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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017
Opinions
“Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. ”
- Henry Ward Beecher ~
Mike Buffington, editor • Email: Mike@mainstreetnews.com
‘Where have all the flowers gone?’
I had a letter from a reader last week asking an
interesting question:
“What happened
to my generation?”
she asked, “...we
protested war by
proclaiming, ‘make
love, not war, ’ we
drove colorfully
painted vans and
camped out across
our great land...we
were singularly iden
tified by the action of
an Ohio State student
placing a flower in
the end of a National
Guardsman’s rifle...
we eschewed excess wealth, we cared about the
environment and we cared about each other... ”
“I’m perfectly willing to admit that not all of
our behaviors were so idyllic, but what turned
my generation into the uber-greedy, ultra-selfish,
fear-mongering, bullying-loving group which now
defines my compatriots? I’m sure that some
who share my views and values remain, but
we certainly no longer define my age group. It
seems that my generation has done a 180-degree
turn. ”
Boomers themselves were strongly affected by
several major events between the 1950s up to the
early 1970s:
• The launch by the Soviets of Sputnik in
1957 led to a major revamping of the American
education curriculum. The perception was that
America had gotten behind in science and math
and needed to catch up to the Soviets. Up until
that time, education was seen as mostly a local
concern. Sputnik began the process of looking at
schools from a national perspective. Sputnik also
created the Space Race to the moon, a move
ment that captivated the nation during the 1960s.
In addition to education, the Space Race also
accelerated the development of computers and a
slew of other devices we take for granted today.
American’s technological revolution really began
with the Space Race.
• The assassinations of President John
Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy
in the 1960s and the resignation of President
Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal
in 1974 all stole some of the nation’s “innocence”
as Boomers came of age. It’s difficult to explain
today just how much those events shook the
nation emotionally and affected the psychology
of how the public viewed its public officials.
• The Civil Rights Movement following Brown
vs. Board of Education in 1954 and the Civil
Rights Act a decade later had a major impact on
Boomers. Many Boomers were students when
public schools integrated in the 1960s and 1970s.
Older Boomers were part of the Civil Rights
movement directly, marching, protesting and
helping register black voters at a time when most
were not allowed to vote.
• Perhaps the biggest impact on Boomers,
however, was the Vietnam War. That conflict
sharply divided the nation. Those who were
drafted into the conflict were often accused of
being “baby killers” while at home, college cam
puses exploded in anti-war protests. Not since the
Civil War 100 years earlier had the nation been so
torn internally as it was over the Vietnam conflict.
Boomers also affected many other aspects of
the nation outside of politics.
Culturally, Boomers fueled the rise of rock-and-
roll music; the advent of birth control opened the
way for the Boomers’ sexual revolution; and the
rise of women in the workforce among Boomers
greatly changed our culture
politically, economically and
socially.
All of that context brings
me back to the original let
ter I received last week. The
writer ended the letter by
asking, “Where have all the
flowers gone?”
In other words, what hap
pened to that generation of
freewheeling, liberal hippies
who questioned everything?
What happened to the pro
testors who were anti-estab
lishment, but today defend the establishment?
Many Boomers are now retired and those of us
who aren’t find ourselves within a few years of
retirement. And as the letter writer suggests, we
have become a much more conservative, fearful
generation than we were as youngsters.
The reasons for that are varied and complex.
The hippie era didn’t put much emphasis on
money, but someone has to work to pay taxes
and put food on the table. And politically, most
of us tend to become more conservative as we
get older.
But that doesn’t alone explain what the writer
points out has been a 180-degree political and cul
tural shift among many in the Boomer generation.
Many Boomers who were once idealistic about
the future are now pessimistic.
I can’t explain all of it, but I think one major part
of that shift is due to 20 years of talk radio and
24/7 news channels which have become a drum
beat of negativity about America. Because of that
incessant drumbeat, many of my generation have
come to believe the nation is going to hell and are
fearful of the social and demographic changes
that have taken place in our lifetimes.
Maybe there are still some flowers to be found,
however. Idealism is reborn with every genera
tion and perhaps some of those who are coming
behind us will spark a renewed sense of purpose
that is less fearful and more open.
Bette Midler, a Boomer icon, perhaps said it
best in her 1979 pop song:
“Just remember in the winter, far beneath the
bitter snows
Lies the seed, that with the sun’s love in the
spring becomes the rose. ”
Mike Buffington is co-publisher of Mainstreet
Newspapers. He can be reached at mike@main-
streetnews.com.
That’s an interesting
question which deserves
more thought.
We have a tendency to
forget history in this coun
try and to gloss over the
past as if it has no bearing
on today.
But it does. What America
is today has come from the
collection of our past expe
riences.
The Baby Boom, post
WWII generation is unique
both in its size and its influence on the country.
Baby Boomers (disclosure, I’m a member of
this tribe) came along at the dawn of television
and amid the economic boom of the 1950s and
1960s. Boomers shaped the contours of television
since advertisers wanted to appeal to kids — and
their parents — to buy merchandise. Boomers
were largely responsible for creating shopping
malls and the consumerist culture we have today.
This was also the era that saw the creation and
expansion of modern suburbs as young families
fled inner cities for larger houses and more room
for their growing broods.
To accommodate this bulge of children, com
munities had to build more schools and offer
more recreation opportunities. That led to larger
local governments as parents demanded more
and better services. But it also raised taxes to pay
for those extra classrooms and services.
20 years of talk
radio and 24/7 news
channels have
become a
drumbeat of
negativity about
America.
The Jackson Herald
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Herman Buffington, Publisher 1965-2005
Mike Buffington Co-Publisher & Editor
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letter to the editor
Disagrees with Buffington
Dear Editor:
Once again please allow me to respond to Mike Buffington’s
markedly harsh criticism of our duly elected president, Donald
Trump, point by point:
Trumpism is a political outlook based on fog and
vapor: To Trump supporters fog and vapor is Hillary Clinton’s
assertion that she’s a woman and it’s time we elected a woman
president, college education should be free and maybe something
else that no one remembers. Will professors, administrators,
building engineers, maintenance staffs provide their services for
free? No. The cost is born by others. Obama thought that giving
a speech was doing something. He gave a speech and moved
on to his next pompous lecture with no meaningful follow-up on
much of anything. In contrast here’s Trump’s political outlook:
Form a coalition with Muslim countries to fight terrorism; prevent
ILLEGAL immigration and encourage LEGAL immigration; jail or
deport 1400 violent MS-13 gang members, rebuild our decimated
military; get rid of burdensome and over-kill regulations that stifle
economic growth, fix Obamacare that is on its last legs; reform
and simplify the voluminous tax code, take care of our veterans,
etc.,etc.
Trumpism is rooted in fear: Wow. This one is hard to
swallow. But Trump supporters do fear the media. No one can
tell us that the CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, N.Y. Times, AJC,
L.A. Times media are not blatantly slanted against Trump. I’d
include your publication in this list, but to your credit you have
consistently allowed others to express an opposing position in
the Herald. Because of this overt media slant the press enjoys
the same public approval rating as do our politicians, used car
salesmen and lawyers. Just today, in a speech overseas, Obama
said we shouldn’t be hiding behind a wall. Once we see him, the
Clintons and their Hollywood elitist friends remove the walls and
fences from their compounds maybe we will believe that they are
actually sincere. We have far less to fear with secure borders and
a strong military.
Trumpism rests on a cult of personality: Comparing
President Trump to the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Chavez to us
deplorable Trump supporters is just another mean spirited,
and quite frankly, preposterous attempt by the media to slander
President Trump. We Trump supporters weren’t thrilled with the
last eight years but we didn’t resort to demanding “safe zones”,
preventing free speech on campuses, burning buildings and
resorting to equating Obama to the mass murderers cited above.
Trumpism has the trappings of a monarchy: We have
an honest disagreement here. I think Trump has built one of the
best cabinets I can remember. The experience and expertise of
past and present political hacks and multi-term elected officials
hasn’t gotten us too far lately. We’re declining in economic
growth; we began leading from behind, our educational perfor
mance relative to other nations is fast declining and our military
is under-equipped. You say Trumpism is style over substance.
I say the last eight years left us with little “hope” and very little
“change” after running up the deficit to $20 trillion. The motto
“Hope and Change” is one of the best examples of style over sub
stance one can think of. It resulted in a bleak economic future for
our children and grandchildren. I hope the Trump “Monarchy”,
as you put it, can do something about it regardless of the progres
sive left.
Trumpism is isolationist in tone: Trump is actively
trying to enlist support and build coalitions with King Salman
of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah of Jordan, President El-Sisi of
Egypt, the heads of other moderate Arab states and the P.M. of
Israel to effectively combat Islamist terrorism. Much of this has
been glossed over by the media. He is working with the leaders
of China, Japan and South Korea to halt North Korea’s march
toward a nuclear arsenal. All in a little over 100 days. Not too
shabby for an isolationist. More than just a speech.
Trumpism is tainted with the stench of white national
ism: I don’t want to be insulting, but that comment is insulting.
Time after time when the left disagrees with an opposing point
of view the person on the other side of the debate is painted as
a racist, or islamophobic, or a misogynist, or homophobic or
another Hilter. Stop already with the race and other cards. We’ve
had enough of it. Debate on the merits. Don’t hurl insults.
Trumpism depends on lies and gross exaggerations:
You say Trump fired Comey because of the Russian probe.
Maybe so, but Trump wanted him fired for other reasons as well.
The democrats all said Comey should go....right up until he was
fired! Tell us where the outrage was over lies that affected the
lives of millions. For instance under Obama Care you could keep
your doctor, keep your plan and your premiums won’t go up one
single dime. Talk about whoppers! How about Bill Clinton meet
ing with Loretta Lynch in a plane on a tarmac to discuss golf and
grandchildren right before Hillary’s closed interview with the FBI
and after she deleted thousands of emails from her private server.
Believe that and you’ll believe I was immaculately conceived.
How about Obama drawing a red line in the sand over the use
of poisonous gas and doing nothing, ultimately causing a mass
migration of refuges into Europe. I guess Trump’s assertion that
his inaugural crowd was larger than Obama’s crowd had a much
greater impact upon humanity.
Trumpism is not about governing, it’s about winning
and losing: We despicable Trump supporters don’t see it that
way. We see “Trumpism” as making America great again.
Trumpism is a political river flowing in the wrong
direction: I don’t see how that assertion can be made. Every
poll prior to the last election indicated people thought our coun
try was headed in the wrong direction. The people wanted an
administration ready to take quick and decisive action to address
the myriad of problems we face, as a result Trump was elected.
The media and the left weren’t willing to give Trump a honey
moon period of 100 seconds, let alone 100 days. It was “resist”
right from the start. There was very little coverage by the main
stream media of his extraordinary trip to the Mideast, just 24-7
coverage of the Russia investigations that have been going on for
6 months or more with no actual evidence of collusion.
I think the era of fair, balanced, trustworthy and responsible
journalism is dead. And the media will not consider pausing for
a second to take an introspective look at itself.
Sincerely,
Jim Siegendorf
Jefferson