i saw my generation starving hysterical naked

This past decade has been defined by war, environmental destruction and politicians' general inability to exhibit the critical thinking skills of a fourth grade debate team champion. The 00's have also seen the emergence of the children born during the eighties-- an era now remembered for its excesses, entitlement and Reaganomics, and for laying the groundwork for the shitstorm we're all wading through right now-- as voters, consumers and producers of the American culture.

A couple decades later, we helped get Obama elected. We started some blogs and some bands. We're underemployed and largely disconnected from the constant war that's being waged in our name on the other side of the globe.

Some thoughts on Reagan's kids from Slate.com's Stephan Metcalfe: "These are a generation of American children (so sayeth the unkillable puritan in me) who have never been made to feel small, are insecure to the point of physical violence, the aura of which attends nearly everything they do."

This quote appears in an article on A Separate Peace and aimed toward the cast of MTV's reality show "Jersey Shore." It's striking as a critique of the darkest corner of our generation's psyche; we have confidence-- what have we achieved? We are entitled-- to what, now?

Metcalf's sentiment pinpoints an unpalatable characteristic unique to our generation, and it's difficult not to view this intense self-obsession/-awareness and ensuing emptiness within the context of the indugence of the era in which we entered the world.

Perhaps in the next decade, we'll learn to exist in a world that demands more from us than ourselves.

Happy New Year!