You know this damn younger generation, this group of young “whippersnappers?” They just don’t behave themselves, do they? What has happened? The country is going to hell in a hand-basket, I say!
As I look out upon the world today, I can see that in my days, the ’60s and ’70s, things were certainly a heck of a lot different–and better! I sit here pondering my youth and just know that we did not behave the way these younger people do today.
How about the outfits that these kids are wearing? Have you ever seen anything as awful as those pants with the butt down around their knees and their underwear showing? How about those tops on the girls with the bellies “muffin-topped” over those jeans? How the heck do they get those jeans on anyway? Do they paint them on?
In our day, we wore great stuff like ratty, raggedy and torn bell-bottom jeans with tie-dyed tee shirts. And, hey, our young women were sporting peasant tops with no bras. Our hair sprouted every which way and our beards were let to grow ad infinitum. Now that was style!
And, what about the young people’s cars today? What is it with the special wheel covers and the music so loud it vibrates your car when you are stopped in front of them? They sit inside and are connected to cell phones, ear phones and energy drinks!
In our day we had cars and vans with rust holes in the sides. But, hey! The holes were at least turned into psychedelic flowers with day-glow paint! We played our own guitars and bounced on tambourines as we group-hauled ourselves to concerts and “love ins.” Was that a beer in my hand and a fifth of bourbon in your jacket?
Now there is all the new techno-stuff that young people seem to just not be able to do without. The iPods, iPhones, cell phones, U-phones and me-phones; Twitters, jitters, and juice boxes. What’s the deal with this?
In our day, we hauled boom boxes on our shoulders and carried our collection of eight-track tapes around in milk crates. Radios had six volts and stereo was achieved by placing one to each side of our heads. Cars were left to idle and group-tuned to the rock and roll station so we could dance in parking lots and empty fields.
As I look at things this way, there really isn’t a whole lot of difference in the young kids of today and my older and oh-so-much-cooler generation. The toys and the togs are different, but youth will be youth!
There is one thing, though, that I WILL NOT CONCEDE. The music of my generation–good old rock and roll–will never be topped!
The kids of today haven’t a clue what real music with a solid downbeat and great lyrics sounds like. They just don’t have the kind of music that gets into your soul and makes your body just have to move and your heart soar.
Thank goodness they have re-mastered all those great tunes! Hey, that’s what CDs, DVDs and MP3 players are really good for, huh?
Robin Korth
www.insightsonaging.com
