Sap•ro•phyte: noun (Origin: 1870–75) any plant that depends on dead plant or animal tissue for a source of nutrition and metabolic energy. Most saprophytes do not produce chlorophyll and therefore do not photosynthesize; they are thus dependent on the food energy they absorb from the decaying tissues.
“Strange new problems are being reported in the growing generations of children whose mothers were always there, driving them around, helping them with their homework - an inability to endure pain or discipline or pursue any self-sustained goal of any sort, a devastating boredom with life.”
Betty Friedan (1921 - 2006)
Every generation has expressed concern with the judgment and commitment of the succeeding generation. The process highlights the gradual evolution of societal values and changes in social morals. I struggle to gauge my opinions against this historical experience of the elder generation, but after considerable personal debate, I think something is fundamentally wrong with the future of the empire. Throughout history succeeding generations have wrested the mantle of leadership by sweat, blood and physical endurance. The continued growth of the empire has always survived and prospered on the strong backs and minds of its youth. Exertion and determination has historically forged the values of the nation’s youth into a collective commitment of success. In our society has always encompassed a range of classes from the overachievers to the underachievers. Capitalism tends to polarize society into the haves and have not’s which has served to illustrate by example the perils of underachievement. Never before has underachievement represented such a majority opinion in the succeeding generation. The current direction of the next generation alarms me over the rapid decline of the once great empire.
Look around the signs of decline and decay is overwhelmingly oblivious. Take your pick of the seven deadly sins lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, anger, envy or vanity which infests our youth of society. To differing extends all of these traits are engrained in our youth coated with a thick patina of apathy. The next generation has assumed the role of saprophytes in the ecology of our society. Saprophytes produce nothing of value but only exist on feeding off the decaying efforts of other plants.
The origin of the decline rests with the do no harm parenting approach and continuous pampering of what I call the marginal generation. Every aspect of daily life is filled with praise and supportive nurturing regardless of the meaninglessness of the activity which provides such a smothering environment of regressive development and emotional dependancy. Attending every baseball or soccer game, mommy is present ever vigilant to treat any emotional distress as dependence on social support is engrained while stifling motivation as every need is met in overabundance. Excessive coddling has manifested itself in an entitlement mentality which is pervasive in society. It’s not my fault that I murdered someone; it was the fault of my abusive family environment which never bought me the newest computer games. Who ever said life was going to be perfect?
Showered with closets overflowing with the newest toys which are objects of interest for a few minutes, they sit in front of the television being trained in a life of consumerism. The process of selling has been so refined and instilled in our culture it is considered a recreational activity. Our youth now makes life decisions purely to support their need for consumer gratification. However this quest for the finer things in life is not focused into dedication and hard work, but rather in ingenious plans to obtain fame and fortune by entitlement and laziness. Large percentages of college graduates, if they graduate at all, move back home so they can live off their parents in order to support an excessive lifestyle of new cars and designer clothing. Increasing percentages of college graduates have never held a job by the time they graduate from college supported only by mom, dad and the student loan program. Ask most first year students why they chose the program their enrolled in and the answer overwhelmingly is it where I can make the most money and get rich. How can you ever succeed in life without a burning desire beyond holding out until payday? Our future is going to be disastrous fueled by an entire generation who refuses to invest but expects wealth to be given as an entitlement. How many malpractice attorneys does the world need? Talk about a monumental wave of midlife crisis covering a large number of the population, when the realization that nothing is given when nothing is earned.
The implications for society are abysmal when we look at the shift from social networks to virtual networks. Social skills are developed with constant interaction with people of all ages, not by being cooped up in mom’s basement playing video games for seven hours a day. We are creating a generation of social minimalists that only feel comfortable in the virtual worlds of gratuitous violence. We wonder why the dramatic increase of schoolyard killing has the education system in a panic. What can you expect from teenagers who spent all their spare time acting out ritual violence in isolation with blunted social skills? This has resulted in one of the lowest professional and public participation rates by youth in history. Why value contributing to society when most is your waking day is seeking fulfillment of self absorbed gratification. It is truly all about me and what will be given to me. All of this activity is reinforced with submissive parenting skills.
It’s interesting that youth is waiting longer and longer before getting married and committing to lifelong relationships. Their answer is wrapped up in an elaborate explanation of personal growth and discovery. Bullshit, I think that they are so self absorbed that they don’t want anyone playing with their stuff. Why should I have to share responsibility for someone else’s needs? That diminishes the time I can spend on myself. Instead, the marginal generation has created this new deeply emotional relationship called friends with benefits. In other words we can have sex with no emotional attachment, but don’t expect a birthday card because it would distract me from my self worship. I know of children who are a result of this wonderful relationship. Just imagine the conversation when the child gets older and wants to know about his mom. “Well I never really knew any thing about her except that after six shots of Jack we would crawl in the back of her car and fuck.” Friends with benefits are really a form of masturbation. Getting tired of screwing your girlfriend in your parent’s bed because your knapsack in the basement just isn’t GQ enough, no problem tossed the bitch like a rash and move on to the next.
The minimal generation is a walking poster child for the seven deadly sins. Which deadly sin should we focus on next? Why not focus on vanity? The fact cosmetic surgery centers are being filled with large numbers of teenage girls spending grandma’s birthday money on beast augmentation in order to fit in with the crowd. A female breast won’t even mature for another decade, why mutilate a body for a temporary mental insecurity which is part of growing up? The dependency on physical appearance is a result of consumerism exorcizing our basis insecurities. What about gluttony? I have to admit that the minimal generation doesn’t maintain sole domain over this sin. Thirty percent of the population is now classified as obese. Food is the perfect consumer product for a self absorbed population. Just think about it. It’s sold and consumed in a matter of minutes and has a short shelf life so that the industry is in constantly replenishing the supply in a never ending process of converting their product into compost.
Our consumer economy has cultivated the sin of envy to a status symbol. Why can’t I drive a Lexus or BWM like my next door neighbor? Children are trained from the earliest moments of life to envy someone who has more possessions or the newest gadget. We are driven to envy the lifestyle we don’t possess. The jeans we wear, the bourbon we drink, 600 count Egyptian cotton sheets we sleep in, the toasters we buy, all are driven at a fundamental level by consumer envy. Cities are blanketed with huge billboards of beautiful men and women whose illusionary lifestyle beckons you to envy them; maybe you can become part of their world if you would only drink the same bourbon. The best way to join that class of social billboard elite is if you drink the same bourbon, lose two hundred pounds, have a facelift and buy a winning lottery number.
The empire has experienced an unprecedented period of prosperity for over two decades. Many segments of society have never experienced an economic downturn, leaving them unprepared to accept a lifestyle aligned with their contribution to society, his is especially true for the minimal generation. I have little sympathy for those who have lived beyond their means and are now in financial collapse because of living on other people’s money. Like a bruise is the outward expression of an internal hemorrhage, our society is hemorrhaging from the inside out. Hard times which will test the will of a nation are ahead. We can recognize this decay and act to change society or take the lead of the minimal generation and head back down to the basement, crawl into an electronic game and masturbate until the power goes off.
“Civilization is the distance man has placed between himself and his excreta.”
Brian Aldiss
“We live in a time of transition, an uneasy era which is likely to endure for the rest of this century. During the period we may be tempted to abandon some of the time-honored principles and commitments which have been proven during the difficult times of past generations. We must never yield to this temptation. Our American values are not luxuries, but necessities - not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself. “
Jimmy Carter (1924 - )
