Granted, I'm kinda old and not really up with what's goin' on except for the dash of this and that I get from my 22 year old daughter, but I do try to understand her and her friends even though sometimes they totally weird me out. So for lack of a meaningful way to spend dead moments I try to get some of my nagging thoughts typed out to calm my traumatized middle-aged nerves so maybe some of them can help me out. Just what's all this thuggin', skankin' and pimpin's all about? Is it a reflection of or a reaction to what you kids see in what we boomers have done to your world? I know when I was in my 20's I couldn't stand the hypocrisy of what I saw in the attitude of my parents' generation - all those decency advocates like Spiro Agnew and Nixon who hid there criminality behind a facade of morality. So we showed our honest disdain for it by doing some really good things (mobilizing against the Vietnam War, 'greening' the planet, and promoting civil rights, etc.) We did some pretty quasi-suicidal things too like screwing up our lungs and brains with street drugs and ciggies and not protecting ourselves from STD's with all those free-lust serial partners we had. Actually my serial partners were rather few and far between, I’m afraid. Well, we didn't really give a shit back then one way or the other. I mean, we didn't see many positive outcomes with the threat of a nuclear holocaust hanging over our heads and the seemingly endless War. Anyway, we had the music which made up for our many indiscretions.
So I don't really find it surprising that kids today find urban vernacular all the rage. Just trying to learn MySpace I found its use everywhere but I also understand it's just a cool way to say something which previously was called something else though the exact meaning of the words still eludes me. I'm beginning to get the general idea though. There's also a secondary gain from all the foul language that goes along with being hip - you get to drive your parents away from your private lives while at the same time driving them freakin’ bug-nuts.
No, the kids don't bother me at all. What bothers me are the gangstas in nice suits that pass for decent people while all along they are the most diabolical of manipulators. They were kids too. Kids many of whom were idealistic and angry at what their parents and leaders had done with their never-ending wars. Unfortunately though, many of them eventually got bought off with the idea that idealism wouldn’t get you a very good career and that it was better just to go along to get along and not make waves. S'ok if it's someone else's kid who stood proud enough to fight the battle for freedom over in the Mideast as long as there was no draft and your kid wasn't in danger of dying there. Smart, those pampered politicos are to not make nice overseas in order to steal and control Arab oil and do it without conscripting any middle class kids.
So if you want to see who the real thugs and pimps are, just check 'em out on the TV. I'm sure you'll find at least 5 at any given night on the evening news. Why call them that? Because they lie and prey upon the majority of Americans who are basically good hearted, well meaning people. Check out the deception of the government and media on the lead up to the war, the unanswered questions of 9/11, and the lack of any conscience to challenge Bush and Cheney solely so they can go to elegant parties and cavort with others rich and powerful. You wouldn't think they have the nasties by the way they dress and look. They don't look like hoodlums but neither did the masses of Germans think those of the Nazi party were either. We are paying dearly for our security from the 'terrrorists' for as long as we have our anxiety-dissipating creature comforts today, there's not much motivation to dig into what's really goin' on. Conditions are ripe for a big thug win but I’m betting on the new generation (and some from the older one) to take the country back. It takes one to know one, I guess.
So I don't really find it surprising that kids today find urban vernacular all the rage. Just trying to learn MySpace I found its use everywhere but I also understand it's just a cool way to say something which previously was called something else though the exact meaning of the words still eludes me. I'm beginning to get the general idea though. There's also a secondary gain from all the foul language that goes along with being hip - you get to drive your parents away from your private lives while at the same time driving them freakin’ bug-nuts.
No, the kids don't bother me at all. What bothers me are the gangstas in nice suits that pass for decent people while all along they are the most diabolical of manipulators. They were kids too. Kids many of whom were idealistic and angry at what their parents and leaders had done with their never-ending wars. Unfortunately though, many of them eventually got bought off with the idea that idealism wouldn’t get you a very good career and that it was better just to go along to get along and not make waves. S'ok if it's someone else's kid who stood proud enough to fight the battle for freedom over in the Mideast as long as there was no draft and your kid wasn't in danger of dying there. Smart, those pampered politicos are to not make nice overseas in order to steal and control Arab oil and do it without conscripting any middle class kids.
So if you want to see who the real thugs and pimps are, just check 'em out on the TV. I'm sure you'll find at least 5 at any given night on the evening news. Why call them that? Because they lie and prey upon the majority of Americans who are basically good hearted, well meaning people. Check out the deception of the government and media on the lead up to the war, the unanswered questions of 9/11, and the lack of any conscience to challenge Bush and Cheney solely so they can go to elegant parties and cavort with others rich and powerful. You wouldn't think they have the nasties by the way they dress and look. They don't look like hoodlums but neither did the masses of Germans think those of the Nazi party were either. We are paying dearly for our security from the 'terrrorists' for as long as we have our anxiety-dissipating creature comforts today, there's not much motivation to dig into what's really goin' on. Conditions are ripe for a big thug win but I’m betting on the new generation (and some from the older one) to take the country back. It takes one to know one, I guess.
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