Generation I for Irony

I believe my generation, probably people who are in their twenties now, are part of what I would call Generation I, as in Irony. The reason why I started thinking like this is actually pretty meaningless (which is already ironic), but like a war can start with a dispute between two individuals and a tree starts off as a tiny seed, that one flash moment was of extreme importance. As if what I'm saying here, is such a big deal...

Anyways, I went out clubbing last night: booze, sweat, empty wallets, loud beats and...visuals. They were showing some footage of an eighties guy singing his song in his shiny suit. People look at it and think: funny. But also in an odd way: funny ergo cool. That's the whole reason why the VJs used that footage. And so, it made me think about the "spirit of this time". Back in the 1960s and 70s, we had the dreaming hippies, in the 1980s we had the yuppie thing going on, then so-called Generation X came along, supposedly being more critical than ever, but not knowing where to go with it.

I believe we are part of Generation I, because although we are continuing the critical stance of our X-predecessors, we embrace our criticism and put it into perspective, eventually smiling at the world, although I sense some bitterness and maybe even arrogance in it. Recycling and re-inventing are today's hot words, but the same should be said of uncertainty and doubt. It is this doubting of what is to come that makes us mash up the past, and look at it with a ironic smile. I believe we are longing for a better future, but sense things aren't changing. We are not ready yet for a new phase.