Question October 26-28
Do you blame all "boomers," whether captains of industry or mere consumers, for not doing more to avert the present situation? ("You don't learn these things [anthropogenic climate change etc.] in school.... "You sold our future, just for profit!"... "You have failed us all so terribly." 3 )
I don't think I'd go
as far as blaming all boomers for the environmental situation we are currently
in. While I feel that they would have had the advantage of controlling this
crisis at its start, there are other aspects to think about when considering
their liability. For example, maybe the majority of that generation was unaware
of the consequences that would arise from their way of life that became
increasingly industrial. Back then, being environmentally conscious wasn't
something you read about in ads or heard about while protesting. Moreover,
there have been numerous studies showing that Boomers are now more eco-conscious
than millennials. While their inventions have caused a lot of damage to the environment,
our current generation is just as guilty for being consumers of this industry.
This is due to the convenience they desire, and it is put as a higher priority
compared to being eco-friendly. If people of our generation didn’t take part in
the different industries Boomers have created that destroy our environment,
they wouldn’t survive, and those industries would die off.
As far as education in school, we
can argue it lacks a lot of information that useful to know. From how to do
taxes, to learning how to achieve good credit, practical knowledge is kind of
abandoned when it comes to public education. Another important lesson is the environment
and the impact we have on it. You would think geography and science classes at
the least would implement this into their curriculum, but I can’t even remember
learning about it.
You're generous. The first Earth Day was in 1970, The Oil Embargo/Energy Crisis was in 73-74, McKibben published The End of Nature in '88... my generation has had ample opportunity to get in front of the climate crisis. I don't blame all Boomers (and honorary Boomers like Ed) equally either, but I hope lessons have been learned and we don't get fooled again.
ReplyDeleteI agree it’s very ignorant to blame all Boomers. I do disagree that the main concern of the younger generation is convenience because I believe cost has as much or more effect on peoples decisions. We are gradually tipping the scales in favor of being eco friendly. However things are still outside of people’s abilities. Making these methods cheaper and more convenient will definitely turn more people towards eco friendly options.
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued to learn that boomers are actually more eco-conscious than millennials. It is something that I just assumed was the other way around because of how society tends to blame boomers for all the stuff we are going through. I too agree that it doesn't seem right to blame their generation for any of what is happening. If anything we should be thanking those of them who have fought so hard for everything else we have in our lives that have gone right. Instead of blaming everyday people, we need to continue to blame the higher up corporations who are actually responsible for all of this.
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