To The Young : Time is the Avenger

After having been at the receiving end of some blanket-ageism from some younger musicians who seem to have adopted the tired, antiquated "kill your heroes" and "never trust old people" mentality and creating this pseudoelitist hipster douchebag microcosm that is a stain on what could be a more thriving scene, I issue this statement:

To the young, wild and free ones,

The ideology of rebelling and being indignant to everyone over 30 is not a new concept.

You did not invent it.

It is not "original".

The cleverness has been exhausted.

And you should acknowledge with great relief and appreciation that right now you are growing up in a time where metalheads and punks with piercings and tattoos are now grandparents, most with the same attitudes and youthful spirits as they had when they were your age. The "old people" of 20 years ago are not the "old people" of today.

Time is terribly, painfully short on this planet.

Stop being dicks to people who would otherwise be your allies, and be mindful of who you make your enemy. You might not be all that different. In fact, in this day and age where everyone from Generation X down has a common enemy in the "boomer" generation still holding onto the last bit of control and power, still forcing their antiquated ideologies into society and politics. There are some my age (and sadly, younger) that are carrying forward the outdated mindsets of their parents, but many have took their own path. Some of us learned from the previous generations' mistakes or moral failures and are trying it differently. You need to recognize this. While you're out there playing obstinate little brother/sister to folks 10, 15 or even 20 years your senior like they're "out-of-touch old people", the people your grandparents' age are having a blast taking the piss out of both of your age groups.

So stop it.

As someone who was born in the year of "punk", and who came of age in punk's second coming in the 90's, I know what the angst of youth is. You don't have to tell me. We had similar struggles. The key difference is you younger folks today actually have an elder generation who's on your side, and who can help by being an ally when it comes to social issues, mental health concerns, political strife, you name it. We have felt those feelings, and we can be a good support network instead of butting heads over stupid things or because of some imaginary boundary erected by a few more rotations around the sun.

When I was growing up, I'm most certain I had classmates who had ADHD, or some form of autism, but unlike today, where we diagnose and treat these different abilities, back when I was a kid (and even a young adult), those were the "problem" kids. The "slow" kids. The "retarded" kids. Or the "broken" kids. Nowadays we have the means and the know-how to deal with these things, and kids are not just cast aside into remedial classes or disciplinary facilities indiscriminately. That, to me, is a magnificent step in the right direction. Still not a "perfect" system, as some kids do still get left behind, misdiagnosed or simply you have parents who don't take the initiative to have their kids assessed and treated. But largely, we have come a LONG way with this.

And not just developmental issues, but mental health in general has taken a much higher priority rung in the ladder under our watch. Instead of simply doping-up someone and calling it a day, doctors and therapists take a more responsible, logical approach to diagnosing and treating mental health issues. There are ways to help folks with depression, anxiety and other debilitating conditions that our boomer predecessors either couldn't, or WOULDN'T, implement, whether based on lack of knowledge, or simply (as that generation's known for) the "disbelief" of certain conditions. And in today's sociopolitical atmosphere, this is a NECESSITY.

I have some dear friends who stayed closeted throughout school and some time after because we did not have the fortune of a supportive older generation when it came to matters of sexuality, be it sexual orientation or gender identity. These days you have almost infinite resources, not just of information to assure you that you are not "abnormal", but also resources for support never available to those before you. You have allies. Sure, you still have opposition from the dinosaurs, but look at the social topography of the last 25 years. Aside from the Cold War holdouts and "get off my lawn" generation, and some of their sheltered/closeted offspring, there are far more people these days, by comparison who are not intolerant bigots when it comes to homosexuality, transgender identities or any other hot-button sexual issues. We still have a ways to go, but we've made progress, and as the dinosaurs die out, it will continue to get better. Back in the 90's, there was no internet. No support groups. No outlets. People who fell outside the conservative "norm" had to seek out secret underground communities and clubs where they could be themselves. Nowadays I am very proud to see that it's different for young people, and I'm proud to be a part of the generation that finally helped not only nudge our younger "brothers and sisters" into feeling more comfortable than our generation when it came to such things, but also proud to be the first generation to stand WITH folks outside the mainstream "norms" and say "screw the old false pretense of normality". I wish some of my friends could've had warm, open-armed communities that would've embraced them when we were young. Only in the past decade or so have some of my friends, now in their 40's, felt it's "safe enough" to not keep remaining in the shadows regarding who they really are. Some of them didn't even come out to their closest friends, because they just didn't know how it'd be taken. I'm glad that they, unlike previous generations, do not have to go their entire lives in hiding, but still, I know they envy LGBTQ youth today in that regard, because even though we're still not where we SHOULD be on this topic, we're a lot closer than even a few years ago, and that's awesome. It wasn't the "boomer" generation that opened that door, it was our "slacker generation", bemused and repulsed by what we saw wrong with the boomer generation, who said "enough".

And don't forget the music.

Yes, the music. That which brought us to this subject to begin with. While some of the greatest popular music in history has been made by the "boomer" generation, the artists, unfortunately, do not represent their larger demographic. However, it's the next generation who came along and elevated now-legendary artists and bands not only in real-time, but through homage and accolades even to this day. And Gen-X-ers are the ones who took those seeds planted and also began crafting their own art from the roots of the legends. Every single artist that has become world-renowned in the past 35 years has largely had Gen-X-ers to thank. We were the generation that grew up during the time when MTV actually played---hard to believe it---MUSIC, and we were the ones watching as music shifted in the early-90's to the "grunge" era, which opened the door to every alternative, metal, rock and new-punk act to follow even to this day. You might not know, or you might not like it, but your indie-acoustic-pop-emo-punk-core (or whatever silly sub-genre name fits whatever obscure stuff you listen to) would not be here if not for Fall Out Boy, who wouldn't be here without Green Day, who wouldn't be here without the Replacements, who wouldn't be here without Cheap Trick, who wouldn't be here without the Beatles...it's all a chain of influences. Gen-X-ers aren't going to always get your screamo crap, or your whiny slit-my-wrists music, but at least we'll let you have it without dismissing it as an art-form altogether like the boomers did a lot of our music (and still do).

So you've got it pretty good there, kiddos. You have "cool older sibling types" in us Gen-X-ers, and you should be thankful. Because when we're old, you're gonna' be middle-aged like we are now, and let's hope and pray your kids have it even better than you. And they should, if we, and you, do our jobs right.

In the meantime, don't be an ageist simply because you think you're some kind of "original rebel". You're not. Hell, WE aren't either. The REAL "rebels", actually, were the ones that STOOD OUT in the boomer generation. The rest of us are watered-down versions. There will never be another Link Wray, or Rolling Stones, or The Who, or the Sex Pistols, or the Cure. Ever. Music has become so contrived and predictable in some places and so "try-hard" in others (where people purposely try to be weird or complex "just because") that it's lost the most important things: HEART. CONTENT.

Unfortunately, post-Gen-X-ers have a uniformity and hipster elitism that contradicts the point, as an outsider looking in. Everyone looks, and sounds, so much alike that we can't tell one thing from another. There's a reason we don't fit your criteria, because we're grasping onto our identities, true individuality, and our originality. Don't condescend because we don't fit your mold of today. Instead, embrace the fact that we older musicians are down here in the trenches with you, grinding out low-paying shows for only that small group of people and other artists who care about original work.

Time will be the ultimate avenger. And if Karma is real, be mindful about how you treat your predecessors now, because before you know it, you will be in our shoes, and you aren't going to like it. Just be cool. That's all we'd ever ask.