In case of doubt, check this

If any of my peers were wondering whether "age bias" is only an excuse, I suggest a bit of light reading courtesy of myboomer2boomer. A charming thread on Yahoo Answers called "Should we blame the Baby Boomers for everything? " No I won't give you the link: you can Google this yourself if your digestion is up to it. The Asker's opinion is "yes, we should blame the Boomers for everything." Evidently that includes original sin, the fall of Rome, the rise of 19th century imperialism, Karl Marx and smelly cat urine.

The thread proves that no one generation has a monopoly on bigotry, selfishness and whining. Commenters include a couple who are of my generation and attempt to show that they too hate my generation. It's a feat of intellectual gymnastics that is frankly beyond them.

In fairness, the thread demonstrates that even in a confederacy of dunces, there will be one or two people of reason and principle who try to make their point over the noise. Unfortunately, the noise usually wins.

I can afford to smirk for a couple of reasons.

First, the oldest members of the so-called "Generation X" turn 45 this year. This means, by their own standards, they are now too old to make a meaningful contribution to society.

Second, I can seldom overlook the slavering and uncritical praise most of the American public heaps on the servicefolk and veterans of our present imperial conflicts. In common with other, more thoughtful veterans of the late and overlooked unpleasantness in Southeast Asia, I know perfectly well that this slobbering is a compensation for the disagreeable way my generation of veterans were treated once, and are treated still. They might consider including us in their encomiums, but that seldom occurs to anyone.

Both instances lead me to caution younger people to be careful what they say, especially on the Internet. It will stay there forever, and it may come back to grab their throats at an awkward moment.