THE FUTURE OF TOMORROW...TODAY!
What will the old people of tomorrow be like?
Will they have classic old people interests as the old people of today do?
At what point does one make the cross over from mostly aware adult to wearing embroidered vests and giant, head-enveloping space warrior sun glasses?
I'm currently re-reading "Roadside America" in preparation for a long-awaited, much-needed trek out of town. If you haven't read it- do. It should be required reading for school kids. Not because it's in-depth heady reporting, but because much of what's documented there represents a part of America that doesn't really seem to exist in the way it once did. And, two guys have basically made it their job to find odd shit in small town America- a job that I would punch a baby to get if it would help.
But many of the roadside meccas of old- Monkey Jungle, Marineland, the Lawrence Welk museum- are frequented by the elderly mainly because the elderly are the ones who want to keep the torch burning for Liberace enough to dedicate an entire museum to his life.
But who will visit these age-old establishments in the future? The jaded know-it-all old people we are undoubtedly in for down the line probably have very little interest in visiting a tourable missile silo constructed for the cold war.
Or... is it that humans, by nature alone, slowly develop old people interests? I have trouble imagining the club-going young girls of today developing a deep, resounding affinity for basket making, quilts, and Amish fudge. Can the beer swilling meatballs of today's college campuses REALLY enjoy the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame the way their fathers and grandfathers have?
It is an interesting conundrum. Old people things have existed since the dawn of man. I do not doubt for a second that ol' Og and Grog were irritated by their grandparents interest in lacey embroidered mastadon togas as we wild, rebelious youngsters of today are apt to thrust our middle fingers skyward when faced with the teddy bear sweatshirt display at the neighborhood Walgreens. I'm sure the younger generation of Pilgrims found riding in the horse and buggy for seven days to look at the New World's largest pillock as mind numbingly awful as many of today's youth have no interest in preserving giant fiberglass fruit sculptures.
One could go on at a good pace about WHY the differences exist. I don't care about that, as I feel they're pretty darn easy to understand. What I want to know, is at what point in a person's life do their tastes change? Is it a gradual shift? Do they simply wake up one morning in waterproof pants and say "the hell with it?" With the use of said pants is the an overwhelming, gnawing urge to purchase an enormous recreational vehicle and careen it ever so slowly towards a giant rock that looks like a toilet in the middle of the desert?
Perhaps, much like the tootsie roll pop, the world will never know.
What will the old people of tomorrow be like?
Will they have classic old people interests as the old people of today do?
At what point does one make the cross over from mostly aware adult to wearing embroidered vests and giant, head-enveloping space warrior sun glasses?
I'm currently re-reading "Roadside America" in preparation for a long-awaited, much-needed trek out of town. If you haven't read it- do. It should be required reading for school kids. Not because it's in-depth heady reporting, but because much of what's documented there represents a part of America that doesn't really seem to exist in the way it once did. And, two guys have basically made it their job to find odd shit in small town America- a job that I would punch a baby to get if it would help.
But many of the roadside meccas of old- Monkey Jungle, Marineland, the Lawrence Welk museum- are frequented by the elderly mainly because the elderly are the ones who want to keep the torch burning for Liberace enough to dedicate an entire museum to his life.
But who will visit these age-old establishments in the future? The jaded know-it-all old people we are undoubtedly in for down the line probably have very little interest in visiting a tourable missile silo constructed for the cold war.
Or... is it that humans, by nature alone, slowly develop old people interests? I have trouble imagining the club-going young girls of today developing a deep, resounding affinity for basket making, quilts, and Amish fudge. Can the beer swilling meatballs of today's college campuses REALLY enjoy the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame the way their fathers and grandfathers have?
It is an interesting conundrum. Old people things have existed since the dawn of man. I do not doubt for a second that ol' Og and Grog were irritated by their grandparents interest in lacey embroidered mastadon togas as we wild, rebelious youngsters of today are apt to thrust our middle fingers skyward when faced with the teddy bear sweatshirt display at the neighborhood Walgreens. I'm sure the younger generation of Pilgrims found riding in the horse and buggy for seven days to look at the New World's largest pillock as mind numbingly awful as many of today's youth have no interest in preserving giant fiberglass fruit sculptures.
One could go on at a good pace about WHY the differences exist. I don't care about that, as I feel they're pretty darn easy to understand. What I want to know, is at what point in a person's life do their tastes change? Is it a gradual shift? Do they simply wake up one morning in waterproof pants and say "the hell with it?" With the use of said pants is the an overwhelming, gnawing urge to purchase an enormous recreational vehicle and careen it ever so slowly towards a giant rock that looks like a toilet in the middle of the desert?
Perhaps, much like the tootsie roll pop, the world will never know.
posted by Pete Klockau at 5:45 PM
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