"Lost Generation" is a student-made video created for an AARP contest in which it placed second. I first saw this video in Freshman Academy last year, but it has made a lasting impression on me that keeps bringing me back to this video to watch over and over again.
This video, in my opinion, is affective and moving to whoever watches. The first time I saw the video, I was mostly just amazed by the sheer brilliance in the 'reversal' aspect to the story. But the more I watched it, the more I dug deep into it to figure out the meaning in it.
To me, I found complete truth in the simplicity of reversing your world view. That's obviously conveyed in the video by how the narrator reversed her story, still using the same words, just in a reversed structure, and completely changed the meaning of it. But though it seems simple, I found that to society, the first story is easier to follow and live by, because it is broadcasted to us through the media and our "Mother Culture" [Ishmael term!!]. This, in turn, shapes our beliefs and goals, whether we like it or not. You may think: "Oh yeah, what do you mean? I would NEVER live like that...and I know many people who wouldn't! That's absurd.." But come on, look at what our world is coming to.
How many people work solely for money, not the satisfaction? How many people believe that having a high-paying job will make them happy...and that's the first thing they look for when they're trying to find a job [before seeing if they'll actually like doing the job!]? Hmm...liking the job....that matters too, right?
And the divorce rates, according to nationmaster.com, are the highest in the United States compared to any other country in the world.
Oh, and environmental destruction? I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't say that our environmental issues are piling up higher and higher as the years pass by.
That said, I think it's rational to say that the first portion of this video definitely brings up some painful truth, or better yet, painful predictions, to the future's world view. That is, the future world view if we don't do anything about it. But, I think the second portion of the video shows how, if we just reverse what the media and Mother Culture is telling us, live by what we think is justified [which would be categorized as non-conformist, according to the conformist world view (a.k.a first portion of the video)]then we can make a difference.
That's why I think this video is important for the youth and coming generations to see and realize that, although what we're seeing and hearing on TV, on the radio, or from others may make us think "Wow, there's no hope, or at least, I can't do anything about this. I guess I'll just have to live like this for the rest of my life", there is hope. There is hope as long as we believe that each of us can make a difference in our own way and better ourselves through what we believe is right, not what others tell us is right.
This video makes me think that things can change through a chain reaction: as long as one person starts the chain and makes it seen that they started it, others will follow along. In this case, the creator of this video started the chain, and is trying to spread it. And now, even though I'm just one person, one blogger, one little individual on this great big planet, I believe that if I reverse that conformist world view and reverse what is coming at me that seems like doom for my generation, I can make a change and spread the word to others. And if I spread the word to others, the chain reaction will keep going, and we will all be able to come together and change what we're supposedly doomed to live in.
That said, I'm blogging about this story in hopes that you, the reader, will watch this video and get the same view-atering experience as I did, and share it with someone else. To continue the chain reaction and help us not become a lost generation.
Nicole, I too was deeply moved by this video when I first saw it last year. It is in fact a sad truth but much of our society shows characteristics of story number one in the "Lost Generation" video. If I recall we saw this video after reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. This video is a great example of Mother Culture and how media can influence us as well. Typically when we think of media influencing society we don't think of it as the best thing. Often we think that if the media influences people they are telling us what to believe in based on the governments opinion. The truth is often altered or not fully told through media (as we've discovered through post-modernism this year). However, this video does something completely different. It is mind opening. It doesn't tell society itself to do anything. The video is just about one girl reflecting upon everything she doesn't want to become. This in turn allows us to reflect upon what values we believe in. You are completely right that many people don't care about their lives, family, etc. because they are so focused on certain things like their careers. I like how you even included statistics. I remember discussing last year that people who chose a job for the money are actually less likely to be successful than the people who chose a job that they are truly passionate about. This video really warns society. It is telling us to think about what is really important in life. I think we all need to take some time and consider what we truly value.
ReplyDeleteNicole, I agree with you on everything; I agree that the Media has a negative effect on what we will do in our future, promoting to get jobs because they pay well and not because they are what you really want to do. I also agree that if our pattern of environmental damage continues, we will destroy the world around us. I am really fond of the Voice you took on for this blog. Especially in the last two paragraphs, you almost speak as if you are the person who made the video. You express yourself as just a little girl in the small world which in many ways it may seem you are on this subject. I also agree with you that the first part of this video is what our society is indeed moving towards but i believe we must also look at what culture is throwing at us on the reverse side. For one, People are hugely aware of their "carbon footprint" and are often trying to be kinder to the environment. This is true as the result of our culture throwing at us their global warming statistics and such through commercials and advertisements. You did a wonderful job, and that video impacted me in what i believe to be a very similar way to how it impacted you. Thank you Nicole.
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