Those Damned Young People

Something bizarre happened between 1950 and 2006. American society got real casual.

We went from this: To this: in just 50 years!

Personally I think it's great. I wear sneakers to work and no one cares! Unfortunately, older generations view progress differently than I do. Legions of elderly freaks fear the societal consequences of our collective slacking. They think it's one big slippery slope from uncombed hair to block-party orgies.

Obviously, that's insane. People don't feel comfortable swinging up and down K Street. I've asked around. But there are real world consequences to the generational fear of change.

Just look at the recent bruhaha over this photo by Thomas Hoepker.
Frank Rich wrote an op-ed in the NY Times about the "young people" featured in this picture. It really doesn't matter what he wrote, but folks at Slate got pissed off and wrote their own opinion piece about these "young people". Then one of the "young people" featured in the photo wrote into Slate and said, "Hey, I'm forty years old!"

This is what bugs me. Ok, the whole controversy over the photo bugs me, but that's already been blogged about ad naseum. This is what REALLY bugs me. If you dress down, keep your hair long, or simply refuse to wear pressed pants and loafers, you're viewed as a "young person". No matter how old you are! I fly on planes all the time and you have no idea how often I'm asked,

"What are you studying in school?"

Nothing. I'm not studying in school. I have a full-time job. It's not an internship.

I think for past generations, when you reached a certain age, you were supposed to stop "dressing like a kid." But for many people today, there's very little societal pressure to throw out the t-shirts and jeans. Casual Friday has taken over.

We still have to put up with snide remarks and demeaning attitudes. That's a small price to pay, if you ask me. I wear t-shirts to work. This is a golden age we live in.