I have about 30 mins to write a blog...therefore, about 1 sec. to look up that date & as "Sorry, No Blog" says, I saw "Once in A Lifetime" and wrote down it's release.
Good post! Maybe this is more of a logistical phenomenon (due to writer's strikes, etc), but I would have said Gen Y is drama-obsessed. Whether it's through reality shows, or the Next Gen 90210's of the world (One Tree Hill, The OC, Gossip Girl, etc)
I definitely see Gen Y'ers getting into the environment, which makes me wonder why there aren't really any shows about that (or at least I don't know about them).
Katenonymous- I think your question about the original version of "The Office" fits what Katie is saying about "What's old is new again." Gen Y seems to be enjoying everything that is being re-done for this Gen.
Oh and the pic is cool! I want to make a collage of my dad's old military photos. I get it.
September 2, 2008 7:49 pm
KateNonymous
But I looked it up anyhow. The single was released in 1980, as was the album. Where did 2003 come from?
September 2, 2008 11:29 pm
KateNonymous
Interestingly, I've always heard of irony in conjunction with Gen X, not Gen Y. And love of mockumentaries certainly started before Gen Y. BTW, you might want to take another look at how you presented The Office. You really do make it sound like a show that is specifically geared to Gen Y, and it isn't. In fact, I'd make the argument that the American version (at least) of The Office owes a debt to Dilbert, which also isn't Gen Y-oriented or conceived.
I don't see a point in disputing the release date of Once in a Lifetime as stated in your comment--you may well be right, and it may have been released before the album. Either way, 2003 is far, far too late.
Also @ Greg: I had no idea Urban Outfitters sold "Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs," but it makes sense now that I remember they also sell the "Post-Secret" book. I'll have to check out his other stuff. He seems great at analyzing society, but a little long-winded. Still, good.
@ KateNonymous: I think you're right about the Talking Heads date, but when I looked it up, several sites said that the "Once in a Lifetime" album was released in that year, but I'm sure the actual song was much earlier.
@ Ryan Paugh & KateNonymous: I picked "The Office" as my example not for the content, but for the fact that it was a mockumentary. (Also, because I don't know anyone who doesn't love The Office, so I already know it works in the current place and time it is being viewed.) It's not retro by any means, but it makes fun of "reality." And that is something I've noticed as a general trend...everything becoming ironic or satirical.
Even reality television has become a mockery of itself by having ridiculous shows like "I Love New York" or "Flavor of Love." In another chapter, Klosterman talks about the first "Real World" and how it is the only "Real World" that was actually reality television.
So good thinking on the reality television part, everyone! I hadn't thought about the new 90210. Ryan's probably right...it will have to be so ridiculous that people only watch it for memory's sake.
Yeah, but if Generation X finds it funny, does it make it any less Generation Y? Can't we all just get along? There's like a 10 year difference between most Xers and Yers...not a large difference between humor cultures.
And there aren't a ton of Gen Yers out there making TV shows yet. But here's another one for ya to think about:
Flight of The Concords...all Gen Yers I know love these guys. And they fit with the parody/mockumentary style.
The great thing about The Office is that it appeals to both Gen X and Gen Y. For Gen Y it is a funny mocumentary about a job that us as Gen Y'ers would never work at. For Gen X it is like watching an ironic show about their lives and or past jobs. I think Gen Y loves The Office for its humor and X see it as ironic. Obviously this is a generalization, but I (Gen Y) will fortunatly never know what it is like to work in that type of environment. I may run into co-workers that have resembling qualities of the cast but the days of those type of dull days are over. Gen Y expects more out of their workplace and are sure they will get it.
And good point, Stephanie, although I keep hearing "Gen. Y won't stand for that kind of environment," but as far as I know, a lot of Gen. Y people are in entry-level jobs right now...and we do have those types of work places...at least I do.
September 3, 2008 11:52 am
BobbyB
Okay, I come from the tail-end of Gen X.
FYI, look at some of the stuff the NY Times said about us. . .
This is probably too little too late, but you folks were talking apples and oranges on the Talking Heads allusion. The song "Once in a Lifetime" was indeed originally released in 1980 both as a single and on the long player "Remain in Light". The title of this hit was then used as the title of a greatest hits compilation released in 2003, thus the confusion. The source was accurate, that just wasn't the the original album the song was released on.
Chuck Klosterman is the man. I have all 3 of his books and his writing style and play on pop culture is phenomenal. Glad I'm not the only one who picked it up (although i can say I got mine at Urban Outfitters).
I wonder if this will hold true for the new TV shows hitting the scene this season.
Will the new 90210 be more of a satire? I don't think it will fly any other way.
What about Knight Rider? KITT needs to be voiced by Hasselhoff or I won't tune in.
September 2, 2008 5:14 pm
KateNonymous
"...ask ourselves the same question The Talking Heads have been asking since 2003"
Is there any way to correct that date in the post? It's off by about 23 years.
September 2, 2008 5:31 pm
KateNonymous
"“The Office” is a mockumentary of reality, a form of entertainment which has become quite popular with the coming of Generation Y. Why? (or Y?) Because Generation Y seems to enjoy taking things that all the other generations took for granted (like a communion picture or an incompetent boss in a paper factory) and making it a commonality or shared experience."
So why is it so popular with Generation X? Is watching and liking a show the same as creating it? Because Ricky Gervais is definitely not Generation Y. Do all of these generational labels even apply to people who grew up and live in other cultures?
September 2, 2008 5:35 pm
KateNonymous
90210 is being redone for the current generation. The American version of The Office is just an American version. It's not re-interpreted for Gen Y, and Gen Y isn't the only one enjoying it.
I don't personally think the office is an amazing example either. I think it speaks to today's office culture in general. But maybe Katie has something in mind that KateNonymous and I aren't thinking of...
@ KateNonymous: That's kind of the dilemma one walks-upon when using sweeping categories such as generation titles to describe an entire age group. Of course it came about earlier, but it's more apparent on television now. Regardless what age group or demographic. And why wouldn't I present it as geared towards generation Y on a site that is geared toward generation Y? I thought of another example: Reno 911.
And I don't know where 2003 came from. I hastily looked it up on Google, which lead me to some, apparently, unreliable sources.
September 3, 2008 12:09 am
KateNonymous
There's issue here that I brought up in an earlier post: is something defined by who creates it, or who looks at it? I'd argue that Reno 911 is also more Gen X than Gen Y. Its creators certainly are.
September 3, 2008 12:15 am
KateNonymous
Should be "There's an issue here..."
September 3, 2008 12:15 am
KateNonymous
I don't think it's apples and oranges, given the phrasing of the original statement.
23 RESPONSES TO "GENERATION Y EATS THE POP CULTURE LEFTOVERS"
@ KateNonymous: Do you have any clue how you sound? As I say in: http://theleftovers.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/where-humanity-and-the-blog...
I have about 30 mins to write a blog...therefore, about 1 sec. to look up that date & as "Sorry, No Blog" says, I saw "Once in A Lifetime" and wrote down it's release.
Let it go.
Good post! Maybe this is more of a logistical phenomenon (due to writer's strikes, etc), but I would have said Gen Y is drama-obsessed. Whether it's through reality shows, or the Next Gen 90210's of the world (One Tree Hill, The OC, Gossip Girl, etc)
I definitely see Gen Y'ers getting into the environment, which makes me wonder why there aren't really any shows about that (or at least I don't know about them).
Katenonymous- I think your question about the original version of "The Office" fits what Katie is saying about "What's old is new again." Gen Y seems to be enjoying everything that is being re-done for this Gen.
Oh and the pic is cool! I want to make a collage of my dad's old military photos. I get it.
But I looked it up anyhow. The single was released in 1980, as was the album. Where did 2003 come from?
Interestingly, I've always heard of irony in conjunction with Gen X, not Gen Y. And love of mockumentaries certainly started before Gen Y. BTW, you might want to take another look at how you presented The Office. You really do make it sound like a show that is specifically geared to Gen Y, and it isn't. In fact, I'd make the argument that the American version (at least) of The Office owes a debt to Dilbert, which also isn't Gen Y-oriented or conceived.
I don't see a point in disputing the release date of Once in a Lifetime as stated in your comment--you may well be right, and it may have been released before the album. Either way, 2003 is far, far too late.
I miss Eric Nies.
Also @ Greg: I had no idea Urban Outfitters sold "Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs," but it makes sense now that I remember they also sell the "Post-Secret" book. I'll have to check out his other stuff. He seems great at analyzing society, but a little long-winded. Still, good.
@ KateNonymous: I think you're right about the Talking Heads date, but when I looked it up, several sites said that the "Once in a Lifetime" album was released in that year, but I'm sure the actual song was much earlier.
@ Ryan Paugh & KateNonymous: I picked "The Office" as my example not for the content, but for the fact that it was a mockumentary. (Also, because I don't know anyone who doesn't love The Office, so I already know it works in the current place and time it is being viewed.) It's not retro by any means, but it makes fun of "reality." And that is something I've noticed as a general trend...everything becoming ironic or satirical.
Even reality television has become a mockery of itself by having ridiculous shows like "I Love New York" or "Flavor of Love." In another chapter, Klosterman talks about the first "Real World" and how it is the only "Real World" that was actually reality television.
So good thinking on the reality television part, everyone! I hadn't thought about the new 90210. Ryan's probably right...it will have to be so ridiculous that people only watch it for memory's sake.
Yeah, but if Generation X finds it funny, does it make it any less Generation Y? Can't we all just get along? There's like a 10 year difference between most Xers and Yers...not a large difference between humor cultures.
And there aren't a ton of Gen Yers out there making TV shows yet. But here's another one for ya to think about:
Flight of The Concords...all Gen Yers I know love these guys. And they fit with the parody/mockumentary style.
Take that! :)
Gen Y movies?
Napoleon Dynamite
Juno
Hot Fuzz
The great thing about The Office is that it appeals to both Gen X and Gen Y. For Gen Y it is a funny mocumentary about a job that us as Gen Y'ers would never work at. For Gen X it is like watching an ironic show about their lives and or past jobs. I think Gen Y loves The Office for its humor and X see it as ironic. Obviously this is a generalization, but I (Gen Y) will fortunatly never know what it is like to work in that type of environment. I may run into co-workers that have resembling qualities of the cast but the days of those type of dull days are over. Gen Y expects more out of their workplace and are sure they will get it.
How could I have forgotten those movies?!
And good point, Stephanie, although I keep hearing "Gen. Y won't stand for that kind of environment," but as far as I know, a lot of Gen. Y people are in entry-level jobs right now...and we do have those types of work places...at least I do.
Okay, I come from the tail-end of Gen X.
FYI, look at some of the stuff the NY Times said about us. . .
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE6DC143CF933A15750C0A...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE1D6173EF936A1575AC0A...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE1D61239F93BA25755C0A...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506E0D9133FF932A15757C0A...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DF103AF930A2575AC0A...
This is probably too little too late, but you folks were talking apples and oranges on the Talking Heads allusion. The song "Once in a Lifetime" was indeed originally released in 1980 both as a single and on the long player "Remain in Light". The title of this hit was then used as the title of a greatest hits compilation released in 2003, thus the confusion. The source was accurate, that just wasn't the the original album the song was released on.
Sorry, that was bugging me...
Chuck Klosterman is the man. I have all 3 of his books and his writing style and play on pop culture is phenomenal. Glad I'm not the only one who picked it up (although i can say I got mine at Urban Outfitters).
I wonder if this will hold true for the new TV shows hitting the scene this season.
Will the new 90210 be more of a satire? I don't think it will fly any other way.
What about Knight Rider? KITT needs to be voiced by Hasselhoff or I won't tune in.
"...ask ourselves the same question The Talking Heads have been asking since 2003"
Is there any way to correct that date in the post? It's off by about 23 years.
"“The Office” is a mockumentary of reality, a form of entertainment which has become quite popular with the coming of Generation Y. Why? (or Y?) Because Generation Y seems to enjoy taking things that all the other generations took for granted (like a communion picture or an incompetent boss in a paper factory) and making it a commonality or shared experience."
So why is it so popular with Generation X? Is watching and liking a show the same as creating it? Because Ricky Gervais is definitely not Generation Y. Do all of these generational labels even apply to people who grew up and live in other cultures?
90210 is being redone for the current generation. The American version of The Office is just an American version. It's not re-interpreted for Gen Y, and Gen Y isn't the only one enjoying it.
Not one of my questions addressed. Sigh.
I don't personally think the office is an amazing example either. I think it speaks to today's office culture in general. But maybe Katie has something in mind that KateNonymous and I aren't thinking of...
Hmmm.
@ KateNonymous: That's kind of the dilemma one walks-upon when using sweeping categories such as generation titles to describe an entire age group. Of course it came about earlier, but it's more apparent on television now. Regardless what age group or demographic. And why wouldn't I present it as geared towards generation Y on a site that is geared toward generation Y? I thought of another example: Reno 911.
And I don't know where 2003 came from. I hastily looked it up on Google, which lead me to some, apparently, unreliable sources.
There's issue here that I brought up in an earlier post: is something defined by who creates it, or who looks at it? I'd argue that Reno 911 is also more Gen X than Gen Y. Its creators certainly are.
Should be "There's an issue here..."
I don't think it's apples and oranges, given the phrasing of the original statement.
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?