They define the new political reality, the new national psyche, the way lives will be lived, loves will be lost, and fortunes found. "Hey man, it's that video game billboard! That's one mean 'coot"
It is often referred to as a "Generational" issue. Generational issues are a problem common to every generation, from our grub-eating cave-dwelling ancestors on. The elders look down and they see dicks where their kids head's once were, and they get scared. They know they are loosing control, and they they can't get it back. Not with the old tools of physical intimidation... Now they are the intimidated, but they are also smart, and they use their brains to hold down the young where their aged bodies can not. They form stereotypes. They generate cultural myths. They make up stuff. It's usually bullshit, but who's going to argue, the Kids? The swing kids were misunderstood, the hippies were misunderstood, generation-X is misunderstood. NOBODY UNDERSTANDS NOTHING. Nobody wants to. If it's different, it's defective, and everybody has something to hate.
The interesting question is what causes that seemingly mandatory inter-generational friction? Is it biology, telling the young they'd better go out and grab some territory? (Or telling the old that their pups are now dangerous, and they better start defending themselves or they'll end up kitten chow.) Is it the simple arrogance of fools ("I know what is best for my child, and this ain't it!") Maybe it's a sense of pervasive, mind numbing, stomach unsettling but totally undirected intimidation and need?
For "Generation X" the myth is apathy, sloth, and boredom with
everything... But aren't we all (young & old) suffering from a national
case of the "Whatever shall we do?" dithers?
We are walking around shaking in our proverbial boots, wondering what
complexity has been brought into our lives today. All of us feeling like there
is nothing we can do. Most of the time the feeling is right. For example, how
else can a tax system work? The taxed must as individuals be powerless, or
nobody pays. Once they're powerless, they have no will to do anything but pay,
anything they are told to.
Of course, it helps when the people are stupid.
(Don't like being called stupid? Then explain
one simple thing to me... The state of California Recently
"Deregulated" the electric industry. As one of the "Perks"
of this De-regulation is an across-the-board 10% rate cut. Paid for
by a bond issue! In other words, the taxpayers are paying to finance
a loan to give to the power companies to give to the power company's
customers. (The taxpayers themselves.)
This is either the most complex scheme to take money away from poor people
and give it to the middle class ever, or somebody wanted to make some
money investing in bonds, and forced the issue. Either way, it is indicative.)
We live in a world which makes radically different demands on everyone. I might spend 80 hours working this week, my next door neighbor may spend 4 hours studying horse racing and waiting for the SSI checks to come. But we are equal... Except that nobody says he is a member of Generation X. Nobody says he is lazy. The young get the labels, I get the workload, and he gets my money to bet on horse races.
But don't worry! There's nothing we can do about it anyway...
