Those were the days, my friends

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Probably more of the latter, but there are still plenty of things these days that can be considered more of a shared thing than others. Shows like Squid Game or Succession are watched by millions and it's easy to find people that also watch them out in public. Game of Thrones was definitely cultural (if regrettable by the end). If anything, the internet has made it easier to connect with other fans of things, so if i'm watching the newest Star Wars series it's much easier for me to discuss and brainstorm with people online over plot points or details.

It's an easy argument to make that we're in the golden age of TV/streaming/video production and creation. The sheer number of things being made these days and their breadth is incredible.

Oh, I am almost certain that today’s media is better and I am not arguing that point.

What I am more saying is that something that crosses a wide swath of society is getting more rare. Game of Thrones was about the last show I can think of that spanned generational divides; it seemed like end of an era. Maybe the divides are just getting larger - the internet versus non-internet divide being the the marker there.

Other things just have their fandoms like Star Wars. Either you like it and are invested, or not. Which is fine, but it is self-sorting to an extent, especially the farther one gets in. The Marvel movies suffer from this too.

Do I feel out of touch with someone 15-20 years my junior? Not completely, but it is just more work to bridge that cultural divide. I find it much easier to relate to those somewhat older, because the type of cultural ‘conditioning’ was more similar. More standardized, whereas I find the younger take is more chaotic, more random, which is unsurprising given the self-catering that is available today.

There will always be common things people share. Food, sport, day-to-day life. But in another sense, as our country becomes more diverse in both a literal sense and cultural one, I am curious how far apart we can go and still retain a cohesive identity.

How atomized can a society become and still be a society? Maybe that’s why we have these nostalgic moments. They are a reminder of what people shared together. Media is a thread of that.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by thewave46

It also makes one wonder what’s worth saving. How many ‘duck face’ selfies were taken versus the timeless photos that actually captured a moment? Wading through a box of old photos might be a bit of work, but gigabytes of random garbage photos are all the easier to click ‘delete’ on, especially when sheer volume of crap makes finding the gems all the more needle in a sewage plant, to mangle a phrase.

Your point personified in yesterday's news...



Unfazed woman takes selfie from her car sinking through the ice in Rideau River

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Your point personified in yesterday's news...



Unfazed woman takes selfie from her car sinking through the ice in Rideau River

Maybe I am old fashioned, but not actively incriminating myself for the various dumb things I did when I was young was kind of important. Ya know, consequences and all that.

So, yeah, speeding tickets got paid quietly with the hopes that the powers that be would be none the wiser instead of having to take my lumps from parents and having to pay the ticket anyway.

Admittedly I didn’t sink a car into a river.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Your point personified in yesterday's news...



Unfazed woman takes selfie from her car sinking through the ice in Rideau River

FYI minutes before this idiot was seen racing along the frozen river surface in another video.

She is not some hapless motorist whose car ended up going off a bridge due to an accident.

And to think bystanders risked their lives to go and get her out of the mess she stupidly put herself in.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by Acajack

FYI minutes before this idiot was seen racing along the frozen river surface in another video.

She is not some hapless motorist whose car ended up going off a bridge due to an accident.

And to think bystanders risked their lives to go and get her out of the mess she stupidly put herself in.

The video evidence will serve to aid the Crown’s case, if there is some consolation to be had.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by thewave46

The video evidence will serve to aid the Crown’s case, if there is some consolation to be had.

My main consolation for now is that none of the rescuers were hurt.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Yeah, agree with all of the above.

The level of narcissism and stupidity in this case is off the charts. And then somebody has to rescue her and clean up the mess she created.

Oh well, at least her new insurance rates might keep her off the road for a little while (oh wait... she wasn't on the road anyhow... ).

Back on topic... the "selfie" as a cultural norm, and everything that is attached to it, leads me back to reminisce about different times...

[biguc]

Originally Posted by niwell

I agree with the premise that it was the end of a certain type of feeling in pop culture, I'm not really sure I buy the narrative about Woodstock '99 and the violent turn in popular music. I thought the "documentary" about it was generally terrible with few redeeming qualities. The problem wasn't the kids into that type of music - it only represented a portion of what was going on anyways - but rather the absolutely terrible management of an oversold concert in one of the worst possible venues. In that sense it may have represented a peak of the type of pop consumerism that was on an inexorable rise during the 90s. One that probably would have continued a fair bit longer if it weren't for the jarring halt in 2001.

Full disclosure - I was a full bore Nu-metal fan in the mid to late 90s (as well as industrial and more goth-rock) and can still appreciate the genre / actively listen to some of the artists. There was a lot of garbage but people were actually creating a new type of music. Hell, I bought White Pony on vinyl fairly recently and listen to it fairly often.

I don't intend to come down on any genre or its fandom. My point is more indiscriminate.

I only used Woodstock '99 as a convenient bookmark in history. Maybe a better incident was Tim Commerford flipping out at the 2000 VMAs over Limp Bizkit basically even existing. It was like an entire generation never learned that anger wants an object. Rage? Yeah, but against the machine? Meh. Let's just break stuff. And then 2001 gave them an object and we got a decade of support the troops and rape culture and Ed Hardy tees out of it.

[MolsonExport]

Television today (streaming and non-broadcast, e.g., Netflix, HBO, etc.) is way better than it was when I was growing up (70s/80s). Music...well, popular music? Not so much (not at all, in my opinion, but I realize that this is extremely subjective). Where are the modern-day equivalents of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd?

Is it just an accident that all the above groups also happen to be British?

IMO, today's movies largely suck, popular music is extremely fragmented and not particularly full of much talent, but TV is in a new Golden Age.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Acajack

FYI minutes before this idiot was seen racing along the frozen river surface in another video.

She is not some hapless motorist whose car ended up going off a bridge due to an accident.

And to think bystanders risked their lives to go and get her out of the mess she stupidly put herself in.

Don't you sort of wish that the captain would go down with her ship?

[acottawa]

I watched the new Ghostbusters movie yesterday. It had a few good parts, but it just took itself way to seriously, which is weird for a sequel of a movie that didn’t take itself seriously at all.

I think I miss the fun irreverence of older movies. Even genres that should be silly are oozing with earnestness and/or self righteousness.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Don't you sort of wish that the captain would go down with her ship?

It's very tempting, but still... no.

[ssiguy]

The movies that you get at the theatres today are also not as good and vastly less diverse than what you use to get. The interesting movies go on Netflix and theatres have become nothing more than a place to see "blockbusters" where 90% of the movie is animation and special effects but little story line.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

The movies that you get at the theatres today are also not as good and vastly less diverse than what you use to get. The interesting movies go on Netflix and theatres have become nothing more than a place to see "blockbusters" where 90% of the movie is animation and special effects but little story line.

Again, it depends on where you're going to see movies. If you're only going to something like Cineplex or Imagine Cinemas then yes, you're going to be seeing a lot of popular movies, but even in larger centres these chains will show more diverse offerings of films from location to location. Independent theatres across the country still do a very good job of showing varying different types of films across the board.

[Gresto]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Yeah, agree with all of the above.

The level of narcissism and stupidity in this case is off the charts. And then somebody has to rescue her and clean up the mess she created.

Oh well, at least her new insurance rates might keep her off the road for a little while (oh wait... she wasn't on the road anyhow... ).

Back on topic... the "selfie" as a cultural norm, and everything that is attached to it, leads me back to reminisce about different times...

Let's hope she learns something from what I'm assuming is a deluge of criticism and scorn, but chances are slim. These days, wrongdoers almost always double down. Anyone have a name for this nitwit?

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by thewave46

It also makes one wonder what’s worth saving. How many ‘duck face’ selfies were taken versus the timeless photos that actually captured a moment? Wading through a box of old photos might be a bit of work, but gigabytes of random garbage photos are all the easier to click ‘delete’ on, especially when sheer volume of crap makes finding the gems all the more needle in a sewage plant, to mangle a phrase.

How do you feel about those photos where people take pictures of themselves, usually in groups, where adults are sticking out their tongues with the intent to try and have the tongues parallel with the ground. Those really get on my nerves.

The lady on the Ottawa River is a numpty of the highest order.

[ue]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Television today (streaming and non-broadcast, e.g., Netflix, HBO, etc.) is way better than it was when I was growing up (70s/80s). Music...well, popular music? Not so much (not at all, in my opinion, but I realize that this is extremely subjective). Where are the modern-day equivalents of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd?

Is it just an accident that all the above groups also happen to be British?

IMO, today's movies largely suck, popular music is extremely fragmented and not particularly full of much talent, but TV is in a new Golden Age.

Well, if you're looking for it in rock music, you're looking in the wrong place. Rock music has pretty much done all it can do, so any good rock-oriented music you find now is derivative.

But in other genres, there's innovation. Your query immediately made me think of (also British) electronic musician Sophie. Her work was pretty groundbreaking, although unfortunately she died in a freak accident about a year ago. Her influence has been especially felt in pop and electronic music.

• Video Link

[niwell]

Was able to see Sophie live on a few occasions and it was a vibe. Like it or not it was something new and innovative going on.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Television today (streaming and non-broadcast, e.g., Netflix, HBO, etc.) is way better than it was when I was growing up (70s/80s). Music...well, popular music? Not so much (not at all, in my opinion, but I realize that this is extremely subjective). Where are the modern-day equivalents of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd?

Is it just an accident that all the above groups also happen to be British?

IMO, today's movies largely suck, popular music is extremely fragmented and not particularly full of much talent, but TV is in a new Golden Age.

The modern alternatives to traditional TV & music are there in greater quantities, it's not dependent on the corporate music & entertainment industry any more, it's easier for people to even create their own, but most older people are oblivious. As a music lover my hobby lately is finding new music online (or even old music new to me) that is creative, instead of going to a music store and spending $ (see music thread); much of it still comes from Britain.

Here is an example of a talented new artist (British), very much on the wave of accessible but creative new music, although I'm not sure if older people can appreciate how music has changed with technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V731z_bnOok

[Al Ski]

I haven't had TV since 2003.

I don't subscribe to Netflix or any other streaming 'service'.
Whatever is going on in whatever the show of the day is.. I give no fucks!

I'm almost certain that this leads to more substantive conversations with people because you can strip away all the nonsense and talk to people about.. stuff!
Day to day stuff that actually matters to the average person.

The people who are 'binge watching' and all caught up in their shows..

I avoid them. They're scary!

They know all about their shows and... that's about it!

And then they vote. In elections .