Anything goes

 I can't help but wonder how many simply become the popular thing? I remember well the pressure involved with that as a teenager. In my day it was called being cool or hip. I'm not real sure what the phrase in use today is. I admit, I'm not hip to the jive brother. Are things still far out and groovy? I don't think so as I haven't heard that in a while. Well, I'm certain there is still the popular thing, the in crowd and those that are with it baby. It's always been that way, and some things never change. 

 So just what is the popular thing these days? I really can't say, I'm out of touch with the younger crowd. I'm officially the old guy now. At my last duty station while in the Navy the others called me father time. I was forty years old, pretty darn old when the majority were still in the twenties. That is especially true when you are in a group of alpha males. Sailors were still expected to be sailors back in those days. From what I understand a great deal of that has changed over the years. What we viewed as comradery has been labeled hazing and outlawed. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol is also frowned upon. I saw the beginnings of change when the ladies were first allowed aboard ship. I was there for don't ask, don't tell. That has since been changed to broadcast your orientation as loudly as possible! Today, it's all good! 

  But before all of that, while I was in high school it was all about the music you listened to and the style of clothing you wore. Your hairstyle was very important as well. The cool kids were wearing peace signs, bell bottoms and embroidered shirts. The girls wore mini-skirts and go-go boots. A few even ditched their bras! A lot of talk about "free" love although I don't think there was all that much action. That's usually the case with the new stuff like using drugs, drinking and love making. We all like to talk a big game. There were also all the civil rights things going on. The cool kids were all over that being the progressive forward thinkers that they were. And it really made their parents mad sometimes, that's a plus. The establishment man, you need to turn on and turn out. 

  All of that was the popular thing. It was what was happening. Not much has changed over the years. Today this is what I'm seeing. But remember I'm not with it, not hip to the scene and old. I'm seeing neck tattoo's, baggy clothes, water bottles and back packs. All of that can be changed easily enough in the future, but the tattoos are a questionable choice. In the "old" days we usually got them where they could be easily covered up when applying for a job or going to church, you know those occasions when discretion was an important thing. Urban legend even said it was illegal to get a tattoo on your neck, face or hands. It was in the Navy, and you could be charged with defacing government property using article 113 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Never heard of that actually happening though. 

  Now all of that has been and will always be just a sign of defiance. It is the coming-of-age thing you often hear being talked about. Teenagers usually know it all by the time they are 18 and begin to forget a little more every year after that. That's the reason they will change their way of dressing, change the music they listen to and begin to conform to more of the norms in society. It's true that they will have changed some of those norms, however. Today's normal was yesterday's outrageousness! Long hair on men! And those girls weren't leaving anything to the imagination. All of that goes pretty much unnoticed today. 

  What is the popular thing to attract attention today? I'd have to say it is the whole LGBTQ+ rainbows and unicorns thing. That is what is getting the attention. It has become quite the popular stance. You don't have to belong to that group to be popular though, just agree with the narrative. I believe that is called living vicariously. It's an exciting thing to think about even when you don't want to actually engage in that activity. It isn't all that different from wanting to have long hair, bell bottoms and smoking some mary jane. Reminds me of my early days in the Navy as well. When you arrived at a new duty station it didn't take long for you to be asked one question; are you cool? What did that mean. They wanted to know if you were a "narc." It's cool if you don't want to smoke dope, just don't be a narc man. 

  I wonder what the next big thing, the popular thing will be? Once all this is over, it becomes just another part of the landscape, what will be the next popular thing. A man could make a fortune if he could predict that. What we once thought of as pretty cool can now be seen every day at Walmart. What was once shocking, offensive and downright disturbing is commonplace. I'm trying to think what societal norms will be challenged next. Are there any left? It seems to me we are about to go full circle in that regard, a regular free for all in society. Back to the ancient Roman times. Anything goes.