Thursday, May 13, 2004
GenX the "selfish generation"?
In advising tool-head Clive Hamilton to look no further than his own generation, when it comes to setting "absurdly high lifestyle goals", I suggest he might like to look at some figures - like these - and not just at his lifetime of accumulated prejudices.
Update
After some Googling, it seems clear that, in the last year-and-a half or so, Clive H has become increasingly generationally myopic (and looking in the wrong direction, at that), while still maintaining the general thread of his anti-affluence spiel.
Thus, in late 2002, it was - appropriately enough, if you look at the stats - baby boomers who were the selfish generation, according to Clive. But by early 2003, affluenza was claimed to affect "just as many are in their late 20s and 30s" as baby boomers. Dunno why Clive had such a sudden change of heart here - the facts didn't change, AFAIK. Perhaps Clive was having a bout of indigestion after too much Xmas lunch. Or maybe he was all a bit febrile after watching too much porn - but strictly for research purposes, mind.
In any case, it clear that today, Clive Hamilton is just another Richard Neville - sucked-in, it would seem, by the infamous, anti-GenX forgery "The Protocols of the Youngsters of Glebe (with their Home cinemas, and that)".
Or maybe Clive just took his mania for "downshifting" just a step too far - to include his mind. Oh, and Clive - speaking as a GenXer who has lived on $10-$15k annually for the past few years - you really should be more careful about using the d-for-downshifting word (in a "good" sense). Coz if you ever end up in my boat, I can guarentee that there won't be any shortage of legs to kick you while you are down.
In advising tool-head Clive Hamilton to look no further than his own generation, when it comes to setting "absurdly high lifestyle goals", I suggest he might like to look at some figures - like these - and not just at his lifetime of accumulated prejudices.
Update
After some Googling, it seems clear that, in the last year-and-a half or so, Clive H has become increasingly generationally myopic (and looking in the wrong direction, at that), while still maintaining the general thread of his anti-affluence spiel.
Thus, in late 2002, it was - appropriately enough, if you look at the stats - baby boomers who were the selfish generation, according to Clive. But by early 2003, affluenza was claimed to affect "just as many are in their late 20s and 30s" as baby boomers. Dunno why Clive had such a sudden change of heart here - the facts didn't change, AFAIK. Perhaps Clive was having a bout of indigestion after too much Xmas lunch. Or maybe he was all a bit febrile after watching too much porn - but strictly for research purposes, mind.
In any case, it clear that today, Clive Hamilton is just another Richard Neville - sucked-in, it would seem, by the infamous, anti-GenX forgery "The Protocols of the Youngsters of Glebe (with their Home cinemas, and that)".
Or maybe Clive just took his mania for "downshifting" just a step too far - to include his mind. Oh, and Clive - speaking as a GenXer who has lived on $10-$15k annually for the past few years - you really should be more careful about using the d-for-downshifting word (in a "good" sense). Coz if you ever end up in my boat, I can guarentee that there won't be any shortage of legs to kick you while you are down.
