O'Brien, Obama can't seem to catch a break

[Writer]

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100301/FEATURES07/3010315/1011/SCENE/O-Brien-Obama-share-Gen-X-curse

Jay Leno returns to his “Tonight Show” throne tonight, less than a year after the baby boomer passed the torch to Gen-X jester Conan O'Brien. All last week during the Olympics, NBC heralded his return in commercials set to the Beatles anthemic “Get Back.”

As for O'Brien, well, last week he joined Twitter. “Today I interviewed a squirrel in my backyard and then threw to commercial,” he tweeted on Wednesday. “Somebody help me.”

Meanwhile, in the nation's capital, the first Generation X president — who campaigned on his ability to transcend the old partisan divide based, in part, on battles dating back to the 1960s — has often found the Washington establishment less eager to turn the page on the past than even NBC executives.

At the health care summit on Thursday, President Obama tried to push the gray-haired congressional leadership of both parties to find common ground on one of the signature issues on his agenda; most analysts agree that he was unsuccessful.

If Generation X thought the hot seat would be easy — or that the baby boomers would step aside — Obama and O'Brien's experiences suggest that, to borrow the title of a classic Gen-X movie, “reality bites.” Is Generation X already Generation Ex?

Much more at link.

[grassfed]

1. Jay Leno picks Sarah Palin for first guest

Leno is a pig.

[onehandle]

2. Ahnold-loving, Dinosaur Leno sucks. nt

[hlthe2b]

3. First of all, both Obama and Conan are technically still Boomers

The United States Census Bureau considers a baby boomer to be someone born during the demographic birth boom between 1946 and 1964.

Obama was born in 1961, Conan in 1963

That said, they are both on the cusp and I agree quite different from the oldest boomers born closer to the late 40s through at least he early 50s. (Jay Leno was born in 1950).


I certainly feel more closely aligned to the Barack Obamas and Conan O'Briens of the world than I do the Jay Lenos, but that may be more a function of political and philosophical outlook (and my sense of humor) than age.

[LeftHander]

11. 60-64.... We were the little brothers and sisters of boomers....

we don't fit in...either GenX or Boomers really.

[hlthe2b]

12. I'm betting a lot of people born in, say 57, 58, 59 feel that way too

nonetheless...

[LeftHander]

14. yes...true...I have more incommon with my sister born in 1960

and my ex born in 58...than my older siblings...from 55...and 54...

[MidwestPerspective]

17. Conan is part of Generation Jones (between the Boomers and Xers)

Interesting blog. Jay Leno (part of Baby Boom Generation, born 1942-1953) vs. Conan O'Brien (part of Generation Jones, born 1954-1965) reflects a broader battle happening throughout Western cultures: the emergence of Generation Jones leadership vs. Boomers clinging to power. GenJoneser Obama's ascendance following 16 years of Boomer Presidencies is the most visible example, but we find it throughout the West, where more than two thirds of EU leaders are part of GenJones (following two decades of Boomer dominance).

Google Generation Jones, and you’ll see it’s gotten lots of media attention, and many prominent commentators from many top publications and networks (Washington Post, Time magazine, NBC, Newsweek, ABC, etc.) now specifically use this term. In fact, the Associated Press' annual Trend Report chose the Rise of Generation Jones as the #1 trend of 2009. Here's a page with a good overview of recent media interest in GenJones: http://generationjones.com/2009latest.html

It’s important to distinguish between the post-WWII demographic boom in births vs. the cultural generations born during that era. Generations are a function of the common formative experiences of its members, not the fertility rates of its parents. And most analysts now see generations as getting shorter (usually 10-15 years now), partly because of the acceleration of culture. Many experts now believe it breaks down more or less this way:

DEMOGRAPHIC boom in babies: 1946-1964
Baby Boom GENERATION: 1942-1953
Generation Jones: 1954-1965
Generation X: 1966-1978

[Romulox]

4. Neither Obama, O'Brien are "Gen X". nt

[951-Riverside]

5. That article is a pretty sad excuse for journalism

First of all they're taking quotes from an unverified twitter account (ie there is no proof that account belongs to Conan). Second there is a discrepancy in one of the tweets where he allegedly shows his blue "92 Ford Taurus" yet if you've watched the show he clearly owns a green ford SHO.

Tweet: https://twitter.com/ConanOBrien/status/9743435141
Conan's Green Ford SHO: and http://jalopnik.com/5275403/conan-obriens-ford-taurus-sho-makes-tonight-show-appearance

[Romulox]

6. To put a finer point on it, there is no such thing as a "ford SHO"...

It's a Ford TAURUS SHO ("SHO" stands for "super high output".)

[Codeine]

7. An SHO is a Taurus. nt

[Codeine]

8. And Conan's account has been Verified for days. nt

[xxqqqzme]

9. Well, this, quite obviously a boomer,

thinks Leno is not funny. Haven't watch The Tonight Show since he took over.

[alfredo]

10. The courier Journal is a very good paper. My family owes

at lot to the Bingham family. They hired my grandfather when he arrived in the US and stayed involved in our family when he died unexpectedly. They also stood with us through our later tragedies. They featured my image on their paper on several occasions, and put my image in one of their windows. That was really strange to my 3 year old mind. They also ran a feature on my dad, and voiced their respects when he died.

[upi402]

13. I thought Leno was going to swing on Ahnold's meat

Now he's acting like a true comedian and less like a Republican hack tho.

Obama got a break when we elected him President. He returned the favor by stabbing us in the back.

[hfojvt]

15. poor Conan "somebody help me"

my message to Conan - I am a year older than you. I make $13,000 a year as a part time janitor. Do not ever expect me to feel sorry for you. EVER. Not even as a joke. There were some 4 million people who lost their jobs in 2008 alone. They did not get the millions that you got. They are the ones who need help. If you need something to do with your time, you might put some time and effort into helping them. Or do something easy. St. Patrick's Day is coming up. You appear to be Irish. Consider taking part in a parade and waving to cheering crowds.

[JuniperLea]

16. That's pretty pathetic, imho...

Go pick on another nationality and leave the Irish alone, #1.

#2, I believe Conan was speaking of his mental state, not his wallet.

#3, Conan makes people laugh. That helps a lot of us get by in this seriously fucked up world.

Yes, he's "obviously" of Irish decent, like me, and he could tell you to go to hell in such a way as to make you look forward to the trip.

Hating on brilliance only makes people look really stupid.

[hfojvt]

18. brilliance? I thought we were talking about Conan O'Brien

gosh that would be nice if a multi-millionaire told me to goto hell. The only thing stranger would be if one of his fans did so on behalf of the poor multi-millionaire. And I did not pick on the Irish at all, unless Conan somehow represents us, and I am sure Kansas City would be thrilled to have Conan at their event, even though he may not be any more Irish than I am.

[JuniperLea]

19. Oh, he's brilliant all right...

but it takes a modicum of intellectual mojo and mental acuity to get it sometimes.

[deaniac21]

20. At least Obama has finally brought transparency and and

ethics back to government!