There are times, however, and this is one of them, when even being right feels wrong. What do you say, for instance, about a generation that has been taught that rain is poison and sex is death? If making love might be fatal and if a cool spring breeze on any summer afternoon can turn a crystal blue lake into a puddle of black poison right in front of your eyes, there is not much left except TV and relentless masturbation. It's a strange world. Some people get rich and others eat shit and die. Who knows? If there is in fact, a heaven and a hell, all we know for sure is that hell will be a viciously overcrowded version of Phoenix - a clean well lighted place full of sunshine and bromides and fast cars where almost everybody seems vaguely happy, except those who know in their hearts what is missing... And being driven slowly and quietly into the kind of terminal craziness that comes with finally understanding that the one thing you want is not there. Missing. Back-ordered. No tengo. Vaya con dios. Grow up! Small is better. Take what you can get...
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Thompson critiques a generation raised on fear and environmental paranoia, suggesting it leads to hedonism and cynicism. He contrasts empty happiness with genuine awareness of loss.
- In plain terms
- A scared generation turns to pleasure because the world feels dangerous.
- What can you take from it?
- Fear and misinformation can empty life of meaning.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does your generation fear most?
- How does fear shape choices?
Another view
The quote generalizes heavily about a generation without data.
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