I'm not surprised at the way the Occupy movement in Canada has been attacked by our corporate media. Or the way it has been mocked by the Con klowns at Fox News North.
But I must admit I was a bit surprised by this one.
I just couldn't understand how ANYONE could be impressed by Coren's oily and absurd rant.
Or what Red Tory...
I have to admit to experiencing a considerable amount of cognitive dissonance being largely in agreement with his withering assessment of the protesters involved in the Canadian version of this movement.
And JJ, the Unrepentant Old Hippie...
What little sympathy i may have been able to muster for the Canadian protests vanished abruptly last week when I read some of the “occupiers” on Twitter, discussing how they define “the rich” — and it turned out that their definition would include ME.
Could possibly have in common with that smarmy, limey, religious fanatic.
And then I remembered. Maybe that guy was right. Some boomers just don't get it.
I am, in other words, part of what could be called the Clueless Generation. The Clueless Generation is made up of middle-aged, professionally successful people, who grew up in a nation that featured a mostly thriving economy, low-cost higher education, and some minimal commitment to economic justice. As a consequence, we graduated from school with little or no debt, got good jobs that featured real possibilities for advancement, and have on the whole ended up doing very well for ourselves.
Can't understand that THEY were the entitled or the lucky ones, while young people in the U.S. and Canada face a future of high unemployment, poor jobs, and no benefits or pensions.
On a crowded, burning planet that most boomers won't live to see. Can't understand that Occupy Canada, as humble as it may be, is part of a global movement from Toronto to Tahrir Square.
You know it's funny eh? Every time I wander through the Occupied Toronto campground I can't help feeling that this is what being at Woodstock must have felt like. The peace signs, the music tent, the earnest, innocent idealism.
And on the Occupy Toronto website recently, somebody actually posted this song...
Which of course blew my mind eh?
Because I LOVE boomer music. And those pictures look soooooo familiar.
But sadly, the train hippie bus is leaving the station, bound for the future, and a lot of boomers won't be on it.
The good news? The best and most progressive ones WILL be riding with us. Which is a good thing because innocent idealism needs to be tempered with experience. So we can forge a movement that will really change the world.
And because, quite frankly...
We need more songs like this one...
Hey boomers. There will always be room on my bus for you.
In this darkest of elections it is the brightest light of hope. The sight of thousands of Canadian students answering Rick Mercer's call to get out and vote.
And making all kinds of great vote mob videos, like this one from McMaster University...
In a weary cynical world, I find that idealism and energy so inspiring. I don't think I could continue without it.
But the truth is that alone, the youth vote can't save us. It could make a huge difference.
What does seem possible is that if youth turned to the degree that their parents and grandparents do — say 65 per cent — they would most likely be difference makers, especially in tight ridings.
“You’d have bigger clout,” says pollster Frank Graves, founder of EKOS Research Associates. “You might see 20 seats change hands, even 30.”
But it probably won't, because after years of ignoring their concerns, getting the young to vote isn't that easy.
Like youth elsewhere, they are more transient, which makes it more of a pain to vote and be found by those seeking their votes. They have busy lives, they’re in debt and may be holding down several jobs. The local paper does not land at their doorstep and they don’t tune in to traditional news coverage.
So this election will be decided by seniors and boomers. Most of whom support the Cons. Which made me think eh? Shouldn't progressive older Canadians be appealing to THEIR generations, to get out there and defeat the Cons?
I could appeal to them myself. Ask them why they would vote for a monster like Harper? Who would destroy the freedoms they helped bring to life. Why would they let him torch the planet their grandchildren will live on? Why would they let him strangle our medicare system when they do or will soon need it the most?
And do they really want to leave this bitter legacy?
Indeed, as Canada’s current crop of seniors ages and literally dies out, so too will their clout. But what kind of government will they and the Baby Boomers after them leave behind? It may well be one shaped more by fear than by youthful optimism and issues like the environment, says Graves.
But each generation appeals to its own the best. So I'm challenging them to do that. Get that message out. Or ask them this?
If it is indeed their last political hurrah, do they really want to go out to the dull thump of an executioner's drum in Harper's dark Canada?
Or would they rather go out singing this song?
Of course, I know the answer eh?
If old and young join together, we CAN defeat those bastard Cons.
I love a lot of things about the baby boomer generation. Their music, the peace and love stuff, and all the things they did to advance the rights of women, blacks, and gay people. And, of course, I love my parents. So I was kinda disgusted to see that some guy has set-up a baby boomer death counter.
And was delighted to see my friend JJ at Unrepentant Old Hippy really give it to him. If only we hadn't been caught in the crossfire.
Oh no: Generation Whine strikes again (and by Gen-Whine I don't mean everyone under 40, just the ones who hate boomers so much). What's the matter, the internet, iPods and HDTV weren't enough? We need to give you whimpering, puling little creeps even more?
Who are these Generation Whiners? I don't recognize them. WAAAAAAAAAH !!!!!
As I tell my father, who has been known to voice similar sentiments, it's soooooooo unfair. We have so much we could whine about. Lousy jobs, no benefits, whopping student loans to pay off, no hope of owning a house like our parents did. Not even a comfy pension to look forward to....just a no-oil future on a burning planet teetering on the edge of war. But we don't blame the older generation. Polls show that young people are the ones who least consider John McCain's age to be a problem.
We don't really whine that much either. We leave that to the Boomers. Boomers are tired, overworked, strapped, bummed out and don't expect to get a break.
More than young people or seniors, Baby Boomers (aged 44 to 62 now) are gloomy about their lives and the prospects for improvement, a new survey finds. They've got EVERYTHING. But still they complain. So who is whining now? WAAAAAAAAH !!!!!! But I forgive them. Not just because I love them. And I know that thanks to Viagra the best is yet to come. But also because we can AFFORD to be generous. Move that psychedelic bus out of the way Boomers....here come da Millenials!!! Who are not only pretty cool..... there are a LOT of them. There are 83 million millennials, people born after 1980 who came of age around the millennium. That is about 5 million more than the baby boomers. So the Boomers better be nice to us or else.... Because the last thing we need in this troubled world is a generational war. You know my mother used to play an old Joe Cocker song to make me eat my baby mush. When I really wanted steak like my brother had. WAAAAAAH !!!!! And when I was a teenager my father used to pretend he WAS Joe Cocker....in public. Which was EXCRUCIATINGLY painful. But I still love those hippie dippy boomers. And I still love this song...
Yup. I Simon do declare. With a little help from our friends....of ALL ages and generations. With all their weaknesses and strengths. We can bring back some of that peace and love. And save the world TOGETHER...
