Observations of the Mattel generation:

Observations of the Mattel Generation:  
And their, disingenuous, expectations.

May the 7th is a real, red letter, day in American History. It is the day the Germans finally surrendered to allied forces and, the less known fact, that it was the day we hung our nations first, recognized, serial killer. H.H. Holmes was a real monster of a man with all manner of perversions and intricate tricks for covering up his tracks. It seems almost excessive, looking back on it, that he went through such measures to cover up the things he'd done. Back then such atrocities were almost unthinkable on the American shores.

It was a time that was such a far cry from where we are now; a generation of youths raised on plastic models of perfection with the general idealism that we should all look the same on the outside, be the same depth, the same shape. We're all set to come in perfect little boxes, pre-accessorized with all manner of flexible trinkets and gadgets; our cars all pastel pink and never shedding so much as a drop of pollution. Our homes, now, are all the same rough shape, filled with the same, general things; big screen televisions, an orphan cousin form out of town, a medium sized, slightly shaggy dog, couches, chairs, and food that always looks perfect. It wouldn't be so bad if it all stopped there, but it's that kind of silicone thinking that's got the whole world warped and twisted around all manner of ideas.

Now, we're no longer taught to be content with the way we look or what we wear. It's a high priced auction with everyone selling off their unwanted parts in exchange for all manner of Barbie doll transformations. We've got to avoid the direct sun so we don't melt, so we duck inside tanning beds, giving ourselves a dose of artificial life in the vain hope that we can spring some life into the plastic under our skin. I've often watched this pattern go on and never quite understood where the infatuation with being so different from how we are, was so important.

It's always been, relatively, understood that the bar is set by common trends and television shows. Magazine advertisements become the benchmark for beauty and deodorant commercials show us the way all men should look an act. We should all ride white horses and motorcycles on the beach and all women should be lacquered in layer upon layer of paint in order to mean much of anything. There's nothing wrong with the people who choose to want these things, because they find them enjoyable. They're the same kind of people who want to dye their hair, get tattoos, piercings, and wear all manner of eclectic clothing -- even if the rest of the world tends not to look at them that way.

It's the people who feel like that's the way they have to be, that seem to be a problem. If there's a way you think you look better to yourself? By all means, look that way. The clothes on your back should matter no more to your station in the world than the color of your hair, the number of holes or pieces of art you put on your body, and so on. When you feel like your hair has to be a pristine shade of blonde, that you have to wear a certain shade of depending on the season, change your shoes with the same frequency, or that it's just not good enough if it's not 'all the rage'. That becomes the problem.

It's like all adults treat these bits like the way we did on Christmas toys from yesterdays. Everyone wants the new Tickle Me Elmo, or the new doll that everyone just has to have. If it's not new, or cutting edge, if it's not popular and unseen, it's suddenly not good enough. No one seems to be immune to this kind of conditioning either. Even the most sub of the subcultures carry the mentality with it. "Goths" across the country will stone you if they don't think you make the grade. Punks, skins, hip-hoppers, big boppers, beatniks, poets, and country fans are all the same. We all have preconceived standards that all all newcomers must be held to, and those who don't make the grade? They're cast out to the sea, into the pit, and left to fight for the leftover scraps they opt to cast down.

These notions aren't to be confused with opinions either. Everyone is entitled to what they like and what they don't. Some will like Industrial music, some won't. Others will like slender women with perfect blonde hair and a  high class sense of fashion. This, in principle, is absolutely fine. Not every ear is so suited to all the music of the world, not every palette will take to all the paint and colors, not every tongue will enjoy all the food there is to sample. Taste, though, should not be confused with these preconceptions about how one should be, all of it based on the teaching methods we have to offer.

We're not designed to be held to boxed standards of "decency" and when we keep on with that kind of, collagen faced, acting it's only natural that it becomes that much easier to lie. To live like that is to breed an environment that encourages dishonesty because, if you're not walking that fine line, you're going to be tossed off the bridge of the world and left forgotten if you do anything to the contrary. It's why we're so quick to look down on those of "unfortunate circumstance", the junkies of the world who were never taught any better; but just as quickly pick up rocks and stone the life out of anyone who makes the choice to do these things consciously. We can accept ignorance as an excuse for breaking the, Ken doll, customs -- but God help you if you don't have a reason not to know better.

It's why that brand of commercialized idealism is so insidious too. Everyone can look the same, but they all have to have your voice. No matter how you twist in, or in what funny little ways you give it an accent, you always recognize it as your own. It helps you identify with this way you're supposed to look, the things you're supposed to have, and the things you're supposed to do. All your vacations should be taken to beach houses or in expensive campers; all life should be rich in possession and, relatively, poor in people. What difference do people really make if you have things to replace them, after all? Slowly, but surely, this kind of thing has worn away at social values since its inception.

So, upon reflection of these behaviors of the "Mattel Generation" I have this to say: Be weary of what values you apply to everyone around you. That magnifying glass of perception we use on those around us can just as easily melt the plastic as it can shed light on the darkest of corners. Be aware of the standards you hold, and question them constantly. Be sure that they're yours and not those of whatever circle it is you choose to inhabit, and always be aware that looks fade in time but personalities are, generally, consistent. Even the most venomous of serpents can hide behind the most sculpted of features and so too can perfection be found in the most unlikely of places.