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Modern culture worships youth. Worships it blindly. Any characteristic that is more typical of the young than of the old is held up as worthy of emulation. Being stupid, taking unnecessary risks, loutish behaviour, playing music that you don't really like very loud so you can be noticed listening to it; all these behaviours are new virtues. Why?

I am middle-aged and in debt. I have very little spare spending money. I cannot afford to upgrade my computer, I cannot even afford to run a car. When I was 18 to 25 I had much more disposable money. I ran a car and I bought high-tech toys. Most younger people have a large amount of money left over beyond basic necessities. They are the perfect target audience for advertisers. Advertisers woo them by fawning to them. This generates a kind of self fulfilling prophesy. Advertisers try to use the language and the idioms of the young, the young then copy these from the advertisers. Clichés are generated; young people want everything loud, bright, vibrant, fast-cut editing, zoom-in-and-out, crazy camera angles and meaningless catchphrases. Music should be loud, have lots of bass and a high bpm (that's beats per minute, how old are you, man?)

The importance of excessive bass

Bass is critical, because it proves your sound system is expensive enough to be credible. Excessive bass needs a high powered amplifier, which demands large speakers, which means you have to have a lot of money and be prepared to waste it to play this music that you probably don't really like, it is a sexual display. The handicap principle (search for Zahavi+handicap principle if you don't understand the reference). There is no point in playing music that sounds good on the kind of equipment that you can comfortably afford, you have to play this special kind which proves that you have access to money and are prepared to waste it in a sexual display. Note: for any middle aged women reading this page, if your husband suddenly starts getting into drum and bass music watch out.

I used to be "into" heavy metal music. I now realize that I didn't particularly like most of it, but it was the only kind of music that I wanted to be seen to be enjoying. At the time I was quite adament that I enjoyed it but looking back I can remember very little real enjoyment. For a time I had bought in to the rock myth, now I have seen through it and rejected it. When I was 18 it was very important that I was noticed listening to rock music. I didn't do it much when there was nobody around to notice, I listened to Radio 4 (speech based BBC flagship radio service that has science, politics, news and comedy and also too much drama and art). I put posters of rock stars on my wall and fantasy sci-fi pictures of auks and castles. It was all a facade. Take away the leather studded wristband and the me of 18 was just the same as the me of 12 or 38, a rational atheist with too many opinions and a thirst for knowledge. Being true to myself means rejecting the front I had put up. For some sad people the front is more attractive than what is behind it.

I cannot take any teenager or young adult at face value. I just know that most of what they claim is important to them is a front, a mask they wear even in front of the mirror. This naturally leads them to distrust me. Nothing is more annoying that claiming that you understand somebody else's motivation better than they do themselves. The classic generation gap. If you are at that dangerous age, old enough to have sex but not yet getting it on draught, I suggest you try and get in touch with the child inside you, the real you. One day that child will shed the skin of the adolescent and emerge as an adult. Don't hang on to that adolescent skin, it doesn't suit you.

© 1999 - 2010 by Martin Willett.

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