A decade is a long time

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Hippie!

No, no, Hipster.

There you go, it's the decade of the hipster. As defined on Cash Cab, a 20-something who listens to indie music and wears ironic t-shirts.

[innerSpaceman]

You may have a culturally-removed decade, but that will be followed by a culturally-immersed decade - as your child begins to really be influenced by and explore the then-current cultural milleau.

It all balances out.

[Alex]

Is being able to be easily summed up as a caricature for a theme party a sign of depth or shallowness?

But, in a point I believe I may have made in the other recent thread where we had this exact same discussion (apparently in deference to the fading memories of the elderly among us, we are putting conversations on a shorter repeat cycle), one essential component of the last 15 years that defines it while making it hard to define is that technological changes allowed for the complete fracturing of popular culture, which is what we all tend to use when it comes to the attaching shallow labels to an era (for example, to immediately set a movie in the late sixties a movie is going to play one of maybe a dozen songs).

Yes, everybody was different on the fringes but there were still only 3 TV networks so 100 million people watched the MASH conclusion and it was the same Top 40 nation wide so even if you were into something a little different you still couldn't help but consume it. Today's youth, though, I think will be way more fractured in the past without so many broad pop cultural reference points and that is itself very much a defining element of a new era. But it makes for an impossible theme party.

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by Alex

Yes, everybody was different on the fringes but there were still only 3 TV networks so 100 million people watched the MASH conclusion ... Today's youth, though, I think will be way more fractured in the past without so many broad pop cultural reference points and that is itself very much a defining element of a new era.

Could that be why (perhaps) the defining moment of the Millenio's is Nine Eleven (apart from, ya know, the way the political, wartime, and constitutional worlds were radically affected for years afterwards)?



And fractured or not, doesn't something in pop culture have to achieve some measure of big success for most people to catch on to it? It think there will always be those things that stand out via catching on. Lady Gaga comes to mind currently. Sarah Palin. Some things break through the clutter.

Originally Posted by Alex

But it makes for an impossible theme party.

I happen to think Nine Eleven has the makings of a wonderful theme party. But I'm notorious for offensively bad taste. (Not to be confused with me being a terrorist.)

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

I happen to think Nine Eleven has the makings of a wonderful theme party. But I'm notorious for offensively bad taste. (Not to be confused with me being a terrorist.)

I distinctly recall some displeasure expressed at the 9/11 theme when that idea was was being tossed around for a party.

9/11 theme is not one I can or would get upset about. I can't, I was one of the people who thought it would be sick, twisted and done.

I know country gets a bad rap around here, but Brad Paisley has a really good song that fits in here called Welcome to the Future. You can watch the video here. It's country-rock. I hope you guys will take a listen and really hear the lyrics.

If you can't bring yourself to watch one CM Video the lyrics are here.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I think Alex found the real root of the problem - fractured culture.

And mousepod is right - everything is derivative.

And yes, we've had this conversation before.

Originally Posted by SM

I don't understand why you think he's attacking/insulting anyone.

Really? Well if you don't see it then reposting his posts won't help. I've had enough of this anyway...

[SacTown Chronic]

Todd, the baby of the family, turned 12 last weekend. Let me tell you, Mother-to-be, a decade is a very short time in a parent's life. A very short time indeed. You'll find out soon enough.


But yeah, feels like I've known you people forever.

[lashbear]

I joined MP 10/10/2002 !

We'v got a great TV reality show at the moment called "Electric Dreams" where a family's house is 'reset' to 1970 and every day it's updated with new technology for that year, so Mon = 1971, tues = 1971, wed = 1972 etc. It's really very interesting watching the march of appliances and gadgets, as well as the size of the house, ensuites appearing etc.

Funniest quote so far - from sometime in the 80's - Father is trying to load a game onto a computer from a cassette-deck, and he says "so far, I've spent 4 years trying to get this to work..."

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by lashbear

I joined MP 10/10/2002 !

We'v got a great TV reality show at the moment called "Electric Dreams" where a family's house is 'reset' to 1970 and every day it's updated with new technology for that year, so Mon = 1971, tues = 1971, wed = 1972 etc. It's really very interesting watching the march of appliances and gadgets, as well as the size of the house, ensuites appearing etc.

Funniest quote so far - from sometime in the 80's - Father is trying to load a game onto a computer from a cassette-deck, and he says "so far, I've spent 4 years trying to get this to work..."

That sounds like a reality show I could watch.

[Gemini Cricket]

I joined MP on 05-23-2001.
I just looked it up.
Haven't been online there in a long time...