ROFL. My take is that Rise of The Twerps is as much about Decline of Adults. Hubris of youth has been around since before Lincoln... and logs, but has always been tempered by adults recognizing that kids are stupid and can be ignored. Somehow adults got to be terrorized by the kids and pander to their pre-prefrontal cortex impulses, which results in unfortunate defenestrations. Maybe this is a fear of being taunted on Twitter ( or whatever the current app-du-jour is), or maybe it's a lack of self-centeredness that comes from accomplishment. Greatest Generation ground Nazis to dust, Boomers sent man to the Moon. After that? Disco, endless, pointless wars, Facebook. What's to be proud of? What gives adults these days a feeling of accomplishment, thus the inner strength to ignore the hubris of youth?
Great post. Going through my own similar phase to you right now (I'm 34). The moral certainty of the young -- including me, when I was one, seven hundred years ago -- is something to see. It'll be fascinating to see where "woke" young people end up in 20 years. Sort of like the 60s Flower Power kids becoming 80s Yuppies, but with a digital-age twist?
Great article. One quick thing: it was a little appropriation adjacent when you referred to the “bodega.” Try “Latinx-owned corner store” next time.
ROFL. My take is that Rise of The Twerps is as much about Decline of Adults. Hubris of youth has been around since before Lincoln... and logs, but has always been tempered by adults recognizing that kids are stupid and can be ignored. Somehow adults got to be terrorized by the kids and pander to their pre-prefrontal cortex impulses, which results in unfortunate defenestrations. Maybe this is a fear of being taunted on Twitter ( or whatever the current app-du-jour is), or maybe it's a lack of self-centeredness that comes from accomplishment. Greatest Generation ground Nazis to dust, Boomers sent man to the Moon. After that? Disco, endless, pointless wars, Facebook. What's to be proud of? What gives adults these days a feeling of accomplishment, thus the inner strength to ignore the hubris of youth?
Great post. Going through my own similar phase to you right now (I'm 34). The moral certainty of the young -- including me, when I was one, seven hundred years ago -- is something to see. It'll be fascinating to see where "woke" young people end up in 20 years. Sort of like the 60s Flower Power kids becoming 80s Yuppies, but with a digital-age twist?