The Lost Generation

For decades, America has been in a slowly worsening state of stagnation that was initiated by the new neoliberal economics of the postwar era and has been perpetuated by the apathy and disillusionment of those living in the formidable shadow of the achievements of the greatest generation and the failures of its successors.

The United States emerged from the depths of the Great Depression into a chaotic world torn apart by the ceaseless march of progress, long smoldering ethnic and cultural rifts, and deep-seated differences in political ideology. When the bullets stopped flying, America alone stood largely undamaged, a powerhouse of industry with a booming economy, poised to recreate the shattered world in its own image. However, though fascism’s champions had been crushed, there remained another enemy with the potential to hamper America’s ability to exploit the markets recently created by the final collapse of old-style imperialism and the implementation of modern systems of government: the Soviet Union. The greatest generation responded to their newest challenge in much the same manner that it had dealt with their prior hurdles, by rallying around a common cause and working together to ensure success. They fought for democracy in the countries they felt threatened by the “communist hordes,” they accelerated scientific research at a rate never before seen by mankind, they funded development worldwide, and their efforts ultimately resulted in the crowning achievement of the human race, the landing of men on the moon.

However, while on the surface America still shone as a beacon of power and success, within the soul of the nation, things were already beginning to unravel. The debacle of McCarthyism was the first sinister note signaling the start of the United States’ shift from being the leader of the “free world” to the backwards, paranoid, and nearly failed state it is today. While the McCarthy commission may have been seen as an embarrassment, it demonstrated how the American government’s fear of losing status had begun to translate to a narcissistic obsession with its own eminence. As the years passed, the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, Nixon, the subversive covert wars against the left-leaning democracies of Latin America, the excesses and wild masturbatory urges of the neoconservative swine of the Reagan Era, the failure of the Clinton administration to reform an economy that lagged far behind those of Western Europe, and ultimately the George W. Bush years have culminated in our lost generation, which will soon completely replace the Baby Boomers as the stewards of American society.
It seems almost taboo for the media to discuss the degenerated state of American society.  In general, people have less money, fewer jobs, abuse more drugs, have fewer children and are less educated than they have been at any other point in recent history. Our generation in particular lacks purpose. We are entirely disillusioned with a government that is seen as sneaky and subversive and a political system that offers only cookie-cutter candidates for political office. Our former position as the leader of the industrialized world has given way to our present status as the angry, fat and greedy middlemen of the world, sniveling swine that whore ourselves out for money by day and gorge ourselves on fast food while  embarrassing ourselves on reality television all night. It is high time for a socio-cultural revolution in our country.

Our lost generation can still find its way. We were not present for the attempted disenfranchising of our political system by Nixon and his apes, nor for the brutal robbery and sodomizing of America by Reagan and his cronies, nor for the decades of brainwashing against political diversity to prevent anybody but center-right Protestants from carefully directing our economy to pour money into their pockets. We’ve been at long last presented with a tremendous and powerful opportunity to change our country completely, and to take the power out of the hands of those who wish to let our economy languish in the late 19th century system of big business and who are content to uphold cultural values instilled over two millennia ago by schizophrenics who believed that the world is ruled by an omnipresent ethereal being they fancied calling god. We’ve been given the opportunity to bring our political system up to date with the rest of the world, to finally allow fresh ideas and political diversity into our self-obsessed two-party quagmire. We’ve been given a chance to change our government from being a passive, uncaring entity that serves merely to further enrich the wealthy with one that actively aids our people. We’ve been finally granted an opening to become what our founding fathers envisioned: a nation where all men are created equal, where everyone is guaranteed the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and where everyone is guaranteed equality of outcome. So let’s do it.

3 Responses to “The Lost Generation”

1. Ima Concerned says:

   September 2, 2009 at 5:23 pm

   I am a liberal, but please don’t fill this blog with unsupported facts and random blabbering.Try to give it a sense of purpose/inspiration without saying anything. It doesn’t work, it will never work, and please don’t do it again. If I want to hear this depth of analysis, i’ll watch some fox news.
2. Jeff Nettleton says:

   September 3, 2009 at 2:19 pm

   I’m sorry if my thoughts offend, but this is a political opinion column. If you’re looking for news that won’t trouble your political sensibilities, simply edit the “blog.” out of the url bar, and you’ll be on your way.
3. Jeff Nettleton says:

   September 3, 2009 at 2:32 pm

   p.s. there is a difference between being a liberal and being a leftist. Both can be Democrats, but Joe Lieberman is a “liberal” and Ted Kennedy was a leftist.