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I disagree. We have PLENTY of Americans like that.
The Greatest Generation had the luxury of being called to serve a noble cause. We’ve had no noble causes since then. Everything since WW2 that we’ve called on young people to undertake have been disasters of our own making.
We sent young Americans to go save the world in 1941. Nowadays, we ask them to save American monied interests worldwide, and then have the nerve to be upset at their cynicism.
If the cause is just, another “Great Generation” will heed the call just like their great great grandparents did, and they’ll do fine. And if the Americans left back home are asked to sacrifice our comforts to pitch in, they’ll do it. But you’ve gotta ask.
"had the luxury of being called to serve a noble cause.
I would NOT call the 418,500 who DIED and their suffering families in WWII, "had a luxury"!
I disagree. We have PLENTY of Americans like that.
The Greatest Generation had the luxury of being called to serve a noble cause. We’ve had no noble causes since then. Everything since WW2 that we’ve called on young people to undertake have been disasters of our own making.
We sent young Americans to go save the world in 1941. Nowadays, we ask them to save American monied interests worldwide, and then have the nerve to be upset at their cynicism.
If the cause is just, another “Great Generation” will heed the call just like their great great grandparents did, and they’ll do fine. And if the Americans left back home are asked to sacrifice our comforts to pitch in, they’ll do it. But you’ve gotta ask.
"had the luxury of being called to serve a noble cause.
I would NOT call the 418,500 who DIED and 671,278 wounded and the their suffering families in WWII, "had a luxury"!
It's just a bigger disconnect. I believe the difference was in WW2 the entire population was behind the war effort. Most of the healthy able bodies men enlisted or were drafted. The women took up support roles or factory work. Average households took to rationing supplies and victory gardens. The entire country worked for a cause.
Now today maybe 1-4% of our population is carrying the load and burden. Those 1-4% are as great or greater than the greatest generation. The rest of our society is too selfish and self absorbed.
It's just a bigger disconnect. I believe the difference was in WW2 the entire population was behind the war effort. Most of the healthy able bodies men enlisted or were drafted. The women took up support roles or factory work. Average households took to rationing supplies and victory gardens. The entire country worked for a cause.
Now today maybe 1-4% of our population is carrying the load and burden. Those 1-4% are as great or greater than the greatest generation. The rest of our society is too selfish and self absorbed.
I disagree. We have PLENTY of Americans like that.
The Greatest Generation had the luxury of being called to serve a noble cause. We’ve had no noble causes since then. Everything since WW2 that we’ve called on young people to undertake have been disasters of our own making.
We sent young Americans to go save the world in 1941. Nowadays, we ask them to save American monied interests worldwide, and then have the nerve to be upset at their cynicism.
If the cause is just, another “Great Generation” will heed the call just like their great great grandparents did, and they’ll do fine. And if the Americans left back home are asked to sacrifice our comforts to pitch in, they’ll do it. But you’ve gotta ask.
I actually agree with this, and look no further than the very near term weeks/months following 9-11. At the time, all of America was pretty fired up, military enlistment went up, and the whole "bless our troops" thing went crazy. Granted, American cynicism sets in fast when you get bogged down with unwinnable asymmetrical warfare and no VE or VJ Days in the offing, but Americans faced with a national cause do indeed find their guts and get it on the good foot when needed.
Right now, there simply are no "great causes" to inspire or foster a greatest generation redux. It is indeed all crony corporatism, imperialist shell games, garrisoning, etc. There is no Official Bad Guy like Hitler who is telling the whole world that yes, indeed, I am a bad guy an I am going to take over the world and do bad things. Now it's all grey areas, moral relativism, various ebbs and flows of border conflicts, etc. Not much to fire up a national populace who has lived on Easy St for the last 70+ years.
And folks should be careful what they wish for. The Greatest Generation was indeed created out of three maniacs hell bent on making the world submit to totalitarianism, and tens of millions of people died in the process. Europe was turned to rubble in the process. And the 10 years that followed saw tens more million die in quieter advances of Stalinism, Maoism, the Khmer Rouge, etc. Yeah, a lot of heroes came out of that fire, but it was a big freaking fire that consumed a great deal. Not so sure I want an even worse global cataclysm just so I can get my patriot on because a bunch of 20 somethings are now being drafted into service.
EDIT - and they do make them like this, right now, in today's America. That single mom out there working two jobs and going to night school while taking care of three kids...yeah, she's badass. That guy who just did a 12 hour night shift at the mill and comes home at 7 AM and shovels his elderly neighbor's driveway because it is just the right thing to do...yeah, he's badass. Do not conflate "great" with combat. Lots of great people in the US and the world, and none of them will ever take part in violence on their path to what I call Everyday Ordinary Greatness.
Last edited by Volobjectitarian; 06-07-2019 at 08:18 AM..
It's just a bigger disconnect. I believe the difference was in WW2 the entire population was behind the war effort. Most of the healthy able bodies men enlisted or were drafted. The women took up support roles or factory work. Average households took to rationing supplies and victory gardens. The entire country worked for a cause.
Now today maybe 1-4% of our population is carrying the load and burden. Those 1-4% are as great or greater than the greatest generation. The rest of our society is too selfish and self absorbed.
Yep. And WWII vets returned to accolades (which were earned) and not to a population that for the most part either ignores their service or openly disparages them for it.
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