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The Greatest Generation - Could/Would we do it again?
So as June 6th approaches again, it got me thinking. Would we, as men, and as a nation(s), answer the call to fight for freedom on a global scale?
Imagine something similar to WWII happening today (not run and hide terrorists, but a well equipped nation bent on domination and terror). Would there be lineups at intake centres to stand up and take part in the fight against tyranny?
I've wondered this for a while, and I can't help but think the answer would be no. It saddens me to think this way, but the men who fought and were called The Greatest Generation are now in their eighties and will not be around much longer. Has our way of thinking changed that much between then and now? Would we, as a younger generation of men, give of ourselves in such a way?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Daniel T. on -
If we were attacked, and it was a stand up fight with clear moral superiority on our side, I'd be first in line to volunteer. Our generation of men, and women, has yet to have a trial by which to prove ourselves. WWII the entire nation went to war, now only the soldiers and their families do. If we had such a cause, yes, I believe we would heed the call.
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Permalink Reply by Charles Thompson on -
I live in the South. We'll fight over anything.
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Permalink Reply by C.W. Cook on -
That's the excuse we give to our old ladies for our friends behavior.
(wife)- "I hate Rufus. He always starts a fight when he comes over here."
(husband)- "Aw...Rufus is a good ole boy. He don't mean no harm. It's just the liquor talking."
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Permalink Reply by Charles Thompson on
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Most of us just want to be left alone. Mess with us and it's another story.
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Permalink Reply by Michael D. Denny on -
Eventually, maybe. But it would be a tough start. Modern Americans just don't have the grit and willingness to "go Roman" that it takes to fight and win that sort of total war. It would almost be lost before we got in it to win it.
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Permalink Reply by Todd Serveto on -
I hate to admit it, but I have to agree. In the first place, there has been so much "androgenous" blurring of the gender lines that boys no longer grow up with a strong masculine sense of duty anymore. Protecting the women and children or sacrificing one's own desires for a higher cause or purpose got passed on from fathers to sons (in decent, normal households at least). But nowadays, many boys are being raised without a dad in the home.
Secondly, a strong sense of patriotism and a strong belief in traditional loyalty to the American way of life (including freedom, individualism, self-reliance, and Judeo-Christian values) were key ingredients in the soldiers from "the Greatest Generation". It was inbred in them in grade school, and when they approached adulthood, there was a pride in their country and who they were as Americans that caused them to be willing to fight to preserve it. Kids today grow up with practically no patriotic sense. In fact, they often have the opposite---some vague notion that the United States is some overgrown bully nation that takes more than its share, and that really should go back home and mind its own business.
If Hitler happened on our watch, I'm afraid there would be a strong movement of people saying that we should butt out of Europe's affairs. If Pearl Harbor happened, there would be people sympathizing with the Japanese and urging us to "give peace a chance". After all, look what happened after Afghanistan and the war in Iraq! Saddam Hussein was every bit as evil as Hitler ever was, and he and his sons tortured and killed their own people---yet to this very day, we here asinine assertions that Bush should have minded his own business and the pathetic rant that "we just wanted their oil". And the Greatest Generation wouldn't have sat back and passively watched what has gone on with the Afghanistan situation for five minutes---they would have gone in there, kicked butt, and THEN (after the mission was GOOD and accomplished) let everybody go home.
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Permalink Reply by Pete Noy on -
Kind of agree. Knowing what the general populace did during WWII (Victory Gardens, Community Drives, etc.) seems a fantasy when compared to our time. For Gods sake, Americans were simply told to Shop during the 2nd Gulf War.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel T. on
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See I think that there is enough of a movement against our purely consumer lifestyle that many people would heed the call and embrace a more acetic lifestyle in exchange for working together for a great cause.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel T. on
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If there was a war effort on such a scale as WWII, then yeah we'd shake ourselves out of it.
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Permalink Reply by Stephen on
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I think, purely in terms of what's involved, not being happy with how Nike does business needs to be distinguished from fighting fascism.
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Permalink Reply by Carl Monster on -
My initial answer was no.
But then I thought about it. I've read enough history to learn that human nature does not change; we get soft and indulgent when things are good, but we have also arisen when country and hearth are threatened. We also tend to look at the past with nostalgia, the present with dissatisfaction.
No doubt we stand on the shoulders of that generation, but I think we are fully capable of doing it again if such conditions arise.
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