I see there are some things happening on the TL. I’m a little disappointed in some of you, so it’s story time. This is really for us Gen X and up folks. Youngins should read it, but my message is for anyone who grew up before everything we did was on the internet/1

I’ve told y’all before, I’m old. In my 40s. I personally have seen mass changes in how we, as a society, approach sexual assault and harassment, power differentials, and gender relations.

I’ve had a number of convos w military/DoD guys my age or older where we realize /2

Stuff that used to fly when we were younger is NOT ok. It was NEVER okay. But we were all conditioned by society to accept it.

I think back to incidents like the Monica Lewinsky scandal. We all bashed 24 yo woman instead of holding the most powerful man in the world... /3

Responsible for his own actions.

Monica’s not much older than I. What happened to her—and so many other people, mostly women—as I grew up sent VERY LOUD AND CLEAR messages about gender relations, power, and who will be blamed if things go south.

Men my age also/4

Grew up in that toxic milieu that we are all *constantly* unlearning if—and only if— we are open and putting in the effort.

So I ask of you, the plus-40 crowd:

Realize how things have changed. It’s okay to realize you handled things poorly in the past. But it’s/5

On US to take responsibility and change the future trajectory.

We are the leaders now. We are the supposedly older and wiser folks.

Are we going to rise to the occasion? /fin