Think back for a moment, to our best generations, which one would you go with? It honestly could have been the turn of the century around 1900, where new inventions and businesses were booming! Industry was strong. Maybe our best generation was the 1920's through the 1950's, which is where I think we find our strongest generation and how can we use that to "better" our youth? Let me explain with a brief "history".
What happened during the 1920's through the 1950's in America? For one we had a Great Depression and later on we were attacked on our "property". If you are thinking I am going on a very morbid ledge, you are right and wrong. We lost millions of people during those times. We also lost a ton of property during the Dust Bowl as well as some agriculture. With all those losses, what can a historian and sociology teacher point our in terms of our gains? OUR GAINS? Yes, our gains as a country. I find them to be a direct correlation to the Revolutionary War also! Let us take a few paragraphs and point out our wins during those times and how we can tie them in with our families today.
We showed the world that although we were a colonial "underdog" who was fast becoming fed up with our mother country - England. We had to pay a tax on this, and a tax on that. Taxing the tea was a massive issue, and our "homegrown" wares were able to be taken for nothing as well? Granted I am no historian, however tea, tobacco, and other items of our hard work and just taking those is asking for trouble. The end result for England was trouble. I believe we had to help England fund some of their other issues at the time. India maybe? They could have been trying to defend or take over other new territories. We fought back. We won. We were crawling into powerhouse status and we were no longer "the underdog".
The Great Depression and World War II were tough times, even if you only look at the photo's. The Concentration Camps will still make any mildly humanistic person sick to their stomach. What happened in Europe was an absolute atrocity and I pray will never happen again (it does; however it is for some reason not important enough to cover via media outlets). The Great Depression completely wiped us out as a majority. The bread lines, all sorts of problems were happening. It truly was a dismal age. What happened? Our unity and acceptance of each other was never scarred. We were attacked on our soil. I lost a Great Uncle to World War II as he was, if not the first, one of the first from Fall River, Ma to be killed in combat during that war. My grandfather and Uncle showed our true national pride. They did what countless others did, they suited up, kissed their wives and mothers and went out to right something that was morbidly wrong. What is that saying? OH! Mission Accomplished!
With all those win's we must be a hell of a country today, right? In all actuality we bicker amongst each other, we learned to hate our neighbor, we betray and abandon our family, and we allow OUR children to follow suite. What example are our children going to right about? Let's take a look at the wonder's we've led them to enjoy:
1. You can stay on welfare! Yes, there is officially no issue with that!
2. You are entitled to get whatever you want, WITH NO HARD WORK!
3. Tell your parents to **ck themselves, it's okay you have DSS to back you up!
4. At 13 you can pretty much have all the sex you want and your dad doesn't even have to know you've had 5 abortions by the time you were pushed through 11th grade.
5. Why cook a wholesome meal to help our kids have healthy growth and development? We have fast food!
6. Work hard for something? Hell no! We have affirmative action now!
Therefore, the legacy we are giving our future generations to read about us is:
1. We have no self-respect
2. We are weak
3. We cannot do anything for ourselves
4. We let people committing a crime by being here illegally have more rights than those who were born here
5. You work hard? You can pay for everyone else! (Isn't that sort of why Communism failed?)
So our legacy tells our future in the coming history books we hate ourselves, plain and simple. That's okay with you? IT ISN'T?!? With a long "ummm" I have to ask, what are you doing about it? I have the highest amount of commendations for our previous generations, however this one does not show one single semblance of the pride, dignity, respect, honor, or courage that our past gave us. The good news is that instead of bailing ourselves out from "good" Ol' Uncle Same we can rebuild and learn to save by making economics mandatory. We can tell our elected officials we want to know (because we have the right) how to communicate with them and remind them when we as a collective whole give them an order, it's no longer optional for them! Our best interest needs to be served, and it starts with you. We can't be the book nerd pushed by the cocky popular jock any longer. We can fight back, by regaining our values.
Let's do it!
PS: My children think twice before opening their mouths back to me, they hardly tell me no unless they are exhausted, they don't have to be reminded (normally) to say please and thank you, and time and again they are said to be "the most well behaved children" many have seen. I take the pride I just preached about and do my job as their dad - it is nobody else's responsibility.
I love you Brie, Owen, and James!
