help save the youth of America
** Faithful Readers, you're clearly not included in the rant that follows. Just read, enjoy, and sympathize with me. **
An open letter to the obnoxious scenester kids that glut Water Canyon nearly every Sunday night these days:
Please stop hanging out there. Now.
First of all, you don't deserve a place as cool as Water Canyon. It's what a coffee house should be, from the atmosphere straight on down to the food and drink. Since most of you spend all your time standing on the curb, it's clearly not Water Canyon that you're interested in, so go find a curb someplace where there aren't people who'd actually like a quiet, cultured Sunday night. Or better yet, go to Starbucks. There aren't musicians or poetry-readers there for you to interrupt with all your jabbering.
Which brings me to point #2: It's not necessary to be absolutely silent when someone is performing, but why do you find it so essential to stand right inside the door, talking at a volume that registers on the Richter scale, in eye- and earshot of the person performing? It's rude, it's disrespectful, and it's irritating to performer and audience alike. If you have to talk loudly, go outside. Or once again, go to Starbucks.
One more thing, and I'm trying to be tactful here but I realize I'm going to fail miserably, get a freakin' identity of your own. Instead of dressing like you're living in London in 1977 or that you just stepped out of a Saves the Day video, try developing a style of your own instead of just slavishly imitating someone else's. Enough with the Ident-a-Kit look that so many of you have: goth, emo, punk, skank. You're all interchangeable, and it's so tiresome. Diversify, fer cryin' out loud. Just because you and your friends all listen to Dashboard or Jimmy Eat World or Korn or whatever marginally talented artist is passing for "the voice of youth" these days, it doesn't mean you all have to dress like Chris Carrabba (or whoever). I realize that being a teenager is all about finding out who you really are, but trust me when I say that who you really are has nothing to do with the clothes you wear. Be yourself, and realize that you are not your friend and your friend is not you and neither of you is the lead singer of a famous band, so it's okay to dress differently.
As I write this I realize I sound like a cranky old man, getting all riled up by these rambunctious, good-for-nothing whippersnappers. But I think the people who know me know where I'm coming from. And that's from a place where I believe that being different is good, is great, in fact, and is something worth striving for. I've always believed in doing my own thing, and it hasn't always turned out to be the best idea, but at the end of the day at least I know it's my thing, and not something I'm copying from someone else. So if you're going to be different, be different. Listen to music that no one else listens to, see the independent films that our theater will never get because nothing explodes in them, read a book every now and then, turn off your TV and your radio, and try being polite and kind to people for a change. If you really want to be different, this is the way to do it. And if you're not going to take my advice, kindly stop hanging out at the one spot in this town where I can soak up some good conversation and good music. Starbucks is calling your name.
An open letter to the obnoxious scenester kids that glut Water Canyon nearly every Sunday night these days:
Please stop hanging out there. Now.
First of all, you don't deserve a place as cool as Water Canyon. It's what a coffee house should be, from the atmosphere straight on down to the food and drink. Since most of you spend all your time standing on the curb, it's clearly not Water Canyon that you're interested in, so go find a curb someplace where there aren't people who'd actually like a quiet, cultured Sunday night. Or better yet, go to Starbucks. There aren't musicians or poetry-readers there for you to interrupt with all your jabbering.
Which brings me to point #2: It's not necessary to be absolutely silent when someone is performing, but why do you find it so essential to stand right inside the door, talking at a volume that registers on the Richter scale, in eye- and earshot of the person performing? It's rude, it's disrespectful, and it's irritating to performer and audience alike. If you have to talk loudly, go outside. Or once again, go to Starbucks.
One more thing, and I'm trying to be tactful here but I realize I'm going to fail miserably, get a freakin' identity of your own. Instead of dressing like you're living in London in 1977 or that you just stepped out of a Saves the Day video, try developing a style of your own instead of just slavishly imitating someone else's. Enough with the Ident-a-Kit look that so many of you have: goth, emo, punk, skank. You're all interchangeable, and it's so tiresome. Diversify, fer cryin' out loud. Just because you and your friends all listen to Dashboard or Jimmy Eat World or Korn or whatever marginally talented artist is passing for "the voice of youth" these days, it doesn't mean you all have to dress like Chris Carrabba (or whoever). I realize that being a teenager is all about finding out who you really are, but trust me when I say that who you really are has nothing to do with the clothes you wear. Be yourself, and realize that you are not your friend and your friend is not you and neither of you is the lead singer of a famous band, so it's okay to dress differently.
As I write this I realize I sound like a cranky old man, getting all riled up by these rambunctious, good-for-nothing whippersnappers. But I think the people who know me know where I'm coming from. And that's from a place where I believe that being different is good, is great, in fact, and is something worth striving for. I've always believed in doing my own thing, and it hasn't always turned out to be the best idea, but at the end of the day at least I know it's my thing, and not something I'm copying from someone else. So if you're going to be different, be different. Listen to music that no one else listens to, see the independent films that our theater will never get because nothing explodes in them, read a book every now and then, turn off your TV and your radio, and try being polite and kind to people for a change. If you really want to be different, this is the way to do it. And if you're not going to take my advice, kindly stop hanging out at the one spot in this town where I can soak up some good conversation and good music. Starbucks is calling your name.