Renewal

Since the advent of Rock and Roll, and Marlon Brando's irresistable badness, things have really gone to pot. The young folks after the depression and WWII had sought to create a utopia, instead they spawned a race of utopians.

Media always tries to encapsulate youth with convenient labels.

These 'hippies', 'punks', and 'generation xers', want lush, pagan pomp, power chords, driving rhythms, color, lights, skin, hair, body art, and community. A joint is shared without question, sex and dance and art becomes one amorphic, Dionysian ritual.

We are a vigorous species, and though the future may seem dark to some, to others it is equally light. In the context of history, we live in the lap of luxury (too much luxury some might say)--so maybe we shouldn't complain.

Where attention goes, energy flows.

This "rebellion" can also be no more than a fashion statement - a lot of the 90's teeny boppers are no more than larval yuppies, posing with their cigarettes, nose rings, and clique attitudes. The ones who see themselves as superior by virtue of their piercings and tattoos are doomed to become as anachronistic as the aging ex-pseudo hippies driving SUV's and sipping Starbucks corporate coffee. The radical impulse is as rare as ever, with hangers-on who "dare" to sport the styles, but have no clue as to the underlying message. Surface appearances are enough for some people.

Many believe that the world is coming to an end shortly, so why bother being serious about anything. This kind of cynicism is another unimaginative pose, a denial mechanism. If these fools stick to their attitude, "too good to vote," the Fundamentalist Christians will take over the country, and the posers' little noserings will become illegal.