUGE growth in the Independent Party. Older people can always out-maneuver younger people. Sometimes, however, it's just not worth it.
Your thoughts? Will the political activism of today's younger people continue after the sneering little Weasle-in-Chief finally loses the office he took? Will they continue if they feel slighted? They hold the future because they ARE the future. While the ubiquitous political curmudgeons may have the power to manipulate this idealism . . . should they do it? Or is this something similar to a comment that I made to a Dear friend, Lainie, about philosophy being for the old. Is this a glimpse at idealism changing to realism over time . . . before my eyes . . . yet again? If I'm getting older, why does my heart always seem to side with the idealists? How old does one need to be before they finally don the jaded eyes of a realist?
Here's to the newest voters! May they stay true to their ideals for a long time. And damn any person that might change them from their idealism. The World has enough 'F'ing realism. And here's to the Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who haven't killed them off! The ones who lived it and became realists as well as the ones that cling to that fragile idealism . . . I'm an idealistic Baby Boomer . . . one of the last of a dying breed. Most of my ilk have grown up, matured and become realistic.
I believe the children are our future. Nicely said Whitney.
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 146
I think, if they see the election as fair, then they will be more motivated and involved. However, if they feel their candidate should have won, but did not because of Super-Delegates and maneuvering . . . they may very well feel they have been 'cheated' by the system.
I agree.
I don't think idealism can sit on its hands for two decades . . .
I agree.
Will the political activism of today's younger people continue after the sneering little Weasle-in-Chief finally loses the office he took? Will they continue if they feel slighted?
I think it will continue after Bush is done. ESPECIALLY if our choice is the new president. We will feel like we had a direct hand in changing the path of our country. We will feel that we were involved and that our vote helped create a better country and future.
If we feel slighted, there are two choices. Either resign our hopes and chalk up our efforts to a failed system that will never change (NIPPY)... OR, we will come back and fight against the system even stronger next time. I think that we've tasted a bit of change and as long as we can savor that morsel, we will be inclined to work for the full order.
While the ubiquitous political curmudgeons may have the power to manipulate this idealism . . . should they do it?
I'm not sure I totally agree with this statement. I see it more as "should the idealists allow themselves to be manipulated?" In the end, I'm the one that has to wade through all the curmudgeon's crap and decide what I want to believe. I have been given reason to believe and I choose to stick with that reason to believe over any mud being slung. I refuse to allow the curmudgeons to sway my thinking. But... I will continue to speak my opinion on the matters at hand and stand up for what I believe in. (I choose not to let them sway me.)
Is this a glimpse at idealism changing to realism over time . . . before my eyes . . . yet again?
I get the impression you think this is a bad thing..... What if the idealists can out-maneuver the curmudgeons and what was accepted as the realists this time and our idealistic ideas and candidate become the reality. Is that bad?
If I'm getting older, why does my heart always seem to side with the idealists? How old does one need to be before they finally don the jaded eyes of a realist?
I don't think it has any more to do with age than being philosophical does. I think you side with the idealists because you allow yourself to hope for change. You haven't become jaded because you see things like the MILLIONS of young people that are getting involved and you see the possibility that offers the future. You find hope in things like that rather than seeing the lack of hope when yet another bucket of mud is flung at a candidate. I don't think you'll ever "don the jaded eyes of a realist." You'll see the reality of the situation but you will always cling to your idealistic side. (Me too. That's why our group is called the "Ideal-Realists.")
Bret W., Mar 21, 2008, 12:42pm EDT
Puh-leeeeez, Bret.
Ya know where we got that "entitlement syndrome"??? From our freakin' parents who gave us everything instead of making us work for it.
Not all of us are like that, either. So, please, quit generalizing and take a minute to get to know the other side.....
Try getting someone other than you (or whoever) to interview them. Clearly you're not nearly selective enough if you can wantonly discard an entire generation with such a sweeping comment.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
...and pants with teeth (*Shudder*)
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
But I think the financial crisis and impending recession will play a bigger role in developments over the next few years than any political manouvreings.
the trend keeps up, Doyle, but SHOWING the next gheneration how to debate without animosity? Can WE do that?
You neglect a third option which did in fact get discussed during the 60s . . . fighting the system from 'outside' the system. I'm assuming you meant fighting it from inside the system. I suspect the passion elicited by this young, enthusiastic group might very well have some people who feel that a system that is predisposed to eliminate their ability to effect change might begin to look at those possibilities as well (eg. the 1968 Chicago 7).
"I'm not sure I totally agree with this statement. "
You're cute.
"What if the idealists can out-maneuver the curmudgeons and what was accepted as the realists this time and our idealistic ideas and candidate become the reality. Is that bad? "
No, of course not. But there is always another idealistic goal that has not been achieved. I do not like (but have seen) incidents in which a person seems to give up on those idealistic goals as somehow 'unattainable'. The "That would be great, BUT . . . " crowd. I was referencing the evolution of the idealogues and dreamers into the people who plod through life day to day resigned to life as it is and not as it could be.
"You'll see the reality of the situation but you will always cling to your idealistic side."
I can't imagine living life any other way. Sometimes birds of a feather DO flock together.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
We all see the kids shooting up kids and schools and the gangster types on the news all the time . . . but are they really a representation of the kids?
That line made me think of a show I've been watching on Cable called, "What makes us human". Last night it compared us to our distant cousins, the chimpanzee, showing how our brains have evolved. We learn from others by copying each other. At one point during the show a study was conducted on people who had to tell how many lines they saw on a card board. One person as the subject of the test among "actors" (people planted doing the research) The test subject saw two lines, but the actors kept saying there were three lines. Soon the test subject began to say there were three lines also. This proved that even against our own judgements, we chose to assimilate, and want to be like everyone else. This study further went on to explain why kids are killing kids. We have glamorized it. This reaches into our farthest history. Heros committed suicide, so it was honorable to do so. One kid starts a trend through a rage at his highschool. We give it tons of attention, trying to understand the kid, the other troubled kids see this and decide it's the "way" to get a message through, while confounding the adults. We created this. We can change it.
True enough Julie . . . and except in a few cases they should toss athletes out of the automatic role model roles. They're often niether role models nor heroes though they get called that a lot. Real role models would be VERY helpful! How about the 23 US Senators and 133 Members of the House who voted against this war . . . costing many of them their jobs?
"But I think the financial crisis and impending recession will play a bigger role in developments over the next few years than any political manouvreings. "
True enough my friend . . . but the response will certainly involve politics . . . and there are certainly (at least) two interests which will be fielding their responses: Corporate interests . . . and the interests of the people. In the response to the issues there is simply no way that there will not be maneuvering.
"...Doyle, but SHOWING the next gheneration how to debate without animosity? Can WE do that?"
I don't know, Penni, and that's something to consider. The attacks on the Bill Clinton and particularly those on John Kerry were much more intense and vitriolic than the mild slights being considered 'attacks' in this race. Additionally, all three candidates have disciplined or removed people they thought crossed the line. I think it bodes well for us that politicians seem to be under the impression that intense attacks are looked on poorly by the public. During the election season we see the one time we can count on them listening to us.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
I bet. I get asked about my positions by more than a few people and the great thing about that, to me, is that it shows an interest and a sense of responsibility. It also means she respects your opinion. :)
"We created this. We can change it. "
Interesting points Debra. The media makes the show and the spectacle . . . and has been considerably consolidated. Since, realistically, we have no control of the media . . . how can we change it?
Karie Anne . . . I like that word, ennui, too! Like you, this election cycle has given me some serious hope for the next generation.
"I am all for young voters as long as they take the time to educate themselves and not vote based on a trend. "
I agree about that for voters of ALL ages. I see it much more among the anti-Clinton crowd. When asked why he opposed Clinton, a Senior member of my wife's firm told her "She's evil". When asked how . . . he stammered and repeated it. I don't mind people being for or against anyone . . . but I like to think they have an actual reason . . . and not just because of 'feelings'.
Good boy Jim! :P
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
What I am really learning is how differently people of different age groups view things. Here at Gather a lot of the older people are just looking out for themselves so to speak. I think they are more ideological than younger people they see things along party lines. They factor in race and religion a lot more than younger people too. They pretend to know a lot based on past elections cycle. Yet, often times, they ignore history, taking into account America's diversity (they really grew up in a less diverse America).
The reality is if you ask random Hillary supporters what Bill she sponsored they would not know at a 90% rate. People don't know what bills senator sponsor until election time. I took the time to look, but if I didn't does not mean I did not watch the debates, listen to the candidates and make a judgment on them. If you trust them to give them a weapon and fight for your freedom, you have to be willing to live with the way they vote.
Interesting points Debra. The media makes the show and the spectacle . . . and has been considerably consolidated. Since, realistically, we have no control of the media . . . how can we change it?
Through rebellion!
In the era of 24 hours news, edited lies all over you tube, spinned media released from campaigns 4 times a day, who do you trust? Your gut feeling!
In the general you can compare higher taxes vs. lower taxes, exit Iraq vs. stay, go over abortion, gay marriage and all that. In the primary you can't. Many candidates (for each party) have similar positions. Then you have all this stuff being thrown at you, you do your research and find conflicting things, then what?
Your gut feeling!
Feelings count!
That is VERY true. I believe feelings count - ESPECIALLY when paired with some content knowledge. If you base your feelings on stereotypes or generalizations or what you overhear on the latest sound byte, I'd say that your 'feeling' may be unfounded. But... When you take the time to educate yourself PAIRED with the feeling, you cannot disagree.
And, I think that is what a lot of Idealists rely on. The feeling that they have that things can change. The feeling that status quo isn't good enough for us anymore. The feeling that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
Good point.
I would venture to say 'Only' when paired with some content knowledge. Unless you're a psychic . . . but then . . . you'd have the knowledge that you were psychic.
Otherwise the 'feeling' method would be on a par with the pick 'em based on how their name sounds policy. :)
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Linda G., Mar 21, 2008, 1:46pm EDT
Linda, like Doyle said, this is true of EVERY age group.
As part of the Gen Y group, I feel like we get this label/lecture more than any other age group. Maybe part of it is the stereotype that Bret mentioned - the "entitlement syndrome" that walks hand in hand with laziness. And, a lot of us are lazy.... But... As lazy as we might be, we are equally as capable of being that passionate too.... And when we have that passion and intense interest, the rest of you generations should really watch out because we're far more capable than you give us credit for. Of course, there are exceptions to everything. : )
Just don't write us all off.... Or write us all off along with the rest of the generations too.
You realize what power you just gave me, Darling???? : )
Like some of the older baby-boomers, I thought the world would blow itself up before I reached thirty, but doomsday did not happen as I anticipated in my youth. The mere fact that I and the world are still here is evidence that the judgement of youth can be flawed and we owe our continued existence to older wiser heads that prevailed on both sides of the Cold War because many those old folks were just as afraid of the consequence of nuclear conflict as most of us were.
As with the racial and gender divides the generational gap is not to be solved by any one group following the other, we need to talk to each other an listen to what the other side has to say even if it seems we may end up still disagreeing.
I have no doubt. :)
"You realize what power you just gave me, Darling???? : ) "
I KNEW you were going to say that! LoL!
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
This sounds like the same thing Obama had in his message. Obviously, race relations would never be something everyone agreed on . . . but unity of purpose and shared goals should allow for some conciliation . . . IF people would talk. :)
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Words of wisdom, Carol.... I could not agree more.
I was a young voter once. I'm a leading edge boomer, 1946. I've seen my ideals sold out by our leaders since I've been old enough to notice. Then I took history courses in school and discovered it had been going on for a while longer than that. :)
I have the same beliefs I had then. I lost my idealism a long time ago, probably during my short period of volunteer work for Gene McCarthy. That doesn't mean I can't get mad. I just don't expect people to behave themselves.
Thanks for your thoughtful article.
As an aging boomer I would agree with Lainie's observation that one's idealism can't be claimed by one generation or another. I also appreciate Carol LeHane's reminder that many of us really DID think "the world would blow itself up before we turned 30.
Part of Obama's appeal is that he is young. Whatever else one might think of John McCain, it is very difficult for me to imagine that his vision for the future would have much similarity to mine, even though I am closer to his generation than I am to Barack Obama.
And Doyle... that third option... I truly hope it doesn't come to that, but this country has a history of rebellion and civil disobedience. This is a fragile moment for our union.
Thanks for the article...good food for thought.
"that third option... I truly hope it doesn't come to that, but this country has a history of rebellion and civil disobedience. "
Isn't that the truth! :)
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
"Puh-leeeeez, Bret.
Ya know where we got that "entitlement syndrome"??? From our freakin' parents who gave us everything instead of making us work for it.
Lainie, when my company goes to college campuses we hear the most absurd reasons you can imagine. The "entitlement syndrome" is rampant. Most of it comes from college guidance counselors who infect students with a false sense of what the business world pays for their education. The schools themselves over-inflate the value of the educations they provide. That just makes it tougher for Fortune 100 companies like the one I work for, to get the needed talent.
Not all of us are like that, either. So, please, quit generalizing and take a minute to get to know the other side....."
I generalize when I'm speaking of a majority, not the entirety. I think that's pretty fair, and paints a very reasonable picture of what's going on. If I offend 1-2% of the new college graduate population, that's just the risk I take. Bummer.
Bret : "Try hiring a few of the new graduates. You'll get an education in "entitlement syndrome" that you won't soon forget. "
Doyle : Try getting someone other than you (or whoever) to interview them. Clearly you're not nearly selective enough if you can wantonly discard an entire generation with such a sweeping comment.
Doyle, its even worse than you think.
I'm the big mean multinational corporation that you Libs whisper fearfully about in muffled tones. You know, the ones "behind the scenes" that control Dick Cheney, secretly manipulate the CIA, and plan world coup-de-tats when we want someone's oil.
The funny thing is, you wild-eyed Leftists actually think that stuff exists.
LMAO!
Lemmee get this straight . . . you think we think the corporations control Cheney? You think we don't think the Cheney types control the corporations and move seamlessly from government (including CIA) positions to corporate positions and back again? You think you speak for or understand "Libs" yet you don't know the definition of a "Lib".
"The funny thing is, you wild-eyed Leftists actually think that stuff exists."
Wild-eyed, huh?
"LMAO!"
You keep inappropriately laughing your ass off and yet you keep coming back. I'm beginning to suspect there's no end to your ass. When you actually DO laugh it off . . . we probably wouldn't hear from you again. ( *sniff* )
Come on Brett McDonalds is one of those rich corporations. Do you serve fries? Wait a minute . . . they're on college campuses too . . . Hmmmm. :P
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
I thought we were able to make change happen - not much.
I figured my revenge would be to raise bright, well informed, responsible and socially conscious adults - bingo. At least I got something right.
Sometimes I feel like an old warhorse and a voice crying in the wilderness.
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child.
Sometimes I just feel like a pizza.
"Lemmee get this straight . . . you think we think the corporations control Cheney? You think we don't think the Cheney types control the corporations and move seamlessly from government (including CIA) positions to corporate positions and back again? You think you speak for or understand "Libs" yet you don't know the definition of a "Lib"."
I'm in "Lib Central" - downtown Chicago.
I have to step over you nimrod Lefties just to get into work every morning. You're always protesting near the Thompson Center, near where I work. There's no avoiding you creepy picketers. You're everywhere here.
Its cute that you think I don't know Libs............I'm completely surrounded by you guys. Its impossible NOT to know all about you.
"You keep inappropriately laughing your ass off and yet you keep coming back. I'm beginning to suspect there's no end to your ass. When you actually DO laugh it off . . . we probably wouldn't hear from you again."
Doyle, I laugh at Liberal naivete. Yours, for instance. Now you might have done lots of things in your life, but the things you say are just so darn kooky. I can only attribute it to Liberal mind-rot.
"Come on Brett McDonalds is one of those rich corporations. Do you serve fries? Wait a minute . . . they're on college campuses too . . . Hmmmm. :P"
Nope, not McDonalds..........
McDonalds is out in Oak Brook Terrace, IL. Just look on the bottom of your dinner tonight and you'll see.
I just said I was in downtown Chicago - MickeyD's isn't here.
Think Fortune 100. Think big. Think everywhere.
I work for one of those companies you Libs hate.
But we hire lots of starry-eyed new college graduates each year and turn them into corporate automatons that no longer picket and give their money to "Save the whales" and other silly, worthless Liberal causes................if we trained them well.
Thanks PONHROS . . . that split IS a concern . . . but I think there's no issue on that count for this election. It is the hope for future enthusiasm that I find myself concerned with.
"There's no avoiding you creepy picketers. You're everywhere here."
So I'm a creepy picketer? LoL! You know me less than I know you!
"Its impossible NOT to know all about you."
Hearing isn't the same as listening or knowing. You're proof of that.
"Doyle, I laugh at Liberal naivete. Yours, for instance."
A lot of people laugh at things they don't understand. I have no trouble believing you do a lot of laughing.
"I just said I was in downtown Chicago - MickeyD's isn't here."
Wow. No McDonalds in Chicago? Why do I doubt that? Where do people buy their fries?
"no longer picket and give their money to "Save the whales" and other silly, worthless Liberal causes"
How's that whale oil lamp?? Figures you'd be against saving whales too. Perfect.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
We live and work in the same city. We breathe the same air. We are surrounded by the same people... Yet, unfortunately for you, you can only see the "Lefties" or "Libs" or whatever other term you want to throw. You can only see what you want to see - you have put your blinders on and... For that, I'm sorry. For that, you will never find those 1-2% that are going to change the world. For that, you will never be able to see the majority for what they truly are. In order to see all of these, you have to look past your own stereotypes and prejudices.
And, Doyle... McDonald's Corporate headquarters is located in Oak Brook, not Downtown. But, there are plenty of McDonald's branches throughout downtown Chicago. : ) Bret is just trying to tell you that he actually works for a "Fortune 100" company headquarters.... Because apparently that makes his opinion more valuable than the majority of us that are in the trenches actually working to make things better rather than squandering the minds and passions of kids.... He's one of those curmudgeons that you mentioned... At least I won't let him sway me.
""There's no avoiding you creepy picketers. You're everywhere here."
So I'm a creepy picketer? LoL! You know me less than I know you!"
Libs may have a different story, but they're all amoebas...........easily understood, and easily defeated..............politically, of course.
""Its impossible NOT to know all about you."
Hearing isn't the same as listening or knowing. You're proof of that."
Doyle, its cute how you Libs think you're all so unique.
""I just said I was in downtown Chicago - MickeyD's isn't here."
Wow. No McDonalds in Chicago? Why do I doubt that? Where do people buy their fries?"
No corporate MickeyD's. I've already revealed that I work for one of the corporations you Libs love to hate. So that disqualifies MickeyD's, since I see the arrested Liberal picketers gobbling up the HappyMeals provided by the police. They love MickeyD's.
When I give you hints, Doyle, try to keep up, OK?
Awwww, it's cute that you think Doyle actually wants to play your silly games, Bret.
"We live and work in the same city. We breathe the same air. We are surrounded by the same people... Yet, unfortunately for you, you can only see the "Lefties" or "Libs" or whatever other term you want to throw."
The funny thing is..............you could even work for me, and you wouldn't even know it. I just squeeze what I need out of soft, Liberal pumpkinheads while at work, and I do it without a lot of noise. I save that for Gather and other blogs.
"For that, you will never find those 1-2% that are going to change the world."
We find that through our research apparatus anyways. Remember the hiring I mentioned? The creative types are the easiest to spot...........and hire (well, except that they overvalue their worth.........but just at the start).
"Bret is just trying to tell you that he actually works for a "Fortune 100" company headquarters"
Bingo.
"He's one of those curmudgeons that you mentioned... At least I won't let him sway me."
Lainie, if you've been employed for a large corporation for more than a couple of years, its already happened.
Sorry to be cliche, but..............resistance is futile...lol.
When you delivered our pizzas at lunch, did you get that extra fiver I left for you? I just wanted to reward you for getting 10 specialty pizzas there in under 30 minutes.
Oh, and I liked your dirty brown mesh hat with the "Truckers do it on the asphalt" logo too. Nice touch to the rest of your ensemble.
If Don delivered you YOUR pizzas . . . I think were I you I'd wonder what else was in all that melty cheese since that's not his job. But you seem to think that the job speaks to the person . . . even delivering pizza Don would have more intelligence than you and and more respect from me than you . . . or even than Cheney and he was a much bigger fish than you can even fantasize about in your sordid squalor of a basement in your Mom's house. Usually when people get online and start spinning lies they try to make themselves sound cooler than they really are. You can't even swing that online.
LoL! Yeah . . . your type can change Lainie! ...and YOU'RE not delusional! Good one!
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
I'm a generation X married to a Generation Y. Oddly enough, we're on exactly the same page. Is that good or bad?
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
My twenty-one-year-old daughter has been involved (extremely informed and involved) since she was twelve-years-old. Consequently, I have been around a lot of young people who shared her enthusiasm. My perception (admittedly jaundiced by my experience) is that the young people who are involved today are more dedicated than they were when my Generation X daughter was involved. The X daughter was considered a nerd by many of her peers; I don't think the younger one was (neither of them cared about that).
Thanks for sharing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPLtotzqH0M
"I positively LOVE it! Bret wants us to believe he works for a Fortune 100 company (sweeping . . . mailroom?) and somehow he's surrounded by looney lefties! When the whole world is crazy EXCEPT you . . . it might be time to, at LONG last, think about looking at yourself."
YOU don't have to believe it............it just is. And it won't change, no matter how much you and Obama wish it to.
But I wish you well in your Quixotic plan to tilt at windmills.
"If Don delivered you YOUR pizzas . . . I think were I you I'd wonder what else was in all that melty cheese since that's not his job."
Hmmmm, lemme guess : you two have a business selling "I hate W" soap-on-a-rope at "the world can't wait" protests?
Don, keep delivering the pizzas. It will provide you a better income.
"even delivering pizza Don would have more intelligence than you and and more respect from me than you"
Doyle, I live for you to respect me ::rolling eyes::
To dream ... the impossible dream ...
To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...
To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...
To run ... where the brave dare not go ...
To right ... the unrightable wrong ...
To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...
To try ... when your arms are too weary ...
To reach ... the unreachable star ...
This is my quest, to follow that star ...
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ...
To fight for the right, without question or pause ...
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ...
And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm,
when I'm laid to my rest ...
And the world will be better for this:
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach ... the unreachable star ...
Thanks for the well wishes, Bret. : )
My generation is the future and we will bring great ideas!! Thanks for sharing! (Amber aka Alexia)
Fortunately, there are people in your generation who think and express great ideas. Are you going to say "thanks for sharing", or will you contribute some of your great ideas.
"Fortunately, there are people in your generation who think and express great ideas. Are you going to say "thanks for sharing", or will you contribute some of your great ideas."
Fortunately, there are people in your generation that recognize the benefits of the younger generation. Are you going to say "shut up Alexia", or will you actually provide something that is constructive.
Until you just penned that glowingly hopeful screed, I had no idea how Barack Obama appealed to the Y&D college kid crowd. Thanks for enlightening me with your "unicorns and butterflies" manifesto.
And people wonder why I'm exhausted from 3 days of interviewing newbie college graduates who inform me that I need to pay them $120,000 per year (on their 1st job), so they can pay off their student loans............
It's from Man of la Mancha.... You threw out a Quixote reference, I countered with one.
I simply typed out the lyrics to "The Impossible Dream." But, ya know what - it's not a new concept. You can mock me and the younger generations all you want... But, our ideas are just as old and crusty as your stereotypes... We still have the fight in us though to believe we can make a difference... I'm sorry that you lost that belief in yourself and allowed yourself to become a sheep.
I get a pretty strong picture of the Gen-Y crowd on a daily basis. Starry-eyed, cause-driven, Kumbaya-singing, PlayStation slackers who think of work as something to do when you run out of money.
Someday, when you're my age and you've heard all the stuff I've heard over the years, you'll chuckle, shake your head, and think "kids these days.........."
But hey, even evil monolithic corporations need young melon-headed Liberal dreamers to use for cannon fodder too, right? lol
More generalizations. Awesome.
Maybe when you "take the clouds from your eyes and see me as I truly am" there will be hope for you again, Bret. Until then, it's pointless to debate with you any further - because you're not going to drop your stereotypes of my generation, even if you're confronted with exceptions to your rule.
While I may be starry-eyed and cause-driven, I also realize when there is no hope and when my attempts are futile.
So why don't you get your blankie and go to bed now.;-)
But, his comments here indicate that he is truly a bitter and disappointed old guy who consoles himself by imagining his power over the younger generations that are changing the world around him.
I really do work for a huge, publically-traded company and snicker whenever Turdboy pretends that senior managers, officers (of whom I am one), and shareholders espouse the kind of reactionary politics he communicates in sound bites.
Does Turdboy really believe that big companies cannot be politically progressive, that the professional classes, and even half of the managerial class is NOT politically liberal?
Racial and gender equality, protection of sexual orientation, family leave benefits, these are championed at the biggest, richest firms.
The inspiring point of Doyls's article is that the election in November will be decided by several million new voters.
Pennsylvania, the Times reported yesterday, is registering 4,000 new Democrats every day - the Republicans have lost 2%.
This is the biggest story not reported in the daily tit for tat between the candidates.
Whatever happens between now and the conventions, there are a lot more votes in play.
Once the forces of change are set in motion, they will be unstoppable until a minimum set of criteria is set. Instead of ignoring them, Republicans should be appeasing them though I think it would now be too little, too late.
"...........because you're not going to drop your stereotypes of my generation, even if you're confronted with exceptions to your rule."
Stereotypes rarely just fall from the sky, Lainie. They come from observation. Its just that this time you don't like my observations.
If you had an intelligent argument on any topic, you'd have made it by now.
Instead, you're constant "white noise".
Given the political realities, I think you and the rest of the Lefties here will be absolutely shocked at the results in November.
Then the whining of "they stole the election again!" will start. Unfortunately, the outcome is a foregone conclusion based on the candidates themselves.
...And I wish you well in your delusional plan to make the Democratic party a second RepubliCON party. Talk about those windmills . . .
"Doyle, I live for you to respect me ::rolling eyes:: "
I have no doubt that you getting any respect anywhere is very low on your priorities list.
"Until you just penned that glowingly hopeful screed, I had no idea how Barack Obama appealed to the Y&D college kid crowd."
No shit? Then you really must get out more.
"The inspiring point of Doyls's article is that the election in November will be decided by several million new voters."
Exactly Peter!
"Stereotypes rarely just fall from the sky, Lainie. They come from observation. Its just that this time you don't like my observations. "
Yeah, because nobody could disagree with them it must simply be that they're not 'liked'. Brilliant. ( *rolls eyes* ).
"If you had an intelligent argument on any topic, you'd have made it by now."
Wow. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. We're still waiting for an intelligent comment from you too.
"Given the political realities, I think you and the rest of the Lefties here will be absolutely shocked at the results."
I suspect we 'lefties' as you label us . . . are shocked that you could use the words "I think" and not giggle uncontrollably while you did so.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Technically, Doyle, you don't know that he didn't giggle uncontrollably, or laugh maniacally or have to give himself electroshock therapy before he could write it. Just for accuracy's sake.
"...And I wish you well in your delusional plan to make the Democratic party a second RepubliCON party. Talk about those windmills . . . "
When your Leftist hero loses in August or November, you and your Lefty friends should secede from the Democratic party and form your own equivalent of the New Democrat party in Canada. The politics suit you better.
"I have no doubt that you getting any respect anywhere is very low on your priorities list."
Doyle, its YOUR respect I desire......LMAO!
"Wow. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. We're still waiting for an intelligent comment from you too."
After your Leftist LObama-otomy, I doubt you're able to discern intelligence from butterscotch pudding.
"giggle uncontrollably", Doyle?
What are you, an eight year old girl?
Got me there Steph . . . realistically, he may have wet himself laughing.
"When your Leftist hero loses in August or November, you and your Lefty friends should secede from the Democratic party and form your own equivalent of the New Democrat party in Canada. "
You don't even know WHO I support, jerk-wad (and I mean that in the best possible way)! Canada??? 'F' you! My family and I have been in this country longer than you . . . we built it! So maybe YOU should get your sorry, pathetic, criminal backside kissing, orifice worshipping, lobotomy induced, pudding brained carcass up there yourself.
"Doyle, its YOUR respect I desire......LMAO!"
Sorry sugar britches . . . I don't swing that way.
""giggle uncontrollably", Doyle?
What are you, an eight year old girl?"
Excellent use of a quote out of context!! You must be the pride of the GOP. Kudos! The significant (and more complete) quote, of course, was : "...shocked that you could use the words "I think" and not giggle uncontrollably while you did so." making YOU the 8 year old girl (with apologies to 8 yr. old girls everywhere for the comparison.
"When your Leftist hero loses in August or November . . . "
You have no idea who my hero is . . . you only know it's not someone supporting more anti_American, treasure draining, people killing, overt corruption . . . which, of course, you, as a Democrat (LMAO) . . . . fully support.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Bret has tried to convince me that he is an expert on just about every area, with close ties inside the military and Bush's inner circle of confidants, that he is an expert on investments and heads up the financial division of a Fortune 500 company with teams of accountants reporting to him, that he spends countless hours interviewing potential employees at job fairs and colleges, etc. etc. etc.
If Bret actually held those kinds of responsible positions, if he actually had that kind of experience, do you think that he would actually HAVE the time to spend making ridiculous comments on Gather, or be the person his "Fortune 500 Company" sent out to colleges to interview potential job candidates?
Get real. Bret is most likely unemployed, frustrated, living in his parent's basement, surfing the internets for a little piece of information having to do with any article he comes across, listening to Rush Limbaugh streaming over his computer, and play acting for his own little amusement. It's not hard to figure you out, Bret. It's time to get real and level with people. It's a sad little existence to try to keep up this charade and really pathetic when you try to discredit honest, hard-working people who are trying to actually make a difference in this world and make things better.
One thing I do believe that you've said is that you were rejected for service in the military. Apparently, you did not lie on the psychological screening.
Another possibility.
Taken from: http://ruralvotes.com/thefield/?p=930
Thanks Melinda.
Interesting site Lainie . . . your link says, essentially, the same thing as my article and the quote . . . that the hijacking of popular opinion and the appearance of improperly taking an expected win could really hurt the party . . . though the gray box comment on the site is, essentially, correct. Superdelegates are and have always been in the equation so their voting would not be "stealing" a nomination even though some would see it as such. It also would not be wise. Let's hope enough realize this.
As it happens, so long as these superdelegates continue to reflect the wishes of their constituents, there'll be no change.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
You're kidding, right?
You have the Obama language down to a T.
If you're for Hillary, you're really putting up a good front.
The LObama-otomy is evident.
Although I've been a long-time corporate warrior, this isn't about me - even though you'd like to make it so.
The young voters you wrote about, Doyle, are more difficult to deal with by the corporate world because their politics gets in the way. I hear this from our own HR department, and from outside recruiters. This is one of the main reasons that corporations go outside America to source new brainpower - no "entitlement syndrome" and minimal political baggage to overcome. This is something that you could check out on your own..............just talk to any reliable, high-volume recruiter. They'll tell you the same thing I have in this thread. No need to trust me, just do the homework on your own. You'll see.
: - )