Nothing motivated Gen X culture in the 1990s more than the fear of selling out. But the fundamental question of what alternatives there were was never really answered.
Did the fading away of Selling Out come at the same time as the rise of social media and the death of monoculture? Correlation/causation and all that, but as soon as everyone started engaging in personal branding through their online presences it made it harder to be seen as selling out. All the trappings of coolness and status signifiers quickly changed.
First off: "Reality Bites" was fantastic. Janeane Garofalo was the best cast person in it IMO. And then she goes on to be in "The West Wing" which I think is the perfect parable for why the whole Slacker/Selling Out GenX theme may actually be overwrought or at least mostly performative. My view is that Xers were/are just fundamentally practical and maybe the grungy 1mm deep nostalgia of the 90s is being used to display some Great Truths but ultimately Xers didn't really and still don't really have time for such flannel-covered wistfulness because we just had to "get on with it" whatever "it" was. It was always just us, doing the thing, figuring it out. Still is.
"Heathers" is a far better portrayal of the Gen X consensus. Veronica (also Winona Ryder), the character in blue, chases the yellow and the red of popularity, while mocking it as meaningless and unfulfilling. The mean kids meet their fates at the hands of the characters in gray and black. The Boomer teachers and parents are clueless. The movie's lasting brilliance is its derision for lack of diversity, portrayal of date rape and homophobic slurs, by those who can't appreciate sarcasm. All that is missing is a gothic soundtrack.
"Reality Bites" is too self conscious and lacks nuance.
I don't disagree with this. Reality Bites is mostly useful as a very direct (and unnuanced) take on the selling out thesis; it is also focused on people out of school, which was important for the points I wanted to make. It's a good movie but Heathers is far better.
Did the fading away of Selling Out come at the same time as the rise of social media and the death of monoculture? Correlation/causation and all that, but as soon as everyone started engaging in personal branding through their online presences it made it harder to be seen as selling out. All the trappings of coolness and status signifiers quickly changed.
I think that's a big part of it.
First off: "Reality Bites" was fantastic. Janeane Garofalo was the best cast person in it IMO. And then she goes on to be in "The West Wing" which I think is the perfect parable for why the whole Slacker/Selling Out GenX theme may actually be overwrought or at least mostly performative. My view is that Xers were/are just fundamentally practical and maybe the grungy 1mm deep nostalgia of the 90s is being used to display some Great Truths but ultimately Xers didn't really and still don't really have time for such flannel-covered wistfulness because we just had to "get on with it" whatever "it" was. It was always just us, doing the thing, figuring it out. Still is.
"Heathers" is a far better portrayal of the Gen X consensus. Veronica (also Winona Ryder), the character in blue, chases the yellow and the red of popularity, while mocking it as meaningless and unfulfilling. The mean kids meet their fates at the hands of the characters in gray and black. The Boomer teachers and parents are clueless. The movie's lasting brilliance is its derision for lack of diversity, portrayal of date rape and homophobic slurs, by those who can't appreciate sarcasm. All that is missing is a gothic soundtrack.
"Reality Bites" is too self conscious and lacks nuance.
I don't disagree with this. Reality Bites is mostly useful as a very direct (and unnuanced) take on the selling out thesis; it is also focused on people out of school, which was important for the points I wanted to make. It's a good movie but Heathers is far better.