Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Why the 21st Century is Better

While it may not be as cool to be an enthusiast (ok, geek) in high school as depicted in pop culture these days, it seems clear it is not nearly as uncool as it used to be.  At least if Seth Green is right:

Geek and Gamer Girls - Director's Cut - Watch more Funny Videos

And Stan Lee gets perhaps his most favorite cameo!

I am not saying I was born too soon, but for a comic book fan and a fan of scifi movies, this has been a pretty good century thus far.  Of course, for movies about high school, the 80's still rock with Ferris, Spicoli and the rest.

Upon reflection, pop culture-wise (not high school-wise), I think I was born at the right time.  The best way to appreciate Star Wars was to see each movie when they came out, revolutionizing special effects and shaping our imaginations.  I would rather have had 20 good years of SW memories before Lucas revised the first films. And having a poli sci degree helped me enjoy the plots of the second set of movies with the diversionary wars and the rise to power.  Seeing Raiders and Back to the Future when they came out > seeing them for the first time now.  Moreover, I got to watch ST-TNG as it came out and DS9 as well.  Catching up to all of that now would be a lot of work.  Plus, I have to think that the X-Men and Spidey books of the past are much better than those of the past fifteen years.  Less books to follow for one thing.

Sure, DVDs allow us to catch up, but watching Brisco County during its one season was a terrific experience.  Would it have been better to actually grow up with Harry, Ron and Hermione?  Perhaps, but I got to grow up with Alyssa Milano, Kelly Preston, Elisabeth Shue, Valerie Bertinelli and Phoebe Cates.  Oh, and Luke, Leia and Chewie.

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