Perhaps I should feel complimented that Annie Kayner thinks I’m decades younger in her “OK Millennials” reply (EW 6/24) to my “Boomers Sold Out” letter (6/17). But, in fact, I’m a Baby Boomer. I’m not reinventing history. I was there, and I stand by my observations.
Kayner totally missed my point by pivoting to statistics of soldiers killed in Vietnam. I was talking about white Boomers who prospered economically in the years following that war — many who never even saw Day 1 in boot camp.
I witnessed masses of white Boomers thrive in the post-war economy, while my Black friends and buddies-of-color continued to struggle. Racial inequality permeated our culture and could’ve been addressed by those white up-and-coming, high-spirited, politically-aware individuals. I didn’t say that ALL white Boomers stopped pushing. But for the most part, that generation settled comfortably into their whiteness, while ignoring homegrown American Apartheid.
My Black friends were not surprised when that hate-spewing abomination was elected president in 2016. Why? Because they experience racist systems every day. But freaked out white Boomers were mystified as to “How could this happen!!!???” I sat in gatherings with white Boomers who figured something should be done. To a person, every one of them waxed poetic about their last activism involvement — 50 years prior, protesting the Vietnam War.
That’s how 2016 happened! You went to sleep! Fifty years and two generations squandered. That’s what I meant when I said, “We could’ve had a better country.”
Alex Li
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
Comments are closed.