One more way for the youth to shock their elders.
It’s a rite of passage as old as time.
That’s baloney. I’ve lived through a bunch of sub-cultures. Some talk about the “straight-laced” attitude or hypocrisy of the “older” generation. That’s just wrong. Suddenly, someone who is hip or does things that are outside the average is better? You still have bills to pay, a car to maintain, and other really mundane stuff whether you wear a three-piece suit or a mohawk and whatever the cool kids/adults are wearing. Just be honest with yourself.
He or she is liberal, conservative, whatever. That’s just part of their Ultra-Orthodox belief system either handed down or acquired. I was at this punk club/bar and was accepted even though I dressed funny, because I knew one of the tribal leaders. And that’s all it was. The girls dressed a certain way. The guys dressed a certain way. One night, some average people showed up and the two girls sitting at the same round table as me - the entire place was lit by a 5 watt bulb, except for the dance floor - saw them: “Look! Tourists!” The other girl: “It’s like somebody walking into your bedroom.” It was young adult dress-up, that’s all. Just like the Goths. Wardrobe? Black. Alternate wardrobe? More black. For some, black lipstick and nails.
I’m a liberal. I’m a conservative. Yeah? Do you want fries with that? I mean, from the Hippies on up, the extreme requirements for being part of the club: the regulation length hair, the regulation clothes, the regulation length chain, the required dope smoking and learning Hippie-speak. “Have you read… whoever? Yeah? You pass. Next.”
Some young people decided, if they had the time and money, and were attractive, that living off the beaten path was part of the fascination of “I can be different.” And having fun used to mean something clean, wholesome and moral. Now, it’s immoral, immoral and immoral. No, not everyone, but the lapdog media played to that. It made “sell more newspapers” copy and the photos - C’mon. The media gradually decided covering the news was less important than “Man Bites Dog” headlines.
Young people are fascinated by the way they look and can look. And experiment with all kinds of stuff because nothing can hurt them. Nope. They were subject to the same hurts and errors as anyone. And if they decided the cool-trendy life was for them, they acted out as if they had a script in their hand. Of course, it felt new and fun for a while. And having fun would be a lot better today if some realized that they aren’t that much different than that uncool person who is somehow - mysteriously - living a life they enjoy. And living a traditional life and are content.
The “far right.”? Look! It’s one of those nasty far-righters!! Let’s… let’s… let’s complain about them on the internet!
Ed
Sorry, I can’t tell you about our secret handshake or meeting places…
