Gen Xers may be keen to define the new kids on the
playground but their method of ascribing attributes is skewed by the cultural
perspectives of their time. Irony is the result of adulterating iconic objects
sincerely valued by those at the forefront of "New Sincerity".
Recently, Princeton professor Christy Wampole wrote a guide for the New York Times on "How to Live without Irony" which basically took a dig at Generation Y and its alleged poster child - the Hipster. Every good point deserves a well framed counter point and so came "Sincerity, Not Irony is Our Age's Ethos" by Jonathan D. Fitzgerald - a piece that suggests we are in the period of "New Sincerity".
When Wampole points to hipsters as evidence of the "age of irony" she rests her case on the assumption that the "mechanisms (fixed-gear bicycles, portable record players) and hobbies (home brewing, playing trombone)" are no more than mere cliff notes of history rather than sincere interests.
Perhaps the desire for physical manifestations of the past, picnics in the park, and board game cafes speaks more to a response to the Digital Age then a sense of irony?
Fitzgerald, is reasonably annoyed with the idea of jumping to quickly define "kids making their way from young adulthood to the rest of their lives." To him Millennials are reviving a strong sense of morality - "All across the pop culture spectrum, the emphasis on sincerity and authenticity that has arisen has made it un-ironically cool to care about spirituality, family, neighbors, the environment, and the country."
A study by the Pew Research Centre somewhat backs up this claim by showing that 52% of Millennials are concerned with being good parents, and helping others in need is a higher priority than having a high-paying career.
Wampole and Fitzgerald do agree that New Sincerity is a response to "postmodern cynicism, detachment and meta-referentiality." Where Wampole thinks it failed, I side with Fitzgerald in that New Sincerity is very much alive and is the true ethos of our age.
Wampole was right about the existence of irony, but she didn't peg the cause. Generation X grew up when being detached was in. Now as adults trying to stay current they apply the same apathetic lens to what they perceive as trends of authenticity. They are out of their element, being sincere used to be un-cool. So naturally, the Gen X interpretation of Gen Y results in irony.
Wapole describes her own Generation X mentality best:
"The ironic frame functions as a shield against criticism. The same goes for ironic living. Irony is the most self-defensive mode, as it allows a person to dodge responsibility for his or her choices, aesthetic and otherwise. To live ironically is to hide in public."
By-products of the overlap between the apathetic and the sincere are causing the Franken babies of ironic nostalgia because sociological boundaries are fuzzy at best. With every innovation comes an adoption curve, and Instagram - or as Wampole puts it, "[the attempt to] inject the present moment with sentimentatlity" -could be read as trend towards sentimentality.
Regardless, I think that the tension between the sincere and the apathetic will continue on with slightly different variations achieving alternating brief ages of stability.
Recently, Princeton professor Christy Wampole wrote a guide for the New York Times on "How to Live without Irony" which basically took a dig at Generation Y and its alleged poster child - the Hipster. Every good point deserves a well framed counter point and so came "Sincerity, Not Irony is Our Age's Ethos" by Jonathan D. Fitzgerald - a piece that suggests we are in the period of "New Sincerity".
When Wampole points to hipsters as evidence of the "age of irony" she rests her case on the assumption that the "mechanisms (fixed-gear bicycles, portable record players) and hobbies (home brewing, playing trombone)" are no more than mere cliff notes of history rather than sincere interests.
Perhaps the desire for physical manifestations of the past, picnics in the park, and board game cafes speaks more to a response to the Digital Age then a sense of irony?
Fitzgerald, is reasonably annoyed with the idea of jumping to quickly define "kids making their way from young adulthood to the rest of their lives." To him Millennials are reviving a strong sense of morality - "All across the pop culture spectrum, the emphasis on sincerity and authenticity that has arisen has made it un-ironically cool to care about spirituality, family, neighbors, the environment, and the country."
A study by the Pew Research Centre somewhat backs up this claim by showing that 52% of Millennials are concerned with being good parents, and helping others in need is a higher priority than having a high-paying career.
Wampole and Fitzgerald do agree that New Sincerity is a response to "postmodern cynicism, detachment and meta-referentiality." Where Wampole thinks it failed, I side with Fitzgerald in that New Sincerity is very much alive and is the true ethos of our age.
Wampole was right about the existence of irony, but she didn't peg the cause. Generation X grew up when being detached was in. Now as adults trying to stay current they apply the same apathetic lens to what they perceive as trends of authenticity. They are out of their element, being sincere used to be un-cool. So naturally, the Gen X interpretation of Gen Y results in irony.
Wapole describes her own Generation X mentality best:
"The ironic frame functions as a shield against criticism. The same goes for ironic living. Irony is the most self-defensive mode, as it allows a person to dodge responsibility for his or her choices, aesthetic and otherwise. To live ironically is to hide in public."
By-products of the overlap between the apathetic and the sincere are causing the Franken babies of ironic nostalgia because sociological boundaries are fuzzy at best. With every innovation comes an adoption curve, and Instagram - or as Wampole puts it, "[the attempt to] inject the present moment with sentimentatlity" -could be read as trend towards sentimentality.
Regardless, I think that the tension between the sincere and the apathetic will continue on with slightly different variations achieving alternating brief ages of stability.
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Being a civic-minded Millennial myself, I had to share Wampole's warning of the "social and political risks" posed by irony:
"For such a large segment of the population to forfeit its civic voice through the pattern of negation I’ve described is to siphon energy from the cultural reserves of the community at large. People may choose to continue hiding behind the ironic mantle, but this choice equals a surrender to commercial and political entities more than happy to act as parents for a self-infantilizing citizenry."
