Episode 3: Dating Yourself

No, not that kind of dating.

    It's always been sort of a pop cultural phenomena to prefer older things and not like new stuff. Even when it comes to people. It's always been a thing that older generations will judge younger ones and younger generations will make fun of the older ones. But it comes to pop culture too. The other week, Danny Phantom was on tv, and I made some comment about how I miss old Nickelodeon cartoons and that the new ones just aren't nearly as good. To which my sister responded something to the effect of "everyone prefers the stuff they grew up with."

     She was right. While The Loud House or Sanjay and Craig or whatever new cartoons Nick has may be good, I'll always prefer early seasons of SpongeBob, Danny Phantom, CatDog, The Fairly Oddparents, Jimmy Neutron, Regular Show, Avatar, etc. because those are the cartoons I watched as a kid. They're probably not objectively better shows; my nostalgia just makes me think that they are.

      Spider-Man is another big example of this. This is where I try to avoid nostalgia. Everyone who knows Spider-Man knows there have been three actors to play him in his movies: Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland, the last one being the current one. I think Holland's is the best portrayal of Spider-Man we've gotten to date. But the Maguire fandom is stronger than ever, always insisting that Maguire's is the best portrayal and the other two are at least somewhat inferior. But, while Maguire did do a good job, I think a big factor of his fandom prefering him is just nostalgia. Maguire was our only Spider-Man from 2002-2012, meaning a decade of the lives of many people who are now adults.

Dating yourself by your preferences

   Dating yourself means revealing your age by your cultural preferences and memories. Liking old cartoons better than new ones, remembering old technologies or products, thinking the kids these days are just up to no good. You're putting a date on yourself - showing everyone "I like these things, so you know I'm from this time."

Avoiding dating yourself

    Many people who know me know that my favorite tv show of all time is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The show premiered in 2005 and is still running. In fact, its 15th season premieres tonight (December 1, 2021). With its new season, Sunny officially becomes the longest-running live-action sitcom in television history. It has also been renewed through to at least an 18th season. Other popular sitcoms like Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine both started *and* ended during the show's lifetime. And It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is *still* airing. Premiering in 2005, the show has lived through four presidencies and has seen many cultural shifts. So you might be wondering, how does a show stay so relevant and popular after fifteen years?

     The key to this show's longevity and versatility is how adaptable it is. The characters, the "gang", are not solid-formatted characters, and the subject matter isn't always the same. Each season devotes episodes to current affairs affecting the world at the time. For example, season 13 features both an episode referencing the Trump campaign and one about the whole debate about gendered bathrooms.

Conclusion

     Dating yourself isn't always a bad thing, just try not to let it be one. Be more open to newer stuff and don't be such a stickler for how things used to be. 

See you next Wednesday.