A Nice Hard Slap – What Condition Our Conditioning Is In.
It’s
amazing how easy it is to get swept up into the cultural shifts
happening around us without even noticing. Many of them make life
easier but a bunch complicate things to the point of lunacy but still
we go with the flow. When I was a kid things were so different it’s not
even funny, especially when compared to the shit I have to reconcile
with my own little growed-up sperm.
–
When I was a kid we were happy to bounce around in the back seat of a
station wagon sans seat belts pretending we were the rear gunner on a
bomber… or the Millenium Falcon.
My
kid has to be strapped into a specially made seat with two safety
catches or I get a ticket, a fine, and the scarlet letter of bad
parenting.
–
When I was a kid one of the ways to enjoy a nice car ride was to hang
your head out the window and feel the Earth’s sweetness wash over you.
My
kid’s window only goes half way up, and she’s too buckled in to give a
shit anyhow. Her door can’t be opened from the inside, by the way. For
safety!
–
When I was a kid from the bus stop to dinner time I roamed the streets
like a hooligan, playing games and shoving myself into the lives of
others.
My kid is quiet for two minutes and we call the cops, the ambulance, and a shaman.
–
When I was a kid, Yars Revenge for the Atari 2600 was the kind of
cutting edge entertainment that could keep me going for five hours.
My kid goes through five games in five minutes on her Gameboy before wanting to buy more.
–
When I was a kid I’d show up at a friend’s house, bang on the door and
demand access and entertainment. If that failed, I’d go to the next.
My kid has arranged playdates. There’s even stationary for it.
When I was a kid a student would snap in the classroom, throwing an eraser at the blackboard.
My
kid has to keep an eye open as to where the gunfire is going to come
from, what solid objects she can put between her and the student
assailant, and how to perform first aid on a sucking chest wound.
–
Nick Nunziata is buckling his seat belt.
Before
I go, here’s the latest thing I’m adding to the blog. Each day I blog I’ll
have a song, a piece of artwork, a photo, a Mary Worth, or something to
further justify your click and to give the trolls a little more ammo. Today, an ART JAM in progress, a segmented subterranean beast:
