The War

My mother-in-law ordered me a copy of The War for Christmas. It's the FIFTEEN hour documentary on WWII that Ken Burns did for PBS last year. So far we are 2 hours in and already I am a jittery mess half of the time. The sheer NUMBER of lives that we lost in this conflict is staggering. The lengths to which these soldiers were willing to go- even to JOIN the conflict willingly and to serve this country... it's just mind-numbing.

My generation was never thrown into a war. My father's generation was. And the generation before that, and before that, and before that. Anyone can sign up and fight, but something about the idea of being DRAFTED... being TOLD that you are going to be forced to serve your country... that's so damned interesting to me.

I think that part of the reason why my generation doesn't value things as much as we should stems from that. I think there is a pretty strong number of 'rebels' out there who don't really know what they are rebelling against- they are just doing it because they think it's what they are supposed to do. It's hip to be disaffected.

All I am saying, and saying rather poorly, is that there is something sociological about all of this: about how we are a nation that is at war, and yet we are not as united in the cause as we were in 1941. And I really DO think that it has something to do with the fact that we are not being drafted to serve in the effort.

I'm not saying, for even a moment, that I advocate a draft. What I think that I AM saying is that I understand it when old codgers complain about 'you young people got it easy! And you don't appreciate how hard it was when I was a kid.'

There needs to be less emo-kid manure out there; and less 'I have been through some seriously hard shit, man' when the worst the person who says that has had to endure was the breakup of their parents or having to live in 3 cities through high school.

And while I am complaining... there needs to be less sheep-like behavior when it comes to opinions and worldly points-of-view. I work with a guy... let's call him P. P is fantastic about spouting out some sort of heard-it-on-the-radio doctrine or opinion when the topic comes up in conversation. The guy is in his 20's. Every opinion or world view he has decided to share with people around him is still largely based on what he has heard his parents say, or has heard spouted on TV shows or 'hip' magazines and Web-groups. He is echoing dogma that he hasn't had a chance to savor, yet.

There is a lot of that going around. Everyone drinks the Kool-Aid once and a while. If they didn't, then NOBODY would go to Ben Stiller movies.

It just annoys me that anyone in America with a middle-class upbringing thinks they have overcome some incredibly insurmountable odds, and carries a chip on their shoulder about our government, or our American Way Of Life, then they can go watch My Name Is Earle and be satisfied that they are well-rounded and accomplished.

Go tromp through a jungle-island for 2 years and get shot at by Japanese soldiers while your supply lines have been cut off and you are surviving on coconuts and rice-soup. Do it against your will because you'd rather be home watching Billy Wilder movies. Then you can feel free to listen to all the Linkin Park you want.