As a Boomer, I love to participate in lively discussions about a variety of trendy topics. Whether it’s the climate emergency, tax policy, racism, criminal justice reform, or whatever just got stuck in progressives’ collective crawl, it’s important to engage with others in a manner that indicates you have the right opinion about everything. Whenever I’m engaged in a dialogue about our various favorite orthodoxies, however, I find that other like-minded progressives, left-leaning and right-leaning alike, regurgitate more or less the same platitudes I like to regurgitate. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Everyone sounding exactly the same means that we’re on the right side of history. But, how do we remain relevant under such circumstances? What I am getting at is: what do we do to make sure our generic opinions are known despite others around us having just expressed the same opinions in an even more banal way than we are capable of? Well, because I am an enlightened Boomer, I know to “piggyback off of” what someone just said.
Unlike “caveating what someone just said”, which is to elaborate with a word of caution on a prior statement in a discussion -ill advised given it can be taken as a form of disagreement- “piggybacking off of what someone just said” is a sure fire way to tell a person who just got done wasting everyone’s time: I hear what you say, I acknowledge and appreciate you as hueman being, and moreover, I have more bullshit to add to your unbearably inane statement. Note: it is important to be as nonthreatening as possible to make sure never to alienate anybody. Take it from me. Throughout my decades long career in corporate America, I learned not having actual friends, but rather, a loose group of acquaintances that are confident you’ll “piggyback off of” whatever they just said in a meeting is the way to go.
To illustrate my point, let’s go over some examples. Imagine a dinner party with a cosmopolitan group friends enjoying some exotic and exciting food.
Shankaracharya: I think that more than just making a profit, businesses should consider that they are part of a greater whole, and that community stakeholders are as important, or more important than shareholders.
Char’quez: I just want to piggyback off of what Shankaracharya just said for a moment to highlight how Goldman Sachs is a really great example of firms learning that social responsibility is more important than profitability. Did you know that Goldman’s CEO says the bank won’t take companies public unless there is at least one diverse board member?
Kai: Yes, and to piggyback off of what Char’quez just said, I think that corporations should be able to keep tabs on their employees twenty four hours a day to ensure corporate social responsibility goals are met.
Excellent! Shankaracharya, Char’quez and Kai engaged in a nonthreatening dialogue where no actual ideas of consequence were exchanged. The conversation, nonetheless, reinforced itself in a pointless feedback loop. How about a scenario at an important business meeting?
Consuela: I think that we need to hire more womyn in the company, but in particular, more Latinx womyn and other womyn of color. It can be a little suffocating sometimes around here when the space is so filled with white bodies. I just don’t see anything in the space that I can readily identify with, which affects my motivation to get any work done.
Skylar: Yes, I couldn’t agree more. And, to piggyback off of what Consuela just said, research suggests that the more diverse an environment is, the better employees perform.
Nguyen: Yes, piggybacking off of Skylar’s comments, that’s why we need infinity migrants to the United States. If we want to remain competitive in a global economy, we need to make sure we’re hiring the most talented people, not just from the US, where we’re currently facing a diversity problem, but from the whole world.
How about one last example? Imagine a scenario at a Universalist, or even a Lutheran LGBTQIA-friendly congregation in the gentrified part of a Midwestern city.
Micha: I think the case can be made that homosexuality is Biblically sound. Moreover, I think it’s really great Pete Buttigieg is such a great example of how one can be a devout Catholic rooted in family tradition and conservative values, while still being a member of the LGBTQIA community.
Mushtaaq: Yes, piggybacking off of what Micha just said, I don’t think I’ll be converting from Islam to Christianity any time soon, but I can appreciate that Christians are so tolerant of people who are actively subverting their values. That’s a great way of making sure Christianity will be irrelevant in a few decades.
Brinn: I’d like to piggyback off of what Mushtaaq just said. Subverting our values is important because Western societies are responsible for the colonization and exploitation of millions around the world.
Perfect! I hope that these examples help you, as a progressive, to know how to remain relevant as a contributor to meaningless conversations.
I totally agree with all of your opinions IB. I too believe that the climate emergency is the greatest crisis that we have ever faced as a species, and that it’s going to be a test of our courage and willingness to sacrifice. I say this while recognizing that I tend to utter this phrase over lavish middle class dinner parties with expensive wine and overpriced ethnic snacks from wholefoods packaged in single-use plastic. The point is, I’m virtuous and people should recognize that I’m a moral and therefore very high status individual, with the time and leisure to have opinions on a variety of global and general issues that don’t affect me personally.
I just want to piggyback off of that and say that Millennials need to learn that it’s essential to say the right things, not necessarily to do the right thing.
That’s very wise. I think a lot of millenials are caught up in this unrealistic idealism where they think that peoples’ actions should actually be consistent with their stated principles. Sometimes you just need to keep your opinions to yourself and go along with the system, even if you don’t agree with it. If you want to have an opinion or an identity, then you can repeat one of the many original accredited opinions you see on TV, like being worried about the climate emergency for example. The important thing is to express concern about issues that are about number 42 or 45 on the priority list in order to show how intellectual you are, while ignoring number 1, 2 and 3 because they’re too contentious and might get us into trouble. The goal shouldn’t be to actually solve important issues in order of priority – it should be to express concern about issues that you know people will agree with you on, in order to prove that you’re smart and moral.
Yes. Thankfully, us Boomers have ensured Millennials have ample choice when it comes to selecting a meaningless cause. Maybe they could all join Dumbledore’s Army and finally impeach Trump or something. They’re so busy complaining it took fellow Boomers like Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, and other patriots to do it. I wish John McCain were still alive.
That’s right BLM, but I’d like to piggyback off of that to point out that we Boomers never had it so easy. I wish, WISH, I had a meal plan back in the sixties when my total tuition was a few thousand dollars for my entire degree. I had to survive off of going to burger and milkshake joints and eating at home with my parents. But with a little can do attitude, I landed a corporate gig and look at what a success I’ve become. Millennials are useless bums.
Unlike “caveating what someone just said”
I think that you are cavitating as in a motorboat engine that makes amusing farting noises.
Once down the page you make points that could be described as “strong” but that is a masculine virtue. I will reserve my further comments until I can “piggyback” off of the more informed posters on the forum.
Caveating off of what someone said can be perceived as not supportive, which is why you should avoid using it.
IB may be suffering from IBS, his lower intestine “cavitated” from high velocity bull shit.
Well, thanks to Medicare Part D, I am able to keep my IBS in check with various prescription drugs.
That picture at the top of the page may appeal to you as a Boomer. It is obvious that the male whatever in the photo might have his hands on the female’s butt. and also that it is photographed in some Florida or California shithole judging by the trees. If Florida folks would start just north of the Keys with bulldozers and road scrapers they could push the invasive species back to New Jersey where they belong.
Well as a Boomer, retiring in a shithole where the particular development I live in just so happens to have non indigenous, over manicured vegetation is a lifelong dream come true. It’s all about location, location, location.
I would like people to piggyback off of the word bacon, which is why I toss it in every so often. Some for impalement.
Bacon is bad for my cholesterol. As a Boomer, I need to make sure I am watching my diet so I can live twenty more years.
To give up bacon is to give up on life itself!
You may as well turn into a zombie and start eating raw brains!
I disagree. Bacon is not only bad for your cholesterol due to its high fat content, but it is also bad for the environment. We need to address our sick addiction to animal protein and learn that bugs provide the same protein value but in a more sustainable way.
I recommend going to Africa and taking lessons on how to turn over logs for worms and other edible crawlies.
If you will excuse me, I seem to have a hankering for scallops wrapped in bacon.
You piggybacking automatons lost your pied piper with Harry Canckles ignominious departure. Just follow the rest of the lemmings.
Is there a privilege difference between a Christian Hispanic Male and a plain old Christian White Male?