Page 4 Editorial... Douglas Coupland was a guest speaker at Gannon University last night. He spoke about family values and alcoholism in the nineties. Actually that's what he was supposed to talk about. Instead he read his short story, "In the Desert," about a character who was alone. This stems from a characteristic of Generation X as being constantly lonely. Most of us are technically not members of Generation X, rather we are members of the twenty-something crowd. We are known as slackers, losers, lazy-good-for-nothing bums. We are known to want everything handed to us on a silver platter because we are too lazy to achieve. So, how correct is it to characterize a generation? It would be unfair and incorrect to classify everyone who was a teenager in the sixties as a hippie. Everyone who lived in the fifties was not James Dean or Richie Cunningham. Everyone in our generation is not a Brad Pitt from "True Romance" or a Winona Rider. Not all of us drool in front of “Melrose Place” or drink Pepsi. These classifications are merely an attempt by the media and advertising agencies to get a grip on who they're dealing with. They need to sell their products, so they need to appeal to stereotypes. All you have to do is open both a fashion magazine of today and one of a few years ago to see the changes in trends and the changes in depicting these trends. The hardest thing about being labeled is at times it seems as if it’s correct. We can’t tell if we're thinking about something because we want to or because social influences force us to think that way. If Oliver North canj]£ made Jo lpolc like a hero to the American public, just about anything can happen. What is the point? We can't try to change powerful corporations. The only thing we can do is allow ourselves to be controlled as little as possible by mass media and advertising. Every change in ourselves amounts to a small revolution against the power structure. If there are enough small revolutions, a big one will ensue. So, let them call us slackers, losers, posers, stoners, the MTV braindead, etc. Ladies and gentlemen, what we can be known as is: the The Behrerut College Cottegum ' t .v* *', n W "' '•syj’S M* *V The Piertnsylvarrfa'State University at Erie, The fcefwsnd CeMese osd*#t Mcttbw D. CiMM Alidt Hartman 9PWSHNMR - Aih«rtktetMuuaer ■ vt.-: .'-. +■■■■. ThiCeOtgimnH odittrUl opinm is> v, - 'determined t# tlw editDrial ifcff.wth editor* heMiqg.fiiia!»sp<m^ ■S- Opinions eftpßtoedin 7%< Collegian . errf- riot' ncc***«rtfy those Of The Collegian or 'ftw Penrtsylv«ni» Suae ■ ColUgbmSuffi IW Brian Gregory, John Htfnar, BricJm Hagenbuch, Di* , -< Jrfjr- * ** ( . ***** *,-;. Stt-Jftt ItMA9 Bofy**p**W* ‘” Jen Calvin Photographer*: Tdfinille Aiiteftetti, , ftk ' ‘ ;,otW6#t, Miin JohnsOn.tian s?bin WtAwili; Stephttde Its ONE SCI ANOWER.MI' HENR'f ( WIT IfoNSiSMITII 1 1 i EDITORIAL CARTOONS - ' ' p* v - - % , . Thursday, October 20,1994
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers