The Arrogance of Youth

"Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children." (Geo. Bernard Shaw)

Ours is a youth-centered society and this is a big problem. Marketing to people who are, with few exceptions, irresponsible, self-centered and fickle, while alienating the people with the money seems pretty dumb to me.

The shows you watch on TV, the magazines you read, the websites you frequent all have as their goal capturing the "youth market": Slang! Name-dropping! Ripping music right out of your Ipod and using it to sell cars! If kids flock to whatever-it-is they're selling, all the AEs cream themselves.

If I see more than one person 18-30 on a TV show, in a magazine, or posting on a website (with their best stripper pic, and glitter fonts), I beat feet the Hell out before the "OMG!" screeches begin in earnest. Who needs it?

Allow me to describe the youth market:

Young, thin, tan girls with long, flat-ironed hair and too much makeup, adding precious little to whatever discussion/action/drama is going on, seeing that they are preoccupied with their hangover, their hair,their spray-tan appointments and their short-sighted efforts to becoming a "Star".

Young, skinny, floppy-haired boys dressed like homeless vets who spend all their time listening to music, smoking weed, playing video games, and trying to score with chicks.

Note: The minority of hard-working, serious, responsible, down-to-Earth kids are not reflected here because they typically are not the subject of viral marketing campaigns and such.

America's youth don't have the first clue about what is cool, it must be spoon-fed to them. Unless they are trustbabies, they don't have any money. None have any power. So why the obsession and worship of superficial and stupid people?

Beats me. I don't think any of the idiots I keep hearing are "hot" have any redeeming virtues. Am I alone in my disgust with this?