Re: What will the 2000's be remembered for?
On the cultural front, the 2000s will most likely be remembered as the decade in which the entertainment industry collectively threw up its hands and admitted that there officially are no new ideas.
In the film industry this decade will long be remembered as the decade of sequels and remakes. While there may have been a few memorable movies, mostly this decade gave us an unending stream of poorly conceived and ill executed franchises.
Granted, there have been a few bright spots: The Shield, Lost, Mystic River and Dark Knight almost make it worth having to suffer through the glut of garbage that has been hoisted upon a public undeserving of such abuse. For instance, Nicholas Cage - need I say more?
Our voyeuristic (sp) impulses have been more than addressed with reality programming. No script, no plot, no thought ... no problem. Just about any imbicile can get on television if they just consent to have cameras follow them everywhere they go.
In the music end of the entertainment industry, the 2000s merely cemented what had started in the 1990s, the complete death of anything worth listening to on the radio. Corporate concerns dominate an industry dependent upon an "artist" selling big each time an album is released. They may have failed to notice that the album has become obsolete for all but a few dinosaurs like me who actually want something to hold in hand. Downloading has become the favored way of acquiring music, and the music industry is still trying to figure this out.
On a positive note, Apple's iPod really has revolutionized the way people listen to music. I mean 1700 songs in the palm of my hand on shuffle play is a wonderful thing. And since I control the content I'll never be let down.
Also, the 2000s will be remembered for taking the phrase, "famous for being famous" to absurd new levels. Can someone please remind me exactly what Kim Kardashian is famous for? Why do I know her name? What did she DO to claim such noteriety? Did the Gosselins ever actually have jobs or careers? How did they escape from a basic cable show I had never heard of to become the most annoying thingon television since static? Paris Hilton gained her fame from, what was it now? Did the sex tape come before the reality series, or was it the European party circuit that preceded the jail time? I got lost somewhere between supermarket tabloid covers.
I don't believe there has ever been a time like the 2000s where so many unaccomplished people have become so well known. Thank the good Lord in heaven for Chesley Sullenberger, but he is outnumbered by celbutants by about 500 to 1.
Often what comes tome mind when we think of a decade is the cheesiest aspects of personal comportment. The 60s was filled with dirty, drug using hippies, the 70s was wide lapels and white guys with afros, the 80s was big hair, spandex, and leg warmers. The 2000s will go down with a much longer lasting choice. This became the ink decade. Once, to get a tatoo, you needed to have served in the military, been a longshoreman, or done time in jail. Now any poser can get one. Every tart in a pair of hip huggers is flashing her tramp stamp for the world to see. Please keep it private.
I am constantly seeing emaciated stick figures who should have invested their income in food rather than the permanent advertising with which they adorn themselves. I've never understood why someone would pay some scumbag good money to get stabbed with a needle full of ink. I've never understood the appeal of monograming yourself. The message is lost on me. It seems that if you are desperately trying to find a way to express yourself there has to be a more profound way than letting someone else draw a picture on your body.
