The
      Trials
      and
      Tribulations
     
     
      ofatwentysomething
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      S.
      LIVINGSTONE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      one
      of
      my
      friends
      and
      I
      sat
      around
      and
      talked
      incessantly
     
    

    
     
      abouta
      wide
      range
      of
      topics.
      This
      continuous
      conversa-
     
     
      tion
      is
      certainly
      not
      foreign
      to
      us,
      as
      the
      only
      time
      we
      stopped
     
     
      talking
      was
      to
      determine
      what
      we
      were
      going
      to
      talk
      about
      next.
     
     
      Needless
      to
      say,
      a
      quiet
      crowd
      we
      are
      not.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      |
      fter
      a
      fine
      late
      evening
      dinner
      ata
      downtown
      ‘
      ‘eatery’’,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      we
      talked
      about
      various
      subjects,
      concerning
      everything
     
     
      from
      Madonna’s
      newest
      hype
      infested
      creation
      Sex,
      to
      the
      fact
     
     
      that
      the
      carrels
      in
      Robertson’s
      Reference
      Section
      are
      formed
     
     
      into
      Swastikas
      (read
      now,
      observe
      later)
      we
      came
      across
      some-
     
     
      thing
      so
      fitting
      for
      this
      column.
      Before
      you
      prepare
      yourself
      to
     
     
      be
      overwhelmed
      by
      some
      creative
      piece
      of
      writing
      I
      should
      tell
     
     
      you
      that
      I
      cannot
      remember
      what
      enlightened
      subject
      we
      con-
     
     
      sidered.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Because
      I
      am
      beyond
      forgetful
      of
      most
      things
      of
      grave
      impor-
     
     
      tance,
      I
      have
      had
      to
      just
      face
      the
      grim
      reality
      that
      I
      am
      often
     
     
      completely
      unaware
      of
      my
      own
      existence
      and
      must
      search
      for
     
     
      another
      topic.
      I
      have
      chosen
      this
      week
      to
      refrain
      from
      my
      usual
     
     
      escapades
      of
      Yuppie-bashing
      (I’ll
      return
      to
      that
      later)
      and
     
     
      instead
      do
      ashort
      critique
      on
      the
      state
      of
      Pop
      culture
      within
      the
     
     
      boundaries
      of
      our
      generation
      without
      running
      into
      the
      Brady
     
     
      Bunch
      and
      Disco
      Inferno
      and
      plus
      I
      choose
      to
      bea
      voice
      for
      our
     
     
      generation
      and
      no
      onc
      else’s.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ihave
      recently
      read
      an
      article
      in
      The
      Globe
      and
      Mail,
      written
     
     
      by
      someone
      in
      her
      late
      twenties.
      She
      discussed
      the
      Hell
      of
     
     
      living
      in
      the
      shadow
      of
      the
      boomers
      and
      dealing
      with
      recycled
     
     
      pop
      culture
      rather
      than
      newly
      defined
      material
      and
      although
      we
     
     
      can
      all
      relate
      to
      this
      as
      we
      too
      have
      seen
      the
      Rolling
      Stones
      drift
     
     
      into
      the
      oblivion
      of
      senility,
      we
      are
      far
      enough
      removed
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
      this
      group
      to
      forge
      our
      own
      place
      in
      the
      world
      thanks
      to
      the
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      invention
      of
      Muchmusic
      and
      the
      emergence
      of
      Seattle
      as
      the
     
     
      Rock
      Capital
      of
      North
      America.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      You
      see,
      many
      of
      us
      have
      parents
      who
      are
      categorized
      as
     
     
      boomers,
      so
      in
      a
      successful
      attempt
      at
      rebellion
      against
      each
     
     
      and
      every
      ideal
      that
      they
      instilled
      in
      us
      as
      children
      we
      have
     
     
      begun
      to
      reject
      the
      1960s
      as
      the
      epitome
      of
      perfection.
      This
      is
     
     
      certainly
      not
      to
      say
      that
      the
      sixties
      were
      not
      fascinating
      --
      I
     
     
      would
      not
      object
      to
      travelling
      back
      in
      time
      for
      a
      few
      rain-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      drenched
      days
      at
      Woodstock
      --
      I
      am
      just
      asking
      people
      to
      view
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      era
      as
      history
      rather
      than
      losing
      themselves
      in
      it
      like
      it’s
     
     
      the
      coolest
      thing
      going.
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Being
      a
      product
      of
      the
      eighties,
      we
      are
      expected
      to
      be
      shallow,
     
     
      money-hungry
      brats
      caring
      little
      about
      the
      world
      and
      more
      about
     
     
      our
      wardrobe,
      but
      this
      isa
      complete
      fallacy.
      Itisn’t
      easy
      living
     
     
      in
      a
      society
      which
      ignores
      its
      youth
      and
      constantly
      predicts
     
     
      bleakness
      as
      its
      future.
      Pessimism
      is
      quickly
      becoming
      our
     
     
      generational
      buzzword
      (yuppie
      term
      --
      bad).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Iam
      not
      in
      despair
      when
      it
      comes
      to
      searching
      out
      pop
      culture
     
    
   
   
    
     
      icons
      that
      are
      somewhabexclusive.
      to
      our
      generation.
      Just
     
     
      "from
      Madonna's
     
    
   
   
    
     
      newest
      hype-infested
     
     
      creation,
      Sex,
      to
      the
     
     
      fact
      that
      the
      carrels
     
     
      in
      Robertson's
     
     
      Reference
      Section
     
     
      are
      formed
      into
     
     
      swastikas."
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      because
      we
      do
      not
      have
      the
      likes
      of
      Jack
      Karouac
      does
      not
      give
     
     
      a
      reason
      to
      declare
      those
      born
      in
      the
      late
      sixties/early
      seventié
     
    

    
     
      as
      being
      culturally
      bankrupt.
      For
      the
      time
      being,
      we
      have
      th
     
     
      best
      of
      all
      worlds.
      When
      we
      want
      to
      we
      may
      delve
      into
      th
     
     
      sixties
      or
      the
      seventies
      or
      any
      other
      period
      in
      history,
      but
      we
      als?
     
     
      have
      the
      nineties
      to
      become
      completely
      involved
      in
      with
      w”
     
    

    
     
      ton
      abandon.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Let
      go
      of
      the
      past.
      Listen
      to
      Pearl
      Jam.
      Watch
      Kids
      in
      the
      Hall
     
     
      Go
      to
      the
      Gap.
      You
      will
      soon
      let
      go
      of
      the
      past
      and
      reap
      the
     
     
      endless
      bounties
      of
      the
      present.
      Now
      that
      I
      have
      presented
      y°
     
     
      with
      one
      more
      vomit
      inducing
      cliche,
      I
      will
      end
      this.
      &