Peacock that got right next to me. Sadly, a bunch of kids chased the poor thing away soon after the picture.
(Picture has nothing to do with this. Pretty sure this may ruffle feathers though. The generation war has gotten worse since I wrote the poem in 2011. Though, I still stand by a big part of it. Feel like my generation was promised success if we simply worked hard, went to college, and followed the rules. Many of us have debt, depression, anxiety, and a sense that we wasted a big chunk of our lives following rules that no longer applied to reality. I’ll be writing over here when the comments come in.)
They call us lazy
Untested brats
We do not deserve
That which we want
Because we never work
*
Maybe they are right
We seek pleasure
More than toiling sweat
But who is true to blame
If this is how we grew
*
We are a generation
Composed of fostered dreamers
Raised on hopes and promises
Told to grab the stars
We can be whatever we wish to be
*
Then the world will turn
We hit the age
Where dreams have not been met
And we refuse to give release
Accepting failure as our fate
*
The elders change their sides
Yelling for us to sway
Expecting us
To recognize defeat
And join the toiling masses
*
They misunderstand us
And we do the same to them
Battles will ensue
As we grip the dreams
That gave our life a purpose
*
Who can you blame?
The stubborn dreamers
Preparing to self-destruct
Or the angry elders
Who helped to forge our fervor?
Legends of Windemere 
Charles, a very powerful poem. I also think of Gen Zers as I read this poem. I’ve heard many people criticizing them. (I’ve been one of them at times.) But I get what you mean. An older generation, who is driven themselves, could only drive a younger generation. Now that I am part of the older generation, I realize how little I know, how little advice I can offer a subsequent generation because of that.
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I wrote this poem a long time ago, so I think my thoughts on it have changed a bit. Mostly, I’ve noticed how often older generations talk as if the world is the same as when they were growing up. So, the advice is given without the changes taken into account. Then, many get annoyed when they’re told they’re wrong or flat out ignored.
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Gosh, am I living this with my Millennial kids.
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Does seem to be a bigger generational battle lately.
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The frustration is completely understandable. However, their lack of civics education really shows, My kid insists the president could solve everything just himself, and our system is not set up for that.
Instead of debating that with them, I’ve challenged them to decide what they want to do about it. I’m off for the summer and they only work 3 days a week. We could volunteer for an organization or put signs in our yard. Could they even just donate to a campaign with their own money?
This kid has anxiety already, so I’m encouraging them to do something positive, not just dwell and let their fears built up.
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The funny thing is that I keep hearing people complain about the lack of civics education. Kids do learn about government in high school and it’s made clear how it works. I also see people in their 70’s and 80’s swearing that the President can solve everything. So, I don’t know if it’s a regional issue or people simply don’t remember what they’re learning.
I think it’s hard to see it otherwise because media of all kinds shows the President as doing whatever he wants. It happens in a few real situations too, which gives the illusion of him having more power than the other branches. This happens a lot when a president has a perfectly agreeable Congress, so he gets everything he wants. So, people mistake that as the norm.
I think many younger people, myself included, are more likely to complain than act. The reason is because we’re the ones raised to think that we don’t have any influence of our society. We can rant and rave, but anything more will fall on deaf ears because our votes don’t really count. Corporations and the elite will get what they want, so we will be drowned out. All politicians are corrupt and the system is rigged. This is what many in my generation believe because of the world we grew up in. The best example I give my parents is this:
My generation got to vote for a president for the first time during Bush v Gore. All of us who voted for Gore and were paying attention became disillusioned on some level. Think about it. We voted like we were always told to do. Yet, the final decision was made by Florida and the Supreme Court. That really had an impact on my generation’s trust in the overall institutions and our sense of influence over them. I don’t think a lot of people from older generations fully get how that continues to paint our world view.
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Who is to blame indeed. Well done, Charles.
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It is a tricky question.
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😊
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There is some bitterness in there, but life has made us all that way. The world is different now and canned advise isn’t always best.
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I’ve found canned advice usually fails. It tends to lead to fights too.
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A powerful poem, Charles. You raise some important issues. I can’t speak for the US, as I’ve not lived there, only visited a couple of times, but I see some similarities here in the UK.
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I’ve noticed US and UK seem to have similar issues these days. Not healthcare though. That’s pure Merica.
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