5 ms·

At first I was a little annoyed, but then I had to smile at just how emblematic of Generation X the article really is. Screwed over by their parents, depressed

by causi 5y ago

At first I was a little annoyed, but then I had to smile at just how emblematic of Generation X the article really is. Screwed over by their parents, depressed, substance-addicted, and hopeless, but not one single hint of any effort or plan to change things. Generation X is the generation of ennui at the ruination of the world. Millenials and Gen Z might just be pissed off enough to do something about it.

BbzzbB 5y ago
CC this theory : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generatio...
- StevePerkins 5y ago
  We're due for a Crisis. Was COVID it, or was that just the warm-up?
- phone8675309 5y ago
  Strong people bring good times Good times breed weak people Weak people bring bad times Bad times breed strong people So it goes
  - jayd16 5y ago
    So are the greatest generation bad and the boomers good? This is a silly way to look at things I think. Without a solid definition of time, its just the tautology of the good times and bad times being the only states and then blaming the people of those times.
    - hn_throwaway_99 5y ago
      That's literally the exact opposite of what that quote implies: 1. Hard times (e.g. the Depression and WWII) bred the strong people of the Greatest Generation. 2. These strong people brought the prosperity that let to the good times of the Baby Boomer generation. Leave it up to you to determine what kind of times Baby Boomers have brought.
      - jayd16 5y ago
        The context is Gen X is weak. So Gen X is good too? I understand the context of the quote and I'm pointing out it immediately breaks down.
        hn_throwaway_99 5y ago
        > The context is Gen X is weak. So Gen X is good too? I don't think you understand the context of the quote at all, this is also the exact opposite of what the quote implies.
        jayd16 5y ago
        Context of this thread/conversation vs original context of the quote.
      - apocalypstyx 5y ago
        Hard times also bred the Nazis. And to say those were the hard times conversely states that prior to that were the so-called 'good times.' This might be generalized as the roaring 20s in the US (and similarly for Weimar Germany.) However, this generalization fails in two regards: 1) contrary to popular belief, the roaring 20s weren't roaring for most people in the US (or Germany). 2nd) the members of both eras were primarily composed of the same individuals; there is no distinct line of generations divided by 'good times/bad times.' Lastly it implies that by definition all 'good times' are predicated upon holocaust. EDIT: And that strength can only be continually cultivated through perpetual war.
  - new_stranger 5y ago
    It is very interesting, this is a cycle you can see repeated in cities and governments for hundreds (or thousands) of years. The multi-generational mindset shifts of work vs leisure come in waves.
    - phone8675309 5y ago
      It’s a feature, not a bug. The monied classes/aristocracy use the good times to pad their coffers and make the plebs feel like they can succeed and then they hunker down and wait out the bad times in their castles and mansions while the plebs fight for king and country because the aristocrats/monarchs got bored and kicked off a war, the plebs get sick and die while the rulers/owners stay safe by sending their servants into harms way out to attend to their external needs, or the plebs starve in the self-inflicted financial collapse. Sometimes you get all three in quick succession like the early 20th century.
      - BbzzbB 5y ago
        That put way too much intent over people's actions IMO. Who the hell are these aristocrats orchestrating multi-generational psy-ops? Do they meet over brunch to plan it? Not every theory has to be explained by conspiracies. I don't know if Strauss-Howe's theory is accurate, but it seems to me (a layman) completely defensible thru plain psychology, sociology and observation, a defensible "natural evolution/patterns of societies theory".
        hacksnewer 5y ago
        Ibn Khaldun
        dragonwriter 5y ago
        > Who the hell are these aristocrats orchestrating multi-generational psy-ops? The capitalist class. > Do they meet over brunch to plan it? Sometimes. Sometimes dinner. Sometimes drinks. Sometimes, at meetings of the global institutions they and their paid agents run. Not, like, in one unified, organized group, just a disproportionately powerful class, with many members aggressively pursuing their own self-interest, and coordinating on that where they recognize the opportunity. The same way they overthrew the feudal order and established the capitalist order in the first place. (And also the same way that the larger but less disproportionately powerful classes beneath them have weakened the capitalist system in favor of modern mixed economy as the dominant system of the last century. Which has a lot of the first group irritated.)
  - disambiguation 5y ago
    dont forget the terminal path: weak people with WMDs bring end times!
  - powersnail 5y ago
    Strong people bring the good times when you standing on the side of the winner. On the other side, strong people brought destruction, oppression, international shame, broken nations, and sometimes the disappearance of entire cultures.
    - inter_netuser 5y ago
      Winners write history.
  - RhysU 5y ago
    Mean reversion! Either the world works as you describe it or, due to momentum, civilization (either collapses or hits a golden age).
taneq 5y ago
[flagged]
omgJustTest 5y ago
1. Complaining is fine 2. Having a plan is not always required 3. The system can always improve Should the entire system change on a dime because of someone's writing? No. Should the writing be rejected because they complained? No. Survival bias is so strong, there are more billionaires than ever and the system is strongly favoring them because they lobby it to be so. Complaining is the first step in problem resolution, to yourself or to your peers or on a blog post.
shams93 5y ago
We tried to change things I faced down 15 cops with loaded shotguns to protest Gulf War 1. I'm not depressed or substance addicted and I started doing web development in 1995 and continue to work as an a self taught engineer even though I'm pushing 50.
- causi 5y ago
  I faced down 15 cops with loaded shotguns to protest Gulf War 1 Why? Opposition to war in general? As wars go, the Gulf War was pretty close to ideal. One country invades another, invaded country requests help, US expels invader, US goes home. I wish every other US war was as clean.
  - throw0101a 5y ago
    > One country invades another, invaded country requests help, US expels invader, US goes home. I wish every other US war was as clean. While there was no land invasion of Iraq, I'm not sure "goes home" is completely accurate: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_no-fly_zones_conflict https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_no-fly_zones_conflict US bases in Saudi Arabia was one of the 'grievances' of al Qaeda: > 3. One of the principal goals of al Qaeda was to drive the United States armed forces out of Saudi Arabia (and elsewhere on the Saudi Arabian peninsula) and Somalia by violence. Members of al Qaeda issued fatwahs (rulings on Islamic law) indicating that such attacks were both proper and necessary. * https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/network/alqaeda/indictment.html https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/network/alqae...
rabboRubble 5y ago
Gen X never had the numbers to do anything substantial. Millenial's population total crossed the Boomers in 2019. Gen X will not do the same until 2028. From 2019 forward, governmental power will be exercised by Millenials. Gen X will never have an era of ascendancy, our lot is to simply figure out how to be satisfied where ever we find ourselves. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/28/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers-as-americas-largest-generation/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/28/millennials...
rsj_hn 5y ago
Eh, Generation X created the internet. Tesla/SpaceX, Amazon, Google, Paypal, Netflix, Ebay, Square/Twitter, and Signal were all founded by members of Gen X. Gen X made San Francisco a tech hub. Gen X created Linux as well as *BSD. Gen X invented Java, Javascript, Python, and Ruby. Gen X created the PEV revolution. And Y-Combinator, together with hacker news. Thank Gen X for that.

by causi 5y ago

BbzzbB 5y ago

CC this theory : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generatio...

StevePerkins 5y ago
We're due for a Crisis. Was COVID it, or was that just the warm-up?
phone8675309 5y ago
Strong people bring good times Good times breed weak people Weak people bring bad times Bad times breed strong people So it goes
- jayd16 5y ago
  So are the greatest generation bad and the boomers good? This is a silly way to look at things I think. Without a solid definition of time, its just the tautology of the good times and bad times being the only states and then blaming the people of those times.
  - hn_throwaway_99 5y ago
    That's literally the exact opposite of what that quote implies: 1. Hard times (e.g. the Depression and WWII) bred the strong people of the Greatest Generation. 2. These strong people brought the prosperity that let to the good times of the Baby Boomer generation. Leave it up to you to determine what kind of times Baby Boomers have brought.
    - jayd16 5y ago
      The context is Gen X is weak. So Gen X is good too? I understand the context of the quote and I'm pointing out it immediately breaks down.
      - hn_throwaway_99 5y ago
        > The context is Gen X is weak. So Gen X is good too? I don't think you understand the context of the quote at all, this is also the exact opposite of what the quote implies.
        jayd16 5y ago
        Context of this thread/conversation vs original context of the quote.
    - apocalypstyx 5y ago
      Hard times also bred the Nazis. And to say those were the hard times conversely states that prior to that were the so-called 'good times.' This might be generalized as the roaring 20s in the US (and similarly for Weimar Germany.) However, this generalization fails in two regards: 1) contrary to popular belief, the roaring 20s weren't roaring for most people in the US (or Germany). 2nd) the members of both eras were primarily composed of the same individuals; there is no distinct line of generations divided by 'good times/bad times.' Lastly it implies that by definition all 'good times' are predicated upon holocaust. EDIT: And that strength can only be continually cultivated through perpetual war.
- new_stranger 5y ago
  It is very interesting, this is a cycle you can see repeated in cities and governments for hundreds (or thousands) of years. The multi-generational mindset shifts of work vs leisure come in waves.
  - phone8675309 5y ago
    It’s a feature, not a bug. The monied classes/aristocracy use the good times to pad their coffers and make the plebs feel like they can succeed and then they hunker down and wait out the bad times in their castles and mansions while the plebs fight for king and country because the aristocrats/monarchs got bored and kicked off a war, the plebs get sick and die while the rulers/owners stay safe by sending their servants into harms way out to attend to their external needs, or the plebs starve in the self-inflicted financial collapse. Sometimes you get all three in quick succession like the early 20th century.
    - BbzzbB 5y ago
      That put way too much intent over people's actions IMO. Who the hell are these aristocrats orchestrating multi-generational psy-ops? Do they meet over brunch to plan it? Not every theory has to be explained by conspiracies. I don't know if Strauss-Howe's theory is accurate, but it seems to me (a layman) completely defensible thru plain psychology, sociology and observation, a defensible "natural evolution/patterns of societies theory".
      - hacksnewer 5y ago
        Ibn Khaldun
      - dragonwriter 5y ago
        > Who the hell are these aristocrats orchestrating multi-generational psy-ops? The capitalist class. > Do they meet over brunch to plan it? Sometimes. Sometimes dinner. Sometimes drinks. Sometimes, at meetings of the global institutions they and their paid agents run. Not, like, in one unified, organized group, just a disproportionately powerful class, with many members aggressively pursuing their own self-interest, and coordinating on that where they recognize the opportunity. The same way they overthrew the feudal order and established the capitalist order in the first place. (And also the same way that the larger but less disproportionately powerful classes beneath them have weakened the capitalist system in favor of modern mixed economy as the dominant system of the last century. Which has a lot of the first group irritated.)
- disambiguation 5y ago
  dont forget the terminal path: weak people with WMDs bring end times!
- powersnail 5y ago
  Strong people bring the good times when you standing on the side of the winner. On the other side, strong people brought destruction, oppression, international shame, broken nations, and sometimes the disappearance of entire cultures.
  - inter_netuser 5y ago
    Winners write history.
- RhysU 5y ago
  Mean reversion! Either the world works as you describe it or, due to momentum, civilization (either collapses or hits a golden age).

taneq 5y ago

[flagged]

omgJustTest 5y ago

1. Complaining is fine 2. Having a plan is not always required 3. The system can always improve Should the entire system change on a dime because of someone's writing? No. Should the writing be rejected because they complained? No. Survival bias is so strong, there are more billionaires than ever and the system is strongly favoring them because they lobby it to be so. Complaining is the first step in problem resolution, to yourself or to your peers or on a blog post.

shams93 5y ago

We tried to change things I faced down 15 cops with loaded shotguns to protest Gulf War 1. I'm not depressed or substance addicted and I started doing web development in 1995 and continue to work as an a self taught engineer even though I'm pushing 50.

causi 5y ago
I faced down 15 cops with loaded shotguns to protest Gulf War 1 Why? Opposition to war in general? As wars go, the Gulf War was pretty close to ideal. One country invades another, invaded country requests help, US expels invader, US goes home. I wish every other US war was as clean.
- throw0101a 5y ago
  > One country invades another, invaded country requests help, US expels invader, US goes home. I wish every other US war was as clean. While there was no land invasion of Iraq, I'm not sure "goes home" is completely accurate: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_no-fly_zones_conflict https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_no-fly_zones_conflict US bases in Saudi Arabia was one of the 'grievances' of al Qaeda: > 3. One of the principal goals of al Qaeda was to drive the United States armed forces out of Saudi Arabia (and elsewhere on the Saudi Arabian peninsula) and Somalia by violence. Members of al Qaeda issued fatwahs (rulings on Islamic law) indicating that such attacks were both proper and necessary. * https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/network/alqaeda/indictment.html https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/network/alqae...

rabboRubble 5y ago

Gen X never had the numbers to do anything substantial. Millenial's population total crossed the Boomers in 2019. Gen X will not do the same until 2028. From 2019 forward, governmental power will be exercised by Millenials. Gen X will never have an era of ascendancy, our lot is to simply figure out how to be satisfied where ever we find ourselves. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/28/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers-as-americas-largest-generation/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/28/millennials...

rsj_hn 5y ago

Eh, Generation X created the internet. Tesla/SpaceX, Amazon, Google, Paypal, Netflix, Ebay, Square/Twitter, and Signal were all founded by members of Gen X. Gen X made San Francisco a tech hub. Gen X created Linux as well as *BSD. Gen X invented Java, Javascript, Python, and Ruby. Gen X created the PEV revolution. And Y-Combinator, together with hacker news. Thank Gen X for that.