The Sad Sad State Of US Culture (aka Have You Seen My Childhood?)

I want my 1994-96 period back. I think that everything was better then. Is that the way it always is? I feel that those two years were so much more fun and less stressful than now. All we had to worry about was Clinton getting his oral on. What most people forget is the Republicans were in power then also. Newt Gingrich was the most powerful politician in America. That whole "Contract With America" was being signed at the State Fair. What is so different now? September 11th destroyed innocence, sure, but the Republicans are relying on a culture of fear to keep us in a sort of state of emotional suspension. The Republicans control radio, which plays nothing we will remember in five, let alone ten years. Then, we had songs that sucked but were still memorable. "Far Behind" by Candlebox, all those Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men and TLC songs. It's like pop radio is scared to play anything that actually qualifies as a ballad or as traditional pop music. I don't get it. Ursher should not dominate the pop charts the way he does. Same with 50 Cent. Hell, Tupac (revered as a god these days) had only three top ten singles in his lifetime. And in 1995, you were more likely to hear Bryan Adams than Tupac on KDWB. Its all part of our innocence being taken. Kids don't play outside anymore. There is no land to go explore and ride bikes on. Its all subdivided. Parents won't let these kids go outside because they might get hurt or molested or abducted. Our whole culture is fear based now, and it makes me want to scream. Our whole culture is this angry, fear based shithole which subverts anything with intellegence or wit with explosions and lyrics about being pimp. Not that I am innocent myself. It just would be nice to see my ten year old brother have the same kind of memories that I do and that my parents did. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening any time soon. The culture of fear will be killed eventually. Hopefully it won't be too late for the whole generation born between 1990 and now. They will be even more lost than us in X and Y, than the Hippies, than the Boomers.