Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The Clash of Generations
Thomas L. Friedman (NY Times author, three time Pulitzer winner), in his article, “The Clash of Generations” (July 16, 2001), explains the affects that the economy and the debt cieling is have on not just America but in Greece as well, claiming that the "baby boomer" generation and the "baby boomer polotician" are making wrong choice's and that their generation "will be remembered most for the incredible bounty and freedom it received from its parents and the incredible debt burden and constraints it left on its kids." He supports this proposal by giving specific evidence of the generation becoming "of age" now (my generation) protesting in Athens’s central Syntagma Square, where kids of my generation get together and descusing what should be done about these problems. He also mentions "It is no wonder that young Greeks reacted so harshly when their deputy prime minister, Theodoros Pangalos, referring to all the European Union loans and subsidies that propelled the Greek credit binge after 1981, said, “We ate it together” — meaning the people and the politicians. That was true of the baby boomer generation of Greeks, now in their 50s and 60s, and the baby boomer politicians. But those just coming of age today will never get a bite. They will just get a bill. And they know it." Meaning that the young generation and those after will get nothing but a huge bill and nothing more. His purpose is to inform readers about the current situation that young generations are starting because that yes we may be young, but we know what will happen if this is not fixed. He establishes a formal relationship with her audience, who he expects to have knowledge of the actions that are happening in the world today, judging from his use of evidence explaing situations that are being raised and the situation already at hand.
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