Recently I found in a notebook a passage from Mme. De Stael's De l'Allemagne that had caught my attention enough to be copied out:
Chaque fois qu’une nouvelle génération entre en possession de son domaine, ne croit-elle pas que tous les malheurs de ses devanciers sont venus de leur faiblesse? ne se persuade-t-elle pas qu’ils sont nés tremblants et débiles, comme on les voit maintenant?
Roughly,
Each time that a new generation comes forward, doesn't it suppose that all the misfortunes of its predecessors derived from their weakness? Doesn't it make itself believe that all the older generation were born palsied and feeble, as one now sees them?
Well, the notion was not unfamiliar to me when I was young, and I have lived to see the expression "OK, Boomer" popularized by those considerably younger.
I think "OK boomer" is said when they are annoyed that you still remain annoyingly unpalsied and unenfeebled. ZMKC
ReplyDeleteHaha George, age is certainly a curious thing, particularly in relation to how our perspectives change. I think ZMKC has a point regarding how that phrase is used. However, I am really sad about the antagonism that is being encouraged between generations and particularly against boomers. Of course I'm a boomer and would say that. But, we all belong to our own generation - we didn't choose it, and we don't really know how it is going to work out until it's too late and whatever will happen has happened. All we can do then is keep using our vote to try to create the society that we would like to see.
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