Friday, May 28, 2010

What is this world coming to?

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you. I was talking to the student workers at my office (average age: 20) and was quite dismayed to find out how little they knew about iconic movies in pop culture.

I made a reference to the truffle shuffle and got some blank looks. Okay, maybe not totally unexpected. While a favorite of mine, The Goonies is definitely a product of its time and not as eternally relevant as, say, The Breakfast Club.

I tried a Heathers reference. No luck. A little Dazed and Confused. Not even a glimmer of recognition.

Finally I said, "Use the Force, Luke." They knew that was from Star Wars but had never actually seen it.

My sibling tried to warn me but I just couldn't believe him. How can a whole generation of kids be growing up without the wisdom of John Hughes or the magic of George Lucas or Steven Spielberg? (they even flunked the ET "be good" reference.)

Have you tried to reference a movie only to fall flat? Which movie?

6 comments:

  1. It does seem surprising, but I can't quote any late 60s early 70s movies off the top of my head, so it's kind of the same thing.

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  2. This is why we have children--so we can ensure that they watch the right movies. I mean, I never really would have picked Hardbodies as a classic that must be shared with my daughter over and over again, but it seemed to work for my beloved Gilmore Girls.

    I will be showing my son the real Star Wars movies, the John Hughes classics, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and some others I can't think of right now.

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  3. You're turning into one of those 'old' people!

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  4. You're right, April. I'm just getting old :)

    As for knowing movies from the 60s and 70s, I do all right there but I guess I'm a movie geek.

    And Jen, by the "real Star Wars Movies" I hope you mean the original three - I think the newer three are complete crap. IMHO, anyway...

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  5. Yes. The real Star Wars movies are the original, Empire, and Jedi. And in their original form, if available. I hated when Lucas added the Jabba the Hut scene to Star Wars. It was simply a rehash of Han Solo's conversation with Greedo, and it was not necessary.

    The new movies are simply cartoons imitations of the first three.

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