Category: 2015

Since the tragic attacks on Paris, world leaders, politicians, Presidential Candidates, inexpert experts, and, of course, the mainstream media’s so-called journalists showing once again their ignorance and their utter professional disrespect to pursuing the Truth wherever it may lead, have been flailing incoherently all over our sad planet. Retaliation! Vengeance! Avenging! Bombing! Islamophobia! Immigrant phobia! Punish the bastards! Destroy ISIS – oops, we’re calling them Daesh now, aren’t we?

I’m watching and listening to all this while thinking that I must be in an Alternate Reality. I am sure that I speak for myself as well as for most Arabs and Middle Easterners when I say that. We are in total shock and disbelief in view of these tragic events that are occurring today, and that have been ongoing since the invasion of Afghanistan especially. However, the reality is that we have been in this dismal and despairing situation since the official end of colonialism in our countries and the onset of the unofficial and undeclared colonialism that has been decimating us bit by bit by tragic bit over the past seventy years.

To begin with, we are all saddened and aggrieved by the loss of innocent lives in beautiful Paris. Many of us know this capital very well. Some of us have friends and relatives who live there. France is also right across the Mediterranean from most of our countries. That being said, we do not comprehend why we should be apologizing for the misdeeds of the terrorists as if simply by being Arabs, nationalists, patriots, anti Western foreign policies, anti Israeli Government policies, and anti-war in the Middle East we are, therefore, pro terroristic ideologies. This bigoted, racist equation does not add up.

Moreover, we do not understand how Islam as a religion has been put up for debate after every act of violence and terrorism occurring on Western soil. For all intents and purposes, I am, on official documents, a Christian – non-practicing and agnostic as I am these days – who will stand up for Islam and my Muslim friends anywhere and anytime, and I am bursting with indignation to see some of them agonizing and writhing at the anti-Islam fervor sweeping Europe and the United States. Why should they, why should all Arabs, have to apologize for the few terrorists and criminals amongst us? I have not seen any Westerners falling all over themselves to apologize for the Christian and Jewish radicals amongst them, or for their virulent and poisonous words regarding anything to do with Islam, or Arabs. How can this biased behavior be allowed when it is not merely coming from ignorant imbeciles, but from prominent politicians writing, orating and airing their distorted views on the air, riling up their radical political bases and not even thinking of the possibly disastrous consequences that their words can engender? And disastrous they often are as we have seen from the increase in slurs and hate crimes against innocent Arabs and mistaken-for-Arabs/Muslims throughout the Western world.

Yes, I am OUTRAGED!

However, and to that beautiful young Arab who told me: what can we do? What should we think? I am so very lost and miserable! I am becoming paranoid of even leaving my house! Brace yourself, I say.

Pope Francis said that we are in World War 3. I have said that too, others have also and, I will add, that this is only the beginning, for this event is going to be long, bloody, dangerous and, as of yet, unknown consequences that range from innocents being killed to cyber wars. This is a very different kind of war. The two previous World Wars happened during the first half of the Twentieth Century. We are now in the Twenty-First Century, and Sooooo much has changed since then, and it all happened really too fast. I do not think that our world has adjusted and recalibrated itself yet to the Information Age. Not in our schools and academies, not in the financial world, not where our climate threats are concerned, not socially, not in our relationships, not religiously, not politically, not in any sphere, and our world is going to be in very grave turmoil until that happens – a couple of generations from now maybe? Nevertheless, this war is also different because it is being fought with more lethal and dangerous weapons that are now available to any bunch of criminals who is willing to pay for them. This proliferation of weaponry whether under the command of inept political leaders, or American and other private citizens, deranged individuals, drug gangs, local militias in the US and elsewhere, police forces and everyone and their Mother is a situation that is out of control and dangerous to all of us. During the previous wars, arms and weaponry belonged in the hands of governments and armies. And, yes, I do understand the argument that says that arms at the disposal of governments only could be turned on innocent civilians – and there are enough horrific cases to attest to that – I still don’t understand how having uncontrolled access to weapons can benefit any of us. This is just one of the many grave issues facing us in this century, and one we should address before it gets more out of hand than it already has.

Until the world, and especially political leaders, becomes responsible and conscientious enough to address the important issues and not put personal interests, greed, corruption, bigotry, racism and ignorance above that of ordinary citizens, we are all in for some seriously troubling times.

There is enough blame to go all around for our sorry state of world affairs. However, I have not heard one political leader or anyone else in a position of power, rise above the blame and finger-pointing and serve as a peacemaker and uniting force that can stem the war-mongering and hatred blowing all around us. To the contrary, so many of them are fanning the flames of war and divisiveness rendering our atmosphere murkier and more muddied than ever before. In fact, it seems as if no one is thinking clearly anymore.

They say – those who pretend to know – that it is the Bankers, the Military-Industrial complex, the weapons manufacturers, multi-national corporations, the Conspiracy, Imperial America, the Salafis, the Saudis, the Israelis and heavens knows who or what else. Is it? Is it one, or all, of those? Have things gone so far out of control that no entity or government is being able to stop them?

If that is the case, pour yourself a glass of wine everyone, go about your life, enjoy your day because there is not a damn thing that you, or me, as ordinary individuals can do until everyone comes to their senses or someone decides – mistakenly? deliberately? – to drop a nuclear bomb and, then, it will be goodnight world simply because Reason and Sanity have been trashed. Justice has been mauled beyond recognition. Words have been twisted so much and so often that we cannot find a common language anymore. Self-righteousness has overtaken our responsibility to all the innocent, young and beautiful younger generations. It is beyond unbelievable, irresponsible, immoral and outrageous.

So, yes, I am OUTRAGED!

Sociologists have classified the different generations. They decided that I and anyone over 70 belong to the “Greatest Generation.” While I love that nomenclature, I can’t help but think what a smug description! Who says? And, as compared to what?

Anyway, based on these classifications, the “Vanity Fair” magazine in its November 2015 issue ran a chart about the . . . “generational divides – and the state of our psychic disunion.” It is as terrific as many of this magazine’s articles are. Now, most people will probably read that piece and have light-hearted fun with it. Others, like me, might give it some serious thought.

The writer of the piece, Bruce Feirstein, says that the “Deepest Fear” of the Greatest Generation is “America 2015.” Wow, how right he got that! I think that most of us are sleepless over this present day America, because we have been around long enough to witness how this nation has been behaving more and more like an erratic, reckless and arrogant empire than that ideal bastion of freedom and democracy that we grew up – perhaps naively and romantically – believing in.

He follows that up with an existential statement that is begging for a comeback: “And, finally, the key question of their lives” which he explains with an equally existential question: “Where the fuck did we go so very, very wrong?” I put the magazine down after reading this and stared into space for a long time all the while running the tape in my head of all the events that have spiraled so badly out of control, and that have caused me and my peers to really wonder how the fuck did we, the Greatest Generation, get it all so very, very wrong?? And, did we?

How can it possibly be that my generation could have engendered so much damage that has today brought us to the very edge of this precipice that is our dismal political reality? I say political reality because when I look at the absolutely amazing things being done and invented by individual efforts, collaborative efforts, or collective and organizational efforts all over the planet I am awed. Whether this hard work is bringing potable water to remote areas, clinics to immunize babies and children who will otherwise die, agricultural solutions to hungry communities, literacy to thousands, computers and cellular phones to kids who for the first time in their young lives are connected to the world, women’s anti-rape activism, solar heating methods to places that were suffering extremes in temperatures, bicycles and motorcycles to individuals who had never been mobile except on foot or by navigating dangerous rivers, as well as hundreds of other examples each one more amazing than the other. And, it is only when we look at the political landscape, at the inept and corrupt politicians and corporations leading the world, and at the humongous collateral damage that the wars they designed and ordered have produced, that we see this extraordinary misery and despair.

Yes, it seems that we, the “Peace, Man” generation, have managed to produce generation upon generation of children and grandchildren who have opted to amuse themselves with everything else but electing decent people to political office. How the hell did we manage to do that? Here, and once more to illustrate the point beautifully, I refer again to Feirstein and to what his poignant assessment about how the different generations respond to: “And, finally, the key question of their lives”:

Baby-Boomers (1946-1964): “Where’s the Viagra?” My explanation to this question/statement is that we have raised our children to be totally self-engrossed with their egocentric pleasures, their entitlements, with their careers and their immediate needs. In other words, by opening so many doors for them that had been closed to us, we ended up by giving them self-centered attributes. It seems that for some reason, they ended up feeling that the external battles had been won (Women’s Liberation, ending of two World Wars and Vietnam, ending of segregation and establishment of Civil Rights, family planning with the invention of the pill etc. etc.) And, it also seems that they felt that since those major battles were over and done with (not that they are at all), they could now focus internally on themselves. So other than voting once every four years, they entrusted their politics to elected officials. Is that what we did? It seems to be the case, though I doubt very much that this was our intention.

Gen X (1965-1979): “What’s the point?” My explanation is that this 9/11 generation feels that there is no need to get bent out of shape for any one thing, cause or situation other than their families and jobs, and not much point in voting because politicians will screw it all up anyway, including the “hope & change” President who fired them up and a whole lot of other disappointing political events in the US and on the world stage. Having survived the post 9/11 mostly fabricated fears, and having grown up in a 24/7 television world and surveillance era, they are now bringing up the Millennial and iGen children on whom they are lavishing their parenting desire to do better than we did. In that process they are overdoing the parenting and the doting, as well as the micro-management and undue involvement in their children’s lives, which has earned them the apt titles of “Soccer Moms” and “Helicopter Parents.”

Millennials (1980-2000): “What’s a career?” My Explanation is that the kids of this generation feel that there are no lifetime commitments on any level. They all have personal compelling “issues” and “dramas” to attend to and unduly fret about. Spoilt rotten on the one hand, and royally neglected on the other by well-intentioned parents who were totally absorbed with their own careers, long-term “security,” buying homes and “things” and leaving their kids to come home alone, they feel that while they want to vote and become more politically involved, they also do not think that politics merits much more than a few laughs while watching SNL, Jon Stewart or five minutes of News and then quickly back to playing pretend war and “Call of Duty.” However, as they mature they might – and, I hope – awaken to the fact that unless they get politically involved they will be going off to fight and die for no higher ideal at all and that their lives will be adversely affected by sitting on the sidelines while corrupt politicians screw up the very air they breathe and that they may eventually become “collateral damage” of wars, climate change and all else. I think that many of them will eventually shape this into a very interesting and smart generation.

iGen (After 2000): “What’s a landline?” My Explanation is that this generation is into technology, gadgets and gizmos and not much else interests them at the moment. I also think that they are the subjects of a bigger social and political experimentation than any other generation whether this is going on in all the lousy educational labs that we call schools, in the a-socialization taking place because their time is taken up with so many “activities” that family and friends have taken a backseat, making them disconnected with their own family history, as well as with the stories and lore of the common-sense past. Also, many of them are living far away from extended family and meaningful community interactions. It seems to be that they are truly the sons and daughters of a Brave? New World. This is a bit worrisome, although it might be too early yet to read them properly.

I am not a sociologist (or any “ist”), however I think that all the generations share a similar common goal: we all want our children to do and be better than us. That is why we try to analyze and make sense of the past. We do that in order to understand, correct and create better people and, hence, a better world.

We, the Greatest Generation, still have a bit more time to translate all our experiences and all our desires for the benefit of the younger generations and, hopefully, to inspire them to become more active and to avail themselves of the many tools that will, if they so choose, change our miserable and corrupt political landscape, as well as reverse the climate damage that will ultimately affect each and every one of them and their children. I also hope that we can try to somehow make them grasp and appreciate those aspects of the past that connect them to us and to the planet as a continuum of events and not, as they seem to believe, that they are what they are simply due to an egg and a sperm coming together!

Perhaps there is hope that either Gen Xers, Millennials, or iGen will, at some point before it is too late, claim the title of Greatest Generation for themselves by saving this sorry planet from the greed, corruption, bloodshed and pure selfishness that have so far driven our political landscape to its slow death, and made my generation dread “America 2015!” And, perhaps it will turn out to be that we didn’t fuck it all up that badly after all???!!!

Je l’espere!