On Being a Grownup

I am so sick of "Young People" recently, I don't care if I never see another one.

Seriously. They are so stupid. And tiresome. And boring. And limited. And inexperienced. And ignorant. And arrogant. And clueless. And insufferable. And yet think they are just fucking All That.

Harrumph.

Allow me to illustrate, without naming names, because much as I wish it, I am not entirely anonymous...and I can't really afford the aggravation of this rebounding into my 'real' world.

Let's see, how can I put this tactfully...

I have been enjoying a fangirl crush on a young TV star for some time. I mostly enjoy it, but I have found myself feeling bad because the truth is, if I met this adorable creature, he would look right through me...me being "invisible" the way women become after 50.

Recognizing that fact isn't a happy place. So I suffered.

But then, by an interesting trick of fate, I was forced into the company of a person exactly the same age of my out-of-reach-fantasy-paramour, and found the experience so annoying, so exasperating, so irritating—that I was instantly cured of any desire to be within a country mile of my (albeit delicious) undoubtedly vexatious and irksome TV man-child.

Add to that a recent addiction to the reality show "Say Yes to the Dress" in which young brides-to-be repeatedly describe themselves (in the most tedious, insipid and conventional ways) as unique, exciting and unconventional—unlike all of their contemporaries—who describe themselves in precisely the same terms.

Sigh.

I'm not sure "unconventional" or "quirky" means what they think it means...

Hey, look, I remember. I did the same thing. And so did all my friends. We prided ourselves on being "different", "non-conformist", "weird", even as we were identical, conformist clones of each other, and everyone else our age.

I get it. I'm not saying they're worse than we were. I'm just saying, "God they're annoying!"*


Just as I'm sure we were to every adult within range.

But here's the thing I'm getting at:

I don't think I'm going to worry about "reaching the young" politically anymore. First, I can't stand them, so that's kind of a handicap. Second, I don't actually think they're important in the process. They're only important in their own minds...and in the minds of the the pop culture purveyors who continue to believe/pretend it's all about the young—mostly because they want to be young so badly.

The young mostly don't vote. They mostly don't have any money. And they're mostly way too self-involved to stick with an issue or candidate for the long haul.

The best thing we can do as grownups is fix the culture they live in so they will get the right messages and learn the right lessons.

True Fact: it's not yet up to them. It's still up to us, the adults in the room. And we can't allow ourselves to be caught up in the current "youth culture" to the extent that we forget it's wonderful to be adults...even at the cost of sags and wrinkles. They are marks of dignity and experience. We don't need to be "courting"** the young because they are the future.

No.

We need to be EDUCATING the youth because they are the future.

It's time we old folks took our rightful place in society again...as the wise leaders who've been around the block and know a thing or two about the world....things that the kiddies haven't got a clue about.

I have spent a goodly amount of time thinking of ways to "reach" young people. But I think most young people are probably hungry for someone who will speak truth to them with authority, with experience, with integrity, with pride and accomplishment. Someone they can look up to and respect.

Who's done that lately?

The Gunslinger
Enemy of the Imperial State (E.O.T.I.S.)
"I Will Not Comply"
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*Okay, I am also saying they're stupid. But the kind of stupid that can be cured with age and experience, it is to be hoped.

**UPDATE:  The expression I'm looking for is "Pandering to".  We Baby-Boomers have to grow the fuck up, and stop needing to be as "hip" as we once were....(or as "hip" as we thought we were) or as "hip" as we currently think kids are.


Do we really think kids are that hip...or do we just think so because THEY think so, and we're so enamored of youth we accept their judgment over our own good sense & discrimination?


This neediness is a cruelty to the kids. They find themselves mocking (justifiably) us or pitying our desperation to retain our youth & coolness, instead of being able to depend on our advice, wisdom, experience, judgement...and yes, even our discipline/criticism.


Not only are we acting like idiots, we are undermining our children...by trying to BE them, instead of the touchstones and foundations they need.


Our generation has fucked up so many things...let's at least try to get this one right while we still have a chance. 20-30 year-olds still have a lot to learn from their elders. Let's not let them down.