June 24th, 2009 | By
Wow, by today, about 90% of the kids are off for the summer. For working adults, it’s just another day but with the sun out. For those who know, you know I’m in the education business (for now). Summer time does not mean less work in my business unfortunately, sometimes more. People are always looking to educate their kids a little bit, especially during the summer. During ‘recession’, education is always on the rise as people think the more educated will have more chances of employment. Honestly, I’m not that old but I’ve seen enough to be able to say that education (while I always encourage) is not the ‘key’ to sucess nor does it ‘guarantee’ anybody anything. There is no such thing as ‘it will get me a job’, that is a lie parents tell their kids to get them to stay in school. And while I think school and education is extremely valuable, I’m simply putting it out there that it does not ‘guarantee’ anybody anything. There are benefits, but no guarantees. And in the end, you should always do something for yourself rather than for anybody else. But understandably, thinking for oneself is nearly impossible at 18. We think we are ‘thinking’ but it’s not ‘true’. After all, what real thoughts do you have when you don’t even know who you are? I’m quite done proving to kids that their decisions are quite irrelevant at this moment in their life. At 18, you think you’re on top of the world and you know it all. Geez. There’s a long way to go kiddos, like another 60-70 years of living. You do the math. Don’t get me wrong. I was one of those bratty-loud-mouth 18 years old like any other. In fact, I often embarassed Karine (Culina) in public with my loud behaviour. Meh. It was fun while it lasted. And now, I’m one of those adults that look at kids with a grin because I know how it feels to know everything and now I know I knew nothing. And I still don’t know anything. And that is one of life’s mysteries…. the clock keeps ticking, and the more we learn the more we know that the less we actually.
This leads me to the second part of my ‘essay’, Gossip Girl. I, finally, decided (or more like had time) to watch GG’s entire season 2 and I just had to laugh at it all. While I don’t think it’s a ‘smart’ show, I do think it’s a sign of the times. When I was a ‘tween‘, we watched Beverly Hills 90210 (the original) and Melrose Place (we snuck it). Now, they watch Gossip Girl. And if anything, the show demonstrates where are our society is headed. Is the show about a bunch of rich kids (predominantly White)? Absolutely yes. Gossip Girl is set in the upper east side of Manhattan. Where private schools are the norm and everybody (and their maid) has a cell phone.
1. Privacy. If GG shows one thing, it’s the lack of privacy. And this is absolutely where we are heading. Reality show paved the ways. Then GPS. It’s not difficult to track where people are going anymore. And the tag phrase is, “I have nothing to hide”. Sure, you have nothing to hide, but does that mean you deserve to have your every move tracked and followed? On the show, everybody has a cell phone with cameras. They take ‘pap’ pics of the rich and infamous, then send it to a website not unlike our now-tabloid blogs. Reminder, although the show debuted some time in 2007, the first book was written in 2002, before some of the more popular tabloid-blogs starting showing up 2005.
2. The Medium Is The Message. It’s the medium that engages the individual, not the content. Cell phones. Internet. Computers. Security cameras. Need I say more? It’s how we are using the gadget or technology that shows us how we are. In this show, it shows us (once again) that some people (mind you a lot of people) use the technology to spy and pry on people’s lives. If anything, that shows us more about ourselves than all the sex on the show.
3. All the Sex On The Show. hahaha… I’m sorry, do teenagers use sex as a weapon? Really? Why? Because they are rich? Sure, there are hoes among all age groups, but still. I don’t pretend that teenagers are innocent, but still. According to GG, sex is used to manipulate and blackmail among the rich. I want to say that this is only a show, but is it only a show? Or is it what rich kids do? Or is it what we want regular kids to do? What is it?
The next two points are not about ‘the sign of the times’ but just about high school life in general.
4. All That Mattered Then, Have No Relevance Now. As I’m watching the show and watching the kids make a big fuss over the smallest things, I’m laughing hard. All that gossip. All that backstabbing. None of it amounts to anything in the end. Sure, it hurt our feelings in high school. Maybe even hurt our self-esteem here and there. But high school in the bigger picture is like kindergarden in the real world. Do you remember kindergarden? Do you remember who pushed you in kindergarden? Who talk to you? Who was mean to you? Of course not! And the same goes for high school, you will barely remember these people as the years go by and they won’t remember you. They won’t have anything to do with your family, your children, your business, and/or your bank account. Nothing. Of course, this does not apply to those who marry their sweethearts or get to stay friends with their best friends. I’m really referring to the petty problems we have in high school with people that seem so big at the time and means nothing once you get older. Also, the teenage love affairs seem so important. You spend all your time with them, can’t wait to be with them. Oh let’s get real and wait until you grow up. They might not look so hot after all.
5. It Was Fun While It Lasted… but You’ll Be Glad It’s Over. I’m referring to Gossip Girl in high school and high school itself. While I was in high school, it seemed so important, fun and all that. Like I said before, everything seemed so central. However, now that I’m done high school and even university, sigh… high school’s faint memory seems so sweet.
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