lords of the flies generation

It was the shocking support for “Crazy Bernie” that really got people wondering about the “Millenials”. Socialism has had some relatively insignificant ebbs and flows in this country, but for the last 100 years, everybody knew Socialism is bad. Until now. Until these “Millenials” came along. 

My wonderful children are Millenials, as are their friends. During my nearly decade working at the juvenile facility, our juveniles were Millenials. I work with some Millenials today. So I considered myself an expert on this Generation as much as anyone else. I had already determined in my mind what’s up with this bunch.

In the book “Lord of the Flies”, a group of juvenile boys is shipwrecked on a Pacific island, without any adult survivors. Without grown-up supervision, the group quickly devolves into savagery. I drew a parallel in my mind between the unsupervised lads on the island and today’s kids who are raised in single-parent and/or fatherless families. There has been a significant decline in traditional families, with far less exposure to positive male role models in the family. Without this modeling, guidance, and supervision, these kids are devolving societally and generationally like the rascals in “Lord of the Flies”.

However, when I began to research to support my argument with facts- which I always do- I was shocked to discover: there is nothing new to see here; if we want to point out the faults of the Millenials, we need to start by looking in the mirror; and, this just might be the generation that bridges that ‘gap’.

When I was a young Bondo, I remember hippies being around. We were camping out on the beach with my grandparents and relatives when some hippies had a big confab and bonfire down the beach from us- much to the animated chagrin of my grandpa and his cohorts. He began to talk about how the hippies were going to come down here and do bad things like talk to us and rob us I guess- I was a little kid- but he wasn’t happy. My Granny actually threw cold water on him and told him to calm down. That was funny. But other than strange music, weird dancing, and funny smells- the hippies did not bother us, man. Right on. 

It was during these days that there was a slogan “Don’t trust anyone over 30”. The buzz was all about the “generation gap”. The impetus for all of it then was the Vietnam War. The generation in power was conditioned to fighting the Commies, and the “woke” generation that knew this conflict was based on lies and propaganda- and would do the actual fighting and dying- was not interested. Could be a problem? Nope, they just started drafting them into service. If you won’t volunteer to feed the war machine, they will just grab you up anyways. 

But, the “baby-boomers” were not just acting out of noble anti-war principles to be sure. As we see from the way they have conducted themselves in the days since- they really were collectively a selfish, self-centered generation. But, they got us out of ‘Nam, and began to calm down publicly.

(In my research I discovered that I was born in a transitional period, and some of the literature would place me at the tail end of the boomers, others at the beginning of Generation X. For my part, I choose to identify as an elder statesman of Gen X.)

No, the research tends to show that these inter-generational conflicts are normal. The new replaces the old. Its the cycles of life. 

The research also reveals that the Millenials did NOT: start WWII, the Vietnam War, or any war for that matter; nor did they cause the “too big to fail” financial crisis of 2008 or any other financial crisis; did Millenials legalize abortion?  In fact, as a causal force, the Millenials really haven’t had any affect other than as passive consumers thus far.

The Millenials DID: inherit an unbelievable national debt; get sucked into easy to obtain student loan traps; find themselves in a brutal but silent inflationary cycle. The ones that understand what is going on should be angry and protesting. They are citizens of a country that bullies the world in order to prop up the petrodollar. They know to serve in the military during ‘peace-time’ to help with school costs will involve a stint in some hot-war somewhere.

Quite frankly, I am tired of the Milennials being blamed for everything, ridiculed, and demeaned. If they voted for Crazy Bernie and think Democratic Socialism is good- it is because someone TAUGHT them that these things are good. It is kind of the “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”. It is because society has SHOWN them that the alternative- our croney Captitalist system is CORRUPT.

If their academic achievements and educational goals are diminished- WHO is running the education system? They LEARN what they are TAUGHT.

If they do not go to church and don’t believe in God- whose fault is it that they were not taken to church growing up? Whose fault is it that they did not have positive experiences at church that build faith and fellowship and the desire to worship?

If you got a problem with the Millenials, I suggest you start by asking Generation X.

They KNOW what they have been TAUGHT.

But, no more. The Millenials are coming of age and they are the largest generation in the history of our country. They have been shown just about every way how to do things the WRONG way. In spite of all our best efforts to ruin them, a desperate world begins turning their way.

Here we go. YOLO

 

Malachi 4: 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:  ⁶ And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.