What It’s Like to Be Part of Tomorrow’s History
The following post is from Reborn: 101 Short Stories, Essays, and Insights to Improve Communication Skills
I used to listen to Eminem a lot.
He was a great lyricist and introduced me to rap.
Nowadays, I don’t really enjoy listening to Eminem like that.
I still think he’s gifted, but he’s no longer my type of music.
Eminem was a big part of my past.
As of late, I’ve been seeing this trend called:
“Gen Z reacts to Eminem lyrics.’
As they are listening to the lyrics, they are shocked.
Old school Eminem talked about some dark stuff!
He’d call his mom every name in the book, meticulously plan his wife’s murder, and would constantly make fun of the gay community.
As Gen Z listened to Eminem, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Wow, this is history to you guys, isn’t it??”
A lot of times, we are living through history, and we don’t know it.
Another example of living through history was the Malice in the Palace.
This happened around 2004.
Members from the Indiana Pacers jumped into a Detroit audience and got in a fight with fans.
I remember the next day in school, everyone was talking about it.
I mean EVERYONE.
Even the teachers.
‘Ron Artest sure has a temper on him, doesn’t he?’ asked Ms. Shephard.
A lot of the anchors were calling the players involved in the brawl, “thugs.”
Many thought calling people of color “thugs” was racially insensitive.
The news anchors rebutted with:
‘Well, what do you call people who jump into a crowd and fight the fans?’
Suddenly, this issue was no longer about the Malice in the Palace.
Now people were talking about how to properly use words when describing others.
Unless you lived through that moment, you’ll have no clue what I’m talking about.
You may see videos of the fight, and that’s about it.
But you don’t remember the tone policing, and countless racial discussions that were bought up.
A lot of moments from the early 2000s are considered history for a new group of people.
Younger cousins will ask:
‘What was that like???’
I think:
‘Wait, why are you asking me the question like I lived through something a longgg time ago.’
Technically, it was a long time ago for a new group of people.
If you ask your parents about disco, they will respond:
‘Disco? Why are you acting like that it’s ancient?’
Because for the person asking the question, it is!!
We study history a ton in school.
It’s unique to live through it.
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