I was thumbing through the paper today when I noticed a story about a 16 year-old that works at Publix. Apparently, the young man found a purse and turned it in. Turns out it had $3,000 in it. The story took me back to a time and place when I work at the very same Publix and I was a fresh faced 16 year old myself. Today, I’m using phrases like “young man” to describe other people and dreading my impending 10 year high school reunion. How quickly things have changed!
This story made me wonder if I am the same person I was at 16. Then, I would have gladly and dutifully taken the purse inside to the store manager. In fact, during my tenure as a “Front Service Personnel” I refused to take tips, despite the fact all the other kids did just that. In my late 20s, I have a sneaking suspicion I wouldn’t follow in this young man’s footsteps. Of course I would never take the purse or its contents, but I think I would be a little more suspicious of others. I would have to wonder if the manager of Publix is trustworthy enough to turn the purse over to its rightful owner. I’m sad to say even a small part of me would be afraid to pick up a strange purse, especially in this age of heightened security.
What went wrong? The mid-90s seem like yesterday when I viewed the world with the wide-eyed abandoned. Those were the days when smoking was frowned on, but not yet illegal. Fashion was an even playing field since all the grunge kids shopped at thrift stores. I’m sorry to admit I wore my share of summer flannel. Amazingly, in just over a decade, the world is a very different place.
Would anyone honestly believe that in 2004 we’d have another Bush in the White House, gay television would be all the rage and St. Augustine would have a Hooters? Back then, cellular phones where only found in luxury cars and were laughably humongous by today’s standards. The Internet was an exclusive club that required an M.I.T. degree or government clearance to access. Today, we casually email each other from our pocket phones.
Then again, things aren’t so different. We have another Bush in the White House. We’re back in Iraq. The economy has tanked. All the new bands on MTV are doing their best Kurt Cobain impression. At this rate, its only a matter of time Before Chumbawamba and raves make a comeback. It finally dawned on me that I was the one who did all the changing.
I think it happens to the best of us. One day you realize you’re watching more VH-1 and drinking more Starbucks. Chances are, this will hit you in the parking lot of a Bed Bath and Beyond or while your trying to think outside of the box at a staff meeting. On this day, I realized I have become everything I once hated. Just like the Hippies who abandoned their culture to become the Yuppies of the 80s, my Generation-X counterparts are the people who always have a cell phone in their ear while staring into a laptop. Perhaps we are not yet the captains of industry that our baby boomer parents where, but we’re on our way to declaring Jihad on our counter culture movement.
Where are the slackers? Nirvana had a tragic end and Beck seems to have resorted to writing easy listening music. Even Alanis doesn’t sound all that angry anymore. Is this the fate of every generation? Our anthems are now the fodder of Gap muzak. At 16, we didn’t dream of flying cars and electronic pets (which we now have). Instead, we dreamed of a world were the radio played something other than pop and we didn’t have to wear ties to work. What we got was casual Fridays and Nu metal. This is definitely not what Gen-X had in mind.
Maybe we asked for this? At what point does “alternative” cease being alternative? Abercrombie And Fitch’s latest line of clothes makes the grunge fashion of my youth look downright respectable. Compared to 90% of today’s hits, Rage Against the Machine sounds pretty harmonious. Did the Gen-X slackerdom usher in this new era of lackidasical enlightenment? If it wasn’t for “Beavis and Butthead”, then guys like Johnny Knoxville would be asking customers if they “want fries with that” instead of inking million dollar deals. We all have the original “Real World” to thank for the 8,567 reality TV shows on today.
I guess I could apologize for what has happen to society. I feel partly to blame. Just as our parents gave the world a peace movement and then went about the business of conforming, my generation left fashion a little sloppier, we took television to all new level of stupid and we made screaming into the microphone the preferred way of teenage angst expression. Really, there’s no need to apologize. No more than the Hippies should have to apologize for patchouli and tie-die. When the sloppy clothes and loud music of my generation made its début 10 years ago, it was a movement that had a soul.
If you unplugged Linkin Park's instruments, their music would lack 1/100th of the sincerity of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance. Kids today dress just as poorly as my generation did. The main difference is they pay through the nose for their threadbare fashion. Our fashion statements came from our own creativity and not a corporate sweatshop. We stood up to conformist who said you must have a job, a nice car and a mortgage to be happy. 10 years later, too many of my contemporaries are signing on the dotted line to own the things they once despised, on credit no less.
Sure, we are mostly hypocrites who talked a good game about dropping out of society. In truth, our pledge wasn’t all that different than our parent’s generation. I have no doubts the Baby Boomers looked at Generation-X and laughed at what music we considered groundbreaking or what causes we considered worth fighting for. Mainly, we just fought to wear what we wanted and listen to our angry music and watch our stupid television shows. A decade later, society has finally caught up with us and our desires, beliefs and cares have changed. We have changed.
Maybe I’m just a bitter old man. Judging from MTV, nobody worth listening to is over 25. If you are a teenager and you have read this far, then take some advice that the older generation never gave us. Treasure every day of your youth and stand for what you believe in. Most importantly, enjoy this period in your life. Trust me, you don’t wake up one day and decide to assimilate. Instead, the world’s expectations are whispered in your ear until you give up the fight. It is only a matter of time before your music moves to VH-1 and you have to take the tongue ring out to get a decent job. The adult world isn’t total misery. I’m actually looking forward to “I Love the 90s” and flannel making the inevitable comeback. You might not understand what I’m talking about, but by the time it makes sense, it will already be too late.
This story made me wonder if I am the same person I was at 16. Then, I would have gladly and dutifully taken the purse inside to the store manager. In fact, during my tenure as a “Front Service Personnel” I refused to take tips, despite the fact all the other kids did just that. In my late 20s, I have a sneaking suspicion I wouldn’t follow in this young man’s footsteps. Of course I would never take the purse or its contents, but I think I would be a little more suspicious of others. I would have to wonder if the manager of Publix is trustworthy enough to turn the purse over to its rightful owner. I’m sad to say even a small part of me would be afraid to pick up a strange purse, especially in this age of heightened security.
What went wrong? The mid-90s seem like yesterday when I viewed the world with the wide-eyed abandoned. Those were the days when smoking was frowned on, but not yet illegal. Fashion was an even playing field since all the grunge kids shopped at thrift stores. I’m sorry to admit I wore my share of summer flannel. Amazingly, in just over a decade, the world is a very different place.
Would anyone honestly believe that in 2004 we’d have another Bush in the White House, gay television would be all the rage and St. Augustine would have a Hooters? Back then, cellular phones where only found in luxury cars and were laughably humongous by today’s standards. The Internet was an exclusive club that required an M.I.T. degree or government clearance to access. Today, we casually email each other from our pocket phones.
Then again, things aren’t so different. We have another Bush in the White House. We’re back in Iraq. The economy has tanked. All the new bands on MTV are doing their best Kurt Cobain impression. At this rate, its only a matter of time Before Chumbawamba and raves make a comeback. It finally dawned on me that I was the one who did all the changing.
I think it happens to the best of us. One day you realize you’re watching more VH-1 and drinking more Starbucks. Chances are, this will hit you in the parking lot of a Bed Bath and Beyond or while your trying to think outside of the box at a staff meeting. On this day, I realized I have become everything I once hated. Just like the Hippies who abandoned their culture to become the Yuppies of the 80s, my Generation-X counterparts are the people who always have a cell phone in their ear while staring into a laptop. Perhaps we are not yet the captains of industry that our baby boomer parents where, but we’re on our way to declaring Jihad on our counter culture movement.
Where are the slackers? Nirvana had a tragic end and Beck seems to have resorted to writing easy listening music. Even Alanis doesn’t sound all that angry anymore. Is this the fate of every generation? Our anthems are now the fodder of Gap muzak. At 16, we didn’t dream of flying cars and electronic pets (which we now have). Instead, we dreamed of a world were the radio played something other than pop and we didn’t have to wear ties to work. What we got was casual Fridays and Nu metal. This is definitely not what Gen-X had in mind.
Maybe we asked for this? At what point does “alternative” cease being alternative? Abercrombie And Fitch’s latest line of clothes makes the grunge fashion of my youth look downright respectable. Compared to 90% of today’s hits, Rage Against the Machine sounds pretty harmonious. Did the Gen-X slackerdom usher in this new era of lackidasical enlightenment? If it wasn’t for “Beavis and Butthead”, then guys like Johnny Knoxville would be asking customers if they “want fries with that” instead of inking million dollar deals. We all have the original “Real World” to thank for the 8,567 reality TV shows on today.
I guess I could apologize for what has happen to society. I feel partly to blame. Just as our parents gave the world a peace movement and then went about the business of conforming, my generation left fashion a little sloppier, we took television to all new level of stupid and we made screaming into the microphone the preferred way of teenage angst expression. Really, there’s no need to apologize. No more than the Hippies should have to apologize for patchouli and tie-die. When the sloppy clothes and loud music of my generation made its début 10 years ago, it was a movement that had a soul.
If you unplugged Linkin Park's instruments, their music would lack 1/100th of the sincerity of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance. Kids today dress just as poorly as my generation did. The main difference is they pay through the nose for their threadbare fashion. Our fashion statements came from our own creativity and not a corporate sweatshop. We stood up to conformist who said you must have a job, a nice car and a mortgage to be happy. 10 years later, too many of my contemporaries are signing on the dotted line to own the things they once despised, on credit no less.
Sure, we are mostly hypocrites who talked a good game about dropping out of society. In truth, our pledge wasn’t all that different than our parent’s generation. I have no doubts the Baby Boomers looked at Generation-X and laughed at what music we considered groundbreaking or what causes we considered worth fighting for. Mainly, we just fought to wear what we wanted and listen to our angry music and watch our stupid television shows. A decade later, society has finally caught up with us and our desires, beliefs and cares have changed. We have changed.
Maybe I’m just a bitter old man. Judging from MTV, nobody worth listening to is over 25. If you are a teenager and you have read this far, then take some advice that the older generation never gave us. Treasure every day of your youth and stand for what you believe in. Most importantly, enjoy this period in your life. Trust me, you don’t wake up one day and decide to assimilate. Instead, the world’s expectations are whispered in your ear until you give up the fight. It is only a matter of time before your music moves to VH-1 and you have to take the tongue ring out to get a decent job. The adult world isn’t total misery. I’m actually looking forward to “I Love the 90s” and flannel making the inevitable comeback. You might not understand what I’m talking about, but by the time it makes sense, it will already be too late.
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