Java generics

I'm having a really hard time using generics in Java. Why are they so damn confusing? Real generics aren't this hard. Can someone break this down and explain this to me?

Generics you say? How original, and look how cute it is:
List<Integer> myIntList = new LinkedList<Integer>();
And it's original, no one every thought about it before... *cough*c++templates*cough*

That's why I officially say to all my Java friends today:
#include <list>
using std::list;
is ten years old, Java is just a clone.