The Worst Generation, by Paul Begala

[BeyondGeography]

You know him.

Begala says the the baby boomers are the most self-centered, self-seeking, self-interested, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing generation in American history.

My only question is why does this high-profile Clinton supporter hate old people?:

==I hate the Boomers.

I KNOW IT'S A SIN to hate, so let me put it this way: If they were animals, they'd be a plague of locusts, devouring everything in their path and leaving but a wasteland. If they were plants, they'd be kudzu, choking off every other living thing with their sheer mass. If they were artists, they'd be abstract expressionists, interested only in the emotions of that moment--not in the lasting result of the creative process. If they were a baseball club, they'd be the Florida Marlins: prefab prima donnas who bought their way to prominence, then disbanded--a temporary association but not a team.

...It is my contention that the single greatest sin a generation can commit is the sin of selfishness. And it's from this standard that I draw my harsh conclusion. I'm not alone in this view, of course. The Boomer in Chief, my former boss, Bill Clinton, used to tell me about an influential professor he'd had at Georgetown. His name was Carroll Quigley, and he taught young Bill Clinton and hundreds of other Hoyas about something called the Future Preference.

I can still see Clinton doing his Quigley impression, eyes full of mischief, his voice an Arkansas version of a bad Boston accent, as we bounced around in a bus or flew through a thunderstorm on Air Elvis, our campaign plane back in 1992. "Mistah Begahhla," he'd intone as he looked at me through the bifocals perched on the end of his nose. "Why is America the greatest sociiiiiiety in human hist'ree? The Few-chah Pref'rence. At every critical junk-chaah, we have prefuhhed the few-chah to the present. That is why immigrants left the old waaahld for the new. That is why paahrents such as yours sacrifice to send their children to univehhsities like this wan. The American ideal is that the few-chah can be bettah than the paahst, and that each of us has a personal, moral obligation to make it so."

I'll get back to President Clinton in a minute. But first, let us conclude that by his old professor's test, the Boomers have been a miserable failure. At nearly every critical juncture, they have preferred the present to the future; they've put themselves ahead of their parents, ahead of their country, ahead of their children--ahead of our future.==

http://www.esquire.com/ESQ0400-APR_WORSTGEN.

[Red Zelda]

1. Agreed.

Boomers have failed because of squandered opportunity to elevate the common good.

[SteppingRazor]

2. OK, now that I've read the whole article, it's actually a really great read.

Definitely worth clicking the link and reading through the whole thing, rather than just perusing the OP's somewhat out of context couple of paragraphs.

[BeyondGeography]

5. Glad you read it

The OP is in the spirit of this morning's stupidity re. Obama's implication that the older boomers have come up short politically. This has been translated by some of the more mindless partisans into an Obama hate campaign against old people.

Fact is, we boomers have our shortcomings. And, given this morning's discussion, it's worth dusting off an article by a core Clintonite that points them out.

[SteppingRazor]

14. Oh! Sorry. I missed this morning's stupidity.

In generally, I try to avoid stupidity. I find it's terribly contagious. :)

[BeyondGeography]

15. Cheers

;)

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Has Begala (age 46) become a writer for Obama?

[Colobo]

9. I hope he has.

The more, the merrier...

[Bread and Circus]

4. I've been thinking the same thing for a while, really the boomers

should be ashamed of the mess they have made.

[Le Taz Hot]

6. Wow.

Just wow.

The "what have you done for me lately" generation speaks.

All of a sudden Paul Begalia is credible.

Just wow.

[Bread and Circus]

24. Can you name a more self-referential generation?

Hell, my generation does even have a name...

[srf Rantz]

18. the boomers were not the yuppies

the boomers were not the yuppies. that is an important distinction to make. at least not all of them. there were 2 phases of the baby boom, or more accurately, 2 sectors, two completely different sets of people, attitudes and ideas. spreading the dates of the boom from 1946-1964 sweeps them both together, as does this article. the latter wave were in many respects a reaction against the former and their values/actions.

I only had time to skim the article but when he gets to the 80s he blurs the prior generation (of 15-20-30 somethings) many of which manned the barricades and took to the streets in the 60s - early 70s to fight for civil rights and end the Viet Nam war, and then took up other progressive causes, such as environmentalism and women's rights, etc, into the next wave, their younger brothers and sisters (perhaps) who came along next (those in their 20s-30s at that point, 10-15-20 years later!) and turned 180 degrees on the values and bought into the whole "greed is good" reagan-era unleashed capitalistic free-for-all.

(I personally hold the theory, that this was somewhat a cynical reaction to their seeing the reality of the extent of the corruption and evil and how their "older brothers/sisters" through all their efforts really failed to achieve much tangible immediate success--the powers of evil/greed were too entrenched (eg. nixon/watergate)--so fuck it, lets get rich and party while Rome collapses. but I digress...)

In the 80s those of us early wave boomers who marched in the streets and held on to our altruistic, if much too idealistic convictions, stood by shaking our heads in disbelief as everything we hoped, or foolishly, I admit, thought we had achieved, fell apart in front of our eyes. (there was even a popular TV show at the time with Michael J. Fox that played off of this dynamic)

I personally lived through it all and although I am sure there are some exceptions, I never knew anyone of the former group that switched over to become one of the latter group. No one I was ever associated with among my age-group peers voted for Reagan or ever considered buying into that whole Me generation, get rich while you can attitude.

I would generally agree with his summary of the latter group, who were identified at the time as "yuppies" but strongly take issue with including the former group, which included many sub-groups, "activists/yippies" and "hippies" among them, in that assessment. For they were and continue to be the antithesis of that sweeping indictment of selfishness.

For a really clear and impartial view of the the 60s and the movements of the time and the reactions to them on both sides, get ahold of the PBS documentary on the 60s, I think it was a frontline. It is the best and most accurate I have ever seen.

[Stuckinthebush]

7. Isn't he a boomer?

Look, I'm not a boomer but I get sick and tired of hearing people slam that generation of people.

Every generation has its challenges and lives in a world with unique problems. The generation before the boomers had world wars to live through. They lived in a world where the US was not necessarily top dog. They fought a couple of dictators and sacrificed to make sure the world was safe for democracy. That generation had a hell of a lot going on!

But the Boomers did too. They lived in a world with the constant threat of nuclear annihilation. They lived in a world where you realized that you couldn't trust the politicians anymore. They lived through the hell of Vietnam for god's sake. They developed a new perspective about the world and our place in it through the 60s. They became part of the American machine in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Boomers started Habitat for Humanity and many other organizations dedicated to helping their brothers and sisters. They are a large and complex group of people. To say that they are selfish is simplistic.

I appreciate the boomers for what they have done for us all and I despise those individuals who have hurt us (look at the current administration filled with boomers). We are talking about a huge group of people with individual experiences and ideas about our society. Slamming a generation is easy. Hell, Generation X has gotten its share of belittlement and will get more. It's time to stop glorifying one generation and beating up on the rest.

[raccoon]

8. Stuck, I wish I could hug you!

Great post.

[Stuckinthebush]

19. Awwww...shucks

I can always use a hug!

:D

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Thank you; it's easy for someone who wasn't there to slam all boomers

The media images (as if everyone was a hippie in the 1960s, a disco dancer in the 1970s, a yuppie in the 1970s, and a soccer mom/office park dad in the 1990s) don't do my generation justice.

There were conservatives in the 1960s, straight-laced people in the 1970s, political activists in the 1980s, and environmentalists in the 1990s. There was a fad for political activism in the late 1960s, early 1970s but for many participants it was only a fad, a brief stopover on their path to being men (and later women) in gray flannel suits, just as their parents raised them to be in the 1950s.

Still, when the first anti-war marches occurred in Portland in 2003, there were lots of seniors and middle-aged people, and a wonderful showing by teenagers and college students.

Guess who was largely missing.

Yup, the Generation Xers, who love to slam the boomers for being sellouts and failures, were WAY underrepresented. They still are underrepresented at most political events.

So don't talk to me about what "failures" we are. Some of us are more left-leaning than we were in the 1960s, have never even tried to get rich, and never had a chance to raise the next generation.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

21. As an early Gen Xer, I concur

I'm 39 and one of relatively few people my age that is actively involved in the Democratic Party and progressive causes in my area. It's really noticeable to me, but not at all surprising. I came of age in the 80s, when everyone (at least it seemed) was all about making money and thought that Reagan was doing a bang up job restoring America to greatness. Most of my peers were apolitical, though the Young Republicans were attracting a lot of followers. Trust me, there were a lot of budding Tucker Carlsons and Michelle Malkins walking around. :puke: I'm working on ways to attract more of my generation into progressive political activism but it's really difficult to get them out of their self-absorbed little worlds. Making matters worse, Gen Xers are the ones who turned in droves to religious fundamentalism in the past 2 decades.

[Stuckinthebush]

22. Amen, Lydia

I'm in an interesting position being on the cusp of the boomers and Xers (born 1966). I see both groups and understand their unique positions.

I've always found the concept of "generations" interesting. Technically, I am a gen Xer but I have so very little in common with the Xers born in the 70s and 80s. Perhaps we need to rethink the whole "generation" tag.

[redqueen]

35. But dividing people up and making up fake 'controversies'

are what keep people distracted from stuff like this.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2227016

[raccoon]

10. This arsehole author needs to be reminded boomers ended the draft.

He sounds like an opinionated prick.

This boomer ain't buying into no guilt trips.

Me and my sibs didn't have a lot of "Stuff" growing up. Heck, most kids and young adults I see today have mucho more stuff than we ever had.

Not all boomers were/are well off.

He can stick it where the sun don't shine.

[tritsofme]

17. There weren't that many boomers in government in 1973

For all the neo-liberal bull-crap he pulled in economics, Milton Friedman was one of the loudest and most influential advocates for an all volunteer force, and he certainly was no boomer.

[raccoon]

23. No, there weren't, but the anti-draft resistance helped to bring it to a stop.

We protested the draft so subsequent generations don't have to deal with it now.

[Nederland]

26. That's precisely his point

The Boomer's greatest accomplishment was essentially a selfish one.

[raccoon]

28. Yeah--like he was/is just itching to go to Iraq/Afghanistan and fight. nt

[Nederland]

30. Of course not

Begala is a boomer. :)

[raccoon]

31. In that case, wonder if he was in Nam?

Probably not.

Whatever generation he is, he's an idiot. He may be self-absorbed, self-centered, etc., but can't speak for a whole generation--even his own.

[Nederland]

34. Of course he didn't go to Nam

He's a selfish, draft dodging boomer... :)

[raccoon]

36. Funny how the phrase "draft dodging" is thrown around, and yet

the vast majority would do it if faced with a draft.

Begala was too young for Nam.(born May 12, 1961)

[illinoisprogressive]

11. Excellent and I agree 110%, That is why we suck at governing.

[ellacott]

33. A mantra from many of the boomers was"don't trust anyone over 30"

Many of them went on to be corporate executives and lost sight of many of the things they protested.

I do agree that you can't label an entire generation but there were many flaws and missteps the should be acknowledged.

[L0oniX]

13. I think the ghetto rap hip hop generation is the worst and look at the HS drop out rates.

We are going backward to the time when people couldn't read or write or have a complete HS education and education now isn't even close to being as good as what was taught in the 60's and 70's.

[SteppingRazor]

20. Yeah, but that's the fault of the boomer politicians who have destroyed our public education system.

:popcorn:


I'm kidding, of course. I just think that it's worth pointing out that one can either focus on the faults of any generation or focus on the positives of a generation, or -- more realistically -- look at a generation as a huge tapestry filled with inumerable positives and negatives.

And, for the record, I say this as a member of the "ghetto rap hip-hop generation." (Is that what they're calling Gen. Y these days? Between the Gen. Xers ripping us off with Gen Y. and the boomers ripping us off with "echo boomers," I just can't keep track :P )

[L0oniX]

37. I agree but no one is forcing students to drop out.

[flordehinojos]

16. i liked begala ... back in 1992 when he had a red beard and seemed to be a nice guy.

not no more ... he has been taken in by, corporatism? greed-ism? CNN-ism? he is not the same without his beard and i just plain don't like him anymore.

[rasputin1952]

25. I think the Boomers, (of which I am one), have done great things...

We did stand up against authority when the authority needed to be questioned and held accountable. Even today, there are those of us that are fighting the good fights, not like we did in the past, but we still man the ramparts.

The generation that made it through the Great Depression and WWII are indeed a remarkable example of what this nation can produce in the human aspect as well as the societal aspect. But those who came through WWI are equally valuable, just as those that kept this nation together during the Civil War and those who gave us a Revolution to discard the yoke of Imperialism. Each generation has given us new hope, each generation has shown us the mettle they are made of. They have each sacrificed greatly to make this the greatest experiment in Democracy that the world has ever seen.

Sure, we, like every generation before us, have stumbled, we've made our share of errors, and in most cases we've atoned for them, (the glaring example of the mistake of bush still needs to be corrected and atoned for).
However, never before has a nation come so far so quickly. We have, as a generation, a lot to be proud of:

We showed the world we can stop an unjust war (Vietnam)

We elected progressive lawmakers and presidents

We too Civil Rights to the streets

We began the march toward recognition of equality for women and gays

We created some wealth, where there was none before

Sure, a lot more needs to be done, and we have, as I' stated above, stumbled. But in the scheme of things, even though we have been often taken in by those who show us "the easy way", we have much to be proud for. Boomers gave us the internet, (for better or worse); the Right to choose where we want to go; the hope that we can change things, even when the odds are against us.

I am proud to be of the generation that will be looked upon, sometimes as greedy miscreants, but also of the generation that opened the doors to higher education for minorities, women and the not well off. I think the legacy we will hold in the future will be a shining example of what can be done, if people can come closer together and fight the good fights. It will be marred, most assuredly, by aspects of greed, self indulgence and
a drive to obtain "it all"....but that is part of what we have to pay for, atonement is not that far distant, if we realize that those who have attempted to destroy the good we've done, and replace it with what we all stood for earlier, and still stand for today.

[donsu]

27. america doesn't like old people = nightmare nursing homes

priced out of range

staffed with who knows who

cops tasering 82 yr. old woman

[CountAllVotes]

32. you got that right!

my sister-in-law just got dumped into a nursing home. Cost = $8,000.00 a month. :(

[sinkingfeeling]

29. I do believe Mr. Begala should take a better look at 'Generation Jones' (his group) and

how they are screwing up not only American government, but also Britain's. According to an article that appeared in the Denver Post in Dec. 2004, it was Gen. Jones that 're-elected' Bush. Here's a link to the PDF of that story: http://www.marstoncomm.com/Denver_Post.pdf

And a whole site dedicated to the writer and Generation Jones: http://www.jonathanpontell.com/aboutgenjones.htm

[polichick]

38. 43 to 62-year-olds are NOT old...

Just for the record.