The Me Generation, or Generation Text?
Jan 21st, 2012 | 6 responses
[Adapted from Feb 5, 2008's, "Waiting To Breathe."]
A pause before the oncoming secessionist storm.
Well, here it is: Super Duper Mega Hyper Tuesday — that monument to electoral greed pioneered by Southern Democrats in creating the first “Super Tuesday” in 1988. 24 states* now “Me-Too” it today. Which guarantees that campaigns will be mostly about media buys, and NOT about creating the political infrastructure that will take the eventual winner through the next four years. The South Carolina Primary, which will “decide” the race. Or be decisive or somesuch. Certainly, it becomes difficult to stop Mitt if he’s not roughed up in South Carolina, of course. But we shall see.
In this age of Billionaires staking their chosen candidates like race horses at a cock fight, common wisdom is out the window. (As if were ever included.)
[* I give up. A week or so ago, it was stated with authority in one outlet that 29 states would vote. Then, 24. By the end of "tonight" it was 22. This from a media that tells you it's "trustworthy," "fair and balanced," etc. etc. ]
Look: when the Republicans of Iowa [2012] can’t even count their own votes in their own private caucuses, having made it a national showpiece and with plenty of advance warning, I have NO expectation of normalcy or sanity in the aftermath of that cluster … well, there’s a word for it.
Government of the media, by the media and for the media shall not perish from this Earth.
Forever and ever, Amen: film at eleven.
I think that Barack Obama is, perhaps, more correct than he knows in calling this* a choice between the past and the future. (* 2008)
This long political train wreck that began with Ronald Reagan can be directly traced, perhaps to the the battle on the streets of Chicago in 1968 between the Woodstock Nation and the “Establishment” — the World War II generation who were their parents.
The “Greatest Generation” gets their name from Tom Brokaw’s maudlin coinage in a couple of books that may well have been ghostwritten — these days who can say? Brokaw — February 6, 1940 — is talking about his parents and their friends, and the idea that you admire your parents’ generation is not exactly revolutionary.
Their reign begins with John F. Kennedy in 1961, and ends with George Herbert Walker Bush’s exit of the White House in 1993. Since then, it’s been the Baby Boomers: Bill Clinton (8/19/1946) and George Herbert Hoover Bush (7/6/1946).
Mick Jagger: 7/26/1943
Newt Gingrich: 06/17/1943
John Kerry: 12/11/1943
Rush Limbaugh: 1/12/1951
Tom Petty: 10/20/1950
Jane Fonda: 12/21/1937
Peter Jennings: 7/29/1938
Bernie Madoff 4/29/1938
Paul McCartney: 6/18/1942
Dennis Hastert: 1/2/1942
Jimi Hendrix: 11/27/1942
Fred Thompson 8/19/1942
George W. Bush: 7/6/1946
Robert Fripp (King Crimson) 5/16/1946
Bill Clinton 8/19/1946
Herman Cain 12/13/1945
Micky Dolenz (Monkees) 3/8/1945
Stephen Stills 1/3/1945
Donald Rumsfeld: 7/9/1932
Little Richard: 12/5/1932
Elton John: 3/25/1947
Willard Mitt Romney 3/12/1947
Bob Dylan: 5/24/1941
Dick Cheney: 1/30/1941
David Crosby: 8/14/1941
Trent Lott: 10/9/1941
John Lennon: 10/9/1940
Dick Armey : 7/7/1940
David Bowie: 9/8/1947
Tom DeLay: 4/8/1947
Iggy Pop: 4/21/1947
Hilary Clinton: 10/26/1947
Gene Simmons (of Kiss): 8/25/1949
Bill O’Reilly (of Faux): 9/10/1949
John Belushi: 1/24/1949
Tiny Tim: 4/12/1932
Ruth Bader Ginsberg 3/15/1933
Nancy Pelosi: 3/26/1940
Ringo Starr: 7/7/1940
Eldridge Cleaver 8/31/1935
Ken Kesey 9/17/1935
Jerry Lee Lewis 9/29/1935
Ron Paul 8/20/1935
Oh, and
Karl Rove: 12/25/1950 (right between Tom Petty and Rush Limbaugh)
Yes, evidently, he’s a Christmas baby. Kind of evil and creepy, ain’t it?
Rick Perry 3/4/1950
My point is this: The “Summer of Love” generation has been tearing this country apart politically, polarizing, pugnacious, determined to GET THEIR WAY from the battle on the Streets of Chicago in 1968 to the present day.
nineteen sixty eight
And, perhaps, it is TIME for that generation to begin to take a back seat to a generation raised on computers and cel phones, with a different take on the way that the world works, and a less confrontational approach to American society: The difference between a Rush Limbaugh and an Abbie Hoffman is only a difference of political affiliations, the essentially destructive nature of their political efforts is the same.
No Vietnam veteran who was ever run from that generation ever won a presidential election (McCain, Kerry, Gore) and no draft-dodger who ever ran lost a presidential election (Bill Clinton, George Herbert Hoover Bush.)
All right: they’ve dominated American political life for forty years and more. The “sexism” charges and the “racism” charges being thrown back and forth are hallmarks of THEIR generation. The desire to move beyond the same old ideological pissing matches and the same old approaches comes from later generations.
It’s time for another approach.
Of course, here’s your “youth” vote:
Michelle Bachmann 4/6/1956
Rick Santorum 5/10/1958
Jon Huntsman 3/26/1960
Tim Pawlenty 11/26/1960
Barack Obama 8/4/1961
We will see what South Carolina, with its (as pandering, winking Ron Paul put it: “Well, South Carolina is known for their respect for liberty,” speaking in that well-known code that includes “Barack Obama is the biggest Food Stamp President of all time”) collective Republican wisdom will decide. Because, as voodoo statistics tell us, South Carolina has voted for the eventual GOP nominee since 1960, and therefore they will again this time. [See: Magical Thinking.]
It’s already brought us the intellectual acme — on the day before this all-important contest — of Chuck Norris 3/10/1940 dominating the political discussion of the day.
This UTTERLY refutes MSNBC’s Chuck Todd 4/8/1972 screeching that Stephen Colbert 5/13/1964 is making a mockery of our Presidential Primary process:
Todd went after both Colbert and Jon Stewart for mocking members of the media, then backing off and saying “we’re just comedians” when the members of the media call them out on it. “Actually, no you’re not [comedians] anymore,” Todd said. “You are mocking what we’re doing, and you want a place in this, then you are also going to be held accountable for how you cover and how you do your job.”
Oh yeah. Holding comedians accountable for doing their jobs? How about holding the media accountable for … oh, never mind. [See: Magical Thinking.]
Considering that Chuck Todd is the baby of this entire gaggle of famous persons, I feel strongly that we’re in really good shape, when those ‘Seventies babies start coming on line.
Chuck Norris. America’s Most Influential Pundit.
Chuck Norris T-shirt
No wonder SAT scores keep going down.
Tomorrow, the true comedians of this entire sordid mess will speak. I wonder what they will say?
UPDATE: Newt wins. Delegate count: Gingrich 19, Romney 18.
Perhaps they were terrified by Chuck Norris.
Courage.
================
A writer, published author, novelist, literary critic and political observer for a quarter of a quarter-century more than a quarter-century, Hart Williams has lived in the American West for his entire life. Having grown up in Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico, a survivor of Texas and a veteran of Hollywood, Mr. Williams currently lives in Oregon, along with an astonishing amount of pollen. He has a lively blog His Vorpal Sword. This is cross-posted from his blog.
6 Responses to “The Me Generation, or Generation Text?”
I remember Nixon’s brass band on the back of a three-ton stake bed truck in 1960, stopping mid intersection Slausen and Gage south central LA county. I clearly remember my young thoughts: “How does he get away with his campaign trucks stopping in the middle of the street like that?”. Well, now we know, money talks and BS walks. Especially for a crook.
Actually it was Slauson and Maywood. (been awhile).
It’s an interesting piece — definitely makes me feel young at a time when I’m starting to see the beginnings of wrinkles forming, and I’ve lost the easy knowledge that I’ll look good in a bikini in the summer. Sigh.
The discussion of generations is interesting. I’m excited to be working in a company that is very much in the throws of changing the world as far as technology; it’s been pretty cool looking around the conference rooms of hard-working, smart, capable people coming together on how to solve problems and plan new designs — and noticing that the people doing the work are largely in my generation. Management is all older, of course, but the inthemud work is being done by people my age. It’s kind of cool.
In any case, it was a little odd to see the coolest rockers I can think of compared to the grumpy, old-seeming politicians. I guess there’s gotta be a spectrum in every generation. also: I need to find some new music. It seems my favorites are really really old.
And I’ve always considered Huntsman an attractive man, but I thought he was, like, my parents’ age, based on how he looks. Yikes.
Chuck Todd is an idiot. (There, I got that out of my system.) Anyway, I enjoyed looking at all those birthdays – troublemakers and troubadours alike. None of the mythology or recorded history of the sixties and early seventies (fictional or fact) comes close to what it was like to live then and feel the electricity that was in the air. We now live in a world of zombies by comparison. As for Newt’s ascension? It’s clear to me his new fan club in South Carolina has to be composed mostly of people who either don’t know who he really is (his history) or don’t care. Pathetic.
Agreed… Todd is a raging Douche.
He has a false sense of importance of himself and the job he does. I recall him crying about someone on the Bill Maher show calling him out for some BS he was spewing at the time. His reputation is more important than anything.
I know Slauson and Maywood from when I drove a cab. Thanks, Allen.