A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…
Upon reflection on my previous post on the cultural impact of Star Wars, I realize that there is a strange generational difference between myself (a founding member of AATS), and the 20 somethings I’m interacting with. I know that this might sound a little bit crazy, I mean I’m at the lower end of the 30 something range, and these 20 somethings are in their early to mid 20s. So, the age difference in years would be around 6 to 8 years. (By the way, that’s 2190 to 2920 days difference.)
It hit me like lightning that it was because I was a Gen-Xer and they were Millennials. I mean, if need proof that I am a clique Gen-Xer, I would point you to my two masters degrees, and the fact that one masters and my bachelor’s degree I don’t use any more. That’s right, I went through education and didn’t use it. If that ain’t Gen-X, I don’t know what is.
Understand, that by no means am I a sociologist (so what is that second masters in?), and nor do I play one on television. I work with a staff that is predominantly 20 and 30 year olds, and I began to notice some difference in our child hood experiences. The more the conversation would go on the more I began to realize the differences in experiences that we should have shared.
First of all, I think of the Challenger explosionto be a huge cultural point for Gen-Xers. The first teacher was going to be in space, so every school that I know was watching it. When I talk to the Millennials, they have absolutely no idea of what I’m speaking of. Or, their answer is that, oh I was 3 or 4 when that happened. I mean, for me, that’s why it was so surreal when the space shuttle Columbia exploded.
I also consider the fact that Gen-Xers lived through the 80s and remember them for what they were, and therefore we are not looking to relive the fake “awesomeness” of the decade. I’m look at the hair, the clothes, and the music of the decade. I’m not saying that there wasn’t some great stuff, but man, there was a lot of crap too. However, the millennials I work with idealize it. To them it almost seems like a mythical time period that everything was just magical.
I’ll probably talk more about this in the future, because trust me, I have more to say. However, here is my best understanding: I am getting old, and it’s starting to show more and more. Not necessarily in bad ways, but I’m beginning to be looked at as the “old guy”. Truth be told, I’m okay with that because the AATS will be an elite group that everyone should want membership in. So, bottom line is: I’m getting old, but (because I can’t let this go) Star Wars has still transcending cultural lines.
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