I often enjoy the irony. I'm a few shades (perhaps fifty) away from being a hipster. I think ugly sweater parties are funny. I like witty tweets. I liked SNL's version of Lincoln almost as much as the movie Lincoln. I love reading The Onion more than Time Magazine.
And yet . . .
I find myself drawn toward the earnest. In an age of dark irony, where teenagers are hunting one another and main characters are making cynical, angsty statements about the world, I find myself drawn to the Harry Potter novels.
In an age of absurdist fake news, I find myself enjoying This American Life and Fresh Air for the earnest, intellectual, sensitive look at the world. Both shows feel like a refuge in a world where everything is ironic and nothing is all that serious. I've been watching less Jon Stewart and more Modern Family or Parks and Recreation, because even when those shows delve into irony (especially Parks and Rec) there is an honest, earnest emotional core.
So, I'm writing my novel write now and I'm finding it hard to write without irony. But when my audience is a five-year old and a seven-year-old, it's not about snark. It's about story. Honest stories that go places that a culture of irony won't go. It's about real characters. It's about writing without a wink to the audience.
So, I'm writing my novel write now and I'm finding it hard to write without irony. But when my audience is a five-year old and a seven-year-old, it's not about snark. It's about story. Honest stories that go places that a culture of irony won't go. It's about real characters. It's about writing without a wink to the audience.
I too have children in the same age range plus a teen.When did it all change, why did culture change in this way? Story is good. We need more good stories like Harry Potter and The Hobbit. I watched one episode of South Park to see what my eighth grade students were talking about. In the one episode I watched the language was highly inappropriate as was the non story line. The basis was to make fun of homosexuality and women's body parts. And these types of things are acceptable! Teens and adults see nothing wrong with this type of talk and behavior. I don't have an answer John, but you're not alone.
ReplyDeleteIn the ongoing debate that is comics fandom, a friend of mine has this to say about quite possibly the most earnest superhero there is, Superman: "He fights for what is right because it's the right thing to do. What is wrong with that?"
ReplyDeleteAnd yet . . .
DeleteSuperman irritates me. Why is that?