I absolutely agree with you: no one deserves to live in destitution. It’s hard not to feel angry at those who voted for Trump, especially when it appears they voted against their own interests, all for their instructed disdain for ‘wokeness’ and DEI. However, despite this frustration, I find it important to maintain compassion, understanding that their decisions are not made in a vacuum but are influenced by powerful external forces.
The issue is complex when it comes to the motivation of voters. It’s simplistic and misleading to categorize ‘boomers’ as a single, problematic group responsible for political deterioration. These kind of generalizations overlook the fact that all individuals and governments are shaped by their unique circumstances and place in time. More importantly, blanketly blaming boomers distracts from a larger issue: the propaganda machines. Political entities actively work to sow division, exploiting generational, racial, and cultural differences to manipulate public opinion, acquire wealth, and maintain power. We are ALL up against behemoths that have followed us for generations and will continue to after all of us are long gone.
Having lived in the shadow of “boomers” all my life, I’m rather bemused by the story arc they took - when I was very young, they were being castigated by the culture as being a bunch of idealistic, hippy-dippy dumbasses that didn’t know how “real life” worked. Most of this coming from MSM, mind you, and still controlled by the older generation. Then, when the 80s really came along, I remember lots of common tropes where some Gen X kid/teen is winking at the audience about the “60s leftovers” and how much more savvy the kid/teen is than their hippie drug-addled idealistic parents or whatever - often a nod to Reaganite sensibilities.
Then as Gen X started coming into their own, they mostly seemed to be grumbling about how they wanted to have their day in the sun, but by the time they left high school/university, the American Dream was already crushed for the boomers and also by the boomer “sellouts”, so what hope did our generation really have?
Then, later, once the culture mostly shifted to Gen Y, the MSM narrative seemed to pit boomers vs. Gen Y and paint the boomers as these extreme far-right reactionaries that ruined everything for everyone?
That’s quite an arc…and this is coming from someone that does hold a bit of a grudge for 1) Missing the 60s and being way to young in the 70s to appreciate a lot of the cultural things that happened. 2) having to live most of my life in a culture where nearly all of it seemed to be about the 60s generation holding up a mirror to their own generation and struggling to free themselves from the Silent Generation/Greatest Generations, even into their 40s and 50s and beyond. So very much of the movies/TV that I grew up with was about catering to boomers…we had a small window with that “brat pack” thing, and then a few indie movies aimed at/made by our “slacker generation”, but so many other movies were still about boomers, ultimately, even during that phase…like Forrest Gump.
Only to see this repeat with Gen Y - I’m already watching them go through similar nostalgia phases that the boomers seemed to go through. It will be interesting to see if they have a very similar arc…
I absolutely agree with you: no one deserves to live in destitution. It’s hard not to feel angry at those who voted for Trump, especially when it appears they voted against their own interests, all for their instructed disdain for ‘wokeness’ and DEI. However, despite this frustration, I find it important to maintain compassion, understanding that their decisions are not made in a vacuum but are influenced by powerful external forces.
The issue is complex when it comes to the motivation of voters. It’s simplistic and misleading to categorize ‘boomers’ as a single, problematic group responsible for political deterioration. These kind of generalizations overlook the fact that all individuals and governments are shaped by their unique circumstances and place in time. More importantly, blanketly blaming boomers distracts from a larger issue: the propaganda machines. Political entities actively work to sow division, exploiting generational, racial, and cultural differences to manipulate public opinion, acquire wealth, and maintain power. We are ALL up against behemoths that have followed us for generations and will continue to after all of us are long gone.
Having lived in the shadow of “boomers” all my life, I’m rather bemused by the story arc they took - when I was very young, they were being castigated by the culture as being a bunch of idealistic, hippy-dippy dumbasses that didn’t know how “real life” worked. Most of this coming from MSM, mind you, and still controlled by the older generation. Then, when the 80s really came along, I remember lots of common tropes where some Gen X kid/teen is winking at the audience about the “60s leftovers” and how much more savvy the kid/teen is than their hippie drug-addled idealistic parents or whatever - often a nod to Reaganite sensibilities.
Then as Gen X started coming into their own, they mostly seemed to be grumbling about how they wanted to have their day in the sun, but by the time they left high school/university, the American Dream was already crushed for the boomers and also by the boomer “sellouts”, so what hope did our generation really have?
Then, later, once the culture mostly shifted to Gen Y, the MSM narrative seemed to pit boomers vs. Gen Y and paint the boomers as these extreme far-right reactionaries that ruined everything for everyone?
That’s quite an arc…and this is coming from someone that does hold a bit of a grudge for 1) Missing the 60s and being way to young in the 70s to appreciate a lot of the cultural things that happened. 2) having to live most of my life in a culture where nearly all of it seemed to be about the 60s generation holding up a mirror to their own generation and struggling to free themselves from the Silent Generation/Greatest Generations, even into their 40s and 50s and beyond. So very much of the movies/TV that I grew up with was about catering to boomers…we had a small window with that “brat pack” thing, and then a few indie movies aimed at/made by our “slacker generation”, but so many other movies were still about boomers, ultimately, even during that phase…like Forrest Gump.
Only to see this repeat with Gen Y - I’m already watching them go through similar nostalgia phases that the boomers seemed to go through. It will be interesting to see if they have a very similar arc…
Thank you. This is really well expressed!