It's clear that a significant number, perhaps a majority, of users here are older millennials. The references to pop culture like movies or tv shows is always things from the 90s and early 2000s. Like referencing 90s Simpsons episodes or posting about video games for the original playstation or sega saturn or whatever. In fact a lot of the music and gaming posts I see are just callbacks to games from childhood.

I know we're all leftists here but I would be very wary of slipping into nostalgia. It's this same sentiment that leads the right wing chuds to say "things were better back in the good old days" and we're not immune to that sentiment either (though I think we have a better ability to self reflect and resist that urge).

It makes sense now why even the existence of someone like Andrew Tate completely blindsided a ton of ppl here. I'm not saying you should try to "act young" but maybe it'll help to try/watch/listen to new things once in a while. That way you won't seem out of touch to the younger generations.

UPDATE: I noticed a comment asking how to start exploring new stuff. I don't really know where to start, but try checking out this chart (https://i.imgur.com/Z43zfn9.jpg) and notice where you started to lose touch. It's more of a childhood shows/movies chart but it could be used as a stepping stone to relate to different gens. This could also apply backwards in time as well and you could notice where you stopped being able to connect with older generations as well. If there's some kind of chart showcasing adult media from different generations please let me know.

  • bidenicecream
    ·
    2 years ago

    And frankly, some pop garbage needs to stay in their generation consort. Imagine a non-millennial knowing what Biker Mice from Mars, Street Sharks, or Extreme Dinosaurs were. That would be embarrassing. 8 year old me would be embarrassed that some random gen x teen would know what they were and even more so if the gen x teen did it so they would fit in with millennial kids. Do you know what nerdy 8 year old me would call this person? A fucking loser. They should go back to playing Mortal Kombat 3 and leave us kids with our knockoff TMNT humanoid shark toys alone.

    This kinda feels like generational essentialism to me and a call to "stay in your own lane." Like Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry re-runs were running well into the 90s, and so 90s kids also enjoyed them, even though they were made for kids from older generations. And adults also enjoy content that was initially made for kids. I mean I enjoy Steven Universe and She-Ra. Should I not be allowed to talk about it with someone younger than me at the risk of looking like a "fucking loser"? Also I'm not sure what you're trying to say when you imagine your 8 year old self calling a hypothetical teenager a "fucking loser." In the eyes of adults both of you would probably have been considered just dumb kids.

    and most people I know aren’t that well informed about celebrities within their generational bracket. So, gen X people aren’t as plugged in to gen X-aged celebrities, millennials aren’t as plugged in to millennial-aged celebrities unless they’re into celebrity gossip.

    I'm not so sure about this. Gen Xers probably were into fellow gen xers, such as Kurt Cobain. And millennials were also aware of child actors around the same age as them on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. And of course zoomers are definitely up to date on the celebrities their own age.

    • AssortedBiscuits [they/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      his kinda feels like generational essentialism to me and a call to “stay in your own lane.” Like Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry re-runs were running well into the 90s, and so 90s kids also enjoyed them, even though they were made for kids from older generations.

      And zoomers enjoy The Simpsons, including making meme videos using a segment of an episode from Season 7. Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry are classics just like The Simpsons Season 1-8 is a classic. Every generation has their gems. There's nothing wrong with watching a gem because it's a genuinely good show. But my point is that most pop culture suck and intentionally watching something you know sucks for the sake of trying to connect with young people is misguided. There's a difference between playing Minecraft because you think it's a good game and playing Minecraft because you're a millennial and you heard through the grapevine from your older gen x coworkers that zoomers (ie their kids) are into it and you want to socially connect with zoomers through knowledge of Minecraft somehow.

      Also I’m not sure what you’re trying to say when you imagine your 8 year old self calling a hypothetical teenager a “fucking loser.” In the eyes of adults both of you would probably have been considered just dumb kids.

      Well duh, because boomers have more important things to do than play with action figures or arcades.

      I’m not so sure about this. Gen Xers probably were into fellow gen xers, such as Kurt Cobain. And millennials were also aware of child actors around the same age as them on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. And of course zoomers are definitely up to date on the celebrities their own age.

      Outside of child actors and athletes, the majority of celebrities most people would know are from an earlier generation than them. This is especially true if we're including dead celebrities like John Wayne or Bob Hope. A gen xer who knew who Kurt Cobain was would almost certainly know who The Beatles were, who The Rolling Stones were, who Elvis was, who Sinatra was, who Led Zeppelin were, and so on. It doesn't mean they enjoy their music, but they would almost certainly recognize who they were. Try to list zoomer and millennial aged celebrities vs gen x and boomer aged celebrities, and unless you're really into sports or name every single d-list e-celeb on Twitch, I would bet the first list is shorter than the second one.