An Open Letter To Those Born After 1982 (Or The One Thing Your Parents Got Right)
Here’s the deal.
Your stepdad, stepmom, guardian, caregiver or actual biological parent screwed up.
Oh, they meant well, but they got it wrong.
Not on purpose.
But because they didn’t understand.
They filled your head with what ended up being lies and now you are walking around somewhat confused. Your instincts are saying one thing but the voices your parents put in your head are saying something else.
Let me clear it up for you.
The only thing your parents got right was multiculturalism.
Everything else is questionable.
Here’s the skinny, (stop looking at me funny, it’s an old phrase),
The Tests Don’t Matter
In school they bombarded you with a bunch of tests.
Made sure you did well on them.
Complete.Waste.Of.Time.
Tests don’t mean shit. There is nobody keeping score in the real world, except you.
The only ability you need after middle school is the ability to learn. Quickly.
Things are changing too fast for you to remember them.
We have computers and Google for that.
Corporations Don’t Matter
I’m sure your caregiver wants or wanted you to get a good job at a big corporation with tons of benefits.
Wrong move.
The bigger the company the faster they fail and the harder it is to stop their failure.
You want to go small where you can be important faster and have a say when things need to change. Fast.
Benefits?
If a company is giving great benefits they probably won’t be around too long. I know you’ve been coddled all your life but you gotta take care of yourself.
Don’t take a job for it’s medical plan. Take a job because of your future plan.
You are not your fucking khakis.
Your mom made money so she could move you to a better neighborhood and buy a SUV. But take a look around.
Status symbols are bullshit.
You are not your zipcode.
You are not the car your stepdad drives.
Everybody can afford everything anyway. Poor kids in the projects are sporting Lexus’ and Vendi. If your judging yourself by the stuff you got you are sure to get fucked.
Country doesn’t matter.
I know we’re at war but the world is flat. A Jew hating redneck who lives next door is just that, a Jew hating redneck who lives next door. You probably have more in common with a skateboard riding, hip hop listening, kid who lives in India.
It’s the values that are important, not the land.
Things really are different.
Like the folks who got all freaked as we moved from an agricultural to an industrial economy some parents are freaked and are still teaching kids the importance of tractors.
Be polite, nod respectfully, but pack your bags and move into the city as fast as you can.
And feel free to view this on your cellphone.
Explore posts in the same categories: 1982, collapse, country, farms, Jews, jobs, multicultural, parents, rednecks, school, tests, work
chartreuse 
August 23, 2006 at 2:32 pm
You are my new hero.
August 23, 2006 at 2:42 pm
I dont you can view yet. But you can mobile blog.
August 23, 2006 at 2:52 pm
I’m emailing this one to my son right now. Thanks Char.
August 23, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Why the hell didn’t you write this 10 years ago?!?
Ah, doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t have listened anyway… 🙂
August 23, 2006 at 3:12 pm
“some parents are freaked and still teaching kids the importance of tractors.”
Uh, you mean like the parents of the kids who will provide you [in the big city where you don’t have to do anything except walk to the store to get your food] with the food from the farms in which the tractors are… important?
I wonder how many kids in big cities don’t even realize that milk comes from a cow or that there is someone somewhere planting the corn and feeding the cows. Where does food come from? The store… right? You talk about how it’s the “values that are important”… well… many of the people in this country have lost track of the values they once had.
“Jew hating redneck”
Not to be confused with the Jew hating Nazi… because redneck is a good way to help the less intelligent understand Nazi? 😛
August 23, 2006 at 3:15 pm
This is insulting. Not every kid in America is confused about the uselessness of tests, the growing problem of private debt, or the motivations their parents had while raising them.
Poor kids in the projects are not sporting lexuses and vendi. Rich kids in the project might, but it’s silly to try and convince us that “anyone can buy anything”. This is simply not true in the world today. Money matters. Feeling complicit in creating this current world order might make you want to claim it doesn’t, but it isn’t going to help any kids straighten out their lives.
August 23, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Everyone can afford everything? And people think this is an article worth reading–apart from comic relief???
August 23, 2006 at 4:01 pm
I almost didn’t post this because I knew some folks just wouldn’t get it. I even had someone I trust read it before hand and he said run it (Thanks B!).
Let me hit the criticisms one by one.
“Everyone can afford everything.” : I was talking about Status Symbols. SS can be afforded by everyone. They don’t mean anything. Poor kids buy expensive sneakers the same way rich kids do in the suburbs. Infact it’s the poor kids who give the sneakers status in the first place. Can’t afford to buy a private jet? That’s why small business people are buying time on a private jet. It’s like when the poor families rent the big screen tvs from rent a center. If you want it someone will try to get it to you at a price you can afford. So yeah, everyone can afford everything in the context I was speaking.
“Money matters”.: Never said that it didn’t. Again, I was talking about Status Symbols. And that is not really about money. That’s about how you feel about yourself.
No matter what we as parents think (and I have a teenage daughter) we have to be sure we prepare them for the world that is. Not the world that was. And if you realize it or not, this is not the same planet you grew up in.
Oh, and Zach, most of our food comes from big corporations or other countries. But you are right. We have lost a lot of values. But some deserved to go.
August 23, 2006 at 4:05 pm
I agree with you Char. This is not the same place my Dad grew up in. Jobs are just jobs. Careers change for people all the time. If you are not teaching your kid that you are screwing up their future.
Awesome post. You hit it out of the park.
August 23, 2006 at 4:17 pm
“Everybody can afford everything…”
Should be changed to
Nobody can afford anything. They just think they can. People buy things they can’t afford, put their purchases on credit cards and can barely pay off the minimum payment, they take adjustable interest mortgages and lose their houses when the bank forecloses. People buy expensive cars when they should be economizing, turn on the air conditioner when they should open a window. Even rich people are over-extended, their houses are too big and their cars are luxurious. Americans (if that’s what you are) believe this lifestyle is their birthright. It is not.
August 23, 2006 at 4:17 pm
Wow. My parents actually did it right. Families that get it right get shit from others–resentment, jelousy, thinking you’re fools for not playing along. That’s okay. Was/is worth it.
The truth is, maybe it can be learned, but largely I think it is in your blood or it isn’t. It is a way of living you have to feel–deeply.
August 23, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Same as it ever was. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent
You are not your f’n iPod
Status Symbols are BS — well except for that cellphone and new Mac Pro Quad Xeon w/30″ cinema display
Nobody’s keeping score — except for those on the A-list of bloggers
It’s the resources you provide that are important, not the content
Be polite, reply to the comments, but pack your bags and join a blog community as quickly as you can
Water’s still flowing underground
August 23, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Advice, even from the wise to the wise, is a dangerous thing.
August 23, 2006 at 5:24 pm
Without status symbols, money, fame, and recognition, people are forced to deal with the one thing they’ve been trying to avoid for their whole lives.
Themselves.
August 23, 2006 at 5:35 pm
[…] I have been reading Chartreuse for awhile now. I don’t always agree with him (no no flame here), but todays post is spot on. Take it or go bitching, he is right on this one. […]
August 23, 2006 at 6:28 pm
I found out about your site after the dust up you had over Flickr images. I assumed you were a sexist moron.
After reading this post (and others) though, I think I like you. There is no one I have read on the internet who is so simple and clear with his messages. You manage to say a lot by saying little. You are really special.
This post especially moved me because you talked about things my Mom would say all the time, “Don’t forget to get a job with good benefits.” or “We need to move to a better neighborhood, we are better than these people.”
The kids teased me worse in our upscale neighborhood and it taught me that money doesn’t mean too much.
My parents, like other middle class parents, judged themselves by the size of their homes or how expensive their cars are. They expected me to do the same and the fact that I don’t confuses them.
Thanks for making it clear that I am not confused about the world but that they are. I love them dearly but they are trapped behind symbols that don’t even matter.
I think you are an artist.
August 23, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Wow.
Thanks sis, your check is in the mail!
August 23, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Good post. I liked the comparisons, though I’m not of that age group.
August 23, 2006 at 6:50 pm
It’s a feast for my eyes every time I can read something I can relate to as much as in this blog. Perhaps not many of you can relate to these things, but here they go:
1. Tractors are important!. They still may be for such a heavily subsidized people as american farmers are. With the money spent on one of those croping machines, you can pay about a couple of hundred peasants here in Central America that will do the job gladly. Once ex-president Jose Figueres here in Costa Rica stated: “What do we want tractors for if we don’t have violins”. Then he went on to create the Youth Synphonic Orchestra which is an item here. That was back in the 1970’s. Now the problem is that pretty soon we’ll have more violins that tractors the way things are going for agriculture here.
2. Everybody can afford everything!: This morning a man with a gun killed two police officers in San Jose, Costa Rica while stealing a laptop from someone on a bus. Leave the farm and go to the city. That’s where the action is.
August 23, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Char – I have three kids born after 1982 and I have always told them that the tests mean shit – just learn how to play the game to get out so your real education can start. I left my corporate job, work out of my house, and love life! I never wanted my kids to be cookie cutter products of mass education and always told them so – and yes, Jecklin – I sometimes take a lot of shit for it. I don’t fit in with all the other parents (except Liz!).
This year my 12-year old stayed home with me for “take your child to work day” and I made him blog about it: http://managetochange.typepad.com/main/2006/04/adams_day_at_wo.html
I love this world, Char. I love the change and I pray that my kids have half as much fun as I’m having. Thanks for a great post (again)!
August 23, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Char, excellent choice of cut-off year. What happened to parents?
Still, there’s a segment of every cohort that spits out the spoon and starts learning by hard knocks. These kids actually grow up. May we be wise enough to hand them the keys when the castle changes hands.
August 23, 2006 at 7:19 pm
See, it all turned out fine. 🙂
August 23, 2006 at 7:25 pm
What a great post. Great cut of year. I was born in early ’82. Keep it up!
August 23, 2006 at 8:45 pm
This is fucking beautiful. So true, so true. Rock on.
August 23, 2006 at 8:51 pm
[…] This post is awesome, very awesome. I’m older than the peeps in which he speaks of, but it’s sooo very true. Bring it on! It’s revolution time. […]
August 23, 2006 at 9:01 pm
[…] This post is a very good look at how the world has changed since the 80s and how we should change with it. The point I agreed with him most about was his point about the adulation of the farm life. There is a causation I think that the only time humanity started to make real progress was when it gave up on the model of the family farm. In fact we gave up on that model as quickly as possible. […]
August 23, 2006 at 9:05 pm
Nicely put together. There are a hell of a lot of people terrified of multiculturalism though. Ever since I put some anti-racist videos up on YouTube I’ve been barraged by freaks. Everything from swastika-waving out and proud Aryan Nazis to the “I’m not racist, but…” brigade. A gentle, positive, articulate message like this makes me feel better.
August 23, 2006 at 9:20 pm
From reading this, it seems you also think all that grammar and spelling they taught us was nonsense as well. Good luck “succeeding” in today’s world.
August 23, 2006 at 9:25 pm
I was born in 1982 and much of what you wrote applied to me…
Everything is so perfect and beautiful…I want to quote you on my blog.
August 23, 2006 at 9:30 pm
[…] https://chartreuse.wordpress.com/2006/08/23/an-open-letter-to-those-born-after-1982-or-the-one-thing-your-parents-got-right/ […]
August 23, 2006 at 9:38 pm
But… if it doesn’t matter where you live, because everywhere is next door… and you don’t need to move anywhere to impress anybody…
…why wouldn’t you want to live out in the country?
Cities are nice to visit, but live there? Ew.
August 23, 2006 at 10:32 pm
suburbanbanshee: City life is, by Metcalfe’s Law, more valuable than suburban or small-town life. You can’t get all that value online, either. There is a new formulation by Metcalfe that includes the value (affinity) of each relationship, which is greater and more palpable in the offline.
Abandon the suburbs. Move to the city before the city moves to you.
August 23, 2006 at 10:46 pm
Love your post!
I fit your profile: born in ’83, a Bangladeshi brought up in Australia, living in Bangladesh (till the beginning of next year).
I liked the bit about multiculturalism. When I went as exchange student to the USA, people expected me to be so different from what I am: it’s still a shock to most people how much information gets transmitted globally.
And regarding “everyone can afford anything”: ever wondered how many people in 3rd world countries drive mercedes and BMWs? (Answer: quite a lot, unfortunately.)
i agree with brooklynkitchen: credit cards make sure that no-one can afford anything, but can have all that they want.
stuff is good if it makes you happy: stuff is bad if it makes you happy because it makes other ppl unhappy to see you with it.
At the end of the day, we have to live with ourselves.
August 23, 2006 at 10:50 pm
suburbanbanshee: i love the cities because they’re so much more happening, filled with people rushing about their lives. i’m a city grl, cud visit the country, but never live there.
August 23, 2006 at 11:04 pm
[…] This article could have applied to anyone born at least a LITTLE bit before 1982. I know it’s as true in my life as it is to anyone 20 years younger than me. […]
August 24, 2006 at 1:56 am
Wow, I was born in 62 and the same applies. Right?
-tgs-
August 24, 2006 at 2:49 am
Mostly I think we (my wife & I) actually got it right with our sons (born ’83 and ’86) and I’m pretty happy with the way they turned out…
I do, have a problem with one or two things you said, though.
“Everybody can afford everything anyway.”
This may be true in your world, but is patently false for the 3/4 of the world outside the US and Euroland. Is truly hard for kids who grow up in a world where the subversive message they get from society, (mostly American) TV, history and their peers is “You’re worthless. You’re not even good enough to be Chiense Slave Labour.” The message the’re getting from TV (forget ‘net access – they’re having enough trouble getting electricity and running water!) is still “The Corp. The Big Car. The Coca-Cola Culture.” Makes it real hard for them to see through all that cra^H^H^H hype.
“Run to the City”
True enough for now, and for the recent past, and perhaps for another five years or so. After that, as oil moves beyond $200, $300, $500 per barrel and the lights go out (permanently!) cities are going to be a bad, bad, bad situation.
August 24, 2006 at 2:49 am
Mostly I think we (my wife & I) actually got it right with our sons (born ’83 and ’86) and I’m pretty happy with the way they turned out…
I do, have a problem with one or two things you said, though.
“Everybody can afford everything anyway.”
This may be true in your world, but is patently false for the 3/4 of the world outside the US and Euroland. Is truly hard for kids who grow up in a world where the subversive message they get from society, (mostly American) TV, history and their peers is “You’re worthless. You’re not even good enough to be Chiense Slave Labour.” The message the’re getting from TV (forget ‘net access – they’re having enough trouble getting electricity and running water!) is still “The Corp. The Big Car. The Coca-Cola Culture.” Makes it real hard for them to see through all that cra^H^H^H hype.
“Run to the City”
True enough for now, and for the recent past, and perhaps for another five years or so. After that, as oil moves beyond $200, $300, $500 per barrel and the lights go out (permanently!) cities are going to be a bad, bad, bad situation.
Otherwise I think you hit the nail on the head! 🙂
August 24, 2006 at 4:20 am
I especially like the exam/test bit!! 🙂
August 24, 2006 at 4:39 am
What a load of cr*p, you’re no better than the parents just trying to do the best by their children. What is required in todary’s modern society is the ability for us all to be more open-minded about life and the world around us.
My parents always wanted me to make the best of myself, but I know 100% that they would have supported whatever I ended up doing, be it a tinker, tailor, soldier, sailer, rich man, poor man, beggar man or thief. Although, with the last couple they perhaps wouldn’t have supported me so much as helped me out of the situation.
I get so sick of people bad mouthing other peoples lives, we all only get one crack at this game and I don’t feel anyone has the right to judge how another individual chooses to spend their time on this planet. Unless perhaps someone is causing harm to another.
Get on with your own life, live it how you choose to do so and respect others for doing the same.
August 24, 2006 at 6:03 am
Very Good beginning. I will go back and read the rest as soon as my friend tp whom I was showing the blog world has gone home. cyquick.wordpress.com
August 24, 2006 at 7:11 am
First off, this post has both the good stuff as well as the bad stuff. I’ve taught myself always to take the good stuff, so lets ignore the bad stuff. (Don’t ask me which one is which. :-))
One thing that has always been constant is that some people hate change while some embrace it with open arms. People used to think that industries would become a nuisance,but now look at where we are. We are achieving different heights. The bad side? We’re slowly killing our entire race. Ofcourse I said we won’t talk about the bad side. 🙂
Everything has 2 viewpoints. Everyone has different views. All in all it comes to the individual. He wants to be guided, helped or just left alone. I don’t want to be guided, and not left alone either. Thanks for some excellent points. I’ll make sure that I use them in the future. 🙂
August 24, 2006 at 9:48 am
I agree with a bunch of this. However, I’d add this to the learning bit:
In the future, schools should teach you:
1. How to learn fast.
2. How to detect bullshit from fact from opinion from propaganda :(otherwise, how will you filter what you find from Google?) Critical thinking.
3. Case studies in human history and literature, so we better understand why humans end up in the situations they do (wars, genocide, suburbia) and can more actively decide where WE will end up: Instead of memorizing WWII battles, learn what lead WWII to happen in the first place? How did people get convinced to get into all that hell again? Are we being convinced in similar ways today?
4. Awareness of other opinions, cultures and worlds, so we don’t think ours is automatically right all the time, and so we will honestly consider new ideas we encounter.
5. Basic skills in many subjects, that you can build on yourself later; starting points for learning.
That’s what I hope my kid will someday learn.
August 24, 2006 at 10:56 am
[…] Now then, go read this: https://chartreuse.wordpress.com/2006/08/23/an-open-letter-to-those-born-after-1982-or-the-one-thing-your-parents-got-right/ […]
August 24, 2006 at 11:22 am
you have certainly struck a nerve with bloggers today. but lest we forget that whilst criticizing consumer culture (as I do on a regular basis), you are using a status symbol – the computer. You are communicating with other people who have the class priviledge of using a computer and an internet connection. In essence, while I agree with many of your points you are preaching to the choir.
so, how do we set about rectifying the world if no one knows better (and no one will know who doesn’t read blogs)? I wish i knew the answer myself
August 24, 2006 at 12:28 pm
Excellent article.
Especially when you say that “the only ability you need after middle school is the ability to learn. Quickly.” — this I couldn’t agree with you more.
Born in ’89, so all of the above applies to me. I’m still at school, and I do the IB diploma, where we follow a “Theory of Knowledge” course. Aside from it seeming pointless for most of the time, it actually forces us to think for ourselves, as it’s all about questioning how we know what we know, as opposed to just knowing what we know; engaging in debate using words rather than imposing our cultures or opinions on each other using force. This is missing from our current national system (A-level) but it is IMO a grave omission and in this day and age, tolerance and mutual understanding is increasingly important due to the changing landscape of multiculturism in our country.
August 24, 2006 at 1:02 pm
Wow…well said.
August 24, 2006 at 1:19 pm
One thing you forgot to add..
Don’t think about only marrying someone from your own country.. You have many options available to you and a better chance at achieving a stable, strong and loving family if you look around the world for a mate and not just at your local night club.
Russian Women the real truth..
http://russianwomen.wordpress.com
August 24, 2006 at 1:59 pm
[…] Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL. « Valve atLeipzig […]
August 24, 2006 at 2:08 pm
Well…. yes…. and…. no….
The parts about tests and corporations really resonate with me. Well said. I’ve been saying similar things for a while, myself. Multiculturalism? Sounds great – sign me up. Now if we could just get the bulk of the American public to stop being so xenophobic, we’d be getting somewhere. This all makes sense to me. Some of the other points you’re making, however, just don’t jive with me. Maybe I’m misunderstanding you (ah, the perils of virtual conversations) but I’m confused…
Kids don’t need to know what a tractor is? Why? Because they’re not going to be used anymore? Or because kids shouldn’t consider working in agriculture? Or because kids shouldn’t think about where food comes from, and how his/her actions affect the Earth’s ability to sustain agricultural endeavors? Who was it that said that the way to know where you’re going is to know where you’ve been? Should kids also not learn history? I mean, I know that our current administration seems hell-bent on ignoring the lessons of the past, but should we be raising future generations to do that as well? My 9 year old is just CRAVING stories and facts about the past, and not just our families’ past, but the world’s. I think it’s a natural inclination for people to want to know what has gone on before them. And I think it’s every human being’s responsibility to know where their food came from, and to take action to ensure that the process of growing and selling that food leaves as little negative impact on the world as possible.
“Everybody can afford everything.” Huh? I, for one, cannot afford a Lexus or a Rolex, or whatever the latest status symbols are. My kid can’t buy the latest gizmos. And we’re in the so-called middle class! I’m not sure what you’re trying to say here, really. Sometimes poor kids in the project have those expensive things because… dare I be politically incorrect here… they STOLE them from the person who COULD afford them.
Move to the city? Where there’s more crime and pollution, and a higher cost of living? No thanks. I’d rather raise my child somewhere safe where she can see those tractors at work, and understand how nature works. I’ll take my bucolic setting close to a small city, thank you. We have big box retail close enough to us for me to feel sufficiently “advantaged.” And here in Upstate NY, we even have electricity, most of the time… 😉
You’ve got some great points here, but I can’t agree with all of them. You sure do know how to stir up some controversy, though!
p.s. Veltis, you are right on the money, on all of the points you mention. Kids need to learn how to detect bullshit. I work in a library at a university, and I see kids who use the most unsuitable, questionable sources that they found online. If only they would actually talk to a librarian to find out about ways to find reputable sources online, instead of just Googling everything!
August 24, 2006 at 2:11 pm
I love it when someone (you) gets up on a soapbox and sends off some kind of a rant (the above blog entry) that asserts itself to be some end-all be-all tome of wisdom (with pictures!) in 1000 words or less–and half the Internet gets all indignant with you becuase they disagree and think that kids don’t know what cows do because they all live in the city.
It’s the goddamn internet, forchrissakes. Relax.
I am a little envious, though. I go off all the time on my blog (http://gotjimdotnet.blogspot.com/) but no one reads it and no one gives a shit.
have fun stirring the pot.
kisses,
jimbo
August 24, 2006 at 3:06 pm
being able to learn quickly is one of the best skills anyone can have to set a path towards success. it doesn’t matter what you know (it does somewhat matter who you know) it matters that you have the capabilties to figure shit out and get it done. ask questions and stand up for what you believe it, and give people the big middle finger when necessary. its you’re life and you control it however you choose.
August 24, 2006 at 3:26 pm
Amen! I love it. I have to email it to my friends. Thanks!
August 24, 2006 at 3:40 pm
Nice Post. I am after 1982, but thanks for expressing my feelings towards others in my generation. 🙂
August 24, 2006 at 3:57 pm
Kate is right when she says:
“Poor kids in the projects are not sporting lexuses and vendi. Rich kids in the project might, but it’s silly to try and convince us that “anyone can buy anything”. This is simply not true in the world today.”
A poor kid would never drive a Lexus. It’s Mercedes and Rolex. And anyone cannot afford anything, but their Credit Card Company can.
HA that’s modern america for you… Good point as always Chartreuse.
August 24, 2006 at 6:07 pm
A winner is you! ^__^ This made me so happy to read. Not everyone disagrees with me! Woot! XD I have personal SS that only make sense to me. THey’re more like goals though, does that make sense? Like living in London and having a mini or a vw bunny rabbit. Sometimes I worry that having material goals makes me shallow….
Anyway, I want to say that tests absolutely suck, and that I graduated high school one and a half months into senior year. That’s how much the tests suck. Good heavens.
The only thing I’m really worried about in the world today is global cooking. That is only thing that really upsets me.
August 24, 2006 at 7:14 pm
Pretty vague post. I agree with a lot of it, but it doesn’t really seem that you have the best idea about why exactly things are the way they are, or how exactly you became to think that way.
Sounds like the typical teenage rant to me.
August 24, 2006 at 8:22 pm
[…] chartreuse (BETA) » Blog Archive » An Open Letter To Those Born After 1982 (Or The One Thing Your Parents Got Right) A very interesting opinion on recent “Struggles” (tags: blog culture life lessons Opinion list) […]
August 24, 2006 at 8:39 pm
[…] Want the rush of power and control? Manage brand you and you’re the brand manager for the entire Fortune 5,000,000. […]
August 24, 2006 at 9:59 pm
damn fucking right!!!
August 24, 2006 at 10:38 pm
[…] My WordPress dashboard had a link to a nice post on Chartreuse, An Open Letter to those Born after 1982. That post eviscerates many myths that Millennials grew on – that they have to get a nice job at a big corporation, for instance. The best part of the post explains what many urbanites know and non-urbanites refuse to understand: national boundaries don’t matter that much. Country doesn’t matter. […]
August 24, 2006 at 11:02 pm
Read Epicurus. Same deal. 2300 years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus
August 24, 2006 at 11:48 pm
[…] lot of truth in it. No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTMLallowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> […]
August 25, 2006 at 6:49 am
My baby boy is four weeks old today. I hope I remember to teach him stuff like this.
August 25, 2006 at 6:54 am
I didn’t get this part of the game plan straight with my Dad until I was in my late thirties. Years after struggling to try and do it his way.
August 25, 2006 at 7:54 am
[…] – laundry – modify boot cut jeans to become skinny – pick up picture frames from Target – get pictures printed for above frames – edit senior photos – pick up album to present photos – get proofs printed after I finish editing – call ricardo, schedule shoot for next week – swing by a thrift store, try to find table for the printer – put together/print some business cards? – scrub bathroom – buy bread and any other groceries that occur to me So since obviously I won’t be doing any writing today, here are a few links. An open letter to those born after 1982. I don’t qualify, and I’m not sure I agree with them, but it makes for interesting reading. Especially the comments. Things you should never do on a Friday afternoon. None of which I would probably do anyway, but there you go. I know I’ve posted lots of movie trailers lately, but Man of The Year is one I might actually go see in theaters. It’s directed by the same guy who did Wag the Dog, and that’s one of my all-time favorites. Posted in linkage, married life, little snippet […]
August 25, 2006 at 11:26 am
[…] Post Original(Esse daki foi traduzido by ANOK) […]
August 25, 2006 at 12:49 pm
hey….they were talking about status and class systems on Oprah yesterday…good argument i must say…i think that my parents got it wrong for many different reasons, and this not even beaming on the tip of the ice berg.
best of luck!
i enjoyed reading
August 25, 2006 at 2:19 pm
alot of it is great… but if someone doesn’t know how to use a tractor, or other tools involving hard work, then they have been too sheltered.
August 25, 2006 at 2:19 pm
[…] I don’t know the premise behind chartreuse (BETA) but I do know that dude (prince campbell) behind it is entertaining to read, has lots of pictures, and one of my favorite feeds in my Bloglines feeds. Anyway, today I read a post called An Open Letter To Those Born After 1982 (Or The One Thing Your Parents Got Right) and in it he says: You are not your [f’ing] khakis. Your mom made money so she could move you to a better neighborhood and buy a SUV. But take a look around. Status symbols are bullshit. You are not your zipcode. You are not the car your stepdad drives. Everybody can afford everything anyway. Poor kids in the projects are sporting Lexus’ and Vendi. If your judging yourself by the stuff you got you are sure to get [f’d]. […]
August 25, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Nice piecce, except for “country doesn’t matter”
August 25, 2006 at 5:02 pm
Nice write up!
I’ve written some feedback on my own blog. I like your section on “You are not your fucking khakis.” But the other ones, I have to disagree with.
August 25, 2006 at 5:15 pm
[…] To Those Born After 1982 Posted by freedumb in Barely Financial, Social Commentary at 12:15 pm. Jim over at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity posted up a great link to an article that is framed as a letter To Those Born After 1982. […]
August 25, 2006 at 8:56 pm
[…] So listen up. […]
August 26, 2006 at 3:09 am
[…] An Open Letter To Those Born After 1982 (Or The One Thing Your Parents Got Right) […]
August 26, 2006 at 4:38 am
Cy Quick back as threatened. All you say is excellently, entertainingly written and I am envious! Of course, the mass of the would-be-rising lower-class and middle-class of any generation are NOT the latent self-driven innovators, whom you seem to address, and can ONLY succeed through the conventional system, tests and all. They would do well, however, to muse upon the rest of what you say.
The important point is that, if you AWAKEN even a FEW potential self-driven innovators to know themselves for what they are SOONER so that they catch, not miss, a wave, then well done you!
Hey, wait, you are not trying to enable self-pity and other-blame amongst Hispanics and/or African-Americans are you? Whatever your main motive, we all have to accept our genetic inheritance. I am at the bottom of the top class. I can be nothing other than a failure. I have chosen to be a happy failure. cyquick.wordpress.com
August 26, 2006 at 8:15 pm
What’s with 1982? Tests – some are important and some are not. A lot of students think grades are much more important than they are, rather than learning as much as you can from a course. I’m a professor (economics) and deal with applications for grad school. Low grades are a warning sign. Too many high grades on too many different subjects can also be a warning sign 🙂 The bottom line is they are just one dimension of the picture we are looking at. OTOH an employer never asked what my grades were – it ain’t on my resume either. People told me that new grads are expected to have it on their resume in the US.
August 26, 2006 at 10:41 pm
[…] https://chartreuse.wordpress.com/2006/08/23/an-open-letter-to-those-born-after-1982-or-the-one-thing-your-parents-got-right/ […]
August 28, 2006 at 5:34 am
I agree with the previous statement…when did grades go from merely a guideline to a point of contention?
Anway, where i work we don’t have that mentality.
August 29, 2006 at 8:41 pm
[…] Then, as I logged in this morning to blog, I happened upon this, An Open Letter to Those Born After 1982 (Or the One Thing Your Parents Got Right). It really interested me. There are many comments of varying agreement on it, and I could take issue with a few things she says, but for the most part I really like it. It sums up many of my philosophical thoughts about parenting, such as whether our traditional measures of intelligence, success and happiness are all that, in the end, or hoping to skip kindergarten in favor of an extended trip to China or Germany, or the principles of this book or this one. I hate to be an elitist, but I think there’s a difference between being an elitist and making positive, proactive decisions about the kind of education and experiences you want for your child. […]
August 31, 2006 at 9:20 am
You Are Only As Sexy As Your Words
While I am thinking about the importance of what and how you write … and what makes an attractive blog entry … I found this. Looks good to my reading ears.
September 15, 2006 at 5:57 am
Array
July 13, 2007 at 9:01 am
Char,
Yes — you know how to write something that attracts people.
No — you have very little clue about what’s really True.
And that’s a shame, because you need to learn your own lesson: to understand what’s BS in the world Out There.
For example, places DO matter, because the rules (both written and unwritten) are different in different places.
Example: a schoolbus of kids in India can get torched by an upset person and NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. “Understandable anger”. On the good side there: Indians have more respect for family relationships than people in the West can ever understand.
Life has consequences. That’s something people born after 1982 have mostly not yet learned. That’s why you also got it wrong about Status Symbols being affordable. Putting it on your credit card tab… or the government tab… doesn’t make it affordable.
We’re just getting better at living selfishly.
August 29, 2007 at 12:01 pm
So totally right on so many points – Thanks for those.
But “land doesn’t matter” – let’s just say country of origin politics shouldn’t matter – but the land and your connection to the land (if you’re lucky enough to have one) will save your sanity one day.
And that last comment about the tractor and “move to the city as fast as you can” – another one that shows your lack of a connection to the land like many impoverished souls.
Suggested reading: The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Go get some appreciation for Mother Earth. Without her, we are nothing.
April 13, 2011 at 9:13 am
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August 8, 2011 at 4:17 pm
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