Episode 80: Oldies But Goodies

    I hate the phrase "it's an oldie but a goodie" and variations of it. Why? It suggests that old things usually are not good, so an old thing that is good stands out in a crowd of bad old things. 

   Don't misunderstand; I'm not one of those people who thinks all the new stuff is bad and everything used to be better back in the day. I'm not one of those "I was born in the wrong generation" kids who wear Pink Floyd shirts and think they're different because their third-favorite TV show is The Twilight Zone and they know who Marilyn Monroe was. 

   Most of the stuff I like is newer stuff. Most of my favorite bands were formed after 2000, my favorite movies are all ones that came out in my lifetime, my favorite show started in 2005 and is still going. But just because I like AJR doesn't mean I don't also like Queen, just because I like Avengers: Endgame doesn't mean I don't also like Michael Keaton's Batman, and just because I like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia doesn't mean I don't also like M*A*S*H*. 

   There's a certain stigma, especially around young people, that old stuff is bad, and I really don't like that. I understand things not aging well or feeling out of touch because of the change in times, but that doesn't mean the quality of a thing decreases or that you can't go into something knowing that it was made in different times. 

   It's also a popularity, fitting-in thing. People wanna consume the newer stuff because it's what's popular, so you can talk about it and look cooler because you're into the things your friends are into. And because the older stuff isn't what's popular, it doesn't provide you the same societal fulfillment, thus it's not something you want to partake in.

    But, I've noticed, a lot of people who say things like "it's an oldie but a goodie" are older people. Older people of course like older stuff because it's what they grew up with, watched when they were younger. So why have the presumption that old stuff is generally bad? Is older people having this presumption an attempt to appeal to younger people? Like saying "hey kids, I know you're not into older stuff, but I swear, this thing is cool"?

   Growing up, I remember my dad watching shows like M*A*S*H*, Hogan's Heroes, The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan's Island, and The Twilight Zone. My mom really liked I Love Lucy. We also watched a lot of Friends, which I know is much later than those other shows, but is still old enough to be able to be seen as "old" by kids these days. Being exposed to these shows as a kid made me appreciate them and contributed to me now having the mentality that oldies are not typically baddies.

    Like how Star-Lord only listens to classic music because it's what his mom played for him when he was a kid. Star-Lord likes that music because it reminds him of his childhood and of his mom. I relate to that. I mean, I don't exclusively like old music like him, but like him I do appreciate older stuff more than most people my age do.

Anyway, see you next week!