She was the one who told me to stop wandering around the house talking to myself and start a blog to share my frustration and concerns with others.
However since that day six years ago she has only shown occasional interest in what I am spending all of my time writing about or researching.
Last September I wrote a post on Generation We and thought I would share it with the member of that generation who currently is residing in my house. My daughter literally looked at me like I was the last guy on earth to realize that when you throw something up into the air it will fall back down.
"No shit dad." she said. "My friends are WAY past what you consider liberal these days. We don't care about joining political parties, or organized religions. We are looking for ways to move forward and fix the planet that YOU and YOUR generation screwed up."
To be honest I was not sure if I should jump for joy or feel insulted. After all WE were the generation who was going to change the world. What in the hell happened to that by the way?
Anyhow I went back to the security of my office, where I could feel in control again, and forgot about our little conversation. Until late last week that is.
While I was out shopping my phone made that whooshing sound it makes which tells me I have a text. This is what I read:
"Hey dad where did you read that article about our generation changing things? Doing things way different than our parents and grandparents?"
Aha, I thought! So I guess I am still the one in the know and on the cutting edge of new information. I allowed myself a little back patting time, and then sent back a text with the link to the article.
So later that evening, after my daughter had been home from work for a few hours, she come into my office with tears in her eyes and told me I have to watch and then post the video from this site.
Yeah like I follow anybody's orders! Does she really think that just because she tells me I have to post a video that I will......oh my God!
Generation WE: The Movement Begins... from Generation We on Vimeo.
After I watched this incredible video I realized that THIS is what is scaring the conservatives so badly.
This is our future, and while it fills me with hope and awe, it clearly frightens those who claim to cling to "conservative values" to their very core. Because it also signals the end of the kind of "us against them" tactics that have served the Republican party so well.
This new generation is browner, smarter, and more accepting of others than any generation that preceded them. Remember when I posted hat Bill Maher bit yesterday about the fear felt by the "white penises" in this country? Well in way he was talking about this very movement.
My daughter does not just want to make movies here in Alaska, she wants to revolutionize the industry. When she talks she vibrates with energy, and leaves no doubt that she will achieve at least some version of her dream. Like many of her generation there are no problems, only opportunities. They relish overcoming technical impossibilities, and finding new ways to leap over old obstacles.
They are innovative, energized, socially conscious on a level that is remarkable, and THEY ARE COMING.
I doubt very seriously there is anything the conservatives can do to stop the wave of changes they will usher in when they arrive on the scene. But until that day it is up to us, those who are making the choices in the here and now, to leave them as much to work with as humanly possible.
They are our children, and our grandchildren, and we owe it to them not to leave such a mess that they spend decades cleaning it up, rather than dramatically improving what they find.
It is for that very reason that I am voting for the party, and the candidates, who will promote the most forward thinking programs and policies. The ones who are environmentally conscious, globally aware, and engaged in the ideas that will make tomorrow better for our children than today. And I can tell you right now, THOSE candidates are not calling themselves the Tea Party or referring to the programs that President Obama has created as "socialism!"
You know I think I might just get out and vote early this election cycle. Won't you join me?
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am very proud of my Generation WE daughter, too, Gryphen because she cares little about superficial differences among groups of people, wants the world to be a better place for everyone, and will volunteer for a worthy purpose at the drop of a hat, among other things. Generation WE is a joy to behold.
ReplyDeleteGo, babies! Don't waste one moment! Time for Boomers to step aside.
ReplyDelete[Thanks, Gryph!]
We all thought we were going to change the world.
ReplyDeleteI hope they understand that, at this point, we are not beyond parties. Regardless of where you are and how (truly) good your representative is, there is no more vote for the individual, not the party. The GOP has voted lock step to block any repair or progress in the last two years and the two before that were not much better.
ReplyDeleteX2. Thank you Gryph. My husband and I share many of the same views of the "we" generation and we're 52. I look around at some of the die-hard conservatives that we know and wonder why they're so anxious to hold on to their (truly) narrow-minded ideas and carry them over for their kids and grandkids. They're so fearful of leaving their tiny little circa 1955 cubbyhole that it's a shame. They're basically good people, but have slid back into the same uber-religious, RW mindset THEY were raised with. And most of these people could have been considered on the "radical" side in the 1960s!
ReplyDeleteYes, the GOP is running scared--you only have to look at the latest batch of so-called "poll" numbers that supposedly indicate a Rethug takeover in November. But when I scan a good number of comments on HP and other sites, it seems that at least 85% of the public ain't buyin' it. That's what's also terrifying the Koch Brothers, Murdoch, their foreign investors and all the ca$h they've spent to attempt to buy this country and its citizens. You think their underpaid minions don't read the blogs and report back to home base? So, IMO, they're now doubling down in triple time on discouraging the Dems.
Want to keep this country free, productive and at the forefront of the world for future generations? Don't become apathetic and buy their line of crap--get out and VOTE!
Yet another great post Gryphen. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGryphen you really drove that home to me and the video was fabulous.
ReplyDeleteAs I have told you I am a Democratic volunteer here in Ohio and some of the kids that I work with are just so far over the bar that I can barely see it just astounds me. Some of them actually call me their pet dinosaur because I think like the older generation I am a part of but still enjoy hearing and debating their ideals as peers.
I have a very humbling set of children myself. My former wife left when they both were small and since that time I have raised them as both the mother and father. It has not been an easy thing and often harder on them than me. It was difficult to mend scraped knees of my son with the empathy a mother could mass. And the world about ended when I suggested to my daughter that staples would work equally well as a needle and thread would to hem her prom dress.
Albeit these tough life lessons have left us all the stronger and closer as a family despite sometimes being painful and difficult to learn.
Today my son is an IT administrator and head of development for one of the largest Web Hosting communities in the world and my daughter is a Doctor who specializes in childrens' Oncology. She is also a single mother to my granddaughter and doing a far better job than I ever did.
I, like you am also very proud to do anything I can to make sure we leave them something to work with once I and my generation are through with it and not just the left over dregs of what we screwed up.
Here's to you kiddos of the world.
I wondered as I followed the young Iranian protesters on Twitter how much longer we could hate "them" because they aren't like "us". (I'm 62 by the way.) As one protester said (when the topic of a US war with Iran was mentioned) how can you drop bombs on us when you know us so well? We are all friends now working toward freedom together.
ReplyDeleteHey! Don't lump all of us boomers together. Give us some credit. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite songs is John Mayer's Waiting for the World to Change.
Great post. Thumps up to you and your daughter.
Vote Dem
Ohiovoter
As someone born in 1983 and from a state capital, I can attest that my generation has the guts, intelligence, and ambition to improve the country and maintain high morality. 80% of my grad class consists of lawyers, doctors, bank VPs, and various jobs in DC and politics. And we're only 26. Imagine if all towns were adept at educational practices. My kindergarten tuition may have been $5000 in 1989 but I have the credentials to fully justify that.
ReplyDeletethen I think, even coming from an affluent family (which btw didn't mean I was a perfect angel who stayed away from sex and alcohol), there was the occasional student who dropped out of HS, got his/her GED and is now making 6 figures doing something she/he didn't have access to in HS. This is why we cannot discriminate against bluecollared folk and undereducated people. Being in that group does not mean the person doesn't enjoy learning. Usually they're more intelligent and have more insight than the rest of us.
I temporarily worked in NYC government before I resigned due to personal conflict. Everyday I felt I didn't belong. Most of the people who work in high governmental jobs are there solely because of "daddy". This is what the Right criticize when they discuss liberal elites. One colleague used to actually ignore me when I approached him with a question. He'd look into his phone until I walked away. This is the entitlement people are talking about. It's everywhere in every field. This is what "ivy league syndrome" is. While I would never accuse someone of being this way without meeting them, I now cannot deny it exists.
It's funny. Our parents are pretty freaking successful and have proved they know how to earn a living. Generation WE has a lot going for it but also has a lot to prove. Can we earn more than our parents? Can we live without regret? Must we put things aside to earn a decent/exemplary living? There are those who have multiple kids and are only 2. There are those who are VPs or Corporations and are only 25. Some of my friends (20s age range) own successful businesses (and have since HS) and are 26-28. Life is how you design it day by day. It's the daily chances you take and different people you meet every day that can dramatically change your perspective and goals. Living in NYC, I run into and take to huge entertainment icons everyday. They are normal people with their own goals. They have guts.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are right but you have to remember that a lot of the young people are the children of those that are bigots and that live in the past. I was in college during the 70's and protested the war and had friends in Vietnam. Many of the protesters that walked with me are now very conservative and seemed to have forgotten their past or are just afraid of the future.
ReplyDeleteI am of the "no-name" generation. I was born during the war. My daughter is of the "baby-bust" group who were the strongest community builders I'd ever seen. She is still building community with an Tera-Data team that spans the world. My granddaughter is very much as We generation, and at 18 not quite sure where she wants to start.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we progressives have to do what we can to keep things together until the kids are ready to take over. Then we have to support them. Don't let them get discouraged. Don't tell them "it can't be done". Keep their spirits up and the creative juices flowing. Our job is to support and follow their lead, clearing paths when we can. Thanks for the video. These kids are the world's hope. We need to do our part to see its not squelched.
What the heck happened? When I was in high school, the hippie movement was just taking off. Politically involved students organized rallies and worked for candidates. We were supposed to change the world.
ReplyDeleteI guess we did, in a way. Segregation was broken on our watch.
And, thanks to our Free Love movement, y'all have to wear condoms these days.
We got women some rights. There were some minor changes to American culture, but the major changes expected never happened.
We went through a useless war. Anti-war fervor was quite hot.
But look now, the people who were in high school with me are now in power and we've got two wars, economic disaster, corruption and hatemongers everywhere.
I hate hippies!
Love it...absolutely love it. Says it all, and then some.
ReplyDeletePure conservative kryptonite.
men equals greed. Pretty sad but I really don't have much hope when you combine those two parts of the equation. I watched the movie and wish the We generation good luck and hope they succeed but as long as money controls our planet I think their success is limited. With that said all I can say is "fuck the republicans" they are the problem
ReplyDeleteThe video made me both hopeful and sad. I guess I don't understand the generational divisions. Boomers are between 43 and 64 years old and many (perhaps a smaller %?) have been working hard with the same objectives as Gen WE. I believe the tea party base is over 64. Is it really the Boomer generation that is creating the problem? Isn't it more that there aren't enough progressives to break the hold of corporate power?
ReplyDeleteBorn between 1973 and 2000, almost half of Gen WE are of voting age now. Some of them were homeschooled, raised to be xtianist warriors, and went to xtian colleges. Many are uneducated. I hope that leaves enough progressives to finally be a majority.
I hope to live long enough to see the shift, the end of all forms of tribalism, where power rests with people who truly grasp the connectivity of all living beings.
i was born in the last 6 six of gen x. this video makes me wish i was from gen we. with out the acne.
ReplyDeleteseriously, though, this brought tears to my eyes as i realized that so many of these kids will get sick from all the crap in the food and water. i wish that the baby boomers and older had done something about all our environmental and economic problems before it got to this point. i know that most of the kids in their generation in other countries will live in extreme poverty - somehow, we never tackled that poverty problem. if it will be hard for american gen we's, thhink how hard it will be on impoverished gen we's. and america doesn't have as much money to throw around as it used to. amazing ho quickly that happened.
but out of every tragedy comes a seed of hope, imho. personally, i am not afraid of a browner america/world - i say bring it on. variety makes the world a beautiful place. and melanin isn't a bad thing, especially since we still have some ozone issues.
thanks for posting this gryphen!
Thank You Gryphen!
ReplyDeleteI thought this was so moving. Though I will also say this is the very reason that so many "Christian fundamentalists" home school their children. When you teach your children in an isolated environment where you can completely control the message and content of education materials you can completely indoctrinate them to what you want them to know and believe. Think about the bus loads of families and children that came from the valley to Anchorage to fight against the LGTB ordnance. Tell me that most of those children in the red shirts are the enlightened ones.
Thanks again for the view of hope!
therubberroomhotel
Can't wait for them to hit the voting booths.
ReplyDeleteI do believe our (40's - late 50's)age group had made some fantastic steps in our generation. We've sent men to the moon, created the internet, integration & equal rights, womans movement and Roe v Wade.
That being said, we seem to still have many of the "old political guard" representing us.
I hope one of the first things the WE generation does is tax fairly, along with estate tax where vast amounts of weath are transferred to another without forfeiting a dime.
Nice Gryph. kinda like a cool drink of water for the old gray matter.
ReplyDelete"We don't care about joining political parties"
ReplyDeleteThat's great 'future' thinking.
The system presently involves 'political parties' and the necessity for those of voting age to be and stay involved and motivated. The 'Necessity To VOTE' in order to further the plan forward of their ideas.
History of youth has been non-involvement in many elections. Even in 2008, it was a constant conversation about whether the youth would come out to vote - supporting Obama as his campaign had registered so many. I and I'm sure many were elated they followed through and did!! I just hope they continue being engaged in these mid-terms too in that you can't relax and wait for the 'change' to come to you - you have to push towards it.
Voting makes a big change and eventually, they will reach the age where they can run for those same offices they now can vote for as it may only be then to be rid of the party affiliations.
I believe many of us grew up feeling the same - ready to change the world. The world has changed through our lifetimes - the good, the bad and the ugly. An example is my generation has advanced from those very few network stations to the explosion of cable and the technological age - which has brought us all HERE! It's also partially responsible for the 'instant gratification' and the deletion of 'patience'.
I will I will! And I hope I will be doing this as well: https://call.barackobama.com/campaigns/MA155
ReplyDeleteSO many people feel disgusted and left out - the lamestream media is indeed lame and making America out to be some pansy ass shitehawks who didn't vote for this great President who has made incredibly strides against incredibly odds! Aahhhh - I'm so tired of reading articles that say the GOP is just waiting for their wins - let's go America - tell your friends, your neighbors, we can do it, we can effect the right change AGAIN!
Thanks Gryphen and thanks Gryphen's daughter - I love that she vibrates with energy!
Namaste!
T
OH yeah....AWESOME. I love it. I am a baby boomer...I have been a teacher for 39 years...I have a 26 year old daughter. SHOUT THIS FROM THE ROOFTOPS! and send it $P!
ReplyDeleteThat was great, Gryph.
ReplyDeletePretty, pretty great. . .
Hey I had posted earlier about my wonderful Gen We kids but I got to thinking and see some of the same thoughts already expressed here about the ones who are raised by the extreme right. I posted it to my blog HERE but I and probably some of my friends would be interested in how phenomenon has affected the Palin brood or has it or is Bristols acting out an isolated case?
ReplyDeleteGryph I added the video too and linked to your post for some of my friends to read.
Here is an excerpt:
"With the degree of fear, greed and narcissistic selfishness prevalent in the political arena how is this affecting the views and opinions of the children whose parents of the extreme right?
When thinking on this the only person that came to my mind was the queen bee her self Sarah Palin. I am not one to often comment on how a person raises their children in public but this issue really needs to be talked about.
All of America and the world has been witness to her rants as well as those of many of the people she supports. The corruption and greed that the vehemently deny as well as the lies and machinations they spread have to be seen to an exponentially greater degree by her children and whether they are too young to recognize it or not, must surely be to a degree detrimental to their development.
I think in all honesty this hypothesis is born out by the frequency, level and degree of dysfunctional behavior exhibited in the past.
Does this mean that not just the Palins but many of the like minded families because of the simple fact that they breed more will usurp much of the Generation We kids ascent to building a better world?
I don't know a whole lot about the Palins in particular but Gryphens' blog is based out of Alaska and I would like to know from some of his posters could confirm that the run ins with the law, teen pregnancy and alcohol abuse extend to other members of the family and not just Bristol."
Here's a link to an awesome video that is ANTI Gov Perry (R-TX)
ReplyDeletePalin endorsed Perry a while back.
We are going to make this video go viral and take Perry down!
Rick Perry - "Money On My Mansion"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTqSp6r1QP8
And here's some info regarding Gov Perry's $600,000 Rental Mansion paid for by Texas taxpayer's
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/17/rick-perry-rental-mansion_n_578311.html
These are the type of FAKE fiscal conservatives that Palin endorses!
strongly progressive
ReplyDeletesocially tolerant
environmentally conscious
peace loving
technologically brilliant
politically engaged
Sounds good to me!
I have been researching what the young people are up to these days myself and it has given me some hope. I am very interested in the small house movement and tiny house movement. I find I share a lot of their values. They are learning to find happiness in who they are and what they can do to move forward. They know they will have to live an adaptable lifestyle in a world that will be changing drastically due to post peak oil and the need to heal the planet. My generation was conditioned to live wanting things and more things. We were fed propaganda. Due to technology this generaton is not so easily manipulated.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the powers that be The corporations,The Media Lords,Big Oil and every Mealy Mouthed Repugnant,leave this planet in livable condition.These kids deserve the same chance We had and screwed up ! At this moment we are on the verge of a Planetwide holocaust.Our resources are dwindling,Trees are dying,our food is contaminated,crops are smaller.Unless "WE" start right now to change things and attack the ozone problem our Children and Grandchildren most likely wont have "TIME" to fix it.I hate conspiracy theories but the only ones who might survive are the very ones who are perpetrating and sustaining this destruction and they're laughing at us.Its past the time to wake up!But maybe just maybe we can still do it.
ReplyDeleteI loved the video.
ReplyDeleteI'd feel more optimistic if opposition to the Iraq war hadn't been so feeble.
The baby boomers spoke out and organized for civil rights; they spoke out and organized for women's rights; they spoke out and organized against the war in Vietnam; they protested for gay rights, for economic rights for migrant workers. They burned bras and draft cards and boycotted grapes. They secured a constitutional amendment for the 18-year-old vote and fought for an equal rights amendment. All of these activities were on the front pages of the news of their times.
Where is the front-page activism for peace and social and economic justice today?
I hope Generation We can really generate the activism and change they promise. I say, 'bring it on!' and show me.
Re: "the first generation to inherit a nation in decline": not so much. From Wikipedia:
ReplyDelete"In the 1991 book Generations, William Strauss and Neil Howe call this generation the "13th Generation" and define the birth years as 1961 to 1981." "In economics, a study (done by Pew Charitable Trusts, the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institute, the Heritage Foundation and the Urban Institute) challenged the notion that each generation will be better off than the one that preceded it.[28] The study, 'Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Alive and Well?" focuses on the income of males 30-39 in 2004 (those born April, 1964 – March, 1974) and is based on Census/BLS CPS March supplement data.[29] The study, which was released on May 25, 2007, emphasized that in real dollars, this generation's men made less (by 12%) than their fathers had at that same age in 1974, thus reversing a historical trend." That ship sailed. We now have a Gen-x president trying to clean up the mess left by the Greediest and the Babies. Gen-x is just rising to positions of power, so the notion that we F*d it up is unrealistic.