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In the New Yorker...
Front-Ranger:
It's interesting how he has his shirt unbuttoned so the dog tags show. I've heard he was in the Navy, but the memoir seems to indicate he didn't serve. People wore dog tags for several different reasons. Maybe they were his father's. At the time, you could get dog tags printed with the names of MIAs/POWs. We were all very much following our friends and boyfriends who were serving. And there were lots of protests. I was tear-gassed a couple of times. The student union and the computer building were set on fire. One time we just cancelled all the classes. Refused to go to class. My father and I disagreed and argued about it.
A few years ago my son-in-law said something that really hurt. He said the Vietnam protests were because guys didn't want to get drafted. I kept my tongue but wanted to say, "hey buddy, I was there. I know why students protested the Vietnam War and you don't."
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on September 07, 2024, 05:31:10 pm ---Say whut? ???
--- End quote ---
People who were born during boomer times (1946-1964) but on the tail end. We were too young to go to Woodstock, too young to get teargassed or, for the most part, even participate in anti-War protests. Many of us don't have pensions, because our prime earning years mostly happened after pensions were widely replaced by 401(k)s. So older boomers are the wealthiest retirees in history, while many, many younger boomers are on track to run out of money in old age.
Wikipedia lists our members as Bill Gates, Madonna, Barack Obama, Tom Cruise and Kamala Harris (none of them likely to run out of money in old age) as well as Michael Jackson, Prince and Princes Di.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Jones
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on September 07, 2024, 07:04:33 pm ---A few years ago my son-in-law said something that really hurt. He said the Vietnam protests were because guys didn't want to get drafted. I kept my tongue but wanted to say, "hey buddy, I was there. I know why students protested the Vietnam War and you don't."
--- End quote ---
My son said the same thing. It didn't hurt me as much, probably because I wasn't there myself. And he had a point -- the prospect of being drafted certainly lent urgency to some protests. But it's still inaccurate, and I didn't hold my tongue.
He thinks Millennials (and maybe Gen. Z) are more political and protest much more vigorously. I said Boomers were opposed to the war for humanitarian reasons, too -- all that pointless death. And they were protesting more than just the war; also racial justice and other things.
He's also thinking of how Boomer-age voters are more likely to support Trump and Republicans in general than younger people are. Polls usually show that he's right. My suspicion is that there were always conservative Boomers; they just weren't as visible back then. But '60s protesters and related cultural transformations were extremely visible. And after all, it's not like the people in crowds at Trump rallies are all over 60 -- there are lots of younger people.
On the other hand, I've heard of presumably hip Boomers who've unexpectedly come out as conservative. Like Eric Clapton. That one is completely disappointing, because I've always liked to argue that the best Republicans can come up with for musicians are Ted Nugent and Kid Rock.
And then there's the old adage, "If you're conservative at 20 you have no heart; if you're liberal at 60 you have no brain." Obviously I don't agree with that but there's probably something to it.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: serious crayons on September 08, 2024, 03:52:10 pm ---https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Jones
--- End quote ---
This is still the first time I've ever heard the term. It's also the first time I've ever heard of Jonathan Pontell.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: serious crayons on September 08, 2024, 04:09:06 pm ---And then there's the old adage, "If you're conservative at 20 you have no heart; if you're liberal at 60 you have no brain." Obviously I don't agree with that but there's probably something to it.
--- End quote ---
If you're a Log Cabin Republican you're a complete idiot.
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