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Read this if you're new (or bored...).
2004-08-05 - 11:18 a.m.
Normal -- the next generation
You know, my mom is really funny sometimes. And it's funny ha-ha, in a way, although I really can't laugh without explaining why, and I know I can't explain why without causing serious trouble. See, she always says how it's a shame kids aren't allowed to be normal, how every kid is either "gifted" or "special needs", that no one is allowed to be in between. That kids are pressured to be either be the best or not bother. And I have to bite down a laugh, because I can't remember a time when I was encouraged to be "normal." I was supposedly capable of more, had more potential. That means, if I don't acheive, it's because I'm lazy, or inconsiderate, or -- my favorite -- addicted to something harmful (like, I dunno, reading books, or commuincating with friends. I'm not joking). I grew up with "There's no excuse" as the keywords to any lecture. There's no excuse for me to legitimately forget or mishear a request to do something. There's no excuse for me to get less than an A, A- if I really struggle. There's no excuse for misbehavior (BTW, recent science has shown that, for young kids, "I don't know" really *is* the reason they do stupid stuff -- their judgement hasn't grown in yet, so they do stupid things for the hell of it). And I internalized that. "There's no excuse" for a supposedly brilliant student to have a 3.3 GPA -- so I'm either not that smart, or I'm lazy. "There's no excuse" for a nice person not to have friends ("be yourself and people will like you for who you are"?), so either I wasn't that nice or I wasn't trying hard enough. "I'm human" is not an excuse. Forget "I'm normal." Let's face it, though. Normal doesn't exist. Everyone has something about him or her that makes him or her a freak. And if you find a person who doesn't, they are so unique that they *are* freakish in their normalcy. Which isn't normal. The mind boggles. So I'm at work, readng this book about the "Millenial Generation," which apparently is the name "they" have finally settled on for people born between 1982 and 2002 (although the latter date may change; generations are built on culture more than numbers, you see). So yeah, I'm learning about my generation (and let me take the time here to point out that my class, not the much-celebrated Class of 2000, was the *real* first class of the new millenium. So there). And it seems we're *all* high-acheivers, who are team-oriented and civic minded and trust authority. Right. Now, there's defintely a shift toward the conservative, but is that really a great thing? Sure, we don't have the drug and free-love culture of the Boomers, but there's enough beer, pot, and hooking up to go around. And we don't have the unrest, the outrage to go with it. We toke up, get laid -- then go help Bush get re-elected. And thanks in part to the Boomers and Gen-Xers, there's a residual attitude of selfishness -- so if I go to the gay-rights rally, I must be a lesbian. Otherwise, what's in it for me? Nothing; I'm a liberal-guilt poseur. My long hair is good, not because it reflects hippie-freedom, but because it signifies femininity, which in turn suggests a return to old-school family values -- which then suggests that I look forward to staying at home with my kids, teaching them that anyone who doesn't beleive in Jesus (and by corrolary, all those who don't hate family planning, premarital sex, gay marriage, and the right of women to be as sexually callous as the stereotypical man without being labled a slut) is going to hell. Supposedly, Barney and his group-friendly mentality usurped Sesame Street's throne as the Ultimate Kid's Show. This was explained as happening because Barney teaches teamwork and how everyone is *equally* special, while Sesame Street teaches diversity and how everyone is *individally* special. I'm sorry, but the reality is, Barney maintained good music while Sesame Street screwed over its classic songs and made half of each episode into "The Elmo Show." Give the guy a spinoff and bring back the old regulars who are still around but don't get much screen time: Luis, Maria, and Gabby; Susan, Gordon, and Miles; Linda and Barkley (I miss Barkley); Oscar and Telly defending their disctinct brands of pessimism while the elephant watched (and how did he get that elepahnt into the trash can? Was that ever explained?). There were characters with stories that you cared about, even as a kid (I still remember Luis and Maria's wedding, but Mr. Hooper's death was a bit before my time). Barney... he's not entertaining, except for *maybe* the music, and the kids are all 12 and playing first graders. Bah, I say. At least on Sesame Street, 12-year olds played 12-year olds, and little kids were played by little kids (they just didn't get as much screen time -- or need it, thanks to compelling older characters). Anyway, I both accept and resent that my generation is so group-oriented. You know, on The Wonder Years, Kevin had one best friend and one childhood sweetheart. Now everyone needs a group. I have one now, but in high school, never. And it's true -- you need one. You're a non-entity (if you don't stand out) or a caricature (if you do), otherwise. "Best years of my life" my pale loner ass. So, now for the question portion of our program. Am I supposed to acheive more and more just to keep up? I'm overloaded as it is, and I'm still told it's not enough -- I need still more activities, and I need to do better at the ones I have now. But only if I maintain a 4.0 this semester. And while I do all of that, I need to conform to the social setup of my group. Is it even possible? Should it be? Why can't I have unrest, even indignation? Why can't I have an occasional beer without being booted from the teetotaler wunderkind of my generation, leaving me among the "bas seeds" that other generations supposedly expect me to be? Why can't I be intimate with the person I love without abandoning the "virginity is cool" bright-eyed optimists, leaving me with only the "hookup culture" to turn to? Where have all the moderates gone? Why can't a moderate be scoally active? When did "extraordinary" become the new normal, and why is it that I can't manage to be either? And how on God's green earth am I supposed to compete with my generational fellows, who are just like me -- but better at it? You know the drill. I need some answers.
EDIT: Just one note, and if you don't understand it, don't worry about it. I don't know who from sluggy.net reads this thing, but Janny (and readers of Janny), it was I that wrote that first anonymous repsonse to the "anonymous response meme." Feel free to post in my guestbook -- even anonymously ;) -- if you read this thing.
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