It's interesting to watch the kids finally discover defiance. Screaming "Ok Boomer!" at the top of their lungs while haranguing their grandparents about ruining everything via Instagram story. Meanwhile, my generation sighs and tells them "Guys, we already tried all of that during the 90's. They don't care. But let's you and I leave this place better for your kids' kids."
To which they respond, "What?! You are a boomer too!"
And we respond, "Ah, ok. Well fuck you both."
It took me a while, but I finally get why "The Greatest Generation (TM)" can sleep so well at night. Must be nice to not have been born into a consensus of replicated, shared, and synchronized digital data geographically spread across multiple sites, countries, or institutions. Must be nice to know the mistakes of your youth will die with you, even though the consequences wont.
Not that my generation has room to talk. Our nuclear mistake is cultural, and it's half life is longer. The citizens of 2061 are gonna want answers as to how 2000-2020 managed to fuck the internet up so bad, and they won't be asking Bill, Steve, Mark, or Jack. It will be the ones on the digital ledger, the mid-level architects, engineers, producers, marketers, and directors, in the gallows. People like me.
And you know what our reply will be? "We did the best we could," basically. And honestly, we didn't. Only difference between us and the other generation is fidelity of evidence. We sat there knowing better, and let it happen, because, reasons.
Well, that's not true for everyone. I generally avoid names in this thing, but Timnit Gebru does better then the best she can, and there is no time in human history where we all shouldn't fix her a plate at the cookout. A hero in real time.
Anyway, shouts to information. Rip Tb Rip Tc Rip Tall-T. Love is wise, hatred is foolish. Get out there and do great things, we believe in you. Also Jobs.
