tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post7263396965707607491..comments2024-03-18T17:20:21.775-04:00Comments on Face to Face: Suburban archaeology: Carvings on lamp postsagnostichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-47001379548931999052013-07-18T18:34:41.831-04:002013-07-18T18:34:41.831-04:00And don't even start me on how many fences the...And don't even start me on how many fences there are these days, almost always with the spikes on top too.<br /><br />I don't recall seeing as many tall fences, and if they were there, it was common to hop them. I'm going to have to start carrying around a small pair of wire cutters just to get where I'm going, without having to zig-zag around a bunch of parking lots or even vacant lots.<br /><br />I could understand if there were valuable private property being protected, but some generic parking lot? I don't think so.<br /><br />I still hop them when possible, sometimes getting a little cut on my calves for my troubles. But we can't just take such a flagrant slap in the face like a giant, spiked fence obstructing our paths in a crowded city environment.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-76903666276959378472013-07-18T18:26:17.079-04:002013-07-18T18:26:17.079-04:00"those pictures taken from the 60s/70s, at le..."those pictures taken from the 60s/70s, at least the ones I've seen from NYC. Man, everybody is socializing in the photos, nobody's fat, people are dipping their feet in fountains or ponds."<br /><br />Feet in the fountain = go directly to jail, in this OCD culture. No one would feel the urge in the first place (sketchy public water will contaminate my feet). And if anyone did, the onlookers would freak out about the dipper's sketchy feet contaminating the purity of a public fountain.<br /><br />Everyone finds everybody else so disturbingly sketchy.<br /><br />People used to have so little "respect" for where you were and were not supposed to sit, stick your feet, etc. Sitting on a rail, climbing over statues, walking on the grass at a college campus instead of adhering to the paved ways.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-12112029267867718612013-07-18T18:21:26.365-04:002013-07-18T18:21:26.365-04:00"I don't recall wanting to engrave too mu..."I don't recall wanting to engrave too much stuff into trees/lamp posts."<br /><br />Sure, it's not like everybody used to do that, but the probability was a lot higher. And it wasn't just trees or lamp posts, but wet cement, school desks, hidden areas of your bedroom, public bathroom mirrors or stalls, and so on.<br /><br />"but maybe you could contrast various aspects of a teen's life now versus then (maybe when you and I were in high school in the mid 90s)?"<br /><br />I've thought of collecting a bunch of the things I've written into a distilled mega-post, but knowing my writing style, it'd probably be too long. The best I could do is link to the original posts, but all in one place.<br /><br />"I decide to do a quick assessment on how people are taking advantage of this evening: about 9 out of 10 people were either playing with, talking on, or listening to their smartphones."<br /><br />Portable electronics used to be for special cases, where you wouldn't have access to your not-so-portable electronics. Like going on a road trip -- you might bring a walkman, or even a portable TV.<br /><br />Like, they had those handheld Watchman TVs in the good old days, and they probably cost as much as or even less than an iPhone. But you didn't see people walking around holding them and staring down.<br /><br />"The young girls especially generally wear huge sunglasses, listening to their iPhone, with a stare-straight-ahead look."<br /><br />And they need to keep both hands occupied, usually a device in one and a drink in the other. That drink thing seems newer; before they at least kept one hand free to deal with the environment.<br /><br />Now it's like, "I can't possibly get involved with whatever's going on around me -- I mean, I have both my hands full." It's denying any possibility of them interacting with their environment at all. The environment has to move out of their way. Their life is so "busy." Busy wasting time.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-17337700507235404732013-07-18T18:11:44.957-04:002013-07-18T18:11:44.957-04:00"Maybe they were going to carve "Red Hot..."Maybe they were going to carve "Red Hot Chili Peppers" but got tired"<br /><br />I actually thought of that, since it's not uncommon to see AC/DC, Metallica, Van Halen, etc. carved into the sidewalk.<br /><br />But they'd written "Red Hot" on two separate posts, so the Chili Peppers were out.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-70529430669036128372013-07-18T14:07:24.898-04:002013-07-18T14:07:24.898-04:00Also, "red hot" could have been symbolic...Also, "red hot" could have been symbolic of a certain type of personality or way of living(as opposed to "stone cold"). So the person is saying, "red hot is the way to be".<br /><br />for instance, young people today use phrases like "go big", etc.<br /><br />-Curtis Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-19735787904772179652013-07-18T13:58:47.445-04:002013-07-18T13:58:47.445-04:00Red hot can have connotations other than horniness...Red hot can have connotations other than horniness, though I don't that's the case in the grafitti. But still, here are lyrics from Motley Crue's "Red Hot" from 1983.<br /><br />"<br />Fight for the black shark<br />See what evil brings<br />Can't you see we're out for blood<br />Love from a shotgun<br />License to kill<br />Can't you see we're out for blood<br /><br />The kids scream in fright, through the night<br />Loving everybit with delight<br />And we blow out our minds with your truth<br />And together we stand for the youth<br /><br />Red hor, red hot<br />To the top, we are<br />Red hot<br /><br />Shout at the devil<br />We've laughed at your wars<br />Can't you see we're out for blood<br />Run with the pack, now<br />Always ask for more<br />Can't you see we're out for blood"<br /><br />-Curtis<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-9480538085944772402013-07-18T13:52:22.738-04:002013-07-18T13:52:22.738-04:00Funny, my town (suburb outside of a city in Upstat...Funny, my town (suburb outside of a city in Upstate NY) also had a middle school which had been deactivated in the early 1980s. I never realized that these schools were built for the baby boomers, then decomissioned once birth rates fell.<br /><br />My friends and I would hang out at the local movie theater, hoping to see a fight, but at least socialize for a bit. I don't recall wanting to engrave too much stuff into trees/lamp posts. <br /><br />I can't even imagine what teenagers these days do to socialize. I just started reading your blog, but maybe you could contrast various aspects of a teen's life now versus then (maybe when you and I were in high school in the mid 90s)? <br /><br />One thing that I've picked up on right away thanks to your blog is how insular people have become, especially teens. I work in Midtown Manhattan and like to observe people on public transportation, in a bar, walking around, etc. The young girls especially generally wear huge sunglasses, listening to their iPhone, with a stare-straight-ahead look. <br /><br />It's not just girls actually, but everybody. I was walking back last night from a bar in the Lower East Side. Absolutely beautiful evening, with the sun setting. I decide to do a quick assessment on how people are taking advantage of this evening: about 9 out of 10 people were either playing with, talking on, or listening to their smartphones. <br /><br />What really depresses the hell out of me are those pictures taken from the 60s/70s, at least the ones I've seen from NYC. Man, everybody is socializing in the photos, nobody's fat, people are dipping their feet in fountains or ponds. It looks just like a groovy time to be alive. <br /><br />I'm having a lot of cognitive dissonance reading your blog as things that have always irritated, but which I could explain, are now crystalizing. Hopefully it'll pass.DdRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-48448693208677769302013-07-18T13:50:04.879-04:002013-07-18T13:50:04.879-04:00Maybe they were going to carve "Red Hot Chili...Maybe they were going to carve "Red Hot Chili Peppers" but got tired :P<br /><br />-CurtisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com