Generation of Degenerates

Finally I got some real feedback on my thoughts that infect the journalism genre. Since those of you who read the paper are either too drunk to comment on the Web site, or too lazy to write a letter to the editor, I put my words on the chopping block in front of about 20 of my "peers." Among the constructive criticism I received: "whoever wrote this is pretentious." And it's true. I am pretentious. I do, in fact, use unjustified claims- like when I say that our entire generation is apathetic, or when I allege that SUNY just wants our money and has no desire to enhance our minds. Or when I borrow a line from George Carlin and imply that you are all diseased. I have heard it from professors, and from several students, that my writing is judgmental and off-target, yet none of you actually defend yourselves. It's starting to feel like I am beating a dead horse. A student in the class defended himself from my slew of accusations, saying that his life wasn't ruled by Billboard charts. Which is fine, but my statement was generalized. The guilty are usually first to be defensive, but I won't imply that this individual is actually a closet Lil' Wayne fan. Instead I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Fact of the matter is that a greater portion of our generation reads US Weekly and listens to FLY 98.3 than not. I wish someone would offer me an explanation for Ugg boots and un-bent hat rims, but I know what the response would be; "It's the fashion!" Well, your fashion sucks. Your mainstream music sucks. You'll support the millionaires, but never a local scene. Sony sues their customers, yet you'll still buy their products. I assume many of you spend more time at the mall than you do reading. Consumerism at its finest. Keep pumping money into a failing system. A good portion of you probably have no idea that the dollar exchange rate to the Euro has plummeted since the Federal Reserve pumped $40 billion into the depleted U.S. economy. A dollar here in the U.S. is now a dollar in Canada. The fashion you consume so eagerly is being outsourced by American companies, and your money promotes slave labor. Anytime you by anything from The Limited, Express, Liz Claiborne, JC Penny, Sears, T.J. Maxx, or Ralph Lauren-just to name a few, you're promoting the mistreatment of human beings. Your music is made by drug dealers and whores, yet you continue to buy, buy, buy. And you're damn right I make these allegations- and I stand by them. But again, you will do nothing about it. So maybe I am pretentious. But at least I am nothing like you degenerates.

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