America is in a full-blown culture war.
Instead of leading a nut-job compound in the middle of the woods, Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry are Republican front-runners for U.S. President.
Instead of living a marginal, middle-class life as a girl with a breathing problem, Kristen Stewart is a multi-millionaire.
Instead of sitting in jail for two (alleged) rape charges, Ben Roethlisberger is busy trying to avoid angry Steeler fans after his first loss of a season.
But this column isn’t about getting out the vote, demonizing athletes, or convincing you that Twilight is pure garbage. It’s about waking the hell up.
There have been culture wars and youth revolts throughout history, but the economic stakes have never been so high.
On the other side of the country, some guy nearly 40 years older than you in a high dollar suit bet your future against the wide open borrowing market and lost.
A retired doctor is collecting a Social Security check from a government account that, with generous projections, will be drained by 2037. You know who is putting money in that account? You. Anyone planning on retiring in your late 40s? Good luck collecting Social Security benefits. According to government agencies, there is no crisis, only a “shortfall in long term finances.” Bull crap. It’s something that should be worrying millions of young Americans.
Somewhere, someone is demonizing an entire generation on drinking, marijuana use, sexual orientation, and over-sharing via the Internet.
And only a very small group cares about older generations systematically destroying our future.
Most are wrapped up in Jersey Shore or buying the next “big thing.” It’s not a bad thing to follow those. I hate Snookie as much as any red-blooded, patriotic American should. I also buy decent clothes so I don’t look like a freak. But those shouldn’t be the only things you follow.
One knock against this generation is what we get too wrapped up in and what other people are doing. This is one situation where we need to quit ignoring. Write letters to Congress, use those net skills that the baby-boomers envy and write a blog, email, or bombard Facebook and Twitter and have your voice heard. Have an opinion. Being involved doesn’t mean hitting every party in town. Quit rolling over and taking it when people across a generation gap a mile wide try and control your destiny. Across the world, Americans are being accused of being lazy and unconcerned. It’s really hard to argue with that when the youth of the nation is giving way to even the slightest bit of resistance. I hope you can pray the gay away if Michelle Bachmann is ever elected, because you can forget gay marriage. I hope you can stand dumping a sizeable amount of your paycheck into a system that is broken. Quit giving up your rights due to ignorance. Don’t bury your head in the sand and hope the problems go away. If we don’t fix the problems now, if our voice isn’t heard, then we are entirely screwed when we’re ready to retire.