CRAIG GLAZER TALKS HOTTIES, HISTORY AND THE FACEBOOK GENERATION!!!

TKC NOTE: Tonight we have a MUST READ column from Craig Glazer that takes on more than a few controversial topics that define our world right now. Check it:

Forgotten America

‘After the turn of the century
In the clear blue skies over Germany
Came a roar and a thunder men had never heard
Like the screamin' sound of a big war bird
Up in the sky, a man in a plane
Baron von Richthofen was his name
Eighty men tried, and eighty men died
Now they're buried together on the countryside…’ – ‘Snoopy and The Red Baron’ The Royal Guardsmen

A couple nights ago I was watching a recent Academy Award nominated motion picture starring Brad Pitt called ‘Inglourious Basterds’. The twenty-eight year old hottie entered my bedroom just after midnight, looked at the television and said, ‘Oh, you’re watching one of those old war movies again, nothing I’d care to see.’ Of course, she was in a hurry to get back to the front room to watch the ‘Hip Hop in Love’ reality show; how sad. I told her, ‘First of all, this movie is only a couple of years old and from it you can ascertain how awful the Nazi’s were during World War II.’ Again, she gave me a blank stare. I said ‘Do you know what Nazi’s are? Have you ever heard of Adolf Hitler?’ Clearly, she was confused. She responded ‘Well, that’s your era, not mine. They don’t talk much about that in school anymore, that was a long time ago.’

This little incident just illuminated for me that young people today have little interest in history, other than their own. American history is another casualty of the Facebook Generation. That’s right, if it’s not on the main page of Yahoo in the morning, it must not be important. Sensational stories like Jodi Arias and reality-star style news are what people care about today. Stories like ‘Jessica Simpson is too fat’, ‘Snooki in an accident’, ‘Justin Bieber on World Tour’ and ‘Will Sarah Palin pose nude for Playboy?’ are what people want. These social media network stories along with sports and Hollywood far over-ride stories of combat in the Middle East, or even the economy and the White House.

A more shocking example; I often ask college graduates who were the ‘bad guys’ in World War II? Who were the nations that America and the Allies fought against in the most important war of all time? Who made up the Axis Powers? Number one answer: Russia. In truth, the main reason Germany was defeated was Russia and the Cold Winter in 1943. Second most popular answer: Vietnam. No comment needed. Other popular answers are China and North Korea. The fact that Germany and Japan were the main enemy is forgotten by far too many. Almost nobody mentions Italy and Mussolini. Unless you watch the movie ‘Casablanca’, many don’t know that part of France, dubbed the ‘Vichy French’, sided with the Germans. Thank God for movies.

If you don’t believe me, check around the office tomorrow and ask your staff under the age of thirty five and you’ll discover I’m a hundred percent correct. While they are stumbling around trying to answer, give them the hint that one of them bombed Hawaii on December 7th, 1941…and they still won’t know.

Now, don’t even mention World War I, even though we have a World War I Memorial Museum, you will discover that except for Kevin Costner and a few thousand older people, nobody cares or goes there. Famous American heroes like ‘Blackjack’ Pershing, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, General Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower are almost completely unknown to the Facebook Generation. Tragic.

If it weren’t for movies by Steven Spielberg like ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘Schindler’s List’, or other World War II movies like ‘Flags of our Fathers’ by Clint Eastwood, or oldies you see on the odd Sunday like John Wayne in ‘The Longest Day’ or Gary Cooper in ‘Sergeant York’, far fewer people would know anything about this part of American History. How many twenty-something’s do you think went to see ‘Lincoln’ this past year? Not many. Too boring. Who cares about Lincoln and the Civil War? I remember as a little kid there was a lot of talk about the Civil War Centennial which took place in 1961. I think when the second one rolls around in 2061, the attendance will be far fewer than the Saint Patrick’s Parade this last Sunday.

To this generation I must say I’ve never seen a group that wants to be famous so badly. Your songs, skits, jokes and photos are everywhere on Facebook and other social media. Yet people no longer seem to remember truly famous American historical legends like those mentioned in this article. Why would anyone care, in the near future, about your accomplishments? The Facebook Generation thinks it’s a crime to get older. That was yesterday’s news. Madonna? Ha! My mom liked her. “Why should we care about the past? What’s that got to do with me?’ When you don’t know your past, it’s very difficult to work out a successful future. We tend to make the same mistakes over and over again.

Besides, I think it’s vitally important to care and know about the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives to give you the freedom to sit down and message your thousands of pretend friends on Facebook and the like.
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