I am not sure if this post fits here. I wrote it as a Facebook post connected to a song that inspired it. But, I have read many a rant about the earlier generations and the selfish, horrible decisions they made while in power to the detriment of us. Later generations I mean……. Rant start, go!
Hey boomer, guess what? Can I let you in on a little secret? Gen X and the Millennials are coming, and it's not going to be pretty. Full generational warfare is on the horizon. Gen X is pissed, of course we are. We have always hated everyone for as long as we can remember. But boy oh boy the generation after us is really furious. And they are now just waking up to this nightmare reality you are leaving us in…. as you retire to your swanky golf communities. As Gen Xers we saw this coming for the poor millennials, with no real way to make this reality easier for them. The anger they are coming into now is palpable. I have talked to many of them about this. The stark realizations coming to millennials minds lately is going to echo into the halls of power like you have never seen. I believe these fresh faced millennials are going to change things so fast boomer you better hope you are already in full dementia mode when it comes. Because there is a good chance you will barely recognize the society that is coming.
Sociologists have been seeing these trends coming like a freight train. Slow but prodding until the train of change is right on you in a second. So many things you hold dear are going to burn to the ground. Religiosity, the idea of gender specific roles in relationships, the social construct that marriage is one man and one woman(possibly the idea of “marriage” at all), for profit healthcare, the un-mitigated abuse and rape of the planet/natural resources, your war on drugs and altered states of mind used as a tool to punish undesirables, unwavering loyalty in the workplace to fat greedy upper corporate management, white washing of historical facts and truths to better suit your fragile egos, blind nationalism to the detriment of other countries, the continued rat race for more “stuff”, this keeping up with the joneses or neighbors bullshit, the idea that incarceration(prison) is a for profit enterprise, shit… the entire “trickle down economics of the 80's/90's” scam, dead… gonzo, buried…. and so many other tenets of your soul crushing and selfish worldview will be gone, possibly in one generations time.
Don't think so? The generational war has already begun…. You fired the first shots when you unregulated for profit schools to give us useless degrees. You fired the first shots when you started raiding social security in the 80's/90's to plug budget gaps while reducing taxes on the most wealthy. You fired the first shots when you called those among us freaks and sinners because we wanted to love who we wanted to love. You fired the first shots when you continued the white, male patriarchy to the betterment of yourselves and the detriment of all the “others”, you fired the first shots when you let the wolf in to protect the chicken coop with your complete unregulated worship of K street and their big corporate lobbyists/interests in government, again…. To the detriment of the people being governed so you could profit! And let's not forget one of the biggest assaults on future generations.
You fired an almost killing blow to future generations when you pushed multinational corporate agendas like NAFTA, all to make profits bigger. Bigger without thinking for one second for the generational after effects of the loss of manufacturing jobs in most countries. Why? So you could make willing slaves of non-union workers in poor countries, killing and exploiting many while making obscene profits. All this while at the same time doing your best to eliminate or reduce to nothing the social safety nets so many middle and lower income people rely on to not have to eat dirt. The middle class prosperity you enjoyed is dying now, by your design. We haven't forgotten these attacks on us, our memory is long. And don't get this rant twisted, it crosses political lines, all parties are to blame.
And let's be honest boomer…. Many of you lost the ideals you fought so hard for in the 60's. In fact, many of your generation are now voting for, and fighting for, a return to those revanchist ideals of your parents. What happened to women's rights, the end of racial disparity, basic historical truths, the end of colonial wars of attrition for resources and weapons contracts that made the military industrial complex rich beyond their wildest dreams? What happened boomer? I think I can guess…. I watched you do it. Only after I became an adult did I realize what I lived through in the 80's. You sold your soul to corporate greed and easy credit. All so you could afford that second and third vacation home, and soooooo many more of those ugly shoulder padded pant suits your wives filled huge walk in closets with. You grew into, no you became, the soul sucking, selfish, profit only minded bastards you are. Why? So you could fill some void in your hearts? Endless mindless consumption is what I saw growing up. Shame on your near-sightedness, and shame on your lack of generational awareness.
Don't worry though, gen Xers I believe will be much easier on you in your old age…. We will be the ones caring for you, bringing your groceries, helping you set up your computers and tech, and in general taking care of you. And, if I am being fair, some of that generational wealth you built will pass down to those Xers/Millennials that our lucky. I really do feel though, the Xers will have more forgiveness in our hearts for you. But it is your grandchildren boomers….. They are the ones that I would fear. The millennials and subsequent generational historians are the ones that will write a great portion of your story. And it wont be a pretty tome they write. They are the ones that are going to change everything, and when they truly educate themselves on the economics, racial, and societal actions your generation has done to preserve your power and wealth. When they truly find out what you have done. Well, they might not be so forgiving, and when the time comes, and it is their turn to sit on the worlds seats of power. Those generations you cared not for, are going to burn the world you so loved. To the ground……
Gen X hates everybody and everything, but we are fair. I believe however, the nasty social media influencers aside, that the millennials and subsequent generations will be the most socially conscious and considerate generations ever, helped by technology and education. The future is bright.
This fun little track helped inspire this post……