A Basic Cultural Education

[Jack7]

In a related note, I was talking with some guitar teachers on another site, and to a man, they mentioned that they've experienced an uptick in new guitar students in the years since the various Guitar Hero/Rock Band games hit the market.

The virtual and imaginary world becoming the real world.

They cross-fertilize each other.

As a kid I was appalled by that kind of thing. Now I realize the enormous inherent potential of some of it.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

I'd add the Powel/Loy Thin Man series to the movie list. (Actually, pretty much anything either of them is in is worth watching.)

 

[Desdichado]

So if you guys have some suggestions for what they should watch and listen to and read to have the same basic cultural education I had growing up I'd be glad to hear your suggestions.

Why would you want to attempt to saddle your children with a generation gap with their own peers?

The process still works the same as it always has, kids today just have different references than people in their thirties and forties did.

Why don't you learn some of their references? Figure out about Harry Potter, the Numa Numa guy or something.

Plus; most of those old shows that we used to love? They've aged terribly. I can't stand trying to watch most of them anymore.

 

[Woas]

American History X

and Schindler's List

 

[Orius]

I think though the list has gotten a bit bloated. Some of that stuff is either obscure or pretty dated. I'd say focus on the really big stuff that has had a significant cultural impact or which are considered classics. And leave out a lot of the really heavily geeky stuff too, since we tend to vastly overestimate that stuff's popularity.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

While your point is 100% correct- see Sturgeon's 2nd Law: 90% of everything is crap- its up to him to do the weeding. We're just giving him the raw material to work with.

As for alienation and dated-ness, I'm only 42, but I personally watched a LOT of classic re-runs. Shows like Perry Mason and Twilight Zone were LONG off the air before I was born, but they're classics for a reason. And honestly, there are certain references or cultural occurrences you simply won't get (or fully understand) if you don't look back. After all, if you didn't read Greek Mythology, you wouldn't know the Illiad, the Odyssey, or "The Sword of Damocles." If you didn't read the Bible, you wouldn't know the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse originally appeared in the Book of Revelations. Etc.

All that said...

Music:
Carlos Santana
Return To Forever

TV:
Fat Albert