On Generation One
Life Lessons, Truthiness Comments (4)
“…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” -Abraham Lincoln
Hypocrisy does not mean you can’t sell your soul. How many people who are in the closet on many issues, are themselves what that issue is about? How many gay leaders of govt are themselves gay, or race baiters who are themselves fathers of a mixed race child? If you think that because a racial divide does not exist because there are more races in places they were not before, then you are sadly mistaken. By this i mean blacks in government or doing more than preaching, hispanics doing more than nannies and window washers.
I’ve always been confident that America is a melting pot. So far, ALL immigrants have been integrated after their period of being singled out. Unfortunately it’s the time of the Muslims, but even so, they are already making progress and soon it just won’t matter.
Race in america is akin to classism elsewhere, we see what we want to see. But while i have no real data, i offer you this.
In the kids two generations back (the Millennium generation) , race played little part, on a one to one basis, or a one to many (with friends) basis. This is just a fact. I see men and women of different cultures and races mixing without a problems. Generation X, was the first mold breaker, Generation y, the young rebels, and Generation Millennium, who have no idea what the fuss is about, but do know better than to expose their friends to their Baby Boomer and Leave it to Beaver Generation. Why?
The problems come in (as i know, and have experienced) when the GEN Y and MEL Generation have to take your significant other (of another race) home. In the quote of someone very close to me. “What ever we do, what ever happens, I can’t take you home. My parents… “
I didn’t need to hear any more, and neither do you. There are certain fundamental facts. Some of the same people who were 40 years ago preaching a divide and willing to kill any person of color or non white race in America, are now running this Great american country and writing laws protecting the rights of the individual or races. Do I believe they have changed? Yes. Some. Others, have just realized it’s useless to buck the trend and as long as they are not forced to ask because “They have a lot of Gay/Black/Hispanic. Friends too” *good by WWII generation, and settle in Baby Boomers, it’s a bumpy ride.
Least I drift, this post is not about race really, or affirmative action. It’s about my belief that in 4-5 generations from Generation X (remember, I’m already looking too back) … it will be over. I will not live to see it i think, but i am glad i can see the light at the end of the tunnel. After the Millennium generation there can only be one generation that matters.
Welcome Generation One.
OceansOfThought @ February 22, 2008
I feel that it isn’t the islamic community that is facing the difficulties of immigration, as the past groups that have immigrated have. Rather, and I am more than willing to discuss it, I feel that it has been the hispanic community. When the Italians and the Irish came, they faced the troubles that the hispanics of today are facing. in one hundred years, it’ll be in the past, but I wish to say one thing about the imigration flood of the hispanics. They are doing an amazing job assimilating their culture into the threads of americana. not only are they, as a community, learning the language of this nation at an astounding rate ( where other immatrant communities have taken a few generations, tehy manage it in one) they have also instilled themselves into our culture. bringing their food and flavour into every community they enter. I think it’s fascinating.
on another note, as I re-read this post through my routines to leave my house to make money, I come to the realization that, no matter the age, no matter the generation, some things will always remain the same. Differences in cultures and differences in the views we take to each culture that we encounter are always going to exist, on a personal level. it is the way of humanity to blindly subjucate the masses into their groups in order to deal with them in our own minds. No one will, as they drive next to my car, stereo blasting, come to think of me as anything more than a 20-30 year old head banging punk. No woman will willingly throw me into the house with their parents, unless it is to upset the parental units with the idea that their daughter is with the underbelly of society.
Furthermore, after one group makes it’s way throught eh portalsof cultural indifference, the next will emerge kicking and screaming and the past group will join in the shouts of retribution, forgetting the fight they themselves, as a community, just won. Welcome to the world of Humanity, here’s a helmet, and a towel. the helmet to protect hte greymatter from the beating on the brick wall you find in front of you, adn the towel to clean off the muck from those that refuse to see the wall in front of them.
Just something to add to this. Took a trip to Cleveland Georgia, and met some fine folks, however, one comment made my day (from a baby boomer). “So as a blackman, you gonna vote for Obama?”
Seriously? Do I have to? What does being a blackman have to do with it? For the record, i’m not telling anyone who i’m voting for. My business.
Anyway, I said nothing and made my way past the grocery story selling confederate flags and on my way.
[…] remorseful or scared. It will have sucked it up and moved on. More importantly, especially for Generation One , the world will no longer be defined by September 11th, 2001, But “Where were you during […]