Is it just me or am I in good company when noticing that pop culture in western societies has really declined over the past few decades?
While not everybody reading this column will agree with what I am about to write, most new movies-particularly the Hollywood blockbusters-that are being released these days are very unoriginal, often overblown, and are very difficult to get excited about.
Every generation looks back at their childhood as the ideal time to have grown up in, and I suppose people of my age group are no different.
As far as being a kid, the 1980s and 1990s were a fun time to be growing up. Instead of continually looking at screens as is the case in this technologically-driven day and age, the kids of that era spent a lot more time outside playing with friends or exploring.
The screen time that we did have consisted mostly of playing Nintendo games or watching an hour or two of television in the evening after school before going to bed. For those of us who grew up in rural parts of Canada, there were usually only a few channels to choose from, unlike today, where we have become overwhelmed by choice.
During those years of my childhood and youth, I eagerly looked forward to the blockbuster movies that at the time were known as the ‘summer movies’ which, as the name implies, were released into theatres during the summer vacation months. Most of these films were fun and were not pushing political agendas (Either right or left) like many of the movies of today are.
Yes, in many ways while the world I grew up in had just as many problems as the modern world does in 2024, because we weren't made aware about it on a 24-hour basis, people were not constantly worried and stressed like many are today. There was hope for the future, which was relayed through the films and music of the time.
The question is, could we ever return to a time like that? Could our society come full circle and go back to a simpler era such as the one I grew up in? As idealistic as many of us are, the reality is, as history shows us, that isn't usually the case, at least not for centuries into the future after which time we will all be gone.
In the meantime, instead of worrying and fretting over things that are mostly out of our control, it's important for us to have fun and relax and enjoy all the good moments that we can ... perhaps go to see that latest movie about gladiators, no, not the one with Charlton Heston, or the other one with Russell Crowe ... you know, the ‘new’ one. Or perhaps take in Wicked, the new Wizard of Oz origin story based on the blockbuster featuring Judy Garland that was originally released when my grandparents were lamenting that the good old days of listening to the radio broadcasts and getting together for a harvest dance were being forgotten.
