Wed, 12 Oct 1994 15:37:29 -0700 for Date: Wed, 12 Oct 1994 16:37:26 -0600 (MDT) From: rebel palm aitchison Subject: Re: malls and more To: Michael Gibbons Michael, I don't know how old you are, but you have noticed what many of us noticed about the hippies back in the 60s, or for those of us who are even older, the beatniks in the 40s-50s. Maybe the first 10 or so people who stuck flowers in their hair were individuals, but after that, it was just another uniform and demanded the same amount of conformity as the "Establishment" did. And those of us who have moved on in time note that those "radical hippies" have become the Establishment of our current system, demanding conformity, political correctness in a very self-righteous way that is no different than the generation they were rebelling against. I used to live in Boulder--it's a trip, isn't it, Boulder Mall. When we first moved there in '82, my then 14-year-old son observed the overalls-dressed guitar players who were playing old Dylan and Byrds songs trying to capture who-knows-what, and my son said, "Jesus, don't these guys know this was over 10 years ago?" Yes, Boulder is VERY granola. I love watching fashion. Yuppies don't want to look obviously yuppie so they try to dress grunge, but their grunge is purchased from Banana Republic, not a thrift store. Notice how haute couture emulates gang fashion and how baggy pants have been adopted by the most mainstream kids. People want to look "rough" but they also want you to know they're well-to-do so they have to pay a lot of money for the roughness. Cracks me up too!! Gather from your comment Athens, GA, is like that too. I am really aware of this stuff because of my name--I can't tell you how many inane comments I get, aside from the very obvious "do you have a cause?" For instance, I recently went to our dept's GSA meeting. A new graduate said, upon being introduced to me, "You're not at all what I expected." Well, first of all, who is she to EXPECT anything of me just because of a name?? I don't expect something of you because your name is Michael. It's just a f___ing name! But anyway, if what you expect is that I came flying in on my Harley with a purple mohawk and tassles on my tits (I AM female), and then I conformed to your expectations, then I wouldn't be much of a "rebel", would I? That's what I said to her. Probably about the most "rebellious" thing I could do is be normal since most people expect me to be otherwise, whatever that means. But if I were to be guided by their expectations at all, either way, then I'm not being very rebellious am I?? That's why I have to laugh, like you, at all these people who dress rough in their $100 grunge shoes thinking they're being rebellious--and they don't ever seem to get it--that they're just conforming to another fad. If it's "hip to be weird" but you're all being weird the same way, then you're not really weird, are you? The best and only way, it seems to me from having thought about this A LOT!, to be "rebellious" is to be yourself, whatever that is. Being yourself, and not a clone to some fad or political correctness, is rare enough these days to be considered rebellious or weird, to my way of thinking. On Wed, 12 Oct 1994, Michael Gibbons wrote: > boulder mall struck me as interesting not because of its setup, but > becauseof the people there. it was wierd to go and see so many people > looking so rough. it was a fashion parade for the granolas! i laughed to > myself thinking of our yuppie suburban malls and everyone dressed all > pretty, and just how similar others like the boulder mall or maybe even > the whole town of athens, ga. just as i feel underdressed at yuppie > hangouts, i felt overdressed at this particular granola hangout. > > which brings up the well-trodden questions of individualism again. these > people here all probably thought they were daring individuals with all > pie]ced body parts, flannel rags, and doc martin shoes. and maybe they > would be daring individuals, except that the people walking the other way > were ,comparing hair length, pierced parts, and just whose $100 docs were > most beat up. gimmee a break it's just a game of keep up with sid & > nancy now because it is now hip to be wierd (in some circles). the best > part is, they don't realize how yuppie they already are. they don't get > it!!! ha ha ha ho ho ho and hee hee hee to them. people are strange (and > not just the wierdos). i love sociology. > > >