Twenty-year-olds in the 1950s and 60s are now in their 70s and 80s, like some of you reading this. The formative years of this generation — their childhoods — came at a time before Madison Avenue deified the wonders of youth. Youth remains atop its pedestal to this day.
If you can remember the 60s …
The 1960s witnessed the rebellion of many of those teenagers, who exploded out of a system in place for eons. Self-aware, self-centered and self-absorbed, those who took the traditional routes were deemed square. Those of us born in the 1960s grew up hearing about youth and its benefits. Self-centered behavior became second nature — part of our culture and upbringing. We are the end-products of that time.
Kids today
I asked my 20-year-old daughter when the youth of today lost their manners. This question was fueled by a recent observation: A woman, easily in her 80s, walked along the sidewalk just as the doors to a university opened. Out spilled hundreds of youths in a post-classroom rush. Not one of them slowed to allow the lady passage to the intersection. These students were all my daughter’s age. She said they are the by-products of the self-absorbed youth culture that I am a part of, five decades after Madison Avenue got their hands on us.
Comedian Craig Ferguson put our admiration of youth into comedic perspective (3 min. YouTube video). Check out his humorous insights and see if you do not agree. Who is responsible for this societal shift? Is there no going back? Now that we are elders can we reclaim the very respect we rebelled against?
In 2013, Karen Clancy made the daring move to New York City at age 50 to share her creative talents with the Big Apple. Through writing, singing and piano-playing (and sparkling wit and conversation!), Karen is making her way in a new city and is a great example of going after one’s dream at 50. Her music can be heard in various venues in NYC and her writing can be found here on WiseTribe and on her blog. Connect with Karen on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @klclancy.
