"A breath of fresh air from grungy Gen X"
You can do better than that. You have to look for the non-bobo x-ers. Many many of us are conservative and/or voted for McCain because unlike the millenials who were viewed as "Look Who's Talking" tots - we were viewed as Damien and Regan the Posessed. And we learned early that there was no such thing as a free lunch. We remember "Eat Beans. America Needs The Gas" and the introduction of Hamburger Helper and why. We are the crotchety old men and women of tomorrow who will turn the hose on unruly children playing over the bounds of their yard - and call the police on their unleased dogs.
Jean,
Thanks for the comments. I think some of them might have gone over my head.
You will not meet a more crotchety grump than me, and I know there are dangers in generalizations, which is why I added the last paragraph. I do see a lot of hope for a very conservative lifestyle among many young people. The Millennials are conservative in many ways by nature in that they prize loyalty, relationships and peace. I mean, they listen to Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers. Gen X offers a lot, but too many in our entitled society have a deep connection (obviously) to this cheerleader, to this image, to this encourager. It's what they've always heard: "You can do it!" And it's what they know.
I hope my generation turns grumpy and real soon. If they did it in, say, the next two years that would be idea.
Cool blog. Relevantly, as many influential experts and publications have repeatedly pointed out, Obama is part of Generation Jones, born 1954-1965, between the Boomers and Xers. You may find this page interesting: it has, among other things, excerpts from publications like Newsweek and the New York Times, and videos with over 25 top pundits, all talking specifically about Obama’s identity as a GenJoneser: http://www.generationjones.com/
2...08election.html
Honestly, I have some reservations about classifying certain generations. There seem to be so many exceptions... like myself.
It's obvious that with a deterioration of education and literature in many young Americans, image has taken a more predominant role in alluring voters. I'm not sure it's a generational thing, it's an American thing. The art of debate and conversation have frighteningly dissipated. Hence, the debate in the primaries and the general elections was hollow and actually quite dull. Each person was trying to trump the other in how tepid and simplistic their response could be. Obama mastered the art, and the muddle-minded voters acquiesced in wishful thinking. Plus, it was only natural that the best looking fellow won. As nearly every paper and magazine said: "He simply LOOKED more presidential."
You identify these "values" and "priorities" among people, but I don't even think most of them go that deep. One thing you have right is that they really do love themselves (myspace and facebook will prove that). I think Obama was the perfect facebook candidate. He was a tabla rasa (blank slate) that every vain individual could post their dreams on. He was like the notorious Time magazine cover that featured a mirror as the most important person of the year.
I agree that only a great challenge (war or depression) will force people to rise above this childlike mentality and tap the great potential within. I'm just wondering when and how.
I think that most of y'all miss the one thing that has been the major turnoff to the youth vote. Hypocrisy. With a same-party congress for much of the past eight years, this past administration has claimed to be compassionate conservatives and have turned out to be neither compassionate nor conservative -- larger government, higher deficits, grotesque wealth coupled with crushing poverty, foreign entanglements on flimsy evidence, churches more concerned with fetuses than single mothers, encroached civil liberties, incompetents from top to bottom.
Personally I believe conservatism has always claimed to be about many things that many young professionals (those in the work force for a few years) would agree with, after all we are growing up in the age of the employee as freelancer capitalist. There is a reason why there was so little energy among the post-Clinton democrats. People could tell that even though the economy was moving along nicely, they couldn't get excited about for people who would countenance perjury.
But eight years later, you are forced to chose between a party of hypocrites or vote for a tabula rasa on which you can project your hopes and dreams. Well is it little surprise why the youth chose who they chose?
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