I've been punched in the nose enough to wonder if this is a "get off my lawn" statement. It's interesting to hear about how proud Xers (or your nebulous non-generation) are of being the creators of things, especially the internet. I wasn't aware that was a theme, but it seems so strong.There was a time in my life when you could get in a fight at a bar, bloody each other's noses, and then buy each other a beer and laugh about it. Now everyone has a lawyer on speed dial for every offense, perceived and real.
Good question, and I wondered if it was a "get off my lawn" statement when I wrote it. But it isn't. It's a pride in that my generation took personal responsibility for our actions. (I can't speak to other generations, since I am not one of them,) If we fucked up, we owned it, and dealt with the consequences. Slipped on the ice? Well, I shoulda been more careful/worn the right shoes, etc. Crashed into someone else's car? Alright, my bad. I can't blame the manufacturer for "unintended acceleration". If the car accelerated, I shoulda grabbed the key and turned it off. Etc. There is an instant inclination now to look around and see who we can blame for our failures, because no matter how stupid it sounds, there's always a lawyer around with no shame who is willing to take the case. Prior to the explosion of lawyers in the late 1980's, you'd come to a lawyer with a stupid case, and he'd say, "This is stupid. Get out of my office." Now he says, "Ya know, I think I can find a loophole and get you some settlement money." I realize this sounds like a "get off my lawn" argument, but there are all kinds of articles like this one from the LA Times during the early 1990's about the glut of lawyers entering the profession and the explosion of frivolous tort cases. All those lawyers needed to validate their existence, so they made up reasons by taking stupid cases.