# Am I justified in being angry at previous generations? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102 "2009-10-25T22:33:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/61 "2009-10-26T22:41:26Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Agreed, especially that last part. Yes, previous generations have fucked some shit up here. Royally. > > However, we get to fix them. Yes, it’s a pain in the ass and borderline unfair, but it is what it is, and I don’t want to have the same albatross hanging around the necks of my progeny. Okay, so how about this? Injustices have been done to Aboriginal peoples in Canada for centuries. Between land treaties and the residential school system, they got screwed. But it wasn’t my generation or the generation before me who did it. We’re trying to fix it - the residential school payouts, the Prime Minister apologizing - but apparently that’s not enough. When is it fixed? I don’t think it’ll ever be fixed, because nothing the current generation or our children and grandchildren does will be judged as good enough by Aboriginal peoples. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/62 "2009-10-26T22:59:45Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > The standard treatment for cancer was to have the doctor look you over and give you advice on how long you had to update your will. Ah, a 1950’s style “Death Gaze”. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/63 "2009-10-26T23:16:33Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Okay, so how about this? Injustices have been done to Aboriginal peoples in Canada for centuries. Between land treaties and the residential school system, they got screwed. But it wasn’t my generation or the generation before me who did it. We’re trying to fix it - the residential school payouts, the Prime Minister apologizing - but apparently that’s not enough. When is it fixed? I don’t think it’ll ever be fixed, because nothing the current generation or our children and grandchildren does will be judged as good enough by Aboriginal peoples. There are those who say giving handouts to people cripple them in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/64 "2009-10-26T23:18:39Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > There are those who say giving handouts to people cripple them in the long run. There are those who say giving hand-_ups_ to people does the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/65 "2009-10-26T23:25:09Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Agreed, especially that last part. Yes, previous generations have fucked some shit up here. Royally. > > However, we get to fix them. Yes, it’s a pain in the ass and borderline unfair, but it is what it is, and I don’t want to have the same albatross hanging around the necks of my progeny. I think this kind of sums up my thoughts about it, I guess. Things are a mess. It is not my generations fault. We get the choice of ‘continue on this path and make things even worse’ or ‘suck it up and try to undo the damage.’ I know it’s pointless to complain about it, but sometimes a little bit of complaining is soothing to the disgruntled soul. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/66 "2009-10-26T23:27:23Z")
Just remember one thing, whoever you are: previous generations are more than justified in being angry at _you._ Such is the privilege of age disdained by youth. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/67 "2009-10-27T13:49:31Z")
There’s no denying, as many posters have stated here, that in many ways we’ve had it much better than previous generations. What I’m doing right now is a perfect example of that - at my fingertips at this very moment I have access to reams of information, hours of entertainment and chatrooms where I can connect with people on the other side of the world. But I can still sympathize with the OP, because in some ways we do have it harder. Employment is a big thing. When my dad first entered the workforce 30 years ago, you could still get a good paying union job without so much as a high school diploma. Now you need a bachelor’s degree to so much as answer phones. And the cost of attaining that bachelor’s degree has been skyrocketing. Also during the recession of the early 80s we still had a big manufacturing base. It was struggling to be sure, but there was still plenty of good manufacturing jobs to be had once the economy picked back up. Many of those are now gone for good. We’re also paying more for gas, food, housing. My dad paid $20,000 for his first house in the early 1980s. Even with inflation that’s not all that much. Good luck finding anything outside a trailer park for that price anymore. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/68 "2009-10-27T15:21:50Z")
> [@G.Pie](#): > > But we’re also the first generation where lifespan _hasn’t_ increased (or so I read somewhere). How would you know until your generation’s mostly dead? And to be pedantic, human lifespan is always the same; you’re referring to life _expectancy._ ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/69 "2009-10-27T15:43:45Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > I find this pretty much impossible to justify, as a huge number of these people benefit from Medicare, which is essentially socialized health insurance. What I hear from these senior citizens, basically, is “Well, you all should have to pay for my health care, but I shouldn’t have to pay for yours.” I see your point, but isn’t this what Obamacare is asking people like me to do anyway? I already have health care - the best in the world. Raising my taxes to benefit the uninsured isn’t going to help me, or my family. 100% of the functions of government are funded by income transfer. By definition, if the government wants to provide some benefit, it has to tax the money away from someone who will not benefit. Government-mandated health care might be a good idea or it might not, but somebody is going to have to pay for those who cannot pay for themselves. Or give something else up, in the form of rationing. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/70 "2009-10-27T18:04:07Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Just remember one thing, whoever you are: previous generations are more than justified in being angry at _you._ Such is the privilege of age disdained by youth. Actually the only thing more ridiculous than the young being upset at the old is the old being upset at the young. The young are the product of the actions of the old. The old should properly be angry at themselves if they are going to be angry at anyone. Be that as it may. Cultural Pessimism is retarded. **NinjaChick** is clearly ignorant about the process of civilization. She has it so good that she doesn’t even realize how good she has it. She was born into the wealthiest society the planet has ever seen and she still feels like she got short-changed. You wanna feel short-changed? Try going back 75 years and watching your friends die from Polio. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/71 "2009-10-27T18:07:23Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > There’s no denying, as many posters have stated here, that in many ways we’ve had it much better than previous generations. What I’m doing right now is a perfect example of that - at my fingertips at this very moment I have access to reams of information, hours of entertainment and chatrooms where I can connect with people on the other side of the world. > But I can still sympathize with the OP, because in some ways we do have it harder. Employment is a big thing. When my dad first entered the workforce 30 years ago, you could still get a good paying union job without so much as a high school diploma. Now you need a bachelor’s degree to so much as answer phones. And the cost of attaining that bachelor’s degree has been skyrocketing. > Also during the recession of the early 80s we still had a big manufacturing base. It was struggling to be sure, but there was still plenty of good manufacturing jobs to be had once the economy picked back up. Many of those are now gone for good. > We’re also paying more for gas, food, housing. My dad paid $20,000 for his first house in the early 1980s. Even with inflation that’s not all that much. Good luck finding anything outside a trailer park for that price anymore. This is clearly nonsense as not even the majority of Americans have a bachelor’s degree. It’s only like 25% of Americans that have one. Are you claiming we have 75% unemployment? No one without a bachelor’s degree is answering a phone anywhere? Really? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/72 "2009-10-27T20:19:37Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > I think this kind of sums up my thoughts about it, I guess. Things are a mess. It is not my generations fault. We get the choice of ‘continue on this path and make things even worse’ or ‘suck it up and try to undo the damage.’ I’m honestly curious; have you read the replies in this thread? I mean, you do have some awareness of the course of human history outside of your own life, right? What do you think the “generation” before you was working with? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/73 "2009-10-27T22:17:05Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > My dad paid $20,000 for his first house in the early 1980s. Even with inflation that’s not all that much. Good luck finding anything outside a trailer park for that price anymore. My parents bought their first house in 1972. 3 bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, 2-car garage, $16,000. Sold it in 1983 for more than $70,000. > [@mswas](#): > > This is clearly nonsense as not even the majority of Americans have a bachelor’s degree. It’s only like 25% of Americans that have one. Are you claiming we have 75% unemployment? No one without a bachelor’s degree is answering a phone anywhere? Really? [Hyperbole](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole). ---
**Author:** ![Marienee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Marienee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marienee)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/74 "2009-10-27T22:35:33Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > I think this kind of sums up my thoughts about it, I guess. Things are a mess. It is not my generations fault. We get the choice of ‘continue on this path and make things even worse’ or ‘suck it up and try to undo the damage.’ > > I know it’s pointless to complain about it, but sometimes a little bit of complaining is soothing to the disgruntled soul. As my grandfather said, there comes a time if you live long enough when you are not continually confronted with apparently insoluble problems. You first notice it, oh, about ten, twenty seconds after they put you in the ground. It is not only pointless to complain about it, it is equivalent to complaining about the effort involved in continuing to draw breath. This is after all not your generations’s fault either – it is the fault of some previous generation’s evolutionary choices. Be creative, get pissed off about the rise of agriculture instead. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/75 "2009-10-27T23:42:39Z")
> [@Marienee](#): > > As my grandfather said, there comes a time if you live long enough when you are not continually confronted with apparently insoluble problems. You first notice it, oh, about ten, twenty seconds after they put you in the ground. > > It is not only pointless to complain about it, it is equivalent to complaining about the effort involved in continuing to draw breath. This is after all not your generations’s fault either – it is the fault of some previous generation’s evolutionary choices. **Be creative, get pissed off about the rise of agriculture instead.** That’s not creative, that’s been done to death too. [Ishmael](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_(novel)) ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/76 "2009-10-28T00:32:12Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I see your point, but isn’t this what Obamacare is asking people like me to do anyway? > > I already have health care - the best in the world. Raising my taxes to benefit the uninsured isn’t going to help me, or my family. > > 100% of the functions of government are funded by income transfer. By definition, if the government wants to provide some benefit, it has to tax the money away from someone who will not benefit. Government-mandated health care might be a good idea or it might not, but somebody is going to have to pay for those who cannot pay for themselves. Or give something else up, in the form of rationing. > > Regards, > Shodan What the hell does this have to do with anything other than your need for attention? > [@RickJay](#): > > I’m honestly curious; have you read the replies in this thread? I mean, you do have some awareness of the course of human history outside of your own life, right? > > What do you think the “generation” before you was working with? I imagine they were working, as most generations prior to mine were, and like I’m sure history will inevitably mark my genration as, working with ignorance. I’m sure much of it was nothing more or less than that. Boy, coal sure is great! Gee, gasoline works great to power this engine, so let’s use it for everything. People are dying of malaria, so let’s just drench everything in DDT. I don’t deny that progress has been made in many ways, but to say that everything prior generations have done is great because we don’t have polio anymore is just flat-out incorrect. Yes, many things are better now than they were in the past, but at the same time, many things are worse. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/77 "2009-10-28T00:39:15Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I already have health care - the best in the world. Raising my taxes to benefit the uninsured isn’t going to help me, or my family. I can certainly understand your point. It pisses me off every time I pay taxes so your kids can go to public school. Why should I pay for public schools when I don’t have any children? Why can’t you put your kids in a private school and stop foisting their education on those of us who chose to have no children? ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/78 "2009-10-28T17:23:13Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > What the hell does this have to do with anything other than your need for attention? > > I imagine they were working, as most generations prior to mine were, and like I’m sure history will inevitably mark my genration as, working with ignorance. I’m sure much of it was nothing more or less than that. Boy, coal sure is great! Gee, gasoline works great to power this engine, so let’s use it for everything. People are dying of malaria, so let’s just drench everything in DDT. > > I don’t deny that progress has been made in many ways, but to say that everything prior generations have done is great because we don’t have polio anymore is just flat-out incorrect. Yes, many things are better now than they were in the past, but at the same time, many things are worse. Yeah, that seems to be the consistent conclusion on each evaluation of every generation over a few millenia. The only thing that changes from generation to generation is the problems and the solutions themselves. Suck it up little camper…it’s your turn at bat! ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/79 "2009-10-28T17:24:26Z")
**NinjaChick** I can’t wait, twenty years from now my kids will hate YOU! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102/80 "2009-10-28T17:37:03Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > What the hell does this have to do with anything other than your need for attention? It has to do with your objection to other people asking you to pay for their health care. If you get to be pissed off at them, so do I. Of course, then as **Fear Itself** points out, I can be pissed off at all those kids who have been going to school on my dime. Plus they walk on my lawn, dammit! Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-justified-in-being-angry-at-previous-generations/515102.md?page=5)