Monday, October 21, 1996

The Fixties
by MF Edible

What will the next decade bring? Far from Naisbitesque, it is still worthwhile to sit back and reflect on what trends will shape our future. Ultimately I think we will have a balance between the desire for social change (as in the Sixties) with the sobriety and optimism of the Fifties. To coin a phrase, bring on the Fixties.

Why can't I dub the start of the next millennium? My wife is currently teaching a class of high school freshmen who have no idea how "Class of 00" will look on a resume. Class of Nil, The Doughnut Generation, The Uh-Oh's. This will be a people searching for identity in a sea where the obvious tags are all way too pessimistic and vacuous. The spirit of the Sixties married with the sobriety of the Fifties. Again, bring on the Fixties.

The Information Age is becoming the Misinformation Age as the quick and dirty access to communication is breeding amateur journalists, rising on virtual pedestals without the discipline or integrity to check facts or pay homage to ethics. That's me pointing the gun to my own temple, but the safety is on. As exciting as the Internet has become, only Walt Disney could put Frontierland inside Disneyland. Parents are only now beginning to tell their children "Don't Chat With Strangers" and the open-ended potential to http the globe will eventually be tempered with the grasp of responsibility that must come with the ability to harness that power. If everybody has a podium, who will rise above? The answer, again, is the Fixties.

As my son readies the third candle on his birthday cake, I often wonder what kind of world he will inherit. Telecasts are graphic and depressing. Statistics are bleak and relentless. But why must I check my hope at the door of contentment? Why sigh just because everybody else is breathing out? As dark as the future seems, I see things differently. With every new candle on my son's cake, I say things get brighter, not dimmer. The youngest generation will learn to "Just Say No" not only to the drug dealer, but to the environmental predators and the traditional purveyors of information and power. Never before has the slate been wiped this clean and has opportunity been open to so many. While right now the potential is wedged between abuse and deception, I think in a few years we will have a better handle on the wonderful tomorrows that can be had once we tackle the ills of society with smiles and determination. The Fixties, you see, will save us from ourselves.

Today Knowledge is the awkward girl hiding in the sock hop shadows as Ignorance fills up her dance card. Apathy is being crowned "Most Likely to Succeed" while Action is the exchange student getting strange looks. Who would have thought Pessimism had the heart to be a runway model? Fashion kills, fashions change. Time will revert the priorities as the world's mind and spirit awaken from these numbing Nixties. What an exciting time it will be, and as my son blows out the last candle on his cake, I am jealous of his youth as we head into the next decade. The Fixties are the answer to the questions yet unasked. Happy Birthday, make a wish, open your eyes and bring on the Fixties!

Transmitted: 10/21/96