savannah storytelling

I love young people.  I love their energy, their optimism, their tolerance , and their fresh
young faces.  I admire young people because, in some ways, they are smarter than we were at their age.  These kids, as we call them, came into a world  more complicated and dangerous than when we were born. True, they may be more self-centered and materialist, but that’s our fault. We did try to give them all the things and opportunities that we didn’t have, now didn’t we?

Since I enjoy young people,  and as grandmother of three boys in their early twenties, I want to understand them.  So, I try to keep up.  I read the paper and watch the news on TV.  I watch “American Idol” and  “Glee”.  I even know who Justin  Bieber is.  I joined Facebook  to see what it was all about  but haven’t figured out how to unsubscribe.  I still get messages from people who want to be ‘my friends’.

Having said all the above, there are two things that I just don’t get about young people.  
The first is their love affair with body tattoos.  It used to be that only convicts, sailors, or bikers sported tattoos.  If women had tattoos, there were always hidden. Today, body sculpture is everywhere. You can see it on the street, on TV, and in the movies, and not just one tattoo, but several, covering arms, shoulders, back and legs. Children and teens see their favorite actors or pop stars covered with tattoos on TV, magazine covers, and in the movies .  It’s the style and they can’t wait to be old enough to get one or more themselves.  It’s my body, they think, I can do whatever I want with it.  Yes, it is the style, but styles change and tattoo removal is not as easy as shortening a hem or buying boot cut jeans instead of straight leg ones.                                                   

Some tattoos cannot be removed, especially colors like red or purple.  And the ones that can be removed require many hours of pain and discomfort. Yes, again, it is their body but do they realize that their body will be with them the next fifty, sixty, and even seventy years?  And,  with the increase in longevity, maybe even longer. Will they still be happy when their tattoos are out of style?

Have these young people, who proudly exhibit their so called body art, thought about what they will look like when they are old and their skin begins to sag? A couple of years ago, I   saw a lovely young woman at the mall.  All exposed parts of her body were covered in colored ink.  Her most prominent tattoos were a pair of pistols on her chest, pointing downward.  I couldn’t help but think the tattoos will look like rifles when she reaches her seventies.

The second thing that puzzles me is today’s popular music.  I can’t see nor hear any musicality in what is out there today.  On ‘American Idol”, I’ve noticed that the more a contestant screams when he sings , the more the judges like him.  The focus isn’t on who has the best voice or can articulate the words of the song, but who can jump around the stage more, wear the most outlandish costume and do that knee bend thing that all pop stars do.  Screaming is a requisite for success. Then, there is the excessive volume of the music.  This is causing hearing loss for many young people way before their time. I will not even dignify ‘wrap’ as a music form.

I realize my feelings are not new. When ragtime was introduced in the early 1900’s, most adults were horrified, and when we liked rock music and danced the jitterbug  in the 40’s and 50’s, our parents  were sure  we were going to hell in a hand basket.  Yet, most of us managed to turn out okay.  I’m sure these kids will, also.  Still, I shudder to think what is next in the way of popular music.

Of course, I am preaching to the choir when it comes to tattoos and todays music.  Or, maybe  not.  Comments, pro and con?

This article can also be found at Coastal Senior HERE