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The great generational divide

Apr 29, 2016

In recent discussions with family and extended family, I have come to the realisation of a vast chasm in how we view the world. We, of the post-war baby boomer generation, made a significant impact on the world. Yes, we pushed the limits and called a “spade a spade” but even using that idiom in today’s world implies racism. So what is going on?

The Western World—including Australia—has been hijacked by the politically correct, government intrusion modus operandi. So how is this working out for us? Currently, our educational standards are below those of years gone by. It’s been evident that there is a paucity of knowledge in subjects such as history in this age. So many college and high school graduates are semi-literate as evidenced by the way simple words are misspelled. We now have an epidemic of drug use and also the highest suicide rate in 20 years. It’s important to look at where we have come from.

The post-war boomers and previous generation were very hard working, dedicated and had a strong Judeo-Christian value system. They also had excellent educational standards. They could define right from wrong and believed in democratic principles while abhorring fascism and communism. Baby boomers also emphasized taking responsibility for one’s actions and not engaging in victimhood. Today it is striking the degree to which we have deviated from this value system.

If you express individual viewpoints, you are shot down as being a bigot, racist, misogynist, homophobe or any other classification of phobia. In Australia, we have not “progressed” to the extent that America has, but the natural evolution of these things is that we will go the same way. On many college campuses in the USA, free speech is being constrained because individual viewpoints are at odds with the existing establishment. If you dare to criticise the current mantra you may be vilified and possibility even physically intimidated. This is America today, the bastion of “free speech”.

Political correctness and towing the line has even extended to our language. During the Second World War, a reprehensible Holocaust took place where millions of Jews, gypsies and others were systematically killed in the gas chambers. There is no denying this because it is accurate history. However, the term denier is now applied to man-made global warming. If you dare to question aspects of this hypothesis, you will be branded a denier. There is not 100% certainty about how this may or may not affect our future even among the scientific community. Rational discussion is starting to give way to extremism where some are suggesting that “deniers” even be imprisoned. It’s noteworthy that when you point out to some of these individuals the hypocrisy of their positions, you are met with blank stares.

Today’s generation is so coddled that personal responsibility has gone out the window. There is lots of dependency on government to solve people’s problems. One of New York’s previous mayors wanted a ban on certain soft drink sizes. Do-gooders are constantly trying to ban certain food products, impose this vaccine or that, and if one doesn’t comply, the government will discriminate against you. More and more regulation of every facet of life is incorporated in our society. It not only increases costs, but it smacks of “Big Brother”. Health care professionals are spending more and more time complying with regulatory bodies. I asked a practitioner if he felt that he was a better doctor, as a result of all the new regulations and the response was, “Definitely not”.

So is there a solution? Are we going to lose gradually more and more of our freedoms for the pursuit of the common good or will we be able to continue expressing our individuality? The only hope is that sometime in the future, things will turn around. Life has a habit of moving in cycles. Let’s believe that the cycle of political correctness and excessive government intrusion will reverse itself in the coming years.