There is something unbecoming about a man well into his 30s wearing a tee shirt obviously employing ironic retro kitsch. Okay, so that particular Nesquik logo may not be particularly retro, but look me in the eye and tell me it’s not Tony’s intent to connect with the unquestioned ironic kitsch undercurrent in the consciousness of his teenaged audience by wearing that very skateboarder-looking shirt. And by swimming with the teenagers in that current, he diverts some of the flow into the lives of nine-year-olds (like, say, my son) who want to learn to do the amazing things that this Tony Hawk does. And hey, they are amazing tricks.

I have never been a very stereotypical Gen-Xer, but the date of my birth does put me (and Tony) squarely in that category, and my early teenage weaning on Monty Python and natural penchant for ironic humor go with that generational flow quite nicely. However, these are things that must be bought at the price of innocence, and therefore should not be pumped into those who would not otherwise be letting go of that innocence just yet. Relax; take your time. Innocence will die. Childish trust and wonder will eventually be replaced with mature skepticism and cynicism. There is no need to rush.

The reader may be wondering why I think a tee shirt on the cover of an otherwise fairly wholesome skateboarding video is so damaging. Of course, I don’t. It did strike me as somehow pathetic for a man of approximately my age with children of the approximate ages of mine to be attempting to connect with a fashion sensibility belonging to those perhaps half his age, but it is ultimately explainable in terms of product marketing.

Rather, my fire has been stoked by a children’s Sunday school curriculum to which I have been exposed recently. This curriculum commits exactly the same crime as Tony’s subtle choice of wardrobe on the cover of his video. It is cynical, ironic, and Monty-Pythoned-up throughout, with the helpful addition of some Jesus Stuff thrown in there so the adults can feel good about putting it in the DVD player. Now, sure, guys our age think irony is real funny. It’s how we joke around when we’re with our friends. We watched Monty Python in high school and college. We all have a copy of The Holy Grail on DVD. But this isn’t good for the little ones. They’re not ready for it yet. Let’s allow them to grow into their own sense of humor, and guide them carefully into a healthy, accurate, and Biblically meaningful view of the world. If it involves finding humor in the contrasts that seem to inhere in contemporary Western life, then great! Maybe they can make something out of that. But if their developmentally appropriate view of the world is to trust their loving authorities and engage the creation with wonder, why beat them into making fun of things for the sport of it? This is going to get ugly when they get to college.

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• Posted by Tim on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 at 10:20:27 am PDT
• Category: Miscellany
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