A Rant over the war between the generations: The last great insult

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The discussion highlights a generational divide regarding environmental issues, tracing its roots back to the publication of "Silent Spring" in the late 1960s. Participants express frustration with older generations, particularly regarding their perceived disregard for environmental concerns, exemplified by the retirement lifestyle choices of many, such as extensive motorhome travel. This sentiment reflects ongoing tensions between younger individuals and their parents' generation, particularly around historical events like the Vietnam War. The conversation also touches on the notion that older generations may not feel the urgency of environmental issues since they will not face the long-term consequences. There is a call for a new leader akin to Teddy Roosevelt to address these pressing environmental challenges.
Ivan Seeking
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Many people here are too young to remember this, but enviromental issues once divided the generations more than the two political parties - at least in my universe. In short, I spend half of my life, politically, arguing with guys my dad's age about the environment. It really all started with the book Silent Spring, which was written by a Biologist as I remember, but typically it was the anti-war, extreme left wing, you know, the hippies and draft dodgers, that supported all of this environmental mumbo jumbo...according to people my fathers age. Keep in mind that this begins in about 1968. I find that for people my age, and for people my father's age, these tensions can still manifest with surprising intensity. I recently fell right into a similar generations argument over Vietnam with my friend of nearly thirty years, my high school physics teacher. This is still a sore subject for us.

Keeping in mind that I mean no disrespect to my parent's generation, which really did give so much, from the depression through WWII and Korea, they still really tick me off when it comes to the environment. As the last slap in the face, the last statement of complete disregard for this question of lifestyles and the environment, how does a significant percent of my parent's generation spend their retirement years?

DRIVING MOTORHOMES FROM HERE TO KINGDOM COME!

Been wanting to get that off of my chest for a long time.
Thank you very much.
 
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Ivan Seeking said:
DRIVING MOTORHOMES FROM HERE TO KINGDOM COME! QUOTE]
Don't worry, perhaps those vexed with SUVs will put an end to this madness too? :biggrin:
 
Well, at least with older people who are going to die within a few decades, they don't have to worry about what will happen to the environment down the road, because they'll be dead. It seems to be the people that'll have to deal with it who are more likely to care, though there are still a lot of young people who don't care about the environment at all.
 
I guess we need another Teddy Roosevelt to solve this problem...
 
motai said:
I guess we need another Teddy Roosevelt to solve this problem...

yes, if Teddy said to save energy, that would have been the end of it. :biggrin:

Oh wait, I meant the other Roosevelt - FDR.
 
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