RE: "What Happens When They Grow Out Of Barney?"

I just finished reading a blog by a woman named Jessie Newburn (@JessieX on Twitter) who tried, and seemingly failed, to comment on my generation (Generation Y).

Check out the original blog to see what I'm talking about.

Just like I will never truly understand quantum mechanics, "GenX" will never get Generation Y. Why? Well, we had much different experiences during our lives because the world was different from yours. For example, I really know nothing about Ronald Regan, Kim Campbell, or the cold war. And GenX was there for all that. And the world climate helped shape who they are because it affected their parents and their world because they were of an age where they could understand it.

In 1992, around the time of Barney the dinosaur, I was six years old. And in 1992, life for a six year old Canadian was pretty good. I really liked Barney. Barney, it turns out, is the creation of Sheryl Leach, a baby boomer and former teacher.

The climate I grew up in, in the 1990's, was one that was trying too hard to be politically correct and make sure no one got hurt. The same climate that made Barney possible. It also was the environment that spawned (and spoke out against) "Mortal Kombat," "Ren and Stimpy," and "Rocko's Modern Life." Cartoon violence reached a peak in the 90's, and then was quickly done with shortly after.

The GenX-ers who raised Generation Y tried really hard to take an active role in parenting, because during their youth life got a lot scarier, crime soared, etc. These young parents brought this on to my Generation. The social climate that allowed all of the advocate groups and stingy media regulations that we have now are a result of the previous generation's over-compensation to create a less cynical and troublesome world that they were used to.
But the truth of the matter is that Generation Y's world was better before they messed with it. Because the baby boomers said, "oh, we screwed it up... OOPS!"

And therefore, Barney was what he should have been and nothing more: "treat people nice and sing a song once in a while." That was the thesis of the show.

GenX got involved and tried to make the world uber-good after that. So Generation Y was deprived of a world where we had to form our own opinions. That cynicism GenX is known for? Generation Y lacks. And if we seem cynical, its purely ironic cynicism. Our cynicism is a comment on how cynical the rest of everybody is, and that it's a bad reaction.

Irony is the cynicism of my generation. Because in the world that was manufactured for us, all we could do is sit back and watch everyone everywhere over-react. Just because grandpa was in 'Nam a little too long, a little blood in a video game is shocking?
Please, GenX, get a grip on yourself.