30 May 2009

Talkin' 'bout our generation.

Now I never thought I would write a blog based on Britain's Got Talent, however, watching it has surprisingly inspired me. It's made me think about the current generation of children. Yes, I'm only 19, however, so much seems to have changed since I was a child, and I'm undecided as to whether these are all positive changes.
There has been quite a lot of children competing on BGT this year (that sounds like I'm an avid fan that can compare the show to every past year, I assure you, I can't).
Growing up in the 90's, we had no such opportunities. There was no kind of talent shows that I can remember. This made me think of a recent trip I took to Toys R Us. I braced myself for a whole lot of nostalgia...that never came. Instead I felt a bit sad, the toys were completely different, I couldn’t have gone back to my childhood if I’d wanted to. Whenever I have conversations with friends about what toys we used to have, we sound as if we grew up centuries ago. Now I know that the rate of technological change has never been faster - but, I repeat - I'm only 19! It seems absurd that when I was growing up, I'd never heard of the words 'mobile' and 'phone' being used together, and books and puzzles really were, more often than not, the most exciting option when we came home from school.
The fact that children growing up now all have their own TVs and phones and even their own games consoles; makes me feel ancient, but also, quite lucky.
I grew up reading, and I'm aware that what I'm about to say will make me sound like a prude, but I'm glad of this. I'm glad I grew up in front of Pocahontas instead of a Playstation. They say old habits die hard, but I have to annoyingly agree with this cliche' - over Summer it seems I have a lot less on my plate than anticipated - however, sinking my (ancient) teeth into a book hasn't lost its excitement - I feel sorry for generations behind me that will probably need to rely on TV for the rest of their lives. I don't know where I would be without pen and paper [insert modern equivalent if necessary]. Maybe if I had grown up with more than a full bookshelf and Teletubbies (when I'd behaved), then I wouldn't be so passionate about writing now. When it comes to entertainment - I'm glad I can live without electricity if I need to.

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