Soothslayer

Sat, Mar 6, 2010 : 2:03 p.m.

I for one can attest that I'm struggling in the shadow of boomers. Great priorities in this generation indeed which future generations will foot the bill. Enouraging the siphoning of resources by the top of the pyramid in the miniscule hope that you too could be there some day and the stifling of progress on the largest and most important issues we face. Boomers - the "me, me, me" and filibuster generation. Thanks (NOT) - Gen X

Eric P

Sat, Mar 6, 2010 : 1:21 p.m.

Well it seems there is one generation missing from this thread, and it's Gen X. People in their 30s and 40s, many of whom have been struggling in the shadow of the Boomers and watching as Gen Y is doing their best to cut in line ahead of them. Growth and change are steps not a giant leap. Boomers need to know that their time is slipping away, and Gen Y needs to wait their turn and pay their dues. To the boomers here I ask 'Who is your successor' in your job, your house, or community organization? to Gen Yer's who is your mentor that you are looking to for guidance and to follow?

ArgoC

Sat, Mar 6, 2010 : 11:59 a.m.

Wow. I'm one of the "don't trust anyone over 30" cohort (i.e. boomer). One of the pleasant surprises of my life has been realizing that I didn't have to turn into a person who fit the negative stereotype of older people that I believed in so passionately back then. Same thing with my friends, I'm happy to say. In fact, I was hoping that the extreme stereotype I held back then would fade from our society, thanks to education, breadth of opportunity, the ease of acquiring skills, and especially communication - all of which are very different and far better than what I thought I could look forward to. Listen, young whippersnappers (that is a JOKE), I don't see you as a group acting any more entitled or whatever than us old geezers (JOKE), as a group. Or those important people between the "two generations" that Sarah talks about. (Two generations, Sarah? Where's the cutoff? Is it an age or an attitude?) I do see that people with less life experience (whether in years or in terms of breadth packed into a few years) tend to have simplified views. (There. Thats MY stereotyping. Live with it.) I'd really like to see this discussion get back to real factors that may or may not be correlated with age. There are people of any age whose lives allow great geographic mobility for employment. There are people of any age with limited prospects for improving their lives. People who crave new experiences can be any age. Family responsibilities, income, self-destructiveness, entitledness. It's depressing that people are mentally dropping me into a category when they see me on the street and guess at my age. Its a lot harder to contribute when people start out with expectations of how I think. Theres a lot of that happening in this discussion and in my experience (ahem) progress happens more easily when the discussion is based on real factors and not proxies.

Historic District

Sat, Mar 6, 2010 : 1:17 a.m.

Ann Arbor needs one thing, and one thing only, to make it perfect - another historic district, please!!! Then, and only then, will the fabric of the community be saved!

Sarah Smallwood

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 5:29 p.m.

@Moose: Thank you for your clarification. I agree that entitlement is a problem--not just in Ann Arbor, but in America as a whole. Those who are "entitled" have been fortunate without realizing it. The ones who stay are the ones who realize exactly how fortunate they are: They are the ones who buy homes, vote, and effect change in the community. And they will need the infrastructure and guidance from those who were there before them, I completely agree. These two generations both need the influence of the other. This seminar, whatever your stance, got a lot of people talking, and I don't care if they started off yelling if it means they'll keep the conversation going.

Moose

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 4:22 p.m.

Entitlements are earned, but it appears that many, but not all, "millenials" were spoon fed, coddled, overprotected, told how to act, what to do, when to do it and led to believe that this is the way life will be when you're on your own. All potential for failure and learning from it was reduced to the point where when someone leaves home, or college and goes out on their own, they expect that everything will be as it was when they were protected from a harsh world. That's what I mean by your generation feeling entitled and privileged. It really wasn't your fault. To a great extent it is my generation that is to blame for those unrealistic expectations that many young people today seem to feel is their due. I think that you know more than a few people from your generation who fit my description. Those are the people who I am concerned about, as you say, what they might or more importantly might not do, like vote, be involved in existing community institutions or stay in one place long enough to get past the fun stage and do the important work of making community and maintaining its assets. I see very little of that kind of effort from your generation or interest in learning how to do that from my generation. According to Mr Gilmartin Ann Arbor is perceived as having much of what you want. It didn't get that way because of your generation. It got that way because of those before me and it retained and improved those good things because of people like me. Now you and your generation seem to expect us to turn it over to people who seem to shun our experience or learn from our successes as well as our failures. As in a career there are steps in adulthood, beginning with an apprenticeship then the journey level and then master. Too many of your generation seem unwilling to serve any apprenticeship and want to bypass the journey level right to master along with the pay and benefits. I apologize for making gross generalizations that may or may not have included you, Sarah.

Gibulet

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 4:08 p.m.

I was not at this panel discussion, so I'm not commenting on it directly. I have been reading the comments on here and find some of them not only rude but appalling. As a young, professional resident of A2, I am putting in my 2 cents, and giving them to moose. Who wouldn't choose someplace warm and sunny instead of cold and gray like Ann Arbor? ~ Exactly. Why would any of these up-and-coming, highly paid, skilled young professionals want to live here? They LIKE it. They appreciate the blending of the historic with the modern. You can go to a museum, a walk through the beautiful law quad and if you want a little more excitement later you can go out for sushi and karaoke. These changes are NEEDED to keep people here. Not only because it is a college town, but if you can find everything you want in one quaint, safe neighborhood, youll deal with the winters. It keeps the people here and the money here, and that is good for every citizen who resides here no matter what their age. ~ Frightened and threatened are not derogatory terms and were not used as verbal weapons. Google kids, millenials and spoiled brats were meant to establish a distinct separation based on what you perceive as excess-privilege, and you used it broadly regarding an entire generation of people. As a member of this generation, I get extremely irritated when another tries to tell us what we feel, think or believe; particularly as a means of attack. Since you have no children, I find it incredulous not only that you believe you have an understanding of the younger generation, but that you actually berated parents who DO have children of this age, Although my wife and I never had children, I will admit that if the shortsighted and selfish vision that we see and hear from the "millenials" is real and their vision of the future comes true, then my generation has done a terrible job of raising our children and our children have not done much better raising theirs. Please excuse me and your parents for bringing you into this world and providing your generation with your own bedroom, a chance at a good education and an iphone. ~ How dare you compare yourself to someone elses parents. You know nothing of this complete strangers family; and you have no parental experience of your own for comparison. You didnt provide anyone with anything. My parents are from A2, and they love the same things about the city that I do; an appreciation for history, knowledge, art and yes even leisure. I think that your generation has a hard time relating to anything that's different from of your notion of what life is and how it works. I think that your generation feels incredibly entitled and resentful of my generation regardless of what has been provided to you by past generations. ~ This completely describes how you are reacting to MY generation. "Well, duh. That's because 40% of Ann Arbor's population are students who only seem intent on "stumbling into fun" and refuse to venture out of their ghettos and comfort zones. One reason why the vast majority of students don't stay here, isn't because of my generation, it's because they're looking for those 1000 night of fun far more than they are willing to become part of this place." ~ There you go again, making huge generalizations. Some of the reasons students dont stay here is because they are either not originally from here or because they get better job offers elsewhere. It is good to be mobile and flexible in your profession; especially in this economy. It greatly increases your value as an employee, gives you an edge over your competitors, and makes the employee more comfortable. Of course, you dont consider that we might have logical, business-like reasons for why we do things. Just that we want to party-hardy and stumble into fun. ["Understanding that is the first step toward constructive improvement."] Is that a recent revelation on your part? I've known the conditions and local environment here for a very long time. Those things were here when I arrived and will probably be the same when I leave. ~ You have no understanding. You continually say that you have been here longer and have seen more, then state that things will 'always be this way', demonstrating your apathy. I hope this inability to change is one thing you take with you. You haven't been here long enough to hear those things, but they've been said and intimated by more a few folks of your generation ~ Then stop blaming the ENTIRE generation for the ideas of a few. But I have learned to refuse to blame the generations that came before me because doing so only further divides us. ~ Right, you are blaming the ones that came after you instead. I am glad to hear that the meeting in question did not deteriorate into the battle of the generations that moose has turned this comment section into. I am interested in any ideas on how to preserve the unique historic side of A2, yet blend it with the modern. The best of both worlds in a safe, comforting setting will be hard for anyone to resist :)

Griffen

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 3:02 p.m.

Sarah, thanks for the insightful article. Many years ago, while I was attending HS in A2, I and a few buddies would hang out at our parent's houses and discuss smoke weed and play D&D into the wee hours of the morning. It was a simple, fun life. Until one day, a friend's father was a Economic professor at UM, came in and looked at us and remarked: "You guys are part of the generation and socio-economic class that make up the middle class that will be squeezed out of existence in the coming decades. We sat up shocked (total buzz kill), looked at him, and asked him what he meant? He continued:"In the coming years the middle class will squeezed out of existence and we'll be left with the very rich and the very poor in A2 and throughout America." Well, here we are, 2010. You know what, he was right. A2 has become socio-economically stratified and the divide is only growing.

Sarah Smallwood

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 2:45 p.m.

"I think that your generation feels incredibly entitled and resentful of my generation regardless of what has been provided to you by past generations. More than once, I've heard comments like "you old people have destroyed the planet" or "you took all the good jobs and ran the economy into the ground and left me with the mess." The problem is with your perception. In your argument, the younger generation is blaming you for what you've done--you're blaming them for what they might do. More specifically, what they might do that you won't approve of. "Please excuse me and your parents for bringing you into this world and providing your generation with your own bedroom, a chance at a good education and an iphone." Wow. It must be comforting to assume "young" and "entitled" are synonymous. Than we can discount all of those young residents who paid their own way through school, made their own car payments, and bought their own cellphones. Certainly those people who were raised on welfare and shared bedrooms until they were fourteen do not exist, as well as those residents under thirty have house payments, cars, and kids. Painting everyone with the entitlement brush is far easier, and certainly saves you trouble of knowing the people you're talking about.

Heidi Kaplan

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 2:26 p.m.

Any of us willing to call the others 'brats' or 'fogies' aren't seriously considering Ann Arbor's future, or Michigan's. Regarding the 'if you don't like it, just leave' mantra... I can understand the reasoning, but honestly, is the status quo okay? Aren't economic and demographic trends worth hashing over? Do we want to see tomorrow's people and companies leaving the state at ever faster rates because we're too cool or feel too right to care? Nothing alive is static through time. That's just a fact. To say to anyone living in Ann Arbor, regardless of how long, that they 'don't get it'- please. This isn't Children of the Corn. We don't share a unified perspective on life or urban and economic planning. No city does. But can't even a city of millions of people manage a vision or master plan? Ann Arbor IS a city, isn't it?

Moose

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 12:53 p.m.

" The amount of name-calling ("Google kids," "spoiled brats," "all-about-me") shows at least a bitterness toward the younger generation, and more likely feeling of being frightened and threatened that these kids will force them out of their homes." I have heard plenty derogatory terms applied of my generation by younger folks, Sarah. "Bitter" "frightened" and "threatened" are those kind of words, not just descriptives like fogie or grayhead. In fact I think it's your generation that feels bitter, frightened and threatened... and I understand why. Life is hard and uncertain, times are tough, but I suspect that you and many of your generation were recipients of the "good times" as much as I was. If I knew that any of those "kids" actually wanted to stick around and make this a better place, I would feel threatened but for the most part they won't stick around long enough to make a difference because of their short attention span, their dissatisfaction with anything that does not fit their notion of what Ann Arbor is or why living here is good. "I thought I was being funny, but apparently, I was right on." And I think you're wrong on. I think that your generation has a hard time relating to anything that's different from of your notion of what life is and how it works. If it doesn't fit into your narrative it's bad. I think that your generation feels incredibly entitled and resentful of my generation regardless of what has been provided to you by past generations. More than once, I've heard comments like "you old people have destroyed the planet" or "you took all the good jobs and ran the economy into the ground and left me with the mess". I'll take the blame for some of that but not the industrial revolution or AIG. Please excuse me and your parents for bringing you into this world and providing your generation with your own bedroom, a chance at a good education and an iphone. "Successful cities enjoy their status because of the younger generation and the innovation it provides." If only it was that simple. If it is, then anyone over 35 should be made into Soylent Green. It makes sense that there are a disproportionate amount of young to old residents in Ann Arbor," Well, duh. That's because 40% of Ann Arbor's population are students who only seem intent on "stumbling into fun" and refuse to venture out of their ghettos and comfort zones. One reason why the vast majority of students don't stay here, isn't because of my generation, it's because they're looking for those 1000 night of fun far more than they are willing to become part of this place. "but tho view that as a minority vs. majority and set up enemy camps is unnecessary and distracting." And you're not helping. "The "millennials" are here and will be here, and are a part of living in Ann Arbor--like its parking, Art Fairs and student population." Fair enough, but there are other people here and some of them have worked very hard to make this place that everyone seems to love but want to remake in their own image. " Understanding that is the first step toward constructive improvement." Is that a recent revelation on your part? I've known the conditions and local environment here for a very long time. Those things were here when I arrived and will probably be the same when I leave. "I don't think any part of Ann Arbor should be razed or any current citizens forced out--and more importantly, I didn't hear anyone saying that last night." You haven't been here long enough to hear those things, but they've been said and intimated by more a few folks of your generation. Murph probably knows a few of them. "However, the "love it AS IS or leave it" mentality is not only futile, it's crippling." Ah, I was waiting for the "however" And that is not my or most of my friends attitude. We want you to succeed, but we would like you to appreciate the legacy of this place that many many people have worked long and hard to make. "Cities survive based on their adaptability--their willingness to provide access to technology and leisure. This does not mean they must sacrifice their individuality; Ann Arbor is not a mini-Chicago, nor should that be the goal." Agreed, but that does not mean that you throw the baby out with the bath water.

TruthInNews

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 12:36 p.m.

At least compared to its Michigan peers, A2 has what it takes it attract the "young professional." Like it or not, these are the people that raise, and sustain, the quality of life in a city. They do so because they are educated and take high paying jobs, and then proceed to spend most of that money in the city in which they live. They require fancy clubs, bars, and lofts. But their largess also pays for public parks, art, and good roads. Its a trade-off, and a much better one than having to attract a bunch of 75-year-old multimillionaires to bring up the tax base.

Sarah Smallwood

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 11:48 a.m.

@Murph: I wasn't hoping for punches and drama; quite the reverse. During the panel discussion, I didn't see much contention between generations, but I see it here pretty plainly. The amount of name-calling ("Google kids," "spoiled brats," "all-about-me") shows at least a bitterness toward the younger generation, and more likely feeling of being frightened and threatened that these kids will force them out of their homes. I thought I was being funny, but apparently, I was right on. Successful cities enjoy their status because of the younger generation and the innovation it provides. It makes sense that there are a disproportionate amount of young to old residents in Ann Arbor, but tho view that as a minority vs. majority and set up enemy camps is unnecessary and distracting. The "millennials" are here and will be here, and are a part of living in Ann Arbor--like its parking, Art Fairs and student population. If you don't like these things, you can gripe about them, but they are symptoms of the town we live in. Understanding that is the first step toward constructive improvement. I don't think any part of Ann Arbor should be razed or any current citizens forced out--and more importantly, I didn't hear anyone saying that last night. However, the "love it AS IS or leave it" mentality is not only futile, it's crippling. Cities survive based on their adaptability--their willingness to provide access to technology and leisure. This does not mean they must sacrifice their individuality; Ann Arbor is not a mini-Chicago, nor should that be the goal.

Moose

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 11:21 a.m.

@ Let's get Real. Thanks... and wow. Maybe Mr Gilmartin should change his pitch to "stumble into sustainability", but that doesn't sound like fun.

Vivienne Armentrout

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 11:15 a.m.

I was very impressed with all four panelists and how they handled the sometimes simplistic questions. Meyers somewhat gave himself away when he interrupted Alice Ralph in her answer to the question, "Who gets to determine the "character" of a neighborhood and is this driven (too much) by merely aesthetic concerns?" (All four panelists avoided that last bit.) Ralph began to say, "the people who live there" and Meyers interrupted to say "the people who are established, or those to come in the future?". In spite of the bias implied in the title and to some degree in the presentation, it was a useful discussion.

Moose

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 10:53 a.m.

And, Murph, I am all in favor of changing zoning to allow for auxiliary apartments and dividing larger homes into flats in the city. This is where density begins and the problems are not solved by building big building in the city center. At this point it's about the economics and the desire of existing residents to stay in their homes in the city. In fact, as I watched (participated in) the construction of 4000-6000 sq ft single family Mcmansions in the city (sometimes for people without children) off of Newport Road, I predicted that the cost of owning (maintenance and taxes etc) such a large home would eventually lead to a changes in the zoning laws and those homes would become two and multi family residences. I wonder how many of those owners who bought into the madness of the housing bubble are underwater on their mortgages and might now entertain changes in zoning that was one of the reasons why they moved to large lots with huge homes farther from the city center. In the last year, there has been a sea change in how people (young and old) think about their housing choices and I'm afraid that Mr Gilmartin's assumptions are a little outdated.>br> The one thing that I think we all agree on is that place matters and it's not just about cheap and fun. Yes, if you're a worker who depends only on technology to make a living, you can work from anywhere, but not everyones work involves technology that allows them to work anywhere and if was all about working from anywhere, who wouldn't choose someplace warm and sunny instead of cold and gray like Ann Arbor?

Lets Get Real

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 10:46 a.m.

I don't get the joke - so I guess I'm not "cerebral" enough to live in Ann Arbor - as one of the speakers described our population. What I do know is that other vibrant cities have pockets of business built around neighborhoods bearing differing characteristics - each with its own attractive reason to live there. But for these mini-centers to exist as attractive areas for people to live, people have to support the small businesses in those areas, by spending money. Coffee shops can't stay open when because people WANT to hang out there, but only buy a cup of coffee (i.e. recent closings); diverse restaurants can't stay open with only Fri and Sat customers frequenting the place (i.e. good little places - gone); "fun" activities for the young urban population - to whom we MUST cater - can't survive if people don't go frequently enough for them to break even - let alone profit (i.e. climbing center - gone). Let's Get Real - because someone WANTS 1000 nights of affordable fun & affordable to experience(50 weeks X 2 nights per week x 10 years living in the area - Gilmartin's premise), doesn't mean that a business can survive on the 6,000 estimated downtown residents who are anticipated to frequented the activity (per panelist Ray Detter's estimate). Over a 10 year period, what would a business owner have to charge to provide that "fun" opportunity once to each of those 6,000 millineums? Open 300 days per year for 10 years, anticipating that each of the 6000 will come for their one experience means a business owner would have to charge 1/2 of their daily cost to each customer just to break even. First, that's not an affordable activity, and second, who would open that business? Let's also get real about the speed with which this population gets bored with activities. Trends change so fast that these businesses will be nothing more than a flash in the pan with little expectation of a 10 year survival rate. (anyone seen an oxygen bar recently?) How does that contribute to the sustainability of the local economy? Don't get me wrong. I'm all for public transportation, bike trails, walkability, historic preservation, higher density, and creating a city with character. But, we need to determine who we are and who we want to be. We need a master PLAN that addresses managed, systematic growth and is not compromised by the whims of those behaving like spoiled brats wishing to come to our city, make demands, then use their threat of mobility to bully for anything they want by threatening to leave, because they can. We shoulds refuse to have our tax dollars held hostage to create something we are not when we should be addressing NEEDS (i.e. sculpture $ can't be spent on police/fire). One of those folks sat next to me at this event. In arrogant, all about me fashion: came in late and didn't hear Mr. Gilmartin, made snide comments about the remarks of the panel - having not heard the introductory information, complained about housing being to expensive downtown, and left early. Guess, by being late, she missed the part about the characteristics of vibrant cities, one of which is that they are expensive. Somehow I remember that from Economics 101 - something about supply and demand. Guess she also doesn't represent those who want to work toward solution - more like you solve it for me. So, Let's Get Real - A nice place to live is a nice place to live. It isn't dependent on the size or price of the residence. It is created by the self-worth of the people, of whatever age, who live there - because they are proud, committed, and contribute toward creating the end result - TOGETHER. If that includes new innovative and trendy businesses, it will be because the population who lives here wants that, supports that, and allows a business to start, grow, and be profitable in providing that.

Moose

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 10:20 a.m.

As much as I enjoy annarbor.com and thank them for providing a forum for everyone, we all need to remember that bloggers are not reporters. Reporters may report a speakers talking points and "cover" an event, but they are little more than positive assertions. Mr Gilmartin's and Mr Meyers' assertions are not facts, but their personal POV made to fit their chosen statistics.

Dr. I. Emsayin

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 10:19 a.m.

I agree with much of what commenter "Moose" says. The program was mutual back slapping. Mr. Gilmartin made it clear from the outset, that if we liked Ann Arbor the way it was before skyscrapers and drunken 30 somethings stumbling around at 2 a.m., then we are living in a dream of autoworkers with pensions. Restaurant prices are for the rich Google kids and rich U of M parents, not for people who built and sustained this community for 30+ years. If the city (DDA, city council) actually cared what residents (not politicos who turned up for the Concentrate event) thought about their town, they would go to school PTSO meetings and civic events and listen to long time residents who wish to retain the flavor of the city they helped make.

murph

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 10:15 a.m.

Sarah - I'd be interested to hear what you thought of the panel discussion as well - I am sorry we disappointed by not poking more sticks in each others' eyes. I heard various reactions from audience members afterwards, and especially appreciated the woman who approached me to say that she was pleasantly surprised by the discussion - that she had been led to believe that I would call for razing her Germantown home and replacing it with 20-story condo towers, but instead I proposed nothing more invasive than giving her the choice to rent out part of her large home. This was an idea that makes sense financially and environmentally in addition to the "invisible density" that I had mentioned, and why wasn't it being discussed? I was glad that last night's event provided some opportunities for consensus and understanding, rather than shoethrowing and apathy. I did also hear a few comments like, "If you don't love it the way it is, you should just leave," which I thought somewhat missed the point: I *do* love it here, which is why I live here (and why we moved back to here from the East Coast). Like commenter Moose, I and many so-called "Millennials" want to preserve and improve on the assets that we have here, not burn it all down and replace it with the "little slice of Chicago," as some expect of us.

Moose

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 : 9:46 a.m.

I was there. The entire "discussion" was skewed by Concentrate Media's Jeff Meyers and Mr Gilmartin's premise and message of "grow or die". Which was essentially a "get out of the way you old fogies because this is how the future rolls". I found it interesting that Mr Gilmartin mentioned verbally and in his Powerpoint presentation that Ann Arbor possessed many of the things that are necessary and desirable to attract and retain those desirable young professionals (millenials?) that every city is seeking. I think his statistics on the reasons why young people want to live somewhere to be outdated and based on information from before our economic meltdown. I think potential long term residents, those who will put down roots, own property and pay taxes, whether young or old are looking for more than cheap rent and 24/7 entertainment. Today, in this economy I think that serious people who are contemplating living in a different place are more concerned, like most serious folks are, about a good job and a decent public infrastructure than they are living in a place where they can "stumble into fun". Well, Mr Gilmartin and Mr Meyers, how did Ann Arbor get these things? Who has worked long and hard to preserve and improve these assets that were glowingly mentioned in your pitch? Who stuck around town long enough to make sure that these things still exist? Who began and works to support the neighborhood organizations and groups that are vital to what Ann arbor is known for, its neighborhoods? Who in your audience yesterday has the ability of not only looking forward, as you do, but the equally important resource of hindsight and some idea of what works and what doesn't? I live in the Old West Side and have a few young people, counted on one hand, owners and renters, single and family, (and there has been a fair number of new and younger OWS residents in the last five years), that show serious interest in finding out about and integrating into the fabric of the neighborhood. This is a really nice place with great neighbors and there is an existing neighborhood infrastructure including businesses, a friendly atmosphere and a strong neighborhood association. It seems that the millenials want to change it into their own image instead of becoming part of and continuing to build upon what we all agree, including Mr Meyers and Mr Gilmartin, is something good and valuable. Maybe it's the millenials insecurity when relating to anyone but people of their generation that prevents them from really becoming part of what's already here. Maybe it's their alleged need for mobility that prevents them from putting down roots and being part of a place. With all the talk of mobility of the "millenials" it sounded like that even if we build a city with all the things that the they want (cheap housing with character, great transportation and 24/7 clubs and bars), it wouldn't be enough because they're always seeking to stumble into fun for those 1000 nights and once the novelty wears off, they're gone. Overall, it appeared that the media hyped generational conflict didn't happen, at least not openly. But it was apparent from some people in the audience that they took away Mr Meyer's and Mr Gilmartin's message that those who are already here are preventing them from living their vision of the future and should step aside. Although my wife and I never had children, I will admit that if the shortsighted and selfish vision that we see and hear from the "millenials" is real and their vision of the future comes true, then my generation has done a terrible job of raising our children and our children have not done much better raising theirs. I have failed to teach them the values that I learned through my own hard work and experience that are necessary to build and improve the places we live. But I have learned to refuse to blame the generations that came before me because doing so only further divides us. No big deal really, because in the big picture, this is all temporary. Without making a value judgement, I'm only trying to improve upon what those before us have left me to work with. It is what it is. We can solve our problems together or we die trying.