Directory of Lost Causes

When I first heard the song My Generation, as a teenager, I didn't identify with the sentiments at all. I've never felt a particularly strong sense of belonging to any generation, for which I am retrospectively glad, since it means I've never been a slave to fads and fashions. I remember some words in a review of some David Bowie release or other. The reviewer wrote, in an almost puzzled tone, that David Bowie never seemed to have been young and foolish; it was almost as if he were born old. I recognised in those words exactly what had made David Bowie stand out for me. "Look out you rock'n'rollers/Pretty soon now, you're going to get older." I've never been especially excited by music that celebrates youth, even when I was supposedly young. It's always seemed to me rather short-sighted, not presenting an elevated view of things at all.

I wonder why it is, then, that the following clip interests me:



Well, Stanhope is, of course, talking about America, and I'm not especially familiar with the younger generation in America. If it is well-represented by the kind of comments you find on Youtube, some of which are entirely incomprehensible beyond the fact they are probably meant to be insulting, and some of which are so incomprehensible that you just can't tell any more whether they are meant to be insulting or not, then it looks like he has just cause to complain.

My own complaints about 'the younger generation' would probably differ from his. To be honest, the words 'the young(er) generation' hardly ever pass my lips anyway, because, as I've said, I don't concern myself much with generational identities. I have a sense, however, of a younger generation in Britain, cheated of any possibility of making their lives meaningful by an utterly materialistic society. I also caught a certain phrase in Stanhope's routine that has meaning for me, despite having become a modern cliche, and that phrase is 'dumbed down'. I do think that 'dumbing down' is a reality, yes. I'm afraid I only have anecdotal evidence for this, but I'm sure it must show up in things like falling literacy rates in the English-speaking world, too. I haven't checked. I'm writing this off the cuff. Oh, I've said before, I've never voted for Tony Blair's Labour. Even when he was new on the scene, and had never been Prime Minister, I didn't vote for him, because I knew that his lot were going to cut student grants. My generation were the last to receive student grants from the government. Without that grant I would not have been able to have tertiary education. I am a believer in education for its own sake, and education as an investment in the future of a country. Tony (educationeducationeducation) Blair clearly wasn't.

I recently asked someone who works for the BBC, the following question:

"Is it actually written policy in the BBC these days to make sure that any documentary programme is presented by someone who knows absolutely nothing about the subject?"

The response was:

"I'm so glad you asked me that."

It was explained to me that the general process would be something like the following (I paraphrase from memory):

"Someone will have a quick ask around the office, like this: 'Hey guys, we're putting together a documentary on colony collapse disorder. Do you lot know Meera Syal? No? Too old, maybe. How about Anouska Golebiewski? You've all heard of her? Great! We'll go with her.'"

I could go on with this kind of story, and you're free to contribute your own. The point is, I have the general impression, which may be adjusted with further information, that dumbing down is very real and is part of a process of social control, making people think they already understand everything so that they don't try to find out for themselves.

However, I do see some very hopeful things (by which I mean people) amongst 'the younger generation' (excuse me, I just feel the urge to put that in inverted commas), some of whom I know personally. But to give an example of someone I don't know personally, there is, for instance, Magibon, who, I notice, has recently put up another clip in her 'mu' or 'nothing' series:



I realise a lot of people would disagree with me here, but I don't care. The interesting thing is that so many people (I'm guessing of her own generation) hate her. Let's have a look at the calibre of comment we find left beneath this clip by the haters:

I think you should speak EEENGLIIIISH in one of them since we seen you being on television and fo shizzle maaaaa nizzzlllle

What's this thing about wanting everyone to speak English? Do you know how ignorant, rude and aggressive that is?

SPEAKKKKKKKKK

There are a lot like this. It seems like a lot of people really can't stand silence. I'd hate to be in a room with one of them.

useless waste of 34 seconds lol

Not a useful waste, then? And now you've wasted more seconds by posting this comment.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THE POINT??????

These ones amuse me. Somehow these seem to me the most confused of all. Why are they looking for a point? Why don't they simply see what is there?

lmao shes not even asian

Errr, she never said she was. A lot of very silly Youtube posters seemed to think she was, probably because they've never met an Asian person before and thought Magibon was so un-American she couldn't possibly be American.

I dont understand..

I dont like any of her vids.. there pointless and stupid yet.. I subscribed!? OmGWwtFbbQ?

I quite like that one, actually. It's endearingly candid.

lol, i have seen a few of this girls videos... im stumped as to what it is shes trying to achieve :S

Does 'lol' really mean 'laugh out loud', as I'm told? If so, people seem to laugh out loud in the most deranged places. It never seems to make sense. Which is... quite interesting. Also, why should she be trying to acheive anything? Why?

dumy



I told you some of the comments are utterly incomprehensible.

Oh my god, I am tired of this staring bullshit. At least start talking again. This is why people hate you because you upload videos where you just stare into the camera. I hope you get a free dental makeover so your life will be better and you will stop doing this shit.

Errr... right. Okay. Next caller, please.

Well, it's interesting that a number of people say that she seems in a very good mood in this clip. I almost got the feeling that all the waves of hate are beginning to tell on her, and she's trying to deflect them in this video. I hope that's not the case, and that the hate is not getting her down.

Hmmm. Anyway, I started writing this and actually I'm feeling uninspired, and I haven't come to any conclusions. I was going to write a bit about different decades, but I don't feel like it now.

I think sometime I might write a post collecting together all my favourite Youtube comments. There are some good ones out there.