First off, the “Fourth Turning” article was rather pessimistic, and yes maybe I’m just an optimistic millennial, what do I know? I guess I’m relying too much on the opportunities that emerging technologies have, but I seem to think that their “fourth turn” approach and the ominous doom that our society seems to be running ourselves into may be held off for longer than they think. The last handful of turnings didn’t have what we do today simply put. And maybe that is naive to say, but as an optimistic ( contrary to their belief in “negative” America) millennial I think the possibilities stretch far greater than the patterns of history say.
As for Gilmore Girls, which I’ve never seen regrettably, I found kind of inspiring. Here we have two depictions of life, the Gen x single mother, and her daughter ( named after her mother “feminism took over!”) Rory, the Millennial. Yet, Rory certainly seems to be inspired by her mother as well, but careful to be her own independent woman at some point despite the frequent labels such as “ You’re me.” Adding another layer is Loreli’s mother, who seems to represent a much older generation of femininity, though much more conservative, you already anticipate Loreli’s deviation before it is even stated. What we see are two young women that are ( or will soon be) in control of their own lives, and only dependant on eachother, which isn’t a bad thing! In fact it seems as if this comradery between mother and daughter is the more modern depiction. Rather than that of Loreli and her mother, which thrives on experience versus none. Her mother explicitly states, “ a child needs a mother and a father”, but we can disagree ( especially as millennials- we live in a world where divorce rate is 50%). This show seems very much aware of the images and messages it portrays. The explicit witty bits about the lip gloss flavors and Loreli sleeping with the Principal hint at the kind of stereotyped feminism. What Gilmore Girls push is for a stronger approach. We are meant to sympathize with their angle. And Loreli serves as the example of a single, smart, working mother who made it out of teen pregnancy ok, and remained a good example for her daughter along the way. Independence is key, as the Inn she runs is titled. Loreli states “ She can do the things I never got to” while describing Rory’s chance at a prestigious education. It’s true, there are more opportunities for Millennials. For a first time Gilmore Girl watcher, I thought the dialogue was great- very witty! Though the equality between mother and daughter was kind of bizarre, I really liked it. Yes it’s a liberal approach, but it’s a way to grab the interest of both the Gen Xers and Millennials by addressing them both at the same time. Not too many shows call out to both groups explicitly like when Rory says “ That’s so Nick at Nite”.
As for this week’s Veronica Mars, wow technology everywhere! We have the video tribute to Lily’s death, the GPS and the wonderful display of Veronica’s expert computer displacement skills. Who knew she was such an expert? Oh right, she’s a Millennial and a private investigators daugter, her innate knowledge resembles Kyle XY in a way. Just her overall knowledge and impressive use of the resources around her and ability to work with anyone she comes in contact with is very representative of the Millennial generation that Strauss says many people are invested in.
As I was watching I couldn’t help but wonder….what kind of role do smartphones play in all this? I know they hadn’t hit when Veronica Mars came out, but just in general?