Generations
are often categorised, which is not always helpful, as it is obviously a
generalisation. Nonetheless, it does help us make sense of things. If
there is any generation that we owe a debt to it, it is ‘the silent
generation.’ This is the generation that roughly from the 1910s to the 1970s and fought
in the Second World War.
This
generation lived through the First World War, the Great Depression
and witnessed the growth of fascism and communism in Europe, which
threatened their civilisation and values. They fought in the Second
World War and sacrificed their freedoms to protect the freedoms of
future generations. Millions of people died to save Europe from
degenerating into fascism.
Following
this, they made a concerted effort not to go back to the rampant
unemployment and poverty of the 1930s. Indeed, ‘The Beveridge
Report’ sold 600,000 copies. The book aimed to tackle ‘squalor,
ignorance, want, idleness and disease.’ The Labour Party was
elected in 1945 and implemented Beveridge’s ideas by
creating the welfare state. They also created the NHS, which was
spearheaded by Anuerin Bevan as minister of health. ‘No society can
legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical
aid because of lack of means,’ he claimed. The spate of reforms
during this period did much to protect workers and for a long time we
had full employment.
This
generation also made a
concerted effort to avoid another world war. The
UN was created, as well the germ of the European Union - ‘The
European Coal and Steel Community.’ The IMF was also created to
prevent countries from sliding into economic chaos.
The
Baby Boom generation benefited from the economic comfort that was
bequeathed to them by their parents. There had never been a
generation that was born with so much so security and so many
opportunities. However, they were more prone to virtue signalling
than their parents. At the same time, they were extremely indulgent.
They indulged in heavy drugs and engaged in wild orgies. On the other hand,
they waved placards and protested against social injustice and
figures of authority.
The song ‘Taxman’ by The Beatles
exemplified this very well. Ostensibly, The Beatles care about
justice and world peace, but were still unwilling to do contribute
back to society by paying their fair share of tax. It was bogus.
The
activist Jerry Rubin is very representative of many hippies. He was
active in revolutionary politics, but he really did nothing
constructive to change society. He squawked about ‘capitalist
pigs,’ ‘straights’ and ‘war,’ but really did nothing apart
from indulging in casual sex and heavy drugs with free-spirited
abandon. Ten years later, he became a clean-shaven millionaire stock
broker in Wall Street. Really, there was not much difference in this
career move – it was equally indulgent. Cases like this are
legion.
The legacy of this generation is not good. They
deregulated the financial system, which led to the financial crash.
They voted for Brexit. There is little affordable housing, the NHS and other public services are creaking and there is low growth. They still have the gall to
complain about millennials,
which is a bit rich. We are the ones who will have to pick up the
pieces.
