Throwback Thursday

[shakespeare]

Walking the dogs the other day I overheard a group of early teen children talking about things from 'ages ago, like ten years - no, 12 or more, you know before we were born', and it made me simultaneously roll my eyes and snort. When I was their age 'ages ago' was the 40s and 50s, despite that being decades before I was born. This leads into a lot

Comments

[shakespeare]

I miss that kookiness too. I think that's definitely why I'm so… strange. ;) I've talked about this with others, too. I think 2001 was the watershed. Before you had some brightness and strangeness and you could be more carefree. Then 2001 and the world got a lot darker. Even though I grew up when the 'Trouble' (the IRA and Northern Ireland bomb attacks) were at their height, and car bombs were a regular occurrence on the news, it seems that 2001 was different probably due to the growing presence of media/the internet. Strange but I think the comparison of Batman films pre- and post-2001 highlights it really well. Suddenly Batman could be darker and grittier, and it fit the new mindset. I've noticed too, that children born at that time are more involved in activism and want to right more wrongs etc. far more than my generation. Though we did want to change the world, it was in a more… realistic way, I think. Not sure.

It's okay, I'm not into The Walking Dead. I watched the first few episodes way back when it started but as you say, it was just too harsh.

And I seem to have rambled a lot. Oops.

[author_by_night]

I LOVE your Batman analysis. I think you're right.

I also think that the 90's were a bit like the 1950's, where there was a certain... naivete, almost? Not quite the right word, espcially given how sarcastic people were. Maybe "Pollyannaish" would be better. Depending of course on where and who you were,obviously (I don't think anyone affected by the Troubles or the violence in Bosnia and Yugoslavia was Pollyanna, for instance). Still, I think there was a large aura of optimism. And like the sixties, the bubble was burst and shit ensued. Especially for my generation - while I DO think there is a bit of entitlement, I think part of the problem is that many of us were raised to be grown ups in a sturdier, financially better time than the one we're currently navigating adulthood in. And the events of 9/11 may have been the first major tragedy that was broadcast on what would essentially be known as social media. I mean, I got online that day, and a friend from London frantically IMed me the SECOND I logged on making sure I was okay. People on messageboards were asking after one another. You could read about it on the internet.
But it also probably made it harder to get away from.

. I'm definitely noticing that now, with Trump - it's all anyone's talking about. Including me much of the time. However, that makes it hard to want to watch FRIENDS or a goofy viral video about Llamas, you know? Although actually, I DO want to do those things, but I'm also a bit of an escapist that way.

I think people in general are becoming so divided that arguments are getting more and more biased, and it's definitely very present in young people. I mean, when I was young I probably wasn't much better than the teens and twenty-somethings on tumblr. I "knew everything" and everyone else was stupid, you know? ;) But what amazes me is how many people my age and older have also adopted this mentality where it's basically... "agree with me completely or you're a horrible person." So if the adults in their lives think that's okay, how are teens going to know? And I mean, I agree with the idea to a point, because yes, I DO think a lot of apologies have been made for shitty behavior... for way, way too long, honestly. Which is partly how we got Brexit in the UK and Trump here. Still, you can't only believe in freedom of expression as it applies to your exact mantra, you know?

... wow, lots of rambling back at you! :P