![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Fall 2011, a.k.a. the season of crazy fashion time traveling. All images courtesy of Style.com
This debate of whether we really are a culture devoid of original content was brought up when I read an article on the demise of the hipster. Though it isn't fair to say hipsters are always the determinants of modern culture, the article did make its point: history as we know it is moving backwards. While we may think the new Kayne/Jay-Z duo is as fresh as it gets, the whole groundwork for "Otis" relies on Al Green's 1972 hit. This isn't just in music--every genre of mass media I can draw up pays homage to the old legends. Even what we deem as authentic is a reference of a reference.
Now let me just clear up the air--I am not against nor for reminiscence. Our distinct generation has to admit that most of the media we're exposed to is reworked. Simply being aware of this can create dialogue and encourage, or discourage, people from creating a truly authentic culture of our own.
The first step to recovery is admitting that we, as a generation, have an addiction. We're desperate for our cultural past and practically demand it. Shrewd companies have caught on and are giving consumers what they want. Nickelodeon plans on syndicating reruns of cartoons and sitcoms from our glorious '90s, and 8-bit culture is on the rise once again. As a rewrite culture that loves to create mashups and parodies, I don't see this changing anytime soon. We may just be an entire generation with a serious case of Peter Pan syndrome.
Anyone else feeling a little bit of deja vu?
John Kim
Editor-in-Chief
Feed | Email | BlogLovin' | Facebook | Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment