Subject: Re: 13 Gen'ers<-----the unlucky bunch
From: Lisa M. Rabey (lisar@net-link.net)
Date: Fri Mar 07 1997 - 17:10:57 GMT
I know that many bananafishers are probably getting a little tired of this
thread, but, I couldn't help putting my two cents in. Sorry :)
>On Fri, 7 Mar 1997, Andrew Kennis wrote:
>
>> 20% of our generation is in poverty. We receive the least amount of
>> funding from the public sector out of all generations.
This is incorrect. First off, taxes are a 'public sector'. (if I am wrong,
then do correct me). Now, more then ever, it is much easier to get on
Welfare and stay on welfare. I know many welfare recievers who make more
per month with their checks and their foodstamps then I do. Plus with the
rent allotication (In some instances, Welfare will pay for your rent and
utils), it is also easier for them to afford to live and exist. With
college its the same thing. Just about anybody, can get a loan, and if you
are independent or over the age of 24, you are allotocated more monies to
live off on.
BUT! The catchall here is that because of how simple it is to get: credit
cards (seeing as "our age" has the most income then say 10 years ago),
loans, its no wonder we are in debt! Its incredibley easy to rack up the
bills, but even though we are making better money now, no way to pay it
off. Its a vicious cycle. Especially for those who are in college and are
lured by all the lovely deals that the credit companies give.
>We'll be lucky if
>> social security is not sold to Wall Street. Savage inequalities reign
>> free in every demographic category imaginable. We are children of
>> divorce. We are the victims of corporate and worker exploitation, as
>> corporate profits go sky high and workers wages stagnate while consumers
>> get barraged by the most commercialism oriented state in the world (not
>> to mention the lack of product safety, as Ralph Nader can attest).
And in english?
Its common knowldege that we won't have, or barely have, social security
when we reach 65. But, again, with our lives being extended, it is
prodicted that when 'me' (Being all of 24) hits 65, i will actually have to
wait til i am 70 to retire. My brother, who is 17, will have to wait til he
is 72 to retire.
But, the plus side of this, is that we are no longer 'stuck' in staying in
at one place anymore. With the advent of technology, its now possible to
change careers to whatever the current market trend is. If someone is not
multi-faceted enough to do this that is their own job suicide.
> Four
>> companies, Time Warner, Westinghouse, Disney/CAP Cities, and GE own
>> basically the whole entertainment front (well over 70% of the market).
>> The environment continues to sour.
This is speculation. Where are your resources for this? And the enviroment
has continued to imporve with all the recycling that ppl are doing to save
the earth and with componies and individuals becoming more enviromentally
aware. A trend? No, not with the ozone, more like off to a good start of
keep the earth clean.
>I understand that Vietnam was bad and
>> everything, but so is the fact that my generation are predominantly in
>> poverty, without health insurance, are without job opportunities, are
>> without educational opportunities ('specially in rural/urban localities),
>> and are still subjected to an insidiously racist and sexist society.
EH?
There are plenty of job oppurtunties. THe one huge problem I have with -my-
generation is that its so damn lost. Everythign was force feed to us
growing up, and with ppl getting out of college, what do they do? Move back
home with mommy and daddy, whining about how horrible everything is, while
sitting on their useless degree, not doing anything about improving their
own life or their own future. That is their own damn fault. No one asked
them to get a degree in basket weaving now did they?
Sasha said:
>Still, you can complain all you want - we've got it comparitively easy.
>Part of the reason I'm embarrassed to be part of "gen-x" is that we can't
>possibly be taken seriously as having ever had any real problems when we
>make arguments like you're making. It is our need to constantly be the
>victim of society that makes us an interolerable group.
Now I agree with this totally. One thing that has become a trend more then
anything else, is the fact that by becoming 'victimized', we can rape
everything for what its worth. I mean, "I can't get into reletionships
because of (Insert current trend here). I mean, its postively sickening.
Or, insert something to blame for our weakness of getting off our ass and
doing something for ourselves. Its so easy to blame everyting on everyone
else. That alone is a problem right there.
>
>> Don't tell me my generation has no problems. Don't tell me we have less
>> problems. We have more.
>>
>I didn't say it has no problems - just not more.
>
>> Um, it did, in '89.
The stock market crashed in '89, but to the extent it was in '29. Plus
times have changed, and even though there was a incredibley minor
recession, it was more in the 80's then there was after the actual crash
itself.
>>
>Oh it did? Tell that to my ninety year old grandmother who didn't eat for
>a week until she and her husband found a dollar on the sidewalk. Your
>comparison is an insult to those who suffered through the real thing.
Okay, this is like penis envy here. The argument is weak because its like
our parens telling us how awful it was for them when they went to school
because they had to walk a gazillion miles to the bus stop. Our argument
for our children is that we had to deal with modems to get on the net or
some other nonsense. Times have changed, people have not.
>
>> Um, Nazis are still alive and well. To believe they aren't, is naive.
>>
>Oh, yeah - those inbred morons living in Idaho dressing up in sheets and
>throwing up one overworked arm now and again, killing black people
>occasionally? Well they are scary to be sure but they are not a threat
>like the Nazis are a threat. Your comparison is an insult (of epic
>proportions and it's sad to see that you don't realize this) to the *six
>million jews* (hello? Is anybody home?) who died in the Holocaust.
Erm, wrong. KKK and Nazi affiliated groups are everywhere. There was just a
ralley held last year at our state captiol (Lansing). And anyone that is
racist, sexist, ignorant of human kindness is threat, no matter how you
dress it up. Again, its penis envy. SHouldn't matter how or what is going
on, if its wrong, it shouldn't be tolerated, and that does include sexism
and racism in ANY Form.
>
>> You're right, we aren't. We have the lowest turnout rate among all
>> industrialized Democracies in the whole world.
Voter registration for 18-24yos was up something like 48% for the last
presidental election. MTV with their rock the vote campign helped spurn the
'13-rs' to getting off their ass and registering.
> We also have the most
>> cumbersome registration procedures, only have two viable choices in most
>> elections, have long ass lines during elections, have elections during
>> the middle of the week, and a host of other pathetic vote problems this
>> country seems not to care about.
I don't think going to the Secratary of State office (as it is in michigan)
and filling out a card is 'cumbersome'. We do not have only 'two' viable
choices, there is a write in on every ticket, I have been in and out of the
election booth within 15 minutes .
I don't think that is the problem.
Getting people to shut up or put up is the problem.
<snip lots of snippage>
ttfn.
Lisa
Lisa M. Rabey
NetLink Systems, LLC
Tech Support and Web Design
http://www.net-link.net/~lisar
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