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Generation Up – Culture

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Photo credit: Jacob Stewart

Pot, parties and rebels; three words parents hated hearing from their kids as they grew older. Ironically, majority of parents lived through the extreme eras that were influenced by these three things: the 1970’s rise of the pot era, the 1980’s massive party revolution and the rebellious nature of 1990’s kids.

Tamara Ruth, 63 year old American nomad, had a few things to say about living in the 70’s pot culture.

“I’m supposed to remember the 70’s,” Tamara said. “We would macrame, sell our stuff at flea markets, travel, play music in the grass and go to independent free concerts,” she continued, “it was all about tapestries, 3 finger lids, and no stems or seeds.” Tamara further eluded that the 70’s were really about experiencing the world around you with good people.

Today’s generation is the spitting image of this. Young adults are beginning to live more minimalist lifestyles, carrying around less and less; while selling and detaching from materialistic things more and more.

Much of the party culture that is embedded in the young adult lifestyle of the 21st century is a bona fide replica of the 80’s party culture.

Pot heads may have been lazy for 10 years, but as soon as artists started making more vivacious beats, the 80’s party culture took the dance floor by storm. The early 80’s disco scene is described, primarily, as soul, funk and pop.

Tamara Curtis describes the 80’s as an after effect of the political uprise that the 70’s held. “People got lost and some people partied and others worked to further the progression from the 80’s,” Tamara said.

Much of the party culture that is embedded in the young adult lifestyle of the 21st century is a bona fide replica of the 80’s party culture. Excessive alcohol, raging lights and careless dancing is the key to a good time while looking for an adventurous outlet in the current day world. Nevertheless, thanks, for these lively times, is due to the 80’s.

When asked what the “grunge” 90’s was like, Sarah Louise Pieplow, Colorado State University Professor, said, “[the 90’s] grunge very quickly moved into the commercial capitalist system of being sold and repackaged without its real true grunge.”

Pieplow continued, “I don’t know how else to describe grunge without saying, grunge.”

Grunge style is such an influential and unique piece that people that lived in it can only describe it as itself. As for the culture surrounding it; grunge is, as Pieplow states, “unkempt, unpracticed, unruly and really not caring about the rules or caring about them to not follow them.”

Young adults today relish in the belief that they are the origins of rebellious acts, when in reality they learned it from the 90’s. Uncanny acts of rebelling against parents, administration and politics can only be acquitted to the exponential influence from the 90’s.

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