Posted on 09/14/2005 9:05:10 AM PDT by Millee
I am 40 years old. I don't know how that happened. But here I am.
People my age don't have a lot in common. That is, most generations share a common experience or cultural phenomenon during those magic years from adolescence to early adulthood. Those of us who grew up in the'70s didn't really have any bonding experience.
The generation before mine had the Vietnam War, the civil-rights movement, the Beatles. The generation before that had the Cold War and Elvis. Before that, World War II and Sinatra. Before that, the Depression. People had their impressions of those experiences from their own vantage point.
By contrast, for kids in the'70s and early'80s, life was pretty easy; no war, no civil unrest. The biggest threat to the American way was disco, and we shouldn't forget what a serious threat that was or how many lost their dignity and hair styles in that battle. The outrageous inflation, interest rates and gas prices of the Carter years were your folks' problem, not yours. There were few hardships. And because of that there were fewer shared experiences. There is not a lot that connects my generation together.
We don't run the risk of being called the greatest generation in history. While it would be wrong to label us the TV generation, it would be accurate to call us the rerun generation. In the days before 100 channels of cable, we had four TV channels and rabbit ears on top of the box. And after school we watched re Clampet? Mary Ann. Mary Ann or Jeannie? Jeannie.
Jeannie or Samantha? Let's see, here. One comes with serious mother-in-law issues. The other runs around the house in her lingerie, calls you master, wants to grant all your wishes, and when you get tired of her you can put her in a bottle. Yep, tough choice.
I would, rather embarrassingly, argue that the most shared cultural experience for 40-year-olds is old "Star Trek." We all know the Vulcan neck pinch. If Kirk, Spock, Bones and some security guard in a red shirt beamed down to a planet, we all know which one is going to get blasted. We all know who will pronounce that the red shirt is dead, and how he'll say it. (And we get it Bones, you're a doctor not a bricklayer.) And we all know which one is going to get it on with the hot alien girl.
I'm not proud that nearly everyone my age can mouth every line to every "Star Trek" re run, even the one in whichSpock gets to wear the goatee. But at least it is something.
My generation has many of those shared icons. My sense is that younger generations may have many more icons, but they are not shared. My father's generation had only a few media outlets. Everyone in America stopped to listen to Uncle Milty on radio. Not what you call a lot of variety, but the whole country knew Milton Berle.
My generation had more outlets, but with only a few TV stations, Dick Van Dyke and Brady Bunch re runs were known to all, and gave us some shared reference in entertainment.
Today the outlets for media are customizable; hundreds of channels catering to every varying taste. TIVO and I-Pods now allow individuals to become their own station programmers. A million different kids can be watching and listening to a million different things at the same time. This is a terrific thing, but will there again be a shared cultural experience? Recently James Doohan, Scotty on "Star Trek," Bob Denver, better known as Gilligan, passed away. These icons from our childhood are just the beginning of what will be an avalanche of old TV, movie and rock music names that we will soon be saying goodbye to.
When they all go, they may be the last entertainment icons shared by an entire country.
I just turned 41 myself.
Those from that gen have Jimmy Carter to bond with?
I am scared of bunnies. LOL
How true that is.... Gee, ya mean the whole family wont be gathering around the plasma tube 15 years from now watching over and over again the classic "Snoop Dogg's Christmas Special from Rikers Island?"
(43)
SNL, the original stuff with John B and Dan A.
We also had the Iran hostage deal.
Dan Akroid and Jane Curtain were the best.
"Jane you ingorant s**t".
Especially Aqua Net! You could ride a roller coaster during a hurricane & narry a hair would be out of place. Still had to carry a comb in the back pocket of my levi's though. : )
Study Hef and his empire.....Hef loved them bunnies and still does...he made a good penny with all those gorgeous bunnies plus kept in shapechasing them....ya just got to remember to show up at the office and always keep an eagle eye out for the buzzrds. LOL!
> Those from that gen have Jimmy Carter to bond with?
Inflation, disco and drugs. Polyester. Our long national nightmare.
What a decade. I spent the 70s hiking and skiing the in Green Mountains.
That's better than all of the other "shared experiences" the author cites put together. ;)
I remember my high school days. Mondays everybody would be doing their recreations of the latest SNL skits, especially after one Steve Martin hosted.
Remember waiting all week for Saturday morning cartoons?
No longer a special thing, now that cartoons are 24-7...
Definately! Tarzan, Isis, Sigmond & the Seamonsters, Hong-Kong Phooey, Land of the Lost (I was terrified of the Sleestacks). Good memories!
Cutting edge Gen X bump
70's & Disco - oh yes, I was the roller skating queen in the 70's... those were the good ol days.
My boys laugh when they see pictures of me in the 80's. Big hair, GOBS of make-up, funky clothes.... Oh if they could only understand how great it was....
Those of us in the Vietnam generation are divided by our common experience.
That's a joke, son.
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