Defining Greatness by Generation

Mike Males (“The True ‘Great Generation,’ ” Opinion, Aug. 26) needs to get out more. He needs to put theory and prejudice aside and meet and talk to some actual human beings. I could introduce him to myriad California baby boomers who were never drug addicts, who paid our own way through UC, who voted against Proposition 13 and for every school bond initiative and who have generally lived our lives quietly working, caring for aging parents, trying to set a prejudice-free example for our juniors and patiently paying taxes.

As for wrecking “California’s once-rich promise to its young,” Males has duplicitously confused baby boomers with Republican voters of all ages, the true culprits along with overpopulation and overdevelopment. These two are almost entirely separate demographic groups.

If Males were to do some real work and meet real people he might produce a text with real insight and get it published in a real newspaper. Instead, alas, Males has taken it easy, massaged cliches and stereotypes, produced a racist hate screed (with baby boomers as the demonized “race”) and gotten it published in The Times.

Steve Jensen

Hermosa Beach

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More boomer bashing, now from a sociology professor at UC Santa Cruz. Males describes the children of boomers as survivors of 30 years of “adult arrogance, selfishness and puritanical hypocrisy.” He wrote that Generation Xers had to compensate for their parents’ excesses by being responsible at a young age.

As a child in the ‘50s, I remember a time of unquestioning patriotism, blameless religion, trustworthy government and strict parental authority. A foreign war and a sweeping draft severed our complacency and innocence. We rebelled, loosened the shackles of brainwashing and won many freedoms erstwhile unknown to women, minorities and former generations. Unfortunately, drugs and Vietnam took their toll, but to blame boomers for all of society’s evils reminds me of another flaw of my generation--blaming our parents for all our mistakes.

Boomers’ passage of Proposition 13 did not crush California’s public education. We pay 11.7% in property taxes as compared to the national average of 11.5%, and yet we have financed an amazing prison system. And because our children are less violent and more drug-, alcohol-, nicotine-and STD-aware and volunteer, another sociologist could deduce that we did something right.

Mary Ann Foster

San Luis Obispo