Generation Me: We want someone that can entertain us.

[Watcher at the Gates]

We the people of the week-end here in Toronto…. are sick and tired of an old man being our entertainment. [Some voice] has been on the radio and in the club since my mother used to go. It is time for him to move onto oldies or be put out to pasture. The time is now… to have him removed and a replacemnt put in. We want … a suitable replacement. Someone to have fun with, someone who knows us, someone to not ramble about stupid causes while we are trying to get ready to go out. Somone that can entertain us once again.

We are tired of an old guy twice our age trying to entertain us, and bringing all those old people… with him…

Sincerely,
The ME Generation

This is such a beautifully tragic poem. It is art. There is a novel that describes this mindset perfectly; it is called 1984. Ministry wrote an unbelieveable song reflecting this mindset, as well; it is called “Faith Collapsing”. THIS is the stuff of which great 80’s songs are made. This is the ideology from which classic alternative bands like The Smith’s, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Skinny Puppy, etc. were built.

In my memory, the 80’s were all about awareness of social (in)justice: The Bomb ticking happily away, the Berlin Wall coming down, environmental awareness, experimentation with music and “new” technology and social norms. “Punks” were rebels WITH causes. Alternative musicians made music – not merely about romantic relationships – but about the hypocracy of political events and/ or people.

We, the people of the week-end here in Toronto, lived like there was no tomorrow (because there damned-well near almost was).

CFNY did not seem to be afraid of playing music that challenged people’s views and made people think. Many bands of the time did not seem to be afraid of writing poetic lyrics that fans “wouldn’t get”. It didn’t matter. The songs spoke to each of us in our own personal and cryptic ways. This is what made them instant classics.

People wore funny clothes, and bright colours, and dark colours, and plastic shoes and bracelets. It was a depressing time to be knowledgeable. It was a great time to get out there and truly live! This was the paradox of the time: to love life and to hate life.

The comment above was made, presumably, by someone from the current generation – the “ME” generation. This is the generation that wants to be entertained. This appears to be the generation who cannot handle independence. They may sometimes feel lonely, but they are never alone. They cannot walk down the street or drive a car without speaking with someone on a cell phone. They converse with one another while listening to the drone of music in their ears from their Ipod’s. They are often texting someone on a personal electronic device of some kind. They even dance on club floors and text their friends at the same time. They appear to find comfort and security in the fact that video cameras are tracking and recording their every move. Many of them find silence uncomfortable.

These are our children.

I guess that we have to be pretty patient. After all, somehow we did this to them. We enabled this thinking. Us. Critical-thinking Gen X’ers.

In a way, it is reassuring to think, however, that the original message reflects someone attempting to take action about what they believe to be an injustice, and that is kinda cool.

I guess that I really shouldn’t be thinking so much about this kind of stuff. After all, it is the weekend and I am supposed to be taking time off from thinking. This is supposed to be a site dedicated to our memories of CFNY. It is a place for us to remember the great and the strange. I am so glad that the site exists and that the station existed. I am listening to the old shows here and am really loving it. Thanks for that!

I am glad that there is respect enough here for a segment of the original discussion to remain on this site. I am also glad that there is enough grace for it to be respectfully locked at the point where it was.

[see next message]

[Watcher at the Gates]

I guess that I was just a little surprised about the fact that so many people wanted to discuss the merits and flaws of DJ’s, and not a message within the original message.

I’m sure that some people who have read this far in this message are probably thinking that my opinion is “too long”. Maybe they’ll think that what I’m saying is completely off-base. I’m not really saying anything that profound, anyway.

I think that I am now going to go listen to some classic Depeche Mode: “More than a Party”.

My time for rambling about stupid causes has come to an end.

Generation X (AKA: old people)