It's Now the Microwave Generation

My wife and I were recently in a store when an elderly lady informed the clerk that "you kids are from the microwave generation. Everything is quick, quick, quick.  I'm from the crock-pot generation.  We like to take our time".  At the time, my wife and I both thought that was hysterical, but thinking back, it's a pretty accurate description!   It seems as if every generation wants things faster, often at the expense of missing what's right in front of them.  Why make a meal in the oven, when you can pop it in the microwave?  Why watch the commercials when you can DVR it and fast forward?  Phones need to be fast and computers need to be faster and if they're not, then they're just as easily replaced.  It's more important to have the latest, greatest technology to complete an assignment that your professor will still require to be in "word form, 12pt font, double spaced with 1 inch margins".  My question would be why? 

I remember when MTV debuted.  Music videos were the rage, but were relegated to Friday Night Videos.  I also remember being upset that they cut that program from 2 hours to one after the Music Television Network took hold.  But when was the last time anyone saw a music video on MTV?  I understand that networks follow societies demands but when did society demand to stop watching music videos?  The same is true with albums.  Many of my classmates may never have even heard an album - it's all about CDs (which are quickly falling by the wayside), ITunes, downloads and Pandora.  Video may have killed the radio star, but the internet is quickly killing everything else.

Am I concerned about the direction pop culture is heading?  Absolutely!  It appears as if visual stimulation has replaced all other senses.  Movies have become more about the visual effects - big budgets, even bigger stars - and less about the story.  The classics are often better but aren't given a second look by today's youth because they're deemed too "boring".  People have become famous not for what they do, but because they're acting stupid on television.  Teen pregnancy is glorified through television giving many teenage girls dreams of having babies and being "famous"; like it's a game.  It's beyond ridiculous, it's almost embarrassing.

I probably sound old and many may read this and say "man, he's out of touch".  But, I'm not out of touch; I'm disappointed.  I'm disappointed that my children will not grow up during a much simpler time where being a kid was more about being outside playing rather than being inside watching reality tv or playing game systems that require a degree in electrical engineering or a quick seven-year-old to figure out.  I'm disappointed that classic movies such as "The Breakfast Club", "The Outsiders", or "Hoosiers" have been replaced by big budget movies with incredible special effects, mediocre acting, and little to no story line.  I'm disappointed that in order to watch a music video on a music video network, I have to find the "classic" station and stay up until 3am. And while even I appreciate the conveniences of a microwave, I am disappointed that it has replaced the oven in many homes.