For a couple of years now I've been trying to figure out the difference between my generation and the generation of kids about 5 years younger than me. They seem so much more digital, but then again I feel just as wired as them...if I wanted to be. Seriously, I have no issues in navigating the technology of the day. But there seems to be a divide. I'm starting to realize that my birth cohort is really when a generation ends. The next few years are a muddle and then the new generation begins, like I said around 5 years later. Now, there's something about the new generation that's always fascinated me. It's as if they really like each other. I mean, they become fast friends with people they meet on the internet, they're full of life-affirming quotes and ideas and they are always trying to buck each other up. It's a very positive generation, almost to the point of nausea. Seriously, this generation tries to gather in as many friends as possible, they don't like mean people, they approve of everyone no matter how strange or odd they are. This is how the nerd is now king.
It's not like I'm that old or so separated from them in years. However, my wife just kissed me (she defiantly said "Blog that!) So I blogged it. Anyway, my year seemed to be the last year that, well, seemed really pissed but couldn't care less about making things better. We didn't try to like each other. We alienated one another. We refused to accept each other. We liked being lonely and angry. It was wonderful. There was nothing better thn to go home and sit in the dark with some grunge/post-grunge throbbing feeling angry at your horrible, boring suburban life. You had a couple of friends that you connected with and hated everyone else. It was quite the life. Really American, honestly. These new kids all seem to have this European inclusive sensibility. I just was struck by this while looking at the latest clips that Josh has on his blog, specifically the Pavement video. Malkmus just doesn't care. He can rip off a solo, but his body language expresses placidity with a boiling rage of anomie under the surface. It's like all the kids at school. We were all bitter, jaded and angry but we didn't know what we were mad at, but we knew that friendship and companionship we're not the answer. Notice the difference between bands then and bands now. Look at Weezer, Possum Dixon and Pavement. These were normal normal people that dressed bad, weren't exceptionally good looking, but jsut played loud angry weird music. Now look at the people who play indie music now. I like indie, I do. But it's so intended artsy. They try to be artsy, with their fashion sense, with their beautiful hair, with everything in it's right place. No one looks just like a schmo like Pavement or Possum Dixon. Why can't people who dress rotten and look boring be indie? Where are these people? Why isn't anyone mad at each other any more? Why does everyone try to be nice? It's like I don't know how to function with the younger ones because they don't enjoy the cold biting cynicism that I cherish. I try to tell myself that underneath all that joy happiness and love love, the same anger exists, but it's amplified a hundred times because they try to cove rit with happy happy joy joy. Then again, they never melt down. People like Melissa Homer (Charles and Eric's love who I hated because of her sunny personality. She was in one of my classes and would always ask me why I was so sad, and I give responses like "Everything sucks. This world is terrible" just to see if I could break the sunny facade) or Seth the Peruvian who invited me to Friendster it up. I couldn't. It just doesn't work like that! Except it does. For Generation Happy Happy Joy Joy which seems like they are really going to make a go of spreading their happy happy message without the ugly trappings of the 60s. Go get 'em tigers. I'll make fun of you from the sidelines as you bring about world peaces while I listen to Pavement.
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