Dear Editor,
The opinion piece “Boomers, spend as you please,” featured in the Sept. 16 edition, forwards the assertion that your generation is somehow wracked by “obvious laziness.” On what criteria do you base your measurement of obvious laziness? From what moral or intellectual ground do you draw the right to identify a whole generation of Americans as lazy? Perhaps the evidence of such laziness resides in the claim itself. After all, is it not lazy to forward a claim without taking the time to diligently back it up?
John Patrick
Debate Coach
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I disagree with John Patrick’s critique of this well written article. The criteria is stated: generational comparison. The author is clearly comparing the “Greatest Generation” to our modern day generation; the generation that survived the Great Depression, World War II, and rebuilt American into a Modern Hegemony. Most generations will suffer in comparison to that generation, except perhaps our Founding Fathers (and Mothers) Generation. True, not everybody is lazy with our current generation (look at ULV’s super successful debate team–that takes hard work). But that’s not the point! The point is that when we struggle as a people we look to each other for moral support; we find strength in numbers; we say we must all play our part and pay our dues. Do we choose five hours of study or five hours of video games? Do we choose to wake up early to work part time to help pay for college or do we sleep in to nurse a nasty hangover paid for with college loans or hard won “gifts” from our Recession-Hit parents.
Jason Sandford
Former Debate Coach