Ironic City

Let me start off by saying that I'm only 32. I'm a woman in my prime. It's not too loud and I'm not too old. But what I'm about to say sounds like something that would come from the crotchety old man across the street. I just don't get these kids today.

I was part of "Generation X", and although I never really liked that title, (mainly because older people thought we were all like those idiots in Reality Bites) I still understood what our generation was supposed to be about. We were rebelling against the Baby Boom generation, who became the "Me Generation" in the '80s, after switching from wanting to buy the world a Coke to buying themselves status symbols. Most sources define Generation X-ers as those born between 1965-1975, and those whose adolescence was shaped by the '80s. We were all about big hair, leg warmers, rollerskating, jelly shoes and finding out where the damn beef was. It was a weird time, with weird (but great) music, and it was all ours.

After us, kids born between 1976-1983 or so were dubbed "Generation Y". Why? Who knows. No one could think of a more clever name, I suppose. Gen Y kids are usually too young to remember the really best parts of the '80s, before its excesses nearly swallowed us whole. They might remember Poison, but not Gary Numan. They know Bill and Ted, but not Farmer Ted. However, these kids were right there when hair bands were destroyed by grunge. They were there for the return of real rock 'n roll. They were there for the best technological advancements - CD players, cell phones and PCs to name a few. But even though they had a lot going on, their parents started to reminisce about the old days, and '60s and '70s culture started to be reintroduced into society. The Gen Y kids started to bridge the gap between the future and the past. They wore bellbottoms with Nirvana T-shirts. College kids had CD collections full of Dylan, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin mixed with Dave Matthews Band and Sheryl Crow. They had their own style, but borrowed some elements from previous generations. It was a nice mix.

I don't know what to call those who were born from 1984-1990, but I'm sure I can come up with something better than Generation Z. Possibly the Lost Generation or the Ironic Age. These kids have nothing worthwhile of their own, so they are compelled to latch on to whatever was "cool" back in the day. And what's worse is that they really think what we liked in the '70s and the '80s was lame, but suddenly it's become cool to like whatever is uncool. As I said, it's the age of irony. Geeks are now chic. Bands at frat parties cover Neil Diamond songs. Sitcoms that our generation finally got rid of, like "Diff'rent Strokes", "Full House" and "The Nanny", are suddenly all the rage.

I'm tired of these little morons stealing my memories and trying to make them part of their generation. If they really like '80s music, movies and fashion, that's great. I have no problem with that. But I don't appreciate when they mock our generation in order to make themselves look cooler. And I am a huge fan of sarcasm. But when someone feels the need to ridicule absolutely everything, even that which they ostensibly enjoy, in an effort to achieve that tragically hip status...they really come off as being just plain tragic. But I guess that's the ultimate irony, now isn't it?

(Disclaimer - the above was a generalization. I know that not everyone in the 15-21 age bracket will fit this description. I know several younger folks who aren't like this, but admit that this kind of attitude permeates their generation.)