Nostalgia again

Hey! How Stuff Works did a podcast about the stuff we talked about a few weeks ago. It’s right here. 

Thoughtful long f- actually you know what, you wouldn’t GET it

The town/region is small. The physical condition of the structures in the general area is deteriorated in a way that suggests both diminishing cultural relevance and peaceful coexistence with nature. Socioeconomically, a percentage of people that live here that seems maybe a little high at first but then, as you admit to yourself that you don’t know really what you are talking about sounds reasonable, exist below the poverty line.

Squarely in the middle of this Wyethesque foreverscape is a place. The doorman, whose name is something weird like “Squeak” or “Ground Chuck”, is there. And it turns out that actually, this is the place where the thing happens.

Or at least, it did.

20 miles down the road in a suburban kind of setting, which I am not saying is much more deeply concerned with the stylistic trappings of the thing than the substance of the thing itself but I am heavily implying it, they also do the thing. Fat tourists and stupid children seem to be enjoying themselves. God, look at that stupid kid with the missing tooth in the front. I’d like to fucking strike that child.

Do you remember earlier on? Like in the 20th century, preferably more than a few decades ago? They did the thing at that time. They did it differently, too. Probably with tools/implements made out of different materials, or something. Or the ruling body operated under different principles in terms of how it was marketed. Whatever, the point is it was really idyllic and shit.

Now I’m gonna feign objectivity here, but let’s just pretend to take an example completely at random that the fact that people don’t do the thing anymore, or at least not in the same way, actually represents the decline of western civilization or intellectualism or whatever little clever “take” I’m going for this week. The thing is, if you think about it, isn’t that actually completely true? Not saying so for sure but think about it

Tentative Fake Corporate Concept Weekend

The actual name of the event has been changed for Google Alert purposes.

Tentative Fake Corporate Concept Weekend is weird. It is like a strange cult, and I am forever a member because I won it once (but just the one specifically for my weaker gender).

I attended their ending ceremonies and power point light show last evening and every single tribe that presented seems to be continuing on with their tentative concept ( a very well laid out power point).

Until next week when they realize how much work it is. My tribe and I still haven’t made much progress on our Tentative Fake Corporate Concept and the system is actually willing to funnel us money. We just don’t really care.

TFCCW is actually just a way for people to post on social media about how awesome they are at being a working adult. “Hey look lowly college classmates! On the weekends I work too. I am actually in a work contest that I pay money to be in.”

One of the weirdest things about it is that they BEG software and app developers to be in this competition. And even though most of the TFCCW power point light shows claim to be actually presenting things that only these individuals can make. They almost never even get to make anything at all all TFCCW.

The tribe that won last night actually used a form generator that I have used multiple times and called it an app. It took them 5 mins tops and I think they paid money so that they could have a pay option.

Just some observations on this weird cultural phenomenon, I don’t think it’s really detrimental to anything, however, it is strange.

 

Nostalgia Culture ?

What with the announcement of Nickelodeon reviving Legends of the Hidden Temple trending all over social media today, I have been thinking a lot about how our generation (Millennials? Urgh) are just suckers for every nostalgic thing ever. Like, Fuller House. That show looks really bad. Like, I’m not going to watch it ever. But, for example, overheard at the painting party at work last night:

Girl 1: Have you been watching Fuller House? I watched it all in one sitting last weekend.
Girl 2: Yeah, I already finished it too.
Girl 3: I have been watching it!
GIRL 4: I only have two episodes left.

Anyways, I’m going to try to not make all of my posts on this blog talk about TV.

The easiest go-to clickbait article topic for like 3-4 years which is ridiculous, because usually that shit will change weekly, has been anything that is like “things only 90s kids will understand” with like “OH HEY REMEMBER KUSH BALLS.” I suppose other generations (like my parents, for example) like to focus on things that happened in what they view as the best times in their lives (hence all of my relatives collecting like peace signs and stuff from their early college years). We are all super obsessed with the media, specifically, that came out when we were children though, not necessarily when we could really associate it with a time in our lives that we found super favorable.

So, I guess (after this messy, internal cultural analysis) does this mean that our lives following have just been sadder? Is that because of the internet/access to knowledge? Most likely, this preference towards nostalgia just actualizes differently inside of social media than in just regular life and this online group consciousness just didn’t exist before.. But, sometimes I think it is because we are def just sadder and more bogged down.

I might write a parody Fargo Monthly article called “9 times Fargo was like a 90s Nickelodeon Show” for Tha Owl, and send it to my old work and see if they will publish it only to amuse me.

 

 

Test Blog Post #2

Test Blog Post #1 somehow has been lost in the abyss of the free wordpress server. Hope this one finds its way more efficiently.