This, painfully, leads me to the conclusion that I could also be a "Karen", described in the Urban Dictionary (at least the most popular definition) as: "mother of three. blonde. owns a volvo. annoying as hell. wears acrylics 24/7. currently at your workplace speaking to your manager." Confessedly, I'm neither blonde nor own a Volvo. I don't wear acrylic nails and rarely ask for a manager, but be that as it may, I can see how Millenials would see me as such.
The 80's seem like a lifetime ago in many ways. 50 percent debauchery, 50 percent innocence; it was a confusing time.
As we near the holiday season, I've started hearing "Do They Know It's Christmas?", that definitive 80's Christmas classic featuring the artists of the day, some great, some lost in obscurity now. This song, I find, clearly represents the clueless ethnocentricity of day. In many ways it encapsulates how sheltered we were in so many ways, despite the fact that the song was a charity effort to feed the starving in Africa. (That sounds pretty noble, right?)
When I really listen to the lyrics, I can feel myself cringe. The title alone is an example of how "woke" (or un-woke, depending on your definition) we were. Sure, there are a lot of Christians in Africa, but there are also Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, Pagans, Hindus and (more randomly) Baha'is, etc. Less than half of the population has an affiliation with any Christian religion, so no, many don't know (or care) that it's Christmas.
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| They tried and that's what counts, right? |
Okay, so maybe I'm making a bit light, but this is the era I grew up in. I was a child under threat of the hair brush or wooden spoon. Parents didn't mess around back then. There wasn't any of this "no" is a damaging word stuff. There was John Hughes with his anthology of cliched movies "Pretty in Pink", "The Breakfast Club", "Sixteen Candles" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". We were inundated with stereotypes. (Have you seen "9 to 5", a movie trying to point out how wrong sexism is by using complete stereotyped female characters?)
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it isn't completely our fault that the Boomers ran away with the environment or that we rode the wave of "all about me". For the most part, we honestly didn't know better. We thought that rinsing tin cans out to recycle and buying crap was actually helping. We know better now. Okay, I'm way less likely to TikTok about "OK, Boomer" than Millenials, because that boomer was my wooden spoon wielding Mother and sass wasn't acceptable. So, maybe I'm a Karen. (Ouch!)
I will say one thing. One day, Millenials, many years from now (which will still come sooner than you expect), you will find yourself on the receiving end of derision from the younger generation, not just the the older. This is how it works. Your kids will rolls their eyes at you and find a phrase, that you find incomprehensible, to describe just how out of touch you are. You might even find yourself being protective about what you've achieved in your life and considering ways to maintain and protect your way of life that baffles the next generation. I hope not.
As to: "Do They Know It's Christmas", as cringe worthy as it may be to a modern being, I still feel a tug at the old heart strings when I hear the opening chords. Sentimentality is a powerful thing. Finally, one of the things my corporal punishment loving mother tried to teach me was to be kind. (I did mention it was confusing times, yes?) So be kind to one another, we're all doing our best.
Well written. I did chuckle a little - I have a friend, Karen. She doesn't quite fit that mold. I absolutely remember when "Do they Know it's Christmas" came out. My kids are already rolling their eyes at me. I am Generation X and husband is the last possible year of Baby Boomers. We are Ludites. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI hate to admit that I might be a bit smug, if I live long enough to see Millennials experiencing this with their own kids, but I'll sympathize, too. Be well, nice to hear from you!
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