Jump to content
GreaseSpot Cafe

Why do things in the past seem dorky?


skyrider
 Share

Recommended Posts

In that "2014 Extravaganza" thread.....the S.O.W.E.R. event seemed so dorky. The role playing of importance, the ad-lib citing of wierwille one-liners, the proclamation and promotion of this dinky Extravaganza.......etc., etc.

Perhaps, it's just me......but when I look back at all the dorky things we did in twi, and the corps,

I shake my head in (almost) disbelief. Oh, the gullibility of my youth. There seems to be NOTHING

LIKE RELIGION to keep one stuck in a rut as generation upon generation passes.

BUT THEN.....I see lots of past things that "seem" dorky:

1) Clothes we wore in the early 70's.

2) Old sci-fi movies that once seemed so "cutting edge."

3) Songs that repeat the same line...."I wanna hold your hand" [beatles]

4) Etc.

Some things appear dorky or bizarre in terms of land phones, computers the size of a big room, donky-kong,

pac-man, etc......but are in the realm of technology advances and such. Sure, some of that seems like an

eye-roller....but it's not something that I'd classify as dorky.

Of course, there are some things in the past that certainly appreciate in value ....... Harleys, muscle cars, relics, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Automatically rejecting anything old just because it's not new is foolish.

However, we're talking about the foolishness of rejecting the new and

embracing the old JUST because it's old. That's demonstrably foolish.

It's like seeing characters like "Disco Stu" who can't grow past their

glory moments of decades ago, in the 70s and 80s. To see it in real life

is sad and cliched. It's watching someone refuse to grow up.

To look back at past decades- the styles and fads, is to look back at

silliness to a degree because styles and fads ARE silly to a degree.

They're popular at a moment in time for arbitrary reasons (generally)

and returning to them for arbitrary reasons when you're the ONLY one who's

trying to return to an old fad is just sad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BUT THEN.....I see lots of past things that "seem" dorky:

3) Songs that repeat the same line...."I wanna hold your hand" [beatles]

Yes! How thankful we are that modern contemporary music has evolved past that stage!

Edited by Broken Arrow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They seem dorky because they were dorky! We didn't see them as such at the time because we were immersed in them and could not see past the dork in front of our eyes.

I know some of the Beatles lyrics aren't cool by today's standards, but I'm probably going to sing or hum along anyway just because they still remain one of my favorite easy listening or background music sources when I'm not listening to classical music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Things in the past seem dorky because we've outgrown them.....most of us, anyway.

They seem dorky because they were dorky! We didn't see them as such at the time because we were immersed in them and could not see past the dork in front of our eyes.

(snip)

Nicely phrased, from both of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dorky is just another 'man's judgement' word with constant 'flavors of the month'.

The Beatles represented several things. Creativity, rebellion, free speech, music, fashion, entrepreneurism, the adults just couldn't sweep them under the rug like they could everything else. The hairstyles and some of their lyrics are dinosaurs, but their overall impact is still felt.

In April me and 2 believer friends played 8 Beatle songs in a bar that has a Beatle's night annually. We're doing it again in 2 weekends at another bar. The Beatles live, "dorky" or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would draw a line between dorky and delusional. Mainly because I've always been a little dorky ;)

But yes, things are over the top even for dorky little me. I think the main one that was always my #1 pet peeve was singing "SIT" for "Jingle Bells".

With people throughout time that focused on VP's quirks, speech impediments, and phrasing to try and duplicate it I don't think they are dorky, they are more like the scribes in the Bible who "do err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God". Like V2P2 in the Sowers ordination. It's more sad over the waste of his life and those who listen to him, because repeating "we're turning the world upside down it's all kitty wompus" is not a Harry Potter spell that will magically chase evil away from you and double the size of your Podunk church.

Dorky is just another 'man's judgement' word with constant 'flavors of the month'.

The Beatles represented several things. Creativity, rebellion, free speech, music, fashion, entrepreneurism, the adults just couldn't sweep them under the rug like they could everything else. The hairstyles and some of their lyrics are dinosaurs, but their overall impact is still felt.

In April me and 2 believer friends played 8 Beatle songs in a bar that has a Beatle's night annually. We're doing it again in 2 weekends at another bar. The Beatles live, "dorky" or not.

Dork it up hoss. Enjoy yourself. Now one thing I always wondered about the Beatles - if you play their White album backwards, do they jaywalk?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's 2 things about the Beatles- the music and the zeitgeist.

As for the music, much of it stands the test of time and I'll listen to it or sing

along depending on the song.

As for the zeitgeist, they were in the right place at the right time

with the message that the kids wanted to hear.

Naturally that took off.

If you give even a NONSENSE message, but the kids want to hear it,

you'll have a fanbase, even if it's only the easiest to lead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm reminded of the Monkees. They were told by their creators not to make ANY kind of ideological or political statement, so as to be non-threatening to everybody. Of course, their theme song said, "We're the new generation, and WE'VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY." :rolleyes:/>

George

But they said nothing when they said they had something to say.

"We're just trying to be friendly" was about as controversial as they got.

(I'm not counting their theatrical release film, "Head", because that

was quickly forgotten and is usually overlooked.)

It's like people who have to tell you they're "profound" because they

never demonstrate it. To the unobservant, they can actually pass along

the idea despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember doing "Little Bunny Foo Foo" at Way Family Camp.

Didn't we do "Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes?" It's been so long.........

If nobody grows up and learns to think for themselves, they remain dependent on TWI for their entire lives. Could that have been the idea behind having adult humans repeatedly doing mass indoctrination exercises like Father Abraham, Little Bunny Foo Foo, the Crocodile song, etc.?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If nobody grows up and learns to think for themselves, they remain dependent on TWI for their entire lives. Could that have been the idea behind having adult humans repeatedly doing mass indoctrination exercises like Father Abraham, Little Bunny Foo Foo, the Crocodile song, etc.?

Yeah....and on staff at hq, the head table guy asked Walter Cvmmins to lead the song,

My Hat it has Three Corners......with actions and antics, of course.

Plus....all those corps meetings or nightowls where we sat on the floor/ground cross-legged

for a couple of hours listening to the teacher. We were treated like first-graders.....and

afterwards, we got our cookies and milk.

Dorky, dumbed-down dependency.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah....and on staff at hq, the head table guy asked Walter Cvmmins to lead the song,

My Hat it has Three Corners......with actions and antics, of course.

Plus....all those corps meetings or nightowls where we sat on the floor/ground cross-legged

for a couple of hours listening to the teacher. We were treated like first-graders.....and

afterwards, we got our cookies and milk.

Dorky, dumbed-down dependency.....

Absolutely. With all of these antics, they were establishing a parent->child relationship with all of us. That maintained parent->child relationship was what was most vital in TWI, not the classes, not the Bible fellowships, not the surface material.

Now I'm sure johniam will come back saying "I didn't have a child/parent relationship with anyone". No john many of us had much nobler motives and intent. However, the parent->child relationship is what TWI leadership wants in EVERY relationship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dorkiness is not necessarily a function of looking at the past. Our parents thought we all looked dorky with our fashion statements in the 60's and 70's and they were absolutely right. Moreover, they did not look at their past fashion styles and think they themselves were dorky at all. People dressed up in their day whenever they went outside their home to do anything except maybe work outside.

Blue jeans were for working men when they, well, worked. They thought the very idea of "designer jeans" an oxymoron, and sneakers were just, sneakers. Then we come along with our tie-dyed jeans and bell bottom pants, preferably with holes, and you know the rest.

10 years later we look back at ourselves and laugh at how dorky we looked. 10 years after that, we laugh at ourselves at the way we looked when we were laughing at how dorky we looked 10 years before that. 10 years after that we looked at ourselves, started to laugh again, and then began to realize we are completely oblivious to our own dorkiness in the present moment.

The reason things in the past seem dorky is because we are, in fact, a bunch of dorks but are blind to it. We become aware of it later when we look at the past objectively. Yet we remain unaware that deep inside we continually perpetuate dorkdom. Instead of hiding from it, we should embrace it. Facing reality is the first step toward freedom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

but broken, please.... father abraham

Father Abraham, he had two sons....

Two sons had Father Abraham.....

They didn't laugh, NO....

They didn't cry, NO...

Wasn't this song about someone with epileptic sons....or such?

Yeah, real spurtual there, twi.....

Do you even realize how freakin' absurd it was for us to flail around and sing THAT song???

:anim-smile:/>/>

Edited by skyrider
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's perhaps no wonder that a couple of years ago, I had to post something to JAL to (symbolically) give him a slap to wake up and realize that we are no longer little kids but grown ups who have had to figure out our way in life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anybody see the 1996 movie Harriet the Spy? Nickelodean film. Harriet is an 11 year old girl who keeps a diary and makes observations in it about everything, including her school friends. One of her school friends she thinks is a dork. She writes, "Dedorkification takes time; you have to want to be cured". Not a bad movie Rosie O'Donnell is in it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...