Greetings, salutations, and felicitations!

The twenty-first century isn't what it used to be.

No moon bases, no Mars bases...and that's only the beginning. I believe my generation, the generation of peace and love, has failed you. We were children of the Space Race, and we turned into our parents. Greed became the by-word of the 80's and 90's. Our generation may have turned out to be the most greedy of all. Laid off? Hey, as long as my 401K and my portfolio get a good return, not my problem. Heck, it's not even my fault, because all my investments are spread out in MUTUAL FUNDS, so hey, I've just got a tiny PIECE of each pie, so whatever the boards of directors decide, it's not my fault. Heck, even if I disagree, I can't possibly hold a majority of stock in any company, so my voice no longer matters, anyway.

Our generation has given you the "miracle" of productivity. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Sure, we gave you information technology, but the productivity growth is only about 2/3 of what we want you to think it is -- and it will stay that way as long as we continue to measure hours paid, and not hours worked. Oh, yes, speaking of hours paid, for most of you: we're just not going to pay you what you're "worth," anymore. You'll just have to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. Remember, a rising tide lifts all ships!

Education? Ah, yes! We have a lovely scam for you! Jobs and careers which used to require a high school diploma now require a bachelor's or master's degree! Oh, and on your way there, don't worry, children -- you don't need to memorize multiplication tables -- just use a calculator! Don't bother with good English and communications skills -- the business world will be happy to spend 3.1 billion dollars a year in remedial English education, as it did in 2007. Don't bother learning history or geography -- even though those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Hey, we don't want you to feel bad about anything. Don't learn the science and engineering and mathematics -- it's okay -- the children of other countries will do it for you!!! Don't read any classic literature, and please don't learn to think for yourselves! Just work on your hand / eye coordination with those video games! Don't learn a musical instrument -- just play one of the console games and be some kind of hero!

Be sure to blame the liberals for everything! Don't bother to ask why our "family values" "judeo/christian" culture seems to think it's all right to offshore / downsize / rightsize away the jobs which people need to provide for their families, let alone simply make the proverbial ends meet. So, your current pay isn't as much as what you used to pay in taxes on your old pay? Suck it up!

Politics: always depend on old white men! We know what's best. Set people free? We'll kill you. Are you young, like the Kennedy brothers? We'll kill you. Do you have a dream? We'll kill you. Are you a woman? We'll get AROUND to you, someday -- hey, you've been able to VOTE in America for about a hundred years, so quit complaining!

Be sure to focus on the "transcendental" and "global" issues of our times! Then you won't worry so much when our neighbors kill our loved ones in the schools, colleges, malls, office buildings and churches here in this country.

Oh, and in our failure to properly guide so many of you -- make sure you have attitude! That's all you need! Don't worry about substance! Don't worry about manners! Don't give a second thought to the things you write and say! It's not your job to communicate effectively -- it's the readers' job to figure out what you mean! You want to insult people -- drag them down so you can be cool? Go right ahead!
Other people are merely here to entertain you. Use 'em. Hook up with 'em. Throw 'em away. It's all disposable, anyway. The "Golden Rule"? That's for chumps! Only your own feelings matter!


I have been taken to task by another member of this forum because I had the temerity to demand he not insult another member of this forum. (I presume this is a "he" -- I rather suspect I would not be in the midst of this other thread with a woman.) Yes, I have posted my SHARE of things on here, and apologized when I've realized I'd overstepped the bounds set by this forum, and by my own standards.

No, I am not a moderator -- nor do I think myself better than anyone else. When I stop to think, I remember that Buddhism has taught me the potential of the saint to become a sinner, and the sinner to become a saint.

My difficulty lies in elements presented on this forum, elsewhere, and in my personal life which seem to suggest that I am best to pretend there are no problems. I see no chronic misspellings, no chronic rudeness, no chronic poor behavior.

Am I best to let these elements go unanswered? Certainly, as this medium goes, there is the option of the private message, which certainly has its place. Not to excuse my behavior, but the insults are not contained to the Private Message format. They are placed for everyone to read.


"Sick cultures show a complex of symptoms...but a dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for OTHERS in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than a riot. This symptom is especially serious in that an individual displaying it never thinks of it as a sign of ill health but as a proof of his/her strength."

-- Excerpted from "Friday" Robert Heinlein copyright 1982