I don’t particularly like Paul Simon, and of his work, “You Can Call Me Al,” is not my favorite. However, there is one line from that song that I really like:
Don’t wanna end up a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard…
Which leads me to the larger dilemma. Sometimes I feel like a modernist born into a post-modern world. My generation, we have no real feature. We are not a war generation, and we have not radicaly re-defined social customs in any great way. We weren’t even responsible for the birthing of the computer age. Sure, we benefit from all these previous generations’ contributions, but I’m hard pressed to put my finger on our contribution. We don’t even have an acceptable name… I mean, the Y Generation? Generation Next??
I think more than ever, our lives are an assemblage of other realities. Note the constant co-opting of other clothing styles. It was first the flare jeans and “That 70’s Show,” and it is now pastel polo shrits and “That 80’s Show.” Not that I’m averse to such or other trends, but what fun would “That 00’s Show” be if it was just of us watching its predecessors?
But TV is only a convenient metaphor. Take race relations, multi-culturalism. I think we (people my age) have had these terms, as abstractions, mushed down our throats more than any previous generation. But we don’t really talk about them because we are afraid to offend. Thus the entire concept becomes self-defeating; the fears are left to fester, but the politicaly correct sugarcoating sells. What’s scary about all this is that instead of fostering an appreciation for difference, we’re really just opening up the familiar to new consumers. We can have gay themed TV shows in primetime because enough auto companies will pay for 30 second spots between scriped situations.
More than ever we are defined by what we own. And as guilty as I am in liking my things, I am beginning to fear that our great need of Platinum and Premium is just a new way of buying that mental space for our “whites only” water fountains. And we are ALL guilty. Egalitarianism is a great concept, but if our worth must be measured tangibly, I see little possibility for a future more prosperous to all.
I love the cartoon graveyard. In it we find identities that help constitute ours.
I hate the cartoon graveyard. It is nothing as a whole but a graveyard.
Interesting post. How about we call it Generation Big Tex! Ok seriously, I would say the problem you are encountering is that you have to look at a retrospective look at our generation, and not enough time has passed. You mentioned the computer age, but when computers were first developed, they didnt seem to be a great thing. It is only when we look back retrospectivly, do we see how important computers have been.
Also, since we were born in the early 80’s, our generation is just getting into the workforce. We are just starting to cut our teeth in our jobs and just starting to contribute. I think you would need to wait quite awhile to really see what/who we are.
Test Comment 1
Typekey Test