The problem with my generation, and the others following us, is that we have no unifying factors. We came into our young adulthood with nothing to fight for because everything was already in place.

Blood had already been spilled to end segregation. Bra's had already burnt for women's liberation. Love children had already been born in celebration of sexual freedom, or not born thanks to Roe challenging Wade.

We had no Vietnam. And *they* will never give us one. The government will never make that mistake again. They will never give young, democratic minded people a reason to band together against them.

We had no Vietnam, and this the only think I can pin-point to blame for the excessive commercialistic, soft generations of people that we've become. It makes me cry.

We've become what they wanted us to be. A nation of unthinking sheep, baying in herds on our way to The Gap and Banana Republic where we dress alike. Baying silently in line each morning to get our dose of Starbucks. Working for the man and passively redistributing our paychecks to the bastions of commercialistic monopolies that line every strip mall that have replaced unique downtown areas in every town across America.

We buy EZ Passes and cell phones and palm pilots, further playing into the hand of the establishment, volunteering to place our lives on their radars.

We are desensitized to the violence and passion that went into beatings in Chicago or the tragic shootings at Kent State. We have seen those images thousands of times over our lifetime so that now, they seem like movie footage, not real people like us who passionately stood up and said, "No, this is not right. We demand change."

We demand nothing. From our government. From ourselves.

The government rules that although they feel badly that our family members and friends are dying of cancer and AIDS, we can't use a naturally produced herb to ease the painful symptons of their terminal diseases. And we accept the government's mandate without challenge. "Sorry, mom, Uncle Sam says no, so let's just flush this baggie and you're just gonna have to bite down and ride it out."

I am afraid of my generation. I wonder if I were a captive of our government, if I were used to make an example, if even one person would stand up and challenge the point of the view of the moral majority? Or of any majority, for that matter. I wonder if anyone would even stop for a moment, during their coffee break at Starbucks, to turn the person next to them in line and say, "Hey, how about what they are doing to that girl, man? It. Just. Ain't. Right."

I guess now we see what happens when our species is presented with choice. We become lazy. Rather than exercising our choice, we choose the Superbrand. Those before us fought for diversity and now that we have it, we choose uniformity.

How did we become this country of superbrands and logos and status quo? When did we stop caring? Where did the subversive element of our culture go? The closest thing we have to counter culture today is Dungeons and Dragons. A fantasy game.

Is it no mistake that I keep typing "id" rather than "is"?

I am a solutions person. I usually don't present a problem without a solution, but I am afraid I don't have an answer to this one. I honestly don't know what to do.

But I'd be interested to hear some other thoughts on this problem.

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