I can’t believe you’d bring such a subject up, Drew.
It’s such a cliché, that “younger generation” crap every intellectual on the face of the planet that’s 25 years old + will make you listen to.
“I HAVE LOST FAITH IN THE MAJORITY OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION.” is what ever generation has said before us.
I think most young kids now-a-days have a liking for eclecticism, and being the best at what you do, and this idea of being immortalized, or canonized, or highly respected at what you do, whatever it is you may choose to do. Young kids now-a-days have I think an infatuations with greatness, and only admire the greats, and the only discuss or acknowledge the greats, whoever or whatever the greats may be, and I think they may be a bit brainwashed to believe that you’re nobody unless you’re highly respected or famous for what you do, and so they try to give off the impression that they know a lot, or that they have experienced a lot, or that they are wise beyond their years, an impression that is incredibly easy to give off considering the capabilities and capacity that the internet has to just give thousands and thousands and millions of random little trivial facts that few people have any awareness of to anybody.
But, to remain on topic, the fact the some random kid in high school doesn’t know who James Dean is, is really no big deal. I bet Drew doesn’t know who Carlos Valderrama or Subcommandante Marcos or Los Enanitos Verdes, or Diana Uribe is but that doesn’t mean that there is no hope for him, or that he doesn’t know anything, it just means that I know different things than he does, and that he knows different things than I do, and that we should both stick to what we know instead of just trying to be this eclectic, genius, master super-human that wants to rule the world and create the Sistine Chapel and the David and become a Master chef, and Write a great Novel, and be good at Tennis all at the age of 26. No. We’re not Orson Welles. He was declared a genius at age 2. It’s too late for us.
Richard Hell
Blank Generation
I was sayin let me out of here before I was
even born—it’s such a gamble when you get a face
It’s fascinatin to observe what the mirror does
but when I dine it’s for the wall that I set a place
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the ______ generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
Triangles were fallin at the window as the doctor cursed
He was a cartoon long forsaken by the public eye
The nurse adjusted her garters as I breathed my first
The doctor grabbed my throat and yelled, “God’s consolation prize!”
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the ______ generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
To hold the t.v. to my lips, the air so packed with cash
then carry it up flights of stairs and drop it in the vacant lot
To lose my train of thought and fall into your arms’ tracks
and watch beneath the eyelids every passing dot
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the ______ generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the ______ generation but
I can take it or leave it each time top
I think it’s rather pathetic. They should be informing themselves on these films and directors. These films were not made to just disappear. Theres a lot more to movies than some lame high school production movie .Some movies that come out just seem to dumb down the audience in my opinion.They just take whatever given to them instead of exploring past films.
I am of the young generation (19 yo) and I took a film analysis course where more than half the class (~120 students) had never seen CITIZEN KANE or PSYCHO…
…and didn’t know who Godard was.
Hopelessness.
Drew was 15 when he started this thread – the younger generation was what? zygotes?
lol
I used to feel that way too but this gives me hope:
http://www.youtube.com/user/FilmFanatic57
A teenager isn’t supposed to know who Godard is, or have seen the films “Citizen Kane” or “Psycho”. Plenty of cultured, educated adults haven’t even. We need a little perspective here. There’s a whole world out there, and it’s not all populated with people like us.
“This thread makes me feel like Dr. Frankenstein. I started it when I was young and naive, and now it won’t stop coming back to haunt me. :D”
- Drew, 1 month ago
And if I may, to draw another Frankenstein analogy, this thread is like Victor’s creation. Now that Drew had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished and breathless horror and disgust filled his heart. Now this thread is murdering his family members.
Bobby Wise makes a valid point above: “A teenager isn’t supposed to know who Godard is, or have seen the films “Citizen Kane” or “Psycho.”
In the great scheme of things, perhaps cinema isn’t the most important thing (and I say that as someone who’s devoted his life to film). And teens and even college students have a lot on their plates.
However, if I felt that MOST of them were actually studying and learning about those more important subjects, I would not have lost some of my faith in them as a generation. (CAVEAT: Of course, there are good students and educated people out there and they should be praised and rewarded.) I’m not that worried if they can’t recognize James Dean’s name or a J-L Godard film. But when they don’t recognize Josef Stalin’s name, or Winston Churchill’s, or Madame Curie, then I question their credentials as educated individuals. I don’t expect them to know who fought in the Peloponnesian War (Athens vs. Sparta), but a little knowledge about major world events that occurred before they were born would be useful, no?
So, the lack of intellectual curiosity about MANY subjects is what concerns me, not just the cinema illiteracy out there. Jay Leno’s “Jay Walking” segments are proof positive that “dumbing down” is a reality of life in the contemporary U.S. (and internationally); even teachers can’t answer SIMPLE questions about history, the Bible, arithmetic, common expressions, etc. I organized a panel at an academic conference about this question & we heard stories from Asia, England, Canada, and the U.S. regarding large numbers of students who seemingly don’t want to learn. They seem to fear that their brains will hurt if they took in more knowledge and critical ideas.
Again, I’m not speaking about ALL youngsters. But being in the trenches, I see a large percentage who don’t seem to want to learn or retain what’s been put before them. Yet I haven’t given up on them; I try everyday to encourage and motivate them. I’d estimate that it’s a losing battle with (wild guess) 25-30%.
Read some of the first posts to this thread and – obviously – couldn’t read all – but was intrigued when a few posters said moving isn’t a solution. I’ve moved several times in my life. While it’s true you bring yourself with you wherever you go, I disagree that moving isn’t a solution. Okay, a move from a blue-collar neighborhood to an affluent neighborhood is no guarantee that you’ll be surrounded by culturally knowledgeable people. As we all quickly learn, the ability to make enough to afford an affluent lifestyle in no way correlates to intellectual sophistication. But some neighborhoods are much more wonderful to live in. I stayed in Burbank (laugh if you will) for several months a couple of years ago helping a friend move, and loved it – beautiful sunny climate and just about everyone laid back, friendly and cool. (Maybe it was because I was pretty much in “visitor” mode, but it was great. I regretted having to return to home base.)
All that being said, I am still haunted by a conversation I had with the new husband (son of a wealthy construction company owner) of a friend when we were all in our early twenties. We were discussing a movie, and I started to say, “The - is symbolic of -” He cut in to guffaw loudly and say very tauntingly, “Symbolic? Symbolic?” Like wtf are you doing talking about this idiotic something called “symbolic.” His wife smiled in positive appreciation of his reaction. Taught me to never take for granted that the kind of exchanges you have on college campuses and will be universally enjoyed.
Also I came to greatly appreciate the saying: “Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig.”
Burbank is a great city. Company town.
I had a very similar conversation to Jessica’s today. My friend was talking about how excited he was for all the Tom Hanks movies on TV this weekend and I said he should watch Akira Kurosawa films on TCM instead. He said he had no idea who he was and went on to say that he obviously sucks compared to Tom Hanks and the masterpiece Forrest Gump. I said Forrest Gump and The Green Mile aren’t good films and he freaked out and gathered several people to agree with him about how crazy I am, and he kept talking about what a great film it was, so I asked him “What makes it a great film? What is great about it to you?” and he just continuously said that he liked it, and I asked him how a movie is great just because he likes it, he just kept on saying that everybody likes it. I said just because you like a film doesn’t make it good, especially when you say you understand movies but you can’t give me a single reason as to why it is a good film. He laughed and said
“Haha, who says that? Seriously who says that kind of stuff?!?” The surrounding people smiled in positive appreciation of his reaction too.
@Robley, “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! / The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! / Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun / The frumious Bandersnatch!” – from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (actually from his Through the Looking Glass)
Some people just like comfort foods and won’t ever appreciate gourmet dining. (I am guilty of liking a few comfort food movies myself.)
The first time something like this happens, you feel “Wha?” Then you realize, “Oh, okay, he’s a whopper’n’fries guy. He likes cheap uncomplicated food.”
I heard the CEO of a Fortune 500 give a commencement speech and one of his “secrets of success” was, “Know before whom you stand.” No, he wasn’t doing an ego trip. I think he just meant, you have to know where the other guy is coming from. Once you figure it out, you don’t bother throwing pearls before – well, um, whopper guys.
It’s good we have theauteurs!
@Robley: Happens to me all the time. People can’t seem to comprehend that if you want intelligent people to take you seriously, you have to explain WHY you feel the way you do about something. It sucks when it’s your friends, but I guess that’s just something you have to live with (or get rid of your friends, heh). I think everyone here has had to make a mental note in their mind on who and who not to talk about films with, and these fellows seem like they’re ripe for discussions other than film.
@Deckard, your point that that “if you want intelligent people to take you seriously, you have to explain WHY you feel the way you do about something” nailed it. Well said.
Nick Kostopoulos
Saw “La Dolce Vita” when I was 17. Heart breaking film