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Nshima & Curry

Melvin's  Blog

Nshima & Curry

SHRINKING GAP CREATES A TRAP

Don't get alarmed, but something of ours is shrinking and we
can't take a pill for it. If this continues, we might have
to kill ourselves or even worse, attend a Britney Spears
concert. Whatever it takes to deal with the shrinking
generation gap, which, according to Marilyn Gardner of The
Christian Science Monitor, has already resulted in parents
and children -- here's the shocking part -- enjoying rock
music together. I'm no religious scholar, but that's got to
be a sure sign the world is coming to an end.

This development has truly astounded me, largely because I
had taken the generation gap for granted. I didn't even know
it was shrinkable. But it's apparently no different from a
lot of other things that are shrinking, including cell
phones, video cameras and supermodels. Not to mention
customer service, which is shrinking faster than my
hairline.

The narrower generation gap means that parents today are far
more "with-it" than their forebears, far more likely to
understand and even share their children's interests. This
is a welcome change for some teen-agers, whose idea of good
dinner conversation isn't how Arnold Schwarzenegger managed
to squeeze into the governor's office but how Jennifer Lopez
managed to squeeze into her jeans. Does she employ people to
help her? How much oil do they use? And would it be OK to
pursue that as a career?

Such teens enjoy going to the video arcade with Dad or
taking Mom to see "Scary Movie 3." But for other teens,
nothing is scarier than being seen in public with your
parents. And nothing is more disturbing than old folks --
anyone born before the '80s -- trying to be hip.

Teen-aged girl: "Hi Tiffany. Wanna do something fun tonight?
Let's get tattoos! There's a two-for-one special at Tattoo
Master."

Second teen: "No way, Angie. My dad has a tattoo. It's so
uncool. We might as well start driving minivans to school."

First teen: "Well, what about a nose ring? Bet your dad
doesn't have one of those!"

Second teen: "You're right, he doesn't have one of those. He
has two! And that's not all, he also has an eyebrow ring, a
tongue ring, and a chin ring. Mom says he has a few other
rings, but I'm not allowed to see them."

Things were quite different in the '60s. The generation gap
was so wide that some parents got lost in it.

Father: "Sweetheart, I overheard you telling your friends
that you wanted a bug for Christmas. I didn't know you were
interested in insects. Perhaps you'll want to study
entomology in college, just like me."

Daughter: "No, Dad. I said I wanted a Beatle for Christmas.
I love Paul McCartney. He's so cute!"

Nowadays, parents and children are apt to think of each
other as friends. Some parents even allow their children to
call them by their first names. This can come in handy,
especially when young Tommy, unable to find a date, decides
to take Mom to the prom.

As buddies, they also feel more comfortable discussing
touchy issues such as sex, drugs and whatever it is that's
causing that itch.

But the camaraderie may come at a steep price: loss of
respect for parents and lack of discipline in children. You
see, friends don't usually discipline friends. They take
them out for dinner and have a great time, discussing their
future career in J.Lo's dressing room.

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