So we took four steps along a thousand-mile road

There’s an idea that the Millennial generation says the Boomers ruined things for them.

Of course, a generation is a big thing. Not every single Millennial says that. And the ones who do say that are not implicating every single Boomer. A couple of the Boomers initiated Earth Day in 1970. A couple were founding members of DSA in 1982 (I was). A couple were supporters of Bernie Sanders … back in the days when he was a lot more astute, saying: “Avoid involvement with the Democratic Party, it’s part of the problem and not part of the solution.”

Anyway.

Some of us Boomers did recognize that society needs a lot of changing — and to the extent that the misguided civilizational trajectories of the past persist each new generation will be facing a crisis characterized by ecological exigencies and gradual descent in terms of quality of life.

Nothing less.

And so: Green parties (established during the ’70s and ’80s when we were in our twenties and thirties). Protests against the forces of the Leviathan (anti-war, anti-imperialism, anti-militarism, anti-nukes, anti-globalization, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-drug-wars, etc.). The legality of gay marriage was a significant achievement. The legality of weed smoking was not really all so terribly significant (though we got the message across that prohibitions are silly and counterproductive).

But the truth is that we didn’t make nearly as much social change as we aspired to.

Mao’s revolution in China was fostered by his famous Long March of 1935. During the 1960s those of us in the New Left and the counterculture said, “Here’s how the world will be changed: Our generation is about to conduct a Long March Through the Institutions. By the time we get done, the governments, the universities, the corporations — and all the rest — will be transformed beyond recognition.”

In 1970 we were reading The Greening of America. And that was the plan.

* * * * *

We’re chastened. The Millennials are naive. In 1969 Crosby, Stills, and Nash sang: “It’s been a long time coming / It’s going to be a long time gone.” That’s the story.

Fifty years later we’re reading: https://simplicityinstitute.org/take-action

. . . which gives a sense that the social change that’s so badly needed is really still just getting started.

The legacy will show that our generation took a small number of steps along a thousand-mile road.

OK, Millennials . . . do you want to one-up the Boomers? Where we managed to take four steps, see if you can take five.