Generations, revisiting my comments on Obama

Picture From Justastory

I realized (randomly) that in my article, "Here we go, Obama criticism pt 1," that I used a lot of generational terminology (I guess it is that almost minor in Sociology, and Anthropology major). I went to Wikipedia to look up what my terms actually mean.

So if you are interested I will give you some links (because I am too busy to write a big huge thing about it right now, I don't know why I am even blogging on it if I don't feel like writing on it) only because I thought it was really interesting reading.

First the sociology of it all:
Strauss and Howe
Then the definitions (which I find interesting and right on):
Baby boomers
Generation x
Generation y
Generation z (which I didn't know existed, I figured they would have a better name...what comes after z?)

Here we go, Obama critisim pt 1

Many of you have noticed that I either post on something I am doing, or something the world is doing. It is time for one about what the world is doing. Firstly, I need you to read this editorial, I didn't know what the laws were about putting a whole article on a blog was so you will have to go to the link yourself.

OK, now I trust you have read it (or none of this will make sense).

I watched the inauguration live on the BBC. The amount of pageantry involved was crazy to me. I realized that this was the first inauguration I have watched because I didn't care about Bush and I was too young to care about Clinton. It was crazy the amount of commentary there was in the background. It was similar to watching a football game where there can't be one minute of dead air. The commentators even commented during the classical music section, which really made me mad because it was all about Obama being black.

Now, during Obama's acceptance speech in November, I was moved to tears...I was not so with his inauguration speech. Don't know why, just wasn't. I was bored quite frankly. But obviously by all the camera panning during the speech, I was out numbered by all the inspired millions, all who Danny Westneat is saying want to give back.

Why all of a sudden do people want to give back? Why couldn't they give back before? There were tons of moments during Bush's presidency (or the other 6 presidents, I think since JFK) that people could have given back but didn't, or did for that short moment in time and then just stopped...anyone remember Katrina? I hate that people don't find the link between great programs and more taxes. Programs need taxes and usually the good ones require the highest. Do you know how much it is going to cost to have universal health care? I pay 20% of my paycheck just for the NHS here.

I don't understand the stimulus package stuff. Did it work last year? Sure it was nice to get a check from the government for once, but I didn't spend it in a store. Why can't the government just make things a little cheaper? Cost of living a little lower?

I might sound a little stupid because I have no idea what I am talking about. I don't understand politics and my mind wanders when I read or watch the news (or even when I am writing one of my silly blogs), but here is the thing (and I am sure it is the thing that will get me into trouble and show that I don't know what I am talking about)...

"I talked to dozens who were there and came away with exactly the opposite. They wanted to know what they can do. Not what you or the government can do for them, but what they can do for their country.
It's a 50-year-old JFK cliché, hip again. We are a self-absorbed Me-Nation. But maybe a crisis is bringing about ... change."

Were we a "Me-Nation" before JFK? Given, the WWII Generation had the Baby-Boom Generation who sparked all of this me-first hog wash that has trickled down to the explosion of all self absorbed, "get off your ass," "me first" Generation X and Y. I have this deep seeded need to know how Generation X and Y got to be the selfish bastards we are. And this is why...

I walk in the desert during the Summer recording historical artifacts from people who went through tremendous hardships to find a better life. They had nothing and recycled everything and they didn't give up, for if they had, the West Coast wouldn't have been populated.

So this was around 1870, between then and 1930 there were a couple of wars and of course WWI. In 1930 there was the Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression. Once again people had to live without and pull together. Then there was WWII, and as soon as America got bombed, we got busy. People actually signed up to go to war and gave their time to serve their country in some way.

But then, I don't get what happened...it must have been the Korea and Vietnam Wars that sent the US into a me, me, me frenzy. Why did these wars create such a self absorbed society...I mean come on, the hippies were not the let's help everyone kind of people that they thought they were and they all turned into the suburban SUV driving yuppies (that's right, don't forget the yuppies).

Is it that we haven't seen what Change really is for so long, that we don't believe it exists? When JFK was president, people believed in change...and then he was shot. When Martin Luther King was preaching tolerance in face of great diversity, he was shot. When kids were protesting against the Vietnam war and segregation in schools...they were shot or attacked. And we saw this all on TV...we SAW it. With our own eyes. How can you believe in change when all you see is the hopes and progress being CRUSHED right before your eyes?

Do you know that a man hasn't been on the moon since 1972?

So, here we go again, a chance for change, (and I am so tired of that word the only word I hate more is "green,") and the most common thing I hear after someone says "hey it's great that Obama is president," is "I hope he doesn't get assassinated." I am glad that everyone feels they need to do something...but I hope that this time they do and that I do for that matter (see, I am just as much a part of the problem as everyone else...thinking that the mysterious "they" are going to do it), and the next time our hopes get CRUSHED, because they will...that we all just shrug, give the person next to us a little hug and carry on.

So tell me...What are you going to do for the country?

OOPS!!

I thought this was a little funny because Richard had pointed out to me that Obama forgot a word in the swearing in ceremony:

This is from the BBC website:

Sworn again

Mr Obama - who was sworn in as America's new president on Tuesday - said he was beginning "a new era of openness" in government.

He was sworn in for a second time late on Wednesday, because one word had been out of order when the oath was first administered.

The White House said the ceremony had been repeated in an "abundance of caution".

On Wednesday, the US Senate confirmed the appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

Senators earlier approved six Cabinet members, including Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Steven Chu as energy secretary. Several other positions are still to be confirmed.

Voting in America

from: http://hoboken411.com

Like everyone in the U.S., I too watched the votes role in on Tuesday. The BBC spent all of Tuesday focused on the American elections and I was glad to be working; I was anxious and knew the results wouldn't start coming in until midnight. I can honestly say that I did not care who won. I was glad that Bush was finally leaving the White House and we could start something new.

It was interesting to see how our elections affect the UK. BBC News 24 was focusing on America all day and all the headlines in the British tabloids focused on our election. In true British tabloid style, the headlines focused on the race of our candidates, an issue I thought we had already passed, but I guess I was wrong. The Daily Mail posted this picture on it's front page showing Obama as a white man and McCain as a black man with a line in the middle saying "Let the issues, be issues," which is a good point, something I hoped would have been common sense, but I tend to give people too much credit.

"Let the issues be issues"

Many people only look to the white people to be racist, but this is not the truth. During voting in Philadelphia, Black Panthers made their presence known by wielding night sticks and intimidating possible McCain voters. Here is a video of one encounter:

I really wanted to stay up all night as the electorates were tallied up, but alas, I had work in the morning and the final results would not finish until 5 am. So I went to sleep.
In the morning I was not surprised, Obama had won and I was relieved. Although I had not cared who had won, I was happy it was Obama though I was not fully convinced of my support for him until I saw his acceptance speech which filled me with tears from the moment he stepped on the stage. For this moment, as I watched a new president walk on the stage, I was truly proud of my country, and extremely happy that the "Bush years" were over. I would like to say I would have had the same response if that had been McCain on the stage, but I really can't say.
For those of you who missed it, and have only seen snips of the acceptance speech, you really should watch it. It was really, really good. People I have talked to in the coffee shop were even moved to tears and are truly excited for us and hope that Britain could be so bold as to vote the way we did.