contemplating a post-boomer world

You know them, you work with them every day. The baby boomers. They've ruled the country as the dominant generation for almost 20 years now and their time as the reigning cultural force is almost at an end. No more exposes on the JFK assassination. No more deification of all things with the last name Kennedy. And soon, no more mention of Nixon and watergate in everyday conversation. The doors, the monkeys and most of the other nouns from that very forgettable era in pop music will pass into memory and someday be mentioned with deference the way we now mention Glenn Miller and Louis Armstrong. And just as an aside, Paul and Yoko's refusal to allow iTunes to sell their music is the HEIGHT of the techno-phobia so typical of that generation that still thinks "computers = people loosing their jobs and their humanity."

So now what? As we settle in with our first Gen X president and his family with the first generation for which abortion has been legal all their lives, what will it mean to politics as the baby boomers are ushered stage left of the American Cultural Zeitgeist?

As I look for a job in the worst economy in 50 years (caused by the missteps of the baby boomer generation, I might add... both republican and democrat) I find myself becoming more and more anti-baby boomer and find that the companies I find that are surviving in this harsh economic climate are helmed by gen-x CEO's. Coincidence? Maybe.

The place I feel the boomer generation will sorely be missed... Silicon Valley. I weep for a post-Jobs Apple. Microsoft can feel its market share eroding like the British empire in the early 20th century with Google playing Ghandi in this particular tableau. There's nothing to suggest any other end as Bill Gates exits. The Hardware manufacturers are all in dealing with recessive sales and the one that seems to be flourishing is Dell (run by Gen-X-er Michael Dell) and is not even in Silicon Valley.

As America confronts the notion that it's greatest days are left behind and our foreign policy been coasting on the success of WWII for almost 50 years now, the shift from one generation to the next, while not cataclysmic in it's implementation, I hope, will be far-reaching in its change.

I've been working with a local politician, also a baby boomer. I do their website and I've been trying to get them to start twittering their day so as to develop a following of constituents who are interested in the job they're doing. It's like pulling teeth. They don't get it and see it was yet another "chore" they have to add to their long list of daily chores. And then you see many other (Gen x) politicians twittering during The President's most recent speech (as was I) and you understand that the gap in understanding is so poignantly generational and there's no amount of technology or education that will ever get them there.

When I contemplate the future and current ascendancy of Gen X and the future ascendancy of Gen Y I think of Ashton Kutcher's most recent appearance on the Bill Maher show talking about California's Gay Marriage Ban initiative Prop 8. His primary reaction was one of incredulity that the issue was even up for a vote.

"Why is this even on the ballot?" he said aloud during the panel debate. Why, indeed, Ashton? Gen Y was brought up with a decidedly live-and-let-live mentality that will serve this country's social agenda well over the next 50 years. They dont' remember a time when gays weren't out and when MTV didn't have them as featured characters on The Real World (which is neither real nor a picture of anyone's world, but I digress).

Pondering my generation's ascendancy to leadership and the values of the next generation up to bat, it gives me great hope for the future that the silly notions of the boomers and the late 60's dogma they embody will come to a much needed conclusion. And when that happens, to quote a ( Gen-X ) song , "The Future's so bright, I gotta wear shades."

Rollout

For over a year I had worked on this project... The new company website. I sweated every detail. On rollout day, all day long I coached the people involved in the rollout and went over what was going to happen and when. I went over everyone's part and made sure that everyone understood what they had to do and when it needed to be done. At the last minute operations threw up the red flag and demanded that it go out on the weekend. The marketing director emailed the CIO and demanded that the rollout happen on Thursday. It went through with little or no hitch. The next day, pats on the back and just generally 'good jobs' all around. Then I got The Call. HR called me to come down to their office. My position was officially deleted. Good job on the new web site, now turn in your badge.

Big love

So I'm addicted to the HBO series 'big love'. From episode 1 I've found the poligymist lifestle fascinating and they're struggle to fit in while keeping true to their beliefs a great metaphor for modern living in any American subculture. But this season is different for one sole reason... Chloë Sevigny. Her portrayal of Nicky this season is nothing short of a revelationn both writing and acting.

The first season of the show, Nicki was just an unlikabe bitch. She was cross with the two other wives and her point of view was always nonsensical because she appeared to have no point of view. That began to change in season 2 and in this the third season, her inner conflict has become fully developed and has a depth not usually seen in female characters on TV.

In the last few episodes it was revealed that she was a child bride sold into slavery by the father she bitterly hates and from which she desperatly craves love and approval. That conflictof emotions is at the core of who Nicki is and Chloë plays it with abandon.

If you get a chance, give it a watch or two. You won't be sorry.

Doubt

I have a lot of friends at work who are straight. Every time We're out to lunch, a subject of great interest to them are any and all young girls dining around us. They make jokes about the television show where Chris Hanson catches adults in the act of attempting to prey sexually on a minor. Maybe that's why the idea of a gay man in a room full of children inevidibly leads adults to the conclusion that the gay man wants to have sex with the kids.

This is the stereotype we're constantly up against as gay men in a judeo Christian society. For some reason, gay = pedophile. It is a prejudice ingrained into the American psyche and enshrined by the myriad lawsuits against the Roman Catholic church.

There's also a second prejudice at work and that's the prejudice that refuses to see a 16-18 year old *man* as being capable of making adult choices when it comes to sexuality. There's a difference between a seventeen year old boy who makes the choice to go to a gay bar and pick up a signifcantly older gay man because that's what interests him sexually and a teacher or person in a position of authority using that authority to make a minor child do something they ordinarilly wouldn't.

At what point does a child become emotionally able to make his or her own choices about sex? That I cannot say. But we've all seen movies and television where the attractive under age high-schooled uses his or her good looks to get what they want and manipulate a hapless victim by using society's prejudice.

I was told a story at breakfast this morning where a gay man in plant city adopted a 15 year old who then cried sexual abuse when an argument didn't go his way. The foster parent lost his house, job, went to jail and will be labeled a sexual predator the rest of his life because a troubled child decided to do evil to another human being.

I am what us known the gay community as a 'bear'. Sexually, I like and prefer heavier, older, harier gay men. I an physically repulsed by the idea of looking at younger boys in a sexual context. But can tell you right now, simply because I'm gay it would be very easy to believe that I committed some haveous act on some unsuspecting neighborhood boy or on someone I had been charged with foster parenting.

Do I believe in gay adoption and foster parenting? Of course. Do I believe society will allow gay men and women to adopt and lead happy healthy lives with their children? That's another question entirely. I doubt it.

BlogPress

Just this morning I sat down to begin writing the application I've always wanted for the iPhone... A blogger.com app that works with landscape typing. Then I found BlogPress. At 9.99 it's pretty pricy, but landscape blogging has been the dream since I got my first iPhone almost 2 years ago.

-- Post From My iPhone