Dear Editor
Most of Karl du Fresne's critics (Male, pale and stale, May 31) have missed his main point - the great irony of 'liberals' using intentionally insulting language about the sex, skin colour and age of an entire group who have no control over these characteristics.
But as so many want to talk about the privilege of the white male baby-boomers, lets do it. As young men they grew up in a society with strict expectations about how they would conduct their lives. Corralled into shot-gun marriages, made the compulsory breadwinner of the family, pursued by the courts if they rejected this task; channelled into menial, repetitive jobs in car manufacturing, the meat works or railways; only a select few went to university and became professionals. Stuck in their economic class because the country was yet to become innovative and export- diverse (beyond agriculture). No cheap cars or cheap air travel. No internet shopping, decent bars and cafes, or mobile phones. No credit cards. Earning, scrimping and saving was the restrictive routine for most.
I very much doubt today's generation would exchange their freedom and choice for young adulthood in the 1960s where homogeneity and conformity ruled. Privilege? Not a lot.
3 comments:
The baby boomers endured the massive but necessary changes that happened under rogernomics.20+% interest rates, the loss of work etc,but which has lead to the vast improved living standards that people enjoy today that doesn't seem to be appreciated by the current generation.There were different challenges and bugger all political correctness less rules and regulations and I think people were happier then, they didn't know any different. That said previous generations did it much harder than the boomers .
Hard times creates strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times creates weak men. Weak men create hard times.
The good old days before the world went mad.
It was their 'privilege' to have unavailable parents who were traumatised by The Great Depression and World War Two. Rather than overcome this they attached to consumer items; Shopping therapy. Before we cast stones at this generation (present company excepted of course) for not breaking free of the wheel of history what about our own?
The PC and the SJW generations are just as passive and addicted, just as unenlightened and unphilosophical. Just happens that the puppet strings we're supposed to dance to today pull in a different direction but we're as hooked on whatever tune the Pied Piper plays as any Boomer.
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