Honestly, I recognize that this year's awards were better produced than years before and had more recognizable names, sure. But I also can't blame Jemele Hill for feeling aged out of trying to keep up with the Joneses in general. The older you get, the more things you have on your mind and for some people, that takes up space. That can be exhausting especially in the trying times we live in where there's always something vying for our attention and pulling us toward this streaming service or that website that we have to figure out. Sometimes, out of touch is inevitable but maybe we can hold a little grace for that.
I definitely get that -- we can certainly "age out" of things... But it's like the comment I highlighted said -- it's not because she's "old" that she doesn't know who these artists are, it's because she's "out of touch." (and also, she definitely *does* know who some of the artists were but spoke before seeing the show or even the lineup)... I dunno, say that maybe. Say you just don't keep up, but I don't know that it's the best thing to give adults an out when it comes to caring what our kids care about because, you know, we old.
I think that mentality carries over to other areas. "These kids just don't listen." But do you TALK to them? "These kids and these damn devices..." But have we given them enough interesting alternatives? "These kids and their crappy music..." But have we taken the time to listen to enough music being created by our young people to give an honest assessment? "These violent ass kids..." etc., etc.
I speak to educators and mental health professionals and parents all the time who HATE what their kids are into, lol, but they stay up on it enough to be able to use their own cultural and artistic fluency to use those songs/movies/trends/moments to stay better connected to their kids, relate to them, maintain strong relationships, discern when something might be affecting their kids...
So yes, perfectly fine to grow out of things. But in my humble opinion, in the context of our young people, there are so many reasons why us as grown folks -- and honestly, someone in Jemele Hill's position especially -- really *should* be better tapped in.
Respect. But to be fair, while those are definitely sentiments that are largely echoed on a generational level, Sister Hill didn’t say any of that and I’d be willing to bet she doesn’t hold that kind of vitriol for younger people. The post I read from her, she seemed to just be musing that she’s getting old to keep up with the Joneses as consistently as she did maybe 10 years ago. We all wear these years on our bodies and minds a little differently. I’m not saying anything you’ve said is wrong. I just think a little grace might be in order.
Also fair. I definitely didn't wasn't aiming to call her out specifically, but to speak on those generational sentiments that her comment (and some of the responses) was reprentative of, and the effects they can have. Appreciate the pushback!
To your curiosity, I wrote a piece in response to some of the dialogue I saw. It was written before the Yung Miami discourse (which I don't agree with) but believe needs addressing.
Just read it! Great points all around, important for folks to recognize, and even more reason why these things shouldn't be ignored, but watched. To celebrate the good, scrutinize the bad, and spark important, nuanced discussions (and Substack essays 😁)
Honestly, I recognize that this year's awards were better produced than years before and had more recognizable names, sure. But I also can't blame Jemele Hill for feeling aged out of trying to keep up with the Joneses in general. The older you get, the more things you have on your mind and for some people, that takes up space. That can be exhausting especially in the trying times we live in where there's always something vying for our attention and pulling us toward this streaming service or that website that we have to figure out. Sometimes, out of touch is inevitable but maybe we can hold a little grace for that.
I definitely get that -- we can certainly "age out" of things... But it's like the comment I highlighted said -- it's not because she's "old" that she doesn't know who these artists are, it's because she's "out of touch." (and also, she definitely *does* know who some of the artists were but spoke before seeing the show or even the lineup)... I dunno, say that maybe. Say you just don't keep up, but I don't know that it's the best thing to give adults an out when it comes to caring what our kids care about because, you know, we old.
I think that mentality carries over to other areas. "These kids just don't listen." But do you TALK to them? "These kids and these damn devices..." But have we given them enough interesting alternatives? "These kids and their crappy music..." But have we taken the time to listen to enough music being created by our young people to give an honest assessment? "These violent ass kids..." etc., etc.
I speak to educators and mental health professionals and parents all the time who HATE what their kids are into, lol, but they stay up on it enough to be able to use their own cultural and artistic fluency to use those songs/movies/trends/moments to stay better connected to their kids, relate to them, maintain strong relationships, discern when something might be affecting their kids...
So yes, perfectly fine to grow out of things. But in my humble opinion, in the context of our young people, there are so many reasons why us as grown folks -- and honestly, someone in Jemele Hill's position especially -- really *should* be better tapped in.
Respect. But to be fair, while those are definitely sentiments that are largely echoed on a generational level, Sister Hill didn’t say any of that and I’d be willing to bet she doesn’t hold that kind of vitriol for younger people. The post I read from her, she seemed to just be musing that she’s getting old to keep up with the Joneses as consistently as she did maybe 10 years ago. We all wear these years on our bodies and minds a little differently. I’m not saying anything you’ve said is wrong. I just think a little grace might be in order.
Also fair. I definitely didn't wasn't aiming to call her out specifically, but to speak on those generational sentiments that her comment (and some of the responses) was reprentative of, and the effects they can have. Appreciate the pushback!
To your curiosity, I wrote a piece in response to some of the dialogue I saw. It was written before the Yung Miami discourse (which I don't agree with) but believe needs addressing.
.https://substack.com/@briannaperry/note/p-204284294?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=61iaak
Just read it! Great points all around, important for folks to recognize, and even more reason why these things shouldn't be ignored, but watched. To celebrate the good, scrutinize the bad, and spark important, nuanced discussions (and Substack essays 😁)
Yes to nuanced takes!
What a novel concept 😂😂
Appreciate you.