Zone1 An open apology to the young for the mistakes of my generation.

[Raynine]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krSNPhsnJEw

I go to a gym in the daytime. I am nearly 80, but I see a lot of younger people there and I am heartened by this. I am concerned about their reliance on technology—they can’t seem to put phones down, and when they do, they put them on the floor where I might step on one—but then we as Baby Boomers did not have a clear path without stepping in things we did not see. Some of those things like unwise Great-Society theories were landmines. My hair is white, and my skin is showing age, and I wonder if they see me as a nasty, sign-carrying curmudgeon you seem to see everywhere these days defending mistakes.

My band had a full slate of gigs in 1969, so I missed Woodstock, but I did ride my motorcycle to Watkins Glen for the "Summer Jam" in 1973. We are not all "flower children" in that negative sense of the word. Weed and psychedelic drugs were big as I recall and I did my share of both, ending in 1974. I hope they realize this. I want them to be happy and secure, and I know many in my generation have made this difficult for them.

Bad ideas have consequences, and my generation has patents on more than a few. I get some small pensions, which don’t exist for them because globalization decided that pensions are only for educated professionals these days. They can get a 401k that sounds like a winning lottery ticket but is more like a butterfly in a tornado. If the economy goes bankrupt and it has come close in recent years, Monopoly money won't amount to much.

They know this, and they hear a lot of lip service that offers no apologies and few solutions that make sense. I hope they will not lump us all together. Many Boomers rejoice in family and traditional values. We want to get back to that. We are getting older, and we want to leave a legacy of hope for the kids.

We do not want to be remembered as swollen, fully satiated vacationers while the world crumbles around us. I want to make peace with those kids I see in the gym that are avoiding the medicalization of our society for God knows what? There is something good about my generation but there is also something rotten about it.

I hope the good wins out.

That's me way over on the left in 1973.

 

[1srelluc]

They can make it on their own hook the same as I had to, or not.

Life is hard, it's about winners and losers and it's damn sure harder when you are lazy and expect things to be given to you because some boomer got theirs through 50+ years of productive work.

I did for me and mine and sacrificed a lot along the line doing it so I don't owe anyone a damn thing, much less an apology.

In my estimation the OP's little sad diatribe is just weak talk from a weak person....Buck-up OP.

 

[Raynine]

They can make it on their own hook the same as I had to, or not.

Life is hard, it's about winners and losers and it's damn sure harder when you are lazy and expect things to be given to you because some boomer got theirs through 50+ years of productive work.

I did for me and mine and sacrificed a lot along the line doing it so I don't owe anyone a damn thing, much less an fuckin' apology.

In my estimation the OP's little sad diatribe is just weak talk from a weak person....Buck-up OP.

But they are making it on their own. They are in the gym taking care of themselves.

 

[JGalt]

I'm sorry they're being being bombarded with TV commercials featuring crappy boomer songs I didn't even like back then.

 

[gtopa1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krSNPhsnJEw

I go to a gym in the daytime. I am nearly 80, but I see a lot of younger people there and I am heartened by this. I am concerned about their reliance on technology—they can’t seem to put phones down, and when they do, they put them on the floor where I might step on one—but then we as Baby Boomers did not have a clear path without stepping in things we did not see. Some of those things like unwise Great-Society theories were landmines. My hair is white, and my skin is showing age, and I wonder if they see me as a nasty, sign-carrying curmudgeon you seem to see everywhere these days defending mistakes.

My band had a full slate of gigs in 1969, so I missed Woodstock, but I did ride my motorcycle to Watkins Glen for the "Summer Jam" in 1973. We are not all "flower children" in that negative sense of the word. Weed and psychedelic drugs were big as I recall and I did my share of both, ending in 1974. I hope they realize this. I want them to be happy and secure, and I know many in my generation have made this difficult for them.

Bad ideas have consequences, and my generation has patents on more than a few. I get some small pensions, which don’t exist for them because globalization decided that pensions are only for educated professionals these days. They can get a 401k that sounds like a winning lottery ticket but is more like a butterfly in a tornado. If the economy goes bankrupt and it has come close in recent years, Monopoly money won't amount to much.

They know this, and they hear a lot of lip service that offers no apologies and few solutions that make sense. I hope they will not lump us all together. Many Boomers rejoice in family and traditional values. We want to get back to that. We are getting older, and we want to leave a legacy of hope for the kids.

We do not want to be remembered as swollen, fully satiated vacationers while the world crumbles around us. I want to make peace with those kids I see in the gym that are avoiding the medicalization of our society for God knows what? There is something good about my generation but there is also something rotten about it.

I hope the good wins out.

That's me way over on the left in 1973.

View attachment 1150380

We just thought hippies were dirty moral-less druggies and bludgers and we LOVED the Nortons and Vincents of the day. The music was fantastic of course until it went just noise...Beatles late for example. Still some gems in their later stuff but a lot of crap as well. Hard work in dad's trucks and factory and study at school was appreciated.

Greg

 

[gtopa1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krSNPhsnJEw

I go to a gym in the daytime. I am nearly 80, but I see a lot of younger people there and I am heartened by this. I am concerned about their reliance on technology—they can’t seem to put phones down, and when they do, they put them on the floor where I might step on one—but then we as Baby Boomers did not have a clear path without stepping in things we did not see. Some of those things like unwise Great-Society theories were landmines. My hair is white, and my skin is showing age, and I wonder if they see me as a nasty, sign-carrying curmudgeon you seem to see everywhere these days defending mistakes.

My band had a full slate of gigs in 1969, so I missed Woodstock, but I did ride my motorcycle to Watkins Glen for the "Summer Jam" in 1973. We are not all "flower children" in that negative sense of the word. Weed and psychedelic drugs were big as I recall and I did my share of both, ending in 1974. I hope they realize this. I want them to be happy and secure, and I know many in my generation have made this difficult for them.

Bad ideas have consequences, and my generation has patents on more than a few. I get some small pensions, which don’t exist for them because globalization decided that pensions are only for educated professionals these days. They can get a 401k that sounds like a winning lottery ticket but is more like a butterfly in a tornado. If the economy goes bankrupt and it has come close in recent years, Monopoly money won't amount to much.

They know this, and they hear a lot of lip service that offers no apologies and few solutions that make sense. I hope they will not lump us all together. Many Boomers rejoice in family and traditional values. We want to get back to that. We are getting older, and we want to leave a legacy of hope for the kids.

We do not want to be remembered as swollen, fully satiated vacationers while the world crumbles around us. I want to make peace with those kids I see in the gym that are avoiding the medicalization of our society for God knows what? There is something good about my generation but there is also something rotten about it.

I hope the good wins out.

That's me way over on the left in 1973.

View attachment 1150380

Not much has changed really:



Greg

 

[Hafar1014]

We have created generation of idiots and men who dont know what a man is and women with high levels of depression

 

[JGalt]

We have created generation of idiots and men who dont know what a man is and women with high levels of depression

Not to mention, a generation of people with the attention span of a gnat. Short, fast-paced scenes on TV, movies, and social media have destroyed their ability for focus.

 

[Mr Natural]

We Boomers had the best of everything.

 

[Zincwarrior]

 

[task0778]

Well, those of us in the checkout lane have at least shown future generations what doesn't work. For sure we fucked up in a lotta ways, but mostly with good intentions IMHO. The main problem as I see it is that as a society we are too focused on what is wrong and who to blame for it instead of what the best course of action is. Worse, we have educated future generations to continue that behavior instead of finding workable solutions. Eventually, they'll get around to doing what works but probably not until everything failed. Human nature I guess, try the easy way first.

Are future generations due an apology? I don't like most of what's going on these days, with too much anger, hate, and fear. And we're so divided, distrustful of every other group or faction. My guess at this point is that nothing will change until it has to, with another Great Depression or maybe a Great War. Or Great Pestilence, I dunno. I wish them well though.

 

[Mr Natural]

You youngsters might want to thank us Boomers for relieving you of the slavery of the draft.

 

[Moonglow]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krSNPhsnJEw

I go to a gym in the daytime. I am nearly 80, but I see a lot of younger people there and I am heartened by this. I am concerned about their reliance on technology—they can’t seem to put phones down, and when they do, they put them on the floor where I might step on one—but then we as Baby Boomers did not have a clear path without stepping in things we did not see. Some of those things like unwise Great-Society theories were landmines. My hair is white, and my skin is showing age, and I wonder if they see me as a nasty, sign-carrying curmudgeon you seem to see everywhere these days defending mistakes.

My band had a full slate of gigs in 1969, so I missed Woodstock, but I did ride my motorcycle to Watkins Glen for the "Summer Jam" in 1973. We are not all "flower children" in that negative sense of the word. Weed and psychedelic drugs were big as I recall and I did my share of both, ending in 1974. I hope they realize this. I want them to be happy and secure, and I know many in my generation have made this difficult for them.

Bad ideas have consequences, and my generation has patents on more than a few. I get some small pensions, which don’t exist for them because globalization decided that pensions are only for educated professionals these days. They can get a 401k that sounds like a winning lottery ticket but is more like a butterfly in a tornado. If the economy goes bankrupt and it has come close in recent years, Monopoly money won't amount to much.

They know this, and they hear a lot of lip service that offers no apologies and few solutions that make sense. I hope they will not lump us all together. Many Boomers rejoice in family and traditional values. We want to get back to that. We are getting older, and we want to leave a legacy of hope for the kids.

We do not want to be remembered as swollen, fully satiated vacationers while the world crumbles around us. I want to make peace with those kids I see in the gym that are avoiding the medicalization of our society for God knows what? There is something good about my generation but there is also something rotten about it.

I hope the good wins out.

That's me way over on the left in 1973.

View attachment 1150380

Eighty means you were born in 1945 which means you are not a Boomer era baby, you are a War era baby. Boomers did not start until 1946.

 

[Moonglow]

We Boomers had the best of everything.

Not really.

 

[Moonglow]

We have created generation of idiots and men who dont know what a man is and women with high levels of depression

Why did you do that?

 

[Moonglow]

Not to mention, a generation of people with the attention span of a gnat. Short, fast-paced scenes on TV, movies, and social media have destroyed their ability for focus.

Untrue, I know of many kids who are not like that.

 

[BreezeWood]

We are not all "flower children" in that negative sense of the word.

lasted longer than you might have thought ...

are you from the bible belt, desert dweller by chance --- the good old days of morals and clean living.

or hating communism and the glory of viet nam ...


that's what you are apologizing for, the flower children and long for the return of past magnificence.

 

[Anomalism]

We Boomers had the best of everything.

Medical technology in particular has gotten a lot better in a way that it is hard to argue with. They can do heart surgery through an incision in your toe now. Before they would have had to crack your entire chest open.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

We have created generation of idiots and men who dont know what a man is and women with high levels of depression

.

Go to church.

I spent about an hour and a half in church yesterday. A grandma came in with daughter and granddaughter, and I helped mom keep an eye on the child while grandma went into the confessional. Afterwards, while mom was in the confessional and grandma prayed her penance, the child of less than three sat quietly and prayed her version of the Our Father, and then showed me how well she could bless herself with the sign of the cross.

Then the great grandparents arrived and everyone prayed the Rosary before Mass started, and I thanked God for the wonderful gift of spending time on a Saturday afternoon with four generations of such sweet people.

Theirs is a voice of love that will echo into the future.

Have faith. We are seeing more and more people coming to church.

.

 

[alang1216]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krSNPhsnJEw

I go to a gym in the daytime. I am nearly 80, but I see a lot of younger people there and I am heartened by this. I am concerned about their reliance on technology—they can’t seem to put phones down, and when they do, they put them on the floor where I might step on one—but then we as Baby Boomers did not have a clear path without stepping in things we did not see. Some of those things like unwise Great-Society theories were landmines. My hair is white, and my skin is showing age, and I wonder if they see me as a nasty, sign-carrying curmudgeon you seem to see everywhere these days defending mistakes.

My band had a full slate of gigs in 1969, so I missed Woodstock, but I did ride my motorcycle to Watkins Glen for the "Summer Jam" in 1973. We are not all "flower children" in that negative sense of the word. Weed and psychedelic drugs were big as I recall and I did my share of both, ending in 1974. I hope they realize this. I want them to be happy and secure, and I know many in my generation have made this difficult for them.

Bad ideas have consequences, and my generation has patents on more than a few. I get some small pensions, which don’t exist for them because globalization decided that pensions are only for educated professionals these days. They can get a 401k that sounds like a winning lottery ticket but is more like a butterfly in a tornado. If the economy goes bankrupt and it has come close in recent years, Monopoly money won't amount to much.

They know this, and they hear a lot of lip service that offers no apologies and few solutions that make sense. I hope they will not lump us all together. Many Boomers rejoice in family and traditional values. We want to get back to that. We are getting older, and we want to leave a legacy of hope for the kids.

We do not want to be remembered as swollen, fully satiated vacationers while the world crumbles around us. I want to make peace with those kids I see in the gym that are avoiding the medicalization of our society for God knows what? There is something good about my generation but there is also something rotten about it.

I hope the good wins out.

That's me way over on the left in 1973.

View attachment 1150380

I don't feel the need to apologize to my kids, the world they got was, in many ways, much better than the one I got.

• Discrimination against gays and lesbians is significantly less today
• Discrimination against Blacks is illegal and significantly less today
• Communication options are much better: internet, smart phones, etc.
• Medical options are also much better:
  • infectious diseases
  • joint replacement
  • health monitoring

Of course there is a big push to go backwards in all these areas but hopefully the next generation will keep the good stuff.