You're generation

You're generation

__________

There's a meme going round. It features a picture of Greta, with the words 'My generation will decide the future'. Underneath is another picture of laughing WWII soldiers, with the caption 'You're generation can't decide if they're a boy, a girl or a f***ing toaster'.

I'm not going to post the meme itself, out of respect for the pixels whose lives were squandered in the service of this shit.

But I'd like to have a word to the meme-maker, and anyone who's sharing or laughing.

Point number one. You're remembering those who fought Nazism by punching down on a minority group that already experiences disproportionate stigma and victimisation. Think that through. Take your time.

Number two. Rainbow people haven't been invented by a new generation of indecisive youngsters. You just didn't want to believe they were there. They've been with us forever, only so persecuted at times they had to fight for their right to exist. For example, during Nazism. You know, that thing those soldiers in your meme fought against.

Number three. Speaking of fighting, during every civil rights struggle there's ever been, there were some who volunteered, stood up. And there were some who sat on the sidelines, apathetic, mocking, terrified of change, or these days making memes. It's never the ones on the sidelines that history remembers fondly. It simply makes you the embarrassing butt of memes in years to come.

Number four. I have strong pacifist leanings, but if you can't even get the right 'your' in your weak dig at trans folks, I will rise up like a Satan-infused Karen and fight you with numchucks.

I won't even let you have the last word.

I'm in a Facebook group of parents of trans kids: this week they're posting pics of their tamariki and rangatahi on their first day of school, rocking their beautiful selves with the special kind of courage only known to the unique.

If you're still laughing at that meme, it's time "you're generation" questioned its own courage.

Let's just say, better a f***ing toaster than a f***ing coward.