Do you think the Silent Generation (b.1925-1942) is more selfish than the WWII Generation?

[bluestateguy]

Somehow I don't think the WWII Generation, which is now 85 years old and older, would be screaming at congressmen in town hall meetings and selfishly opposing government involvement in health care, save for their precious Medicare. The folks born between 1901-1924 were so much more civic minded and had so much more of a community mentality than their generational successors. They were team players. I don't sense that from the Silent Generation at all. It's like the Silent Generation was just content to live off of what their predecessors built for America.

McCain carried voters over 60 by a margin of 53%-46%, the only age group to do so.

And please spare me the lecture about your wonderful gray haired liberal/progressive Grandma or mother who volunteered for Obama, etc. Let's just stipulate that many of us at DU have wonderful progressive parents or grandparents. Their are exceptions to every rule.

[Bucky]

1. Nice post, Hitler.

Voting for McCain is not a sign of "selfishness". For many of them, it was simply gullibility.

Sweeping generalizations about entire generations are neither acceptable nor terribly accurate.

Besides, if anyone's super selfish, it's those pricks who were born in the 70s.

[Forkboy]

2. "Sweeping generalizations about entire generations are neither acceptable nor terribly accurate. "

"Besides, if anyone's super selfish, it's those pricks who were born in the 70s."

That has to be a record for the fastest disconnect ever.

[Bucky]

10. .

:)

[shraby]

3. Sooo THAT'S what we're called. I often wondered.

My husband and I both come from that age group. My parents (the "Great Generation")..Dad was in WWII..they were born Dad in 1921 and Mom in 1925..Dad fell into the notch babies..screwed by Reagan. Hurt both of them because of Dad's lower Social Security, Mom had less.
We were and are not the Silent Generation...we were the group who protested the VietNam war because our friends and brothers and sisters were being killed by the thousands for absolutely no reason, some were on the front lines of the Civil Rights marches and activism, and even now many many of us were very instrumental in getting Obama elected. It wasn't only the baby boomers making noise. Check your facts.

[Mari333]

4. My mom is a staunch republican

shes 83 and on medicare. I dont argue with her, I just remind her nicely that shes recieving govt assistance, and so did her youngest daughter, my sis, when she used WIC years ago which kept her kids from starving.
my mom votes the abortion issue. it doesnt matter that the GOP has never changed the issue, she just votes what she hears them say. underneath it, of course, is the way she was brought up..that black people are less then her..and women are stereotyped also..
she just recently found out, thanks to me, that shes an ashkenazi jew. boy, thats a wake up call for her.
nonetheless, i dont argue with her, shes old and ill and i humour her at this point.
not all people from that generation are close minded, because i see a lot of the teabaggers are my age.
thats whats creepy.

[Cleita]

5. Since I'm a member of that generation, I know we never were

as selfish as the baby boomers. It was my generation that brought us the changes of the sixties including civil rights. Many died because of it. The baby boomers only latched on in the late sixties and I believe it was for the sex, drugs and rock and roll, not to bring seminal change in human rights like my generation did.

[polichick]

6. I don't know, but SILENT isn't the right word for the group we're seeing. nt

[Cleita]

7. The group you are seeing is mostly baby boomers between the ages

of fifty and sixty.

[polichick]

9. Actually there have been a lot of 70-plus folks speaking in town halls. nt

[Mariana]

8. My parents are of this generation (born 1938 & 1942)

and YES they are unbelievably selfish in exactly the way you describe. In addition to opposing government funded health care for everyone except themselves ("we're ENTITLED to Medicare!"), they also squawk about paying such things as school taxes. Meanwhile, my father will brag with glee to anyone who will listen about how much more money he's already drawn in Social Security benefits than he ever paid into the system. He gets a real charge out of that.

Almost all their friends are the same.

I do understand that these are only a few individuals and are not necessarily representative of most people their age.

[Odin2005]

11. The SIlents gave us MLK, RFK, and Carl Sagan.

The leaders of the 60s youth movements were Silents. The Silents gave us Earth Day and the Americans With Disabilities Act. Many famous 60s rock singers were Silents. The Silents were the young people of the late 50s that were part of the Civil Rights Movement.

[polichick]

13. Yep - and many of us boomers began our activism with that first Earth Day...

...and our kids are picking up the torch ~ it's so silly for one group to disparage another. We're all in this together.

[Odin2005]

15. +1

[liberalmuse]

12. I think the biggest asshats...

come from the baby boomers. There are exceptions, such as those who participated in the counterculture in the 1960's, and many within the boomer generation who continue to advocate for justice. Unfortunately, there are not enough people from this generation as most have raped the planet or stood by and watched while others have fucked up this country and the world for many generations to come. I don't recall any other generation being so utterly self involved and greedy as this one.

[billh58]

18. How many generations do you "recall?" n/t

[seabeckind]

21. Just about EVERY environmental regulation

in effect came from MY generation, the asshats. Civil rights happened when I was 19. We were the unions and workers rights, carrying the banner from the 30's.

What screwed up the place was uncle ronnie and his band of merry thieves. And that, I think were the ones born in the 60's. Snotnosed little brats. Me! Me! Me!

If you look carefully the greedy ones are the ones from 45-55. The older ones of us are wondering where the hell we went wrong.

[billh58]

14. Let's see

I was born in 1941, so that makes me 68 years young. I have NEVER been politically silent -- ever. I have served my country both in, and out of, the military, protested unjust wars, and boogied until I puked.

Seems to me that each succeeding generation has its own share of loud mouths, and quiet achievers. "Loud" talk is cheap if you can't walk-the-walk.

[BOG PERSON]

16. I think the generational categories are kind of stupid and meaningless.

[hileeopnyn8d]

19. +1

I agree!

[TexasObserver]

17. More generational nonsense.

Society evolves and changes over time. It's not because of any generation, as much as some like to ascribe sweeping characteristics to them. The "Greatest Generation" didn't do a damn thing about racism toward blacks and Asians, or about sexism, or about oppressive religion, or about bigotry toward gays.

It's easy to romanticize or vilify a "generation," and either approach is silly.

Older people have long voted more conservatively than others, and it's quite natural.

[shraby]

20. One other observation about the "Silent Generation"...we

had to deal with untreated PTSD in our fathers when they came home from WWII, as did the children of the fathers from earlier wars. Many times it wasn't pretty either. Then we dealt with the Civil Rights issue, the VietNam war, the threat of Atomic nihilation. Give us a break! Silent we weren't.