Harry Potter, Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, Batman, Spiderman, every Avenger story…the X-men, the list goes on. The imagination of our children is focused on a dystopian view of the world – the Apocalypse now. Unlike my childhood when good always triumphed over evil, our youngsters are immersed in a world that is 50 shades of grey. My parents were victims of a war that they fought and won. Their dystopia came to an end, and a brighter future seemed inevitable. Not so for the children of the 21st Century.

I blame us – the Boomer generation – indulged, coddled and spoiled. We sacrificed nothing for the common good, while we worshiped self-indulgence. As a group, we outnumber every other demographic in North America. Did we bring peace to the planet, we of the “peace” generation? No. Do we care for others as we would care for ourselves. No. We raised the next generation to be afraid of others, to live with the possibility of annihilation. We have invested in Art for the masses that glamorizes death and destruction.

In Aurora at midnight last Thursday at a screening of the Dark Night Rises was a 6-year old girl. She died at the hands of a young man dressed in SWAT gear. Life imitating Art in the most tragic manner. She shouldn’t have been there – the movie is rated PG-13. We – society – failed to protect her. She should have been turned away, but she wasn’t, because my generation is afraid to say no to anything. The Dark Night rose a long time ago.