Speak Out : Generation Me
(This article was written by a member of A4A. To submit an article, please send it to blog at adam4adam dot com)
A revised edition of the book, GENERATION ME by Jean M. Twenge, PhD was published in 2014. This publication defines… “why today’s young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitled and more miserable than ever before.”
Subscribers to A4A can readily identify with the statement just by reading the blogs! Whatever is espoused by an individual in blogs is immediately taken to task for their statements with derogatory responses that infer the original statement was rubbish, bull shit, or similar demeaning words spewed out of the mouths of some—but not all—responders. This causes us to be somewhat bewildered by statements reflecting on the illiteracy or subverted mentality of those who seem totally disillusioned by the world around them—they are definitely angry!
Dr. Twenge states: “Told they could be anything they wanted to be, they face widespread unemployment. Raised on dreams of material wealth, more than a third live with their parents well into their 20s.” Their anger is somewhat justified because everyone told them they were special without the realization that life can be harsh. A4A blogs certainly reflect on the ages of responders. The older guys are more conciliatory and less caustic in their responses.
Generation Me guys often feel they were lied to because reality is not what they had been told. The real facts are quite different. Somewhere along the way, the word “compromise” was deleted from their comprehension. “No compromise” now permeates their thinking. In national politics the idea took hold and now jeopardizes the political process needed for governance.
As previously stated in a blog, we live in SHADES OF GRAY. Compromise is essential to living in a civilized world. Bigots should not become the strongest voices in the land. What do you think?
Counselor4U
Looking at 62 in February, I’m happy I was a native San Franciscan and attended college in 1971. Now bald after
trying to grow long hair back then was my biggest protest.
No regrets and no reruns. Grateful my generation made LGBTQ
rights now allowable for younger gay men and women in 21st century. We brothers and sisters must not compromise but to hold the world from backstepping.
Amen.
It is truly appalls me when I witness some of the attitudes expressed, particularly on sites like A4A, concerning what people want, expect, and perceive themselves, apparently, to be entitled to. There is true merit in confidence. However, it does at times cross the proverbial line to arrogance and conceit, again, IMO. Many guys seem to expect exactly what they want, and appear to be totally blindsided to their sense of personal entitlement. Sad really, and something that has potential of becoming a far more pervasive social ill. Maybe if each of us, (myself included) could commence a generation you. It’s time to face ourselves squarely and admit that everyone is special, and get their feet back on the ground. We, unfortunately live in a culture of narcissism which has become a proverbial “slippery slope”. I fear that unless many, many people come back to earth and treat one another as their social equals, the problem, is very much in danger of becoming even more abhorrent than that that which already exists. Again, IMO, it’s long overdue to usher in a You Generation.
Its funny you say bigots cause its the LGBT showing this selfish, no compromise, all about is attitude the most. The LGBT community has become the biggest collection of bigots on the same level with Mormons or southern Baptists. Last year this blog celebrated an ILLEGAL Supreme Court decision for states to accept a policy the 10th Ammendment gives them a right to decide themselves which was justified with the 14th Ammendment. But oh wait, the 14th Ammendment only guarantees equal rights as outlined in the Constitution and marriage is not a right enumerated in the Constitution. The 10th Ammendment says states are to decide on issues like marriage and taxes and roads, not the Federal Government. In your self centered fevor though you cheered the decision that spat on the 10th Ammendment, an Ammendment that helped overturn DOMA by saying it was unconstitutional for the federal government to tell states they HAD to ban gay marriage. And now you want to tell states the HAVE to accept it? But you know, most of this Generation Me attitude is all American. Look at Ireland. They are the only ones with a real victory last year. They said, “for better or for worse we will put this issue up to a vote” and they got to be the first country as a whole to make a true victory and legalize it be referendum!!!
Me myself, I’m lucky. I’ve known what hypocrites the LGBT community have been from the start and how messed up my generation has been from the start cause I never got caught up in this self centered mindset. I was never spoiled, never given anything for free, and raised to consider the thoughts, feelings and stances of others. You guys obviously we’re not, and you guys have shown some bigoted behavior yourselves so what right do you have to call people bigots or criticize this Generation Me attitude till you can be reconciliatory towards people you don’t like or be angry about illegal things done for you? This is why I’ll be single till I move to Canada or Europe, cause I feel most days like I’m the only mature gay man in this entire country most days. Someone prove me wrong about that.
I’ve said this generation is gonna have the hardest time aging.They have been told they are perfect and nothing they do has any consequences. When I go out in public I notice they have this snippy smart-ass attitude and don’t want to speak to anybody. My friends have noticed the same thing. I just encountered a young man doing some work in our laundry room. The attitude, would not speak to anybody. I just laughed and went about my business.I wonder how far they’ll get with the attitude on their 40th birthday?
That’s SPOT ON!!!
I agree, there is a large segment of our younger population that became very jaded when the left wing promise of utopia shit the bed in the face of economic realities. Even worse they have an entitlement mentality that needs a good swift kick in the balls to get their attention. This “Generation Me” segment of our gay family needs to learn the fact that their levels of rewards need input and contributions of work and effort to achieve and simply breathing doesn’t entitle them to the earnings and lifestyle of those who came before them.
Every single generation has said this about the generation that follows them. There are writings that mirror this thought from ancient Greece. Selfishness is part of everyone’s psyche, regardless of age.
The government is not run by 20-somethings, total moot point there.
You only have to look at some of the negative, inflammatory responses to some of the neutral, innocuous posts placed on adam4adam. Some (not all) of the younger guys need to realize that an opinion is to be respected and, if so moved, that person can respectfully disagree without anger or vehemence. Chill out, everyone. You don’t have to act like Donald Trump.
You are 100% right. Was told the same thing years ago and it still effects me today. Knowing what I know now I would have the one with me and have no way of finding him.
Djd
I can see how this article can anger some and bewilder others. I think I’m of the last generation before the millennial age. I was born in the 80s and a teen of the 90s. I was taught self esteem, but also you have to work hard. The millennial are given praise for just being in the room, of course they are miserable, no one gave them a clear vision of reality, corporate America and humility. I remember making friends o the playground, in the neighborhood, and sports teams. Now “friends” are a click away. They are isolated and lack social skills, but blogs, vlogs, and shares are a part of life now. Millennial are about in stand gradification, apps like a4a, grindr, tinder etc take away from emotional connection. I think it’s all about balance and learning what that balance is. I’m not saying I’m right and millennial are wrong. What I’m saying is they lack the need to learn how to connect emotionally, and learn that they are not the center of the world.
I agree that compromise is essential to civilized world. I have often heard people of various generation talk negatively of every other generation, “old people” fill the blank and “young people” fill in the blank. Although many people of my generation are entitled, assertive and miserable. This should not be a label for an entire generation. I am 26 and have worked since I’ve been 16 despite serious health issues. I have been given very little and have tried to give back as much as possible by voulteering, by cooking cooking my grandparents dinner, or making someone laugh, etc. And I know that many other people of my generation have done more and have had less. No generation is better than another, the struggles may be different but each generation has their cross to bear.
Products of society like older and other generation
THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this. It gives credence to everything I’ve been railing about regarding these Millennials for months now! (SEE, Dave? I was RIGHT….ALL along.) As far as they go, it goes back to bad parenting…they and their schools’ teachers just gave them a tech doodad or a trophy when they’d fuck up JUST TO SHUT THEM THE HELL UP! I didn’t get brought up that way; you screwed up, you got taken to task for it! I turned out just fine…THEY didn’t, that’s obvious. So why am I “caustic” regarding these snotnoses? BECAUSE I’M SICK AND TIRED OF THEIR BULLSHIT, THAT’S WHY! GROW the fuck up, QUIT whining, and DO SOME WORK FOR A CHANGE…and NO, you do NOT know everything!
Worthless piece here…written solely to support the author’s personal political views. He could have written only the last sentence to make the same predictable and boring statement.
Not sure what point you are trying to make. Inflammatory discussion is not new or unique to this websites blog posts.
If you get your feelings hurt by what a stranger on the internet posts,then you should probably consider limiting the audience for your posts.
As for your sweeping generalization of an entire as entitled, maybe you should look beyond your computer screen and look at all of the young people who are affecting positive change in the world. Yes, some of them can’t afford to live on their own because of the astronomical cost of living today and dearth of well-paying jobs.
There are just as many people your age who dont understand compromise. The ones running the government that refuse to compromise tend to look less like my generation and more like yours, speaking of gray.
That hits it square on the head right there. nuff said
I am generation me and I completely AGREE. The idea of working for something, to be proud of what you’ve built has passed. When ideas or beliefs conflict the immediate reaction seems to be ‘shut down and protect’ when it should really be ‘open up and talk’. There is quite a bit to be learned still…
waaaahhh younger guys don’t find me attractive and I hate them!!!
I have watched the changes that led to this, since the 1980’s. Theorists began making changes in employee benefits designed to give an illusory better bottom line. Remember when sick days and vacation could get saved til retirement? There was incentive to show up for work. Employers kept work in America, so jobs were available. Parents groomed kids to become loyal, hard working employees. They taught that studying would give better opportunities but a job would reward hard work. Their children had kids who missed the influence of grandparents who had struggled through the Great Depression and frightening wars. They also missed the living examples of consequences for actions, rewards for good effort, punishment for bad behavior, and coping with setbacks.
The new generation grew up without those looming worries, and their parents made it too easy. They sheltered them from reality. Everyone was entitled to have what everyone else had. Nobody was to feel bad by comparing with a higher achiever. We quit praising earned success. We quit demanding personal effort. We quit teaching self-reliance, social responsibility, and coping skills. We forgot to say they are entitled to the OPPORTUNITY to seek things, but not entitled to HAVE them regardless of effort.
We failed to prepare them for setbacks and perseverance. We didn’t remind them about empathy for the struggling, standards for achievement, integrity for personal behavior, peer responsibility for social harmony.
This is why so many immerse in social media, follow the crowd, record crises instead of intervening, bully others instead of helping, take pills instead of embracing their experience and learning to cope. We promised American prosperity, but we failed to teach them that American integrity and courage are the source. We sheltered, simplified, and spoon-fed instead of teaching hardship, complexity, and personal accountability. We didn’t prepare them to stand alone so they could progress together. Uncured wood rots. Unbaked bricks fall apart.
We gave them cell phones before we taught them to know themselces, we gave them calculators before we taught them math, we gave them computers before we taught them to research in the library, we gave them video games before we taught them to change a tire or sew on a button. We didn’t teach them the word “no” nor how satisfying it is to earn sonething you haf to wait for. Let a baby crawl instead of carrying him, and he tries to walk. Let him fall but tell him he has to get up, and he’ll learn to persevere and balance better. We created this mess, and we have to offer our experience to help them adjust to the better way. They see we older guys are making it. We must know something. If they ask, we should tell them. We should remind them that manhood isn’t about machismo, but it is about marurity. Self-examination with honesty, is the only way they can get to a better, satisfying life. You can’t live with others if you can’t live with yourself.
Not to play into the subject matter at hand, but perhaps we could discuss this without the rampant homophobia shown by WH. Perhaps Saudi Arabia would be a better fit for you than Canada or Europe?
On the topic itself, it’s unfortunate and disappointing, but I think we’re stuck with this for a while. I hope that as the younger mature and get slapped hard by the real world, they’ll see the importance in not coddling their kids so much. But it’s likely going to take either a generational shift or some actual hard times. We’ve all been pretty spoiled for quite a while, so it’s a natural result.
Its true, i’m 30 and I have plenty of younger college age friends. 2 of them are in their mid 20’s and don’t even have a drivers license! They suck at getting anything meaningful done, have no sense of real responsibility and spend all day vaporizing their brain cells with their phones. They are really good at wasting money and representing the mindless consumerism that previous generations taught them was a good thing.
There’s so little substance or purpose to their lives, no real pursuit of learning new things, no sense of self-improvement and a lot of them have become shut-ins (See: mommy’s boys). Even worse they can’t accept any criticism about anything they do without becoming defensive. They are the PC brainwashed generation that believes they can police what we say and think.
The part that irritates me the most I’ve never seen a generation that could come out and be LGBT and be so accepted that chooses to still remain closeted. Bar and Pride attendance and community-based volunteering is down among young people as they choose to sit at home, distancing themselves from the community.
I will not comment much on this, as once really started, I would go on for a book-length treatise. Current life is a creation of bad decisions and bad policies going back a hundred years. The Sixties brought about a profound revolution into almost all areas of life as a result of a perfect storm of many factors and trends. Since the 1970s various other circumstances has largely derailed common sense in favor of politically correct philosophies which ignored actual realities of life, biology, and culture. The idea that each generation denigrates the succeeding one is one of those clichés trotted out which sounds profound but is large vacant of specific content. If the Millennials are real so deficient, then they were made that way by their upbringing, and guess who was in charge of that? Yep, the preceding generations, especially all those parents who failed at marriage for providing a stable environment for the children they spawned.
i love how this “therapist” can relegate a complete generation to absurd generalizations from quoting another’s writings…… sour, bitter old queen??? or just a crybaby?
ROFLMAO! Just look at the shallow, senseless reponses from most of the Millennials in here…[email protected] “waaaahhh younger guys don’t find me attractive and I hate them!!!” and @Patrick with the equally non-sequitur “If you get your feelings hurt by what a stranger on the internet posts,then you should probably consider limiting the audience for your posts.” DUHHHHH! ANYTHING to avoid PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN GENERATION’S MISDEEDS! Losers…ALL of them, except a precious few.
This is another example of abusive old gay men wanting their way with no compromise. Then you blame your victims and deflect your mental issues when you dont get what you want. You all act like an abusive parent hitting a toddler for not behaving the way you want them to, then you complain about hurting your hand after hitting them when all along you’ve set a bad example with your selfishness and lack of impulse control that caused the toddler to act just like YOU.
Look up: “Baby boomers ruined America: Why blaming millennials is misguided — and annoying”
Then re-read this ridiculous blog and the comments again.
Baby boomers dont take responsibility for their actions. There are plenty of books and articles on that too. Your sick generation ruined the world and invented the environment millennials were born into. They didnt raise themselves. You were afraid to grow old gracefully and wanted to be young and cool forever. So you created a generation you hate because they remind you of yourselves. Emotionally bankrupt, shallow and selfish. Its all on you.
Fortunately I fell in between. I know what its like to be out and gay in the real world at a young age unlike closeted paranoid baby boomers but without being dependent on the internet and machines like communication challenged millennials. Truth is you both act the same way. Sheltered and inexperienced with heavy emotional burdens placed on strangers who logon a website… online where its easier for you all to lie to be liked for something you arent and safe enough to not let people get too close and notice your flaws while you kid yourselves you’ve connected with another human being in a false sense of belonging until you logoff.
You all created this online gay environment too with your lewd photos, pushy come-ons, the general lazy smiles hi whats up empty ads phony shallow compliments chat about nothing -no effort with high expectations & demands mindset and your viciousness when you cant manipulate or break someone while crying about caustic messages when you get push back for trying to force people to be your fantasy. You always have a chip on your shoulder when you see younger guys with more options (“picky”) then you ever had (desperation) which is why your generation, and this blog, share a sick vendetta. Basically: “young guys reject you, wahhh!” Your generation never learned DIGNITY.
This blog was written by a bitter emotionally immature old gay man with an angry agenda trying to distort an erroneous book’s content as a narrative to explain how his generation is rejected and easily upset by gay millennials on gay websites. Not surprising, bitter rejected emotionally immature old gay men pile on in the comments to validate your shot egos by perpetuating this lie that blames a generation not yet BORN for the problems you’ve had all your lives while conveniently dismissing your bad behavior that has been the catalyst for these issues you whine about here.
Just 5 perfectly ironic and obvious examples of how you created your own problems:
#1 Older guys have been poor role models. You’ve always been shallow, ageist, dismissive and overly concerned with your selfish desires with no self-awareness or regard for others. You hate what you see now because you are being treated the way you’ve always mistreated people all along. You created your own gay subculture fools. You reap what you sow.
#2 You directly fed into the false praise shtick with your compliment shtick that was always a means to gratify your egos when you are feeling lonely and unwanted. You praised millennials for nothing to get them to like you and now you’re complaining about the conceit you fostered and the subsequent devaluing of a sincere compliment and conversation because you misused them to get something out of it? Its laughable…
#3 You have no shame in attacking people who werent born back when you damaged your minds with your self imposed isolation in closets with depraved fantasies looking at porn rather than build people skills that would have landed you relationships at your age today. Instead of being angry lonely bitter old men stalking websites with your entitlement issues ie: you missed out so young guys owe you… or so you think. This blog and the commenters are a testament to your FAILURES.
#4 Baby boomers lied to themselves and invented their own realities about having control over their lives. Lives now spiraling out of control with debt, addiction, mental and physical health problems… baby boomers are unstable with a climbing suicide rate. And they arent supporting each other with rainbows and unicorns the way they expect millennials to carry them on their backs after living off the fat of the land paid for by future generations.
#5 If your generation is soo great, why are you even worried about millennials when you always had each other? Fact is you guys could end your complaints today and embrace each other. You should be on cloud nine enjoying your retirement with each other if only you got over your ridiculous dream of owning a young house boy like any other property you cant actually afford. The few stable baby boomers arent even on gay hook up sites in their 50s. They have partners, husbands their own age. The rest of you havent grown up emotionally.
**The gay male baby boomer generation’s entire problem: Emotional immaturity**
As a generation of closeted young gay men never emotionally growing up decades ago, you’re inexperienced and lonely as adults because you’re constantly afraid. And you fear rejection most of all. Criticism and judgment unnerve you even though you are doing things that negatively impact others. You’ve made people not like you with your behavior. Your fears grow worse and driven you mad. You fear you’ll always be alone but you fear letting anyone get close and possibly reject you later. You’ve isolated yourselves to protect your ego while creeping websites to fill a void. You’ve actually convinced yourselves each day you logon to a gay site that you’ll find someone. But your isolation has gotten you to the point where your brains are incapable of considering another person.
You never mingled with gay men at an early age the way millennials have. You never dated or been in a LTR. Many of you will lie about being in relationships but they were never healthy, mutually fulfilling or honest which is why they ended. You barely have friends the way you’re obsessively online 7 days a week looking for someone to say hi back to you. You dont have people in your lives. That’s a problem. Your problem.
Mentally your generation is stuck in adolescence. As a result your brain patterns mirror a sociopath’s which turns people off instantly. You lack development of higher reasoning and remorse because you let your impulses dominate your actions as a teenage-adult. You never mentally and emotionally developed into relatable adults. People are a means to an end. You insist strangers should do things for you. Everyone owes you something. You’re only concerned with your own needs. You manipulate to get what you want rather than build relationships. And that is exactly why you are alone because you cant understand people arent put on this earth to please you.
In your deluded heads you try to control others. Not coexist. Certainly not compromise. That’s why most of you want younger only. That’s why you never had a healthy long term relationship in your life. And you’re still alone today for the same reason. There is no “us” or “we” there is only your wanton desires unfulfilled as you try to burden younger generations to fill your void only to be rejected until you cant deal. You always had this rapey attitude since your generation discovered the internet and skipped face to face mingling.
Usually your generation just preaches “manners” you dont have yourselves. You drill that manners nonsense into guys heads with your profiles as a means to manipulate and control them with bullying and intimidation so they become malleable and cater to your emotional needs.
The same way Jeffrey Dahmer drilled holes and poured acid in his victims heads to make them docile obedient sex slave zombies that wont reject him, say anything upsetting or leave him. Yes, you act just like him. But how far will you take this?
This sad mindset is also why soo many of you are intolerant and upset yourselves over “caustic comments”. Of course you dont take responsibility for the things YOU say, and the way YOU treat people leading up to those caustic comments. You only focus on the caustic comments. “wah young people are mean to you for no reason.”
If text from random strangers has an influence on your emotional state, you have emotional problems. If you had established healthy relationships with people in the real world you’d easily understand their words and opinions matter and text on the internets wouldn’t phase you. You have no power to stop it and no influence to change it. But with proper treatment you could have the power to change how you feel about it. You cant do that because gay websites and hot pics and gay people potentially communicating with you are all you really have to fill your empty life with. Every guy has to be lobotomized to suit your emotional state. You cant just seek treatment yourself and let people live their own lives even if they arent meant for you. Yo;re actually the original generation me, generation GIMMIE.
The underlying problem is you’re so lonely and isolated you think every person on the planet is meant to please you. Then you encounter real people for seemingly the first time online and oh my gosh they have free will and opinions. They say things you dont like. They dont believe they have to be your emotional servants. So you try to demonize them to invalidate their opinions, to convince others to hate them too as typical of the LGBT “community” of hate mongering bullies always trying to punish and get revenge on people that never harmed them to set an example to those who will. All to feel temporarily better about yourselves. But your demons dont stop or go away. Your mental state only gets worse and you continue to insist its everyone elses fault and its easier when you demonize to play the victim, isnt it?
The laughable part is you’re all so isolated you believe this “caustic speech” is an epidemic exclusive to gay websites by gay millennials. Because all you do with your lives is obsessively stalk gay websites 24-7 365 days a year. This is your life. This is your limited world view. What new guys are online right now? Any hot new pics? Will they say hi to you or thank you for a shallow compliment to make you giddy? Check them out, hurry! A site like a4a is your only means to “connect” with guys. By “connect” you actually stalk and invent fantasies based off guys pictures that dont match reality. Then you fault guys for not being your fantasy. Face it, you have a sickness as a generation because you never took a guy to prom. You looked at too much porn instead.
This blog is really about a younger generation that isnt what you want them to be, for yourselves. As if that is something that is supposed to happen for you. So oh look here’s some book that has nothing to do with the real issue here but some unstable jerk is trying to grasp at straws so he wont be responsible for the state of his own life.
But lets just say millennials are worthless. Why do they still have this much power over you? Like caustic comments you let a generation of people unnerve you. Everything unnerves you. The world is an upsetting place when you cant control it.
That’s all this blog is really accomplishing. Because nothing will change. Millennials have nothing to gain by pleasing you and taking your abuse and you will continue to spiral out of control trying to control them. Seek help before some poor guy ends up in your refrigerator. This blog and the comments are proving you’re on the verge of snapping.
I gave up on any of the younger guys until I found a man who works as a carpenter/plumber building, repairing his own vehicles, has natural pubes,drinks beer from a bottle, gets sweatty and is ok with it, knows how to farm a field, drive a 6speed, change his oil. He is 22, hot, nice guy, bit of a smart ass but respectful of others and not a pissy bitch. Seeing him every night dirty as hell, tired, sore, I love him even more. All is not lost in America.
I am still laughing my ass off at Caustic Truths posting. Just whom do you think open the door for you. Your comment really droned on and on, but that’s okay everyone gets tbwir time on the soap box. However, what drove me into a fit of laughter was this, ( “Fortunately I fell in between. I know what its like to be out and gay in the real world at a young age unlike closeted paranoid baby boomers but without being dependent on the internet and machines
like communication challenged millennials.” )
I guess your response too whom opened the door should be, unclosted, nonperaniod, out baby boomers fighting for even the right to have a bar or place to go without being arrested or beat down for being gay or lesbian. Keep in mind while your blaming boomers for bring it on themselves in your vile pile spewing. Boomers have done more for your generation then you’ve done for the next. Boomers have been chipping out new rights through it all from Stonewall, HIV/AIDS, Marriage, and the newest battle now on the burner Senior living.
You can thank all the boomers later for the ability you had to be out and young by visiting a assisted living home for a simple chat sometime with old gay or lesbian boomer.
To others sorry I went off topic….not really.
Edit to comment. I am sorry that I may have implied that the hard work for the rights Caustic Truth, enjoys fell on the backs of Boomers. This was not my intent as I am well aware of the efforts of many generation that came before Boomers, and I thank you for those efforts, that were past on to the Bommer generation for positive forward change.
Still laughing, “out, young, in the real world”. OMG.
I am 41 and I’m on other social media websites and have seen the disrespect for men that are not their age or look like them. It’s sad to watch and I hope that when they become “old” (if they live that long), they will realize that what goes around comes around!
I can tell you the ONE keyword that has destroyed the civilised world…Entitlement.
The moment that word lodges in a persons brain and they think it applies to them, all else is meaningless. People who believe they are entitled are complete assholes.
The word entitlement replaced the word MERIT, merit is EARNED and worked for and not demanded. Entitlement is for spoiled rotten pussies that are takers and not makers.
While one can become saddened by experiencing disappointment–I understand this to be a very naturally human response. His birth year were 1982 or 1882, and he may have had the same feelings. I generally have learned to be self-aware and that I will soldier on when not–basically speaking–taking things personally. When one approaches his daily life in an objective manner, then he will rather well understand that will make his way–even if it’s to adjust to the world around him. Given that, sometimes unfortunately what he brings to the table will be overlooked.
Anyway, life is tricky, and I take what I can get but never without sharing along the way, the helpful stuff.
“Speak softly, and carry a big stick,” was said by a long-dead U.S. President before my time, yet it has found a place within myself over one-half century later. I interpret it as being certain of something, such as any knowledge whether it be learned or of the inner self, yet only speaking of it when applicable to the right moment.
The President’s name was Theodore Roosevelt. I remember him and Teddy persona as the man who went hunting in the wilderness with comrades and caught in a net one bear cub: He spared the bear’s life. Today, many fondly hold stuffed toy bears–calling them “Teddy bears.” That’s the Prez, Teddy Roosevelt.
I see more bigotry coming all the “victim” groups in our society…our own community included…than I do coming from the straight, white, Christian population every day. Not that they don’t have their share of them. They all have been so cowed and live in such fear of being hastily labeled a racist or homophobe or any other -phobe that all the minority groups are now the oppressors. We haven’t won anything. We’ve just been allowed to seek revenge because of political correctness. When we complain about candidates like trump and his followers we neglect to realize that we and all the other victim groups have created the movement. We mostly identify as liberals but we are the most illiberal people out there.