Ethos ✧ 22 ✧ he/him ✧ ISTJ

timetospy007:

taiga-lesbian:

cool-beenz:

Shoutout to all the 1997-2001 kids who are somehow hybrids of millennials and gen z. We are the Ultimate Generation of 90’s nostalgia and new age internet depression.

This is actually super interesting, because I feel like this group witnessed the massive technological change in both our schools and our society. I’m a senior in high school this year, and my school relies heavily on chromebooks - almost everything we do is online. However, I still remember the days when we had a chunky projector on wheels in the room with clear plastic slides that you had to write on in dry erase pen. I still remember when teachers relied almost entirely on chalkboards, and I remember whenever we watched a movie, the teacher would have to roll in this giant old T.V. with a VCR player. Only recently, my school replaced the crusty old textbooks with online ones. Us 1997-2001 are the only age group that truly witnessed that shift. School isn’t the only place where society has changed - when I was a child, we had a house phone. We got rid of the house phone in when I was in grade, so I got a little slide cell phone. In 9th grde, I got an iPhone, and now I can barely imagine life without it. It’s just interesting, because we really LIVED that shift growing up - it’s what defined our childhood. It’s like we have knowledge of the school system from two different eras.

The not-quite-millenials, but not Gen Xers have the same problem.

VCRs didn’t exist when I was a kid - I remember our first one was a huge deal - it was the family christmas gift that year. I’ve witnessed both the rise and fall of Blockbuster. The internet was a gleam in Silicon Valley’s eye when I was a kid, and my first forays into fandom were through Geocities.

Every generation sees technology shifts.

Every generation sees change and motion.

My father saw the first moon landing live on his television - which was in color! his parents were so proud of their color television they took a picture of it - and we still have it to this day. A big boxy thing with the wood cabinet surround. Not to mention that he lived through the end of segregation AND the election of the first black president.

My child will never understand why people thought gay marriage was a problem, just like I don’t understand why people thought interracial marriage was a problem.

What we must remember is not ‘what’s changed’ but that it is *always* changing - and we need to be prepared for that and embrace it. Otherwise you end up like so many people I know - stuck in a time you’re longing for (that never really existed) and missing out on all the amazing things that are happening now.

And, despite the setbacks, and despite the hardships and all the shit we have to wade through - please remember that the wheel of time always spins towards justice. As long as we keep working for it.