Talking 'bout the MTV generation...

[Sigel James Civ 10 ABW/LGCW <James.Sigel@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>How can CFNYC be such an emotional turning point for thirty-somethings and
up, and totally

>invisible to the MTV generation? More to the point--what will it take

>for The Who to crack MTV?

IMHO, I would rather not see the Who crack MTV.  MTV does for a person's IQ
what a bullet does for a balloon.  The Who are primal, but deal with deep
subject matter most of the time.  That's too much for your average MTV
viewer I think.

Did you notice how MTV-kids reacted after 9/11?  I didn't either because the
majority of young people (who generations ago were much, much, more socially
conscious and responsible than today's youth) simply didn't care.  Their
Gamecube still worked, mommy still floated them unlimited cash, schools
still taught that there's no wrong answer, and MTV still piped swill into
their homes.  So what's a few thousand dead people when you've got Jackass
on the tube?

Unfortunately, as you can tell, I'm somewhat soured on the MTV generation.
There was a huge rush for military enlistment by thirtysomethings (whom
apparently felt threatened enough to want to do something about it), but no
increase of enlistment by 18-21 yr olds right after 9/11.  That says a lot
about this particular generation of MTVers.

Sure, every generation was distant from the older guard and tried hard to be
different.  That's been a constant since the beginning of time.  But there's
something about this generation that sincerely scares me.  I've never seen
so much apathy, ignorance, and irresponsibility before.  No one has the
answer, but it doesn't take a Phi Beta Kappa to see it.  Personally, I
believe that this is a result of the evolution of societal changes still
reverberating from the 60s.  I think that whole, "don't trip me out dude"
sensibility has fostered armies of wackos who don't punish their children,
don't correct their mistakes, took away all accountability, taught them to
be disrespectful, and bailed them out of most every mistake they ever made.
Parents call it, "giving my kids chances and breaks I never got" but I call
it "denying life's valuable lessons".  I guess I'm old school; if you fuck
up, you pay for it.  Very simple equation, but old equations are forgotten;
kids use calculators for simple multiplication problems now.

My feelings are very general no doubt, and there are many exemptions (there
are a lot of decent, responsible, and intelligent kids out there), but as a
whole, no one can honestly deny to me that there's a major problem with the
vast majority of kids today - and they're just drooling at the opportunity
to be on top of the food chain.  Our future looks rather bleak knowing that
this is what is waiting to take the power.  I for one, am very scared about
the future.

As for MTV kids and The Who?  Never.  The Who is simply way too deep for
them to get.  Besides, Daltrey doesn't look as good as Brittany even if he
was wearing pasties and a g-string.  Yikes, I've just disgusted myself!

>half of original who is still infinitely better than the whole of today's
bands.

Irish Dave articulated perfectly the difference between TED and DT.  In any
manifestation, they're still the best there is; even without the Thunder.

Jim in Colo Springs