by
      Lisa
      Thompson
     
    

    
     
      here
      have
      been
      a
      lot
      of
      things
      written
      in
      this
      newspaper
      of
      the
     
    

    
     
      T
      past
      year
      on
      the
      subject
      of
      our
      generation’s
      identity,
      or
      lack
     
    

    
     
      thereof.
      We
      are
      the
      twentysomethings,
      the
      children
      of
      the
      very
     
     
      first
      baby
      boomers,
      who
      were
      born
      in
      the
      seventies
      and
      are
      coming
      of
     
     
      age
      in
      the
      nineties.
      Reams
      of
      articles
      have
      been
      written
      about
      us
      (but,
     
     
      of
      course,
      not
      as
      many
      as
      about
      the
      baby
      boomers...nobody
      can
      do
      it
      like
     
     
      the
      boomers,
      don’t
      you
      know!),
      discussing
      our
      lack
      of
      a
      definitive
     
     
      culture.
      Having
      read
      many
      of
      these
      articles
      and
      discussed
      their
      ideas
     
     
      among
      other
      members
      of
      my
      age
      group,
      I
      heard
      a
      commercial
      on
      the
     
     
      radio
      the
      other
      day.
     
    

    
     
      I
      think
      this
      particular
      commercial
      summed
      up,
      more
      succinctly
      than
     
     
      anything
      else
      I
      have
      heard,
      the
      problem
      at
      hand
      here.
      (And
      I
      will
      note,
     
     
      before
      I
      go
      any
      further,
      that
      I
      think
      that
      the
      problem
      is
      not
      with
      the
     
     
      culture
      of
      the
      twentysomething
      generation,
      but
      rather
      with
      the
      baby
     
     
      boomers’
      perception
      of
      us,
      themselves,
      and
      reality.)
      The
      text
      of
      the
     
     
      commercial
      ran
      like
      this:
     
    

    
     
      (Glenn
      Miller
      background):The
      40’s
      wowed
      ‘em
      with
      swing!
     
     
      (Loud
      guitar
      background):
      The
      60’s
      wowed
      ‘em
      with
      rock
      ‘n’
     
     
      roll!
     
    

    
     
      And
      the
      90’s
      wowed
      ‘em
      with
      the
      Shopper’s
      Drug
      Mart
      Wow
     
     
      Sale!
      This
      week
      pay
      only
      $2.49
      for
      ABC
      laundry
      detergent!
      ..
     
    

    
     
      You
      get
      the
      idea.
      Now,
      yes,
      it’s
      only
      a
      rather
      silly
      commercial,
      but,
     
     
      really,
      if
      the
      people
      writing
      that
      commercial
      thought
      that
      there
      was
      an
     
     
      overwhelming
      cultural
      phenomena
      sweeping
      the
      nation
      in
      the
      90’s,
     
     
      they
      wouldn’t
      have
      suggested
      that
      a
      sale
      on
      laundry
      detergent
      was
      the
     
     
      only
      thing
      we
      have
      to
      compare
      with
      the
      heyday
      of
      Swing.
      I
      don’t
      think
     
     
      that
      this
      is
      realistically
      a
      problem
      of
      our
      generation
      not
      forming
      their
     
     
      own
      concept
      of
      identity
      and
      culture,
      but
      rather
      of
      the
      baby
      boomers,
     
     
      who
      still
      control
      the
      airwaves,
      not
      recognizing
      that
      it’s
      there.
      It’s
      not
     
     
      entirely
      their
      fault.
      They
      have
      spent
      the
      last
      30
      to
      50
      years
      of
      their
      lives
     
     
      listening
      to
      reports
      that
      tell
      them
      that
      they’re
      in
      control
      of
      everything,
     
     
      and
      that
      their
      control
      has
      overwhelmed
      and
      dominated
      the
      world
      and
     
     
      the
      market,
      and
      will
      continue
      to
      do
      so
      until
      the
      very
      last
      boomer
      is
     
     
      pushing
      up
      the
      daisies
      (instead
      of
      wearing
      them
      in
      their
      hair!).
      Why
     
     
      would
      they
      ever
      think
      of
      giving
      up
      the
      global
      power
      they’ve
      been
      told
     
     
      they
      were
      born
      into?
     
    

    
     
      Obviously,
      there
      are
      an
      awful
      lot
      of
      people
      out
      there
      who
      fall
      into
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      boomer
      category.
      Obviously,
      that
      has
      an
      effect
      on
      the
      way
      thi
     
     
      generation
      operates.
      But
      just
      to
      think
      in
      terms
      of
      reasonable
      logic,
      ou
     
     
      generation
      has
      other
      things
      to
      plan
      for
      than
      getting
      training
      to
      work
      i
     
     
      the
      gazillions
      of
      nursing
      homes
      the
      boomers
      are
      going
      to
      be
      needing
     
     
      We’re
      only
      starting
      to
      take
      our
      places
      in
      the
      business
      world
      ani
     
     
      broadcast
      images
      of
      our
      identity
      into
      the
      NEXT
      generation.
      (Notic
     
     
      how
      all
      the
      TV
      shows
      about
      life
      as
      a
      twentysomething
      are
      written
      an
     
     
      produced
      by
      boomers?
      To
      put
      this
      into
      terms
      that
      the
      boomers
      in
      m!
     
     
      reading
      audience
      can
      understand:
      think
      how
      silly
      images
      of
      Sixtiesesqu
     
     
      culture
      looked
      to
      the
      people
      who
      were
      actually
      living
      it--Like,
      groovy
     
     
      Daddy-O!)
      Some
      changes
      are
      going
      to
      come
      about,
      fast
      and
      furious.
     
     
      prof
      of
      mine
      was
      reading
      out
      names
      of
      the
      students’
      favorite
      bands
      th
     
     
      other
      day.
      He
      knew
      who
      The
      Doors
      and
      Steppenwolf
      were,
      of
      cours
     
     
      and
      who
      Michael
      Jackson,
      U2,
      and
      Kriss
      Kross
      were,
      but
      he
      had
      nev?
     
     
      heard
      of
      Pearl
      Jam.
      Time
      for
      a
      reality
      check,
      here,
      folks!
      This
      is
      th
     
     
      generation
      that
      bred
      Pearl
      Jam,
      Sloan,
      and
      Eric’s
      Trip.
      In
      Canada,
      thi
     
     
      is
      the
      decade
      when
      Canadian
      music
      finally
      moved
      beyond
      Ant
     
     
      Murray
      and
      the
      Expo
      67
      CAA-NAA-DAA
      song.
      We're
      an
      envirot:
     
     
      mentally
      conscious
      generation
      that
      does
      not
      need
      to
      grow
      buckwhe!
     
     
      behind
      our
      ears
      to
      feel
      pure.
      And
      probably
      one
      of
      the
      biggest
      thin)
     
     
      about
      us,
      while
      it
      may
      be
      our
      media
      downfall,
      is
      that
      we
      don’t
      havé
     
     
      need
      of
      a
      North
      America-wide
      common
      cultural
      experience
      to
      make
     
     
      feel
      legitimate.
      It
      seems
      that
      everything
      we
      develop
      is
      pooh-poohed
     
     
      the
      boomers,
      because
      they
      did
      it
      some
      way
      that
      they
      think
      is
      md
     
     
      special.
      Notice
      how
      nothing
      ever
      can
      compare
      to
      how
      it
      was
      inthe
      60's
     
     
      Boomers
      have
      formed
      an
      exclusive
      club
      for
      themselves
      througho"'t
     
     
      Western
      world,
      and
      membership
      is
      based
      on
      a
      life
      experience
      of
      a
      si
     
     
      decade
      that
      they’ve
      decided
      is
      important,
      not
      just
      to
      those
      “
     
     
      happened
      to
      think
      about
      it,
      or
      notice,
      or
      care,
      but
      to
      every
     
     
      everywhere.
      ’
     
    

    
     
      You
      know,
      I’M
      pretty
      certain
      I
      know
      what
      my
      parents
      wil
     
     
      they
      read
      this
      article.
      ‘‘You’re
      not
      saying
      anything
      new,
      you
      kn
     
     
      Everybody
      talked
      like
      that
      in
      the
      ‘60’s.
      It’s
      been
      done
      to
      death.
      Kn
     
     
      it
      off.”’
      Well,
      nobody
      can
      ever
      say
      anything
      truly
      new--the
      best
      the)
     
     
      dois
      re-say
      the
      same
      old
      thing
      from
      their
      cultural
      perspective.
      From®
     
     
      cultural
      perspective,
      I
      say
      there’s
      more
      to
      my
      generation
      then
      a
      s#”°
     
     
      laundry
      detergent.
      @
      i
     
    
   
   
    
     
      |
      say!