Feeling the Generational Divide

I've told my wife countless times and to this blog one time that I think UC Davis students don't seem to party nearly as much as I'd expect. In comparison to my recollections of Ann Arbor when I was a student, I'm still flabbergasted at how rarely I see students out drinking at the bars, and rarer still a drunken student stumbling down the sidewalk like I used to do every weekend when I was in school. Rarely do I see a lawn littered with solo cups on a Sunday morning or even a keg on a porch. I have always chalked this up to UC Davis just not having a party culture. (I asked our kid's babysitter who is a senior at UCD which were the cool student bars was and she was very unsure, but she probably also didn't want me trying to go there)

In recent months I've seen more and more reports about how Gen Z is drinking less, doing less drugs, having less sex and generally partying less. It's made me consider that when I compare Davis to Ann Arbor, I'm comparing 2022 Davis to 2008 Ann Arbor, and perhaps I'm really comparing Gen Z with my fellow Millennials. (But also based on my travels, I think the midwest state schools just drink a lot more)

I'm sure sociologists are hard at work studying why Gen Z is behaving differently than the Millennials that came before them. I suspect one of the biggest changes between when I was in college (2005-2009) and now is that the current generation came of age with the Me Too movement where society really reexamined their views on sex and appropriate sexual behaviors. (In addition to many of them being unable to party for 2 years due to COVID, and now they don't know how to throw down)

My generation came of age with movies like American Pie, Road Trip, and Old School guiding our views on sex and what high school & college should be like. It's not entirely surprising that we came to college expecting wild parties, casual hookups and wild adventures. And at least for me, my expectations for college were really shaped more than anything else by the writing of Tucker Max.

I discovered Tucker Max's website right after graduating from high school. He had these stories about wild nights spent drinking, getting into hilarious situations and scoring chicks. If 18 year old me had an idol he would have been it. I clearly was so enamored by him that no less than 5 times during college I wrote on this very blog about wanting to have a "Tucker Max Level Story". I still have his book, and I picked it up while writing this post and read back through some of it. 17 years later it really feels like those stories were from a different time and place and I'm not sure there would be the same audience for that the way there was in 2005 (both broadly, and personally).

It does make me wonder what our generation will be known for. Sure, I've heard us described as the internet generation or social media generation. But I think a generation is probably more defined by the generation that comes after it than by the those that came before it. Maybe I was part of the last carefree generation that grew up on 90s consumerism, raunchy comedies, a party culture, and before we really worried about our health, the environment or having our life ruined by a meme or misguided tweet like Gen Z does. It seems like Gen Z is under more pressure to do good and be good, and with all that pressure, I'm amazed they aren't turning to sex, drugs and alcohol to cope with it.

Brian adds to the internet again

As if once wasn't enough. I've really grown to dislike Christian Bale. I love American Physco but have found his recent roles to be as lackluster as a Polish handjob.

I found myself in possession of a Netflix movie tonight that featured the Mr. Bale himself. The movie was Rescue Dawn or as I call it the poor man's Deerhunter. Anyways, the movie was a real riot, quite the knee-slapper. Well only this one part. But it was so good I had to add it to the internet. So here it is in all it's Bale-ish glory.

I'm not pro-rape but rather anti-smear campaigns

I have long been a fan of Tucker Max. I started reading his website during High School and to a 17 year old kid it was pretty sweet. Even now I'll go back and read his stories from time to time and they still make me laugh. But ever since his first book came out freshman year of college and he became mainstream I've had that feeling where you start to dislike something because you knew it before it was cool. I met him one time, and I actually told him that he shouldn't let the fact that he wrote a book turn him into someone else. His response was "Who would I turn into? JJ Redick?"

I have long tried to emulate aspects of Tucker Max. I spent most of my college years trying to have one story that is Tucker Max worthy. I'm confidant that I have a few that are pretty close to some of the crazy things he has done. But a night that in Tucker Max Level is rare even for friends who are crazier than me.

Recently Tucker has been involved in bringing my favorite story, The Austin Road Trip Story, to the big Screen. This is great but I'm not really sure Tucker deserves to have a movie made after his adventures. His stories are great, but a movie sounds a little much, especially when everyone already knows the plot.

Right now he has been going around the country promoting his movie. If you've read any of his stories you know that he is usually involved in some sort of controversy. Many groups are protesting his film as being harmful and degrading to women. This is a flier from the screening at NC State.

I have a few problems with this flier.

Nearly 95% of men on campus DO NOT commit rape.

Is that to say that over 5% of men at NC State commit rape? That's like one rapist per class. I mean according to this flier one in twenty men at NC State commit rape.

National figures estimate that on a campus the size of NCSU at least 508 women could be raped or attempted to be THIS academic year.

If 508 could be raped does that mean the other 11,000 are impervious to rape? Also I've always had a problem with people using terms like "at least" and then listing an exact number. Especially when that number is an estimate.

I am very proud that Tucker Max has responded to these protesters with a very well reasoned and excellent response about how these protesters have no clue about actual issues. I highly suggest reading it now that the protests have gained some national media attention.

http://www.ihopetheyservebeerinhell.com/30-days-out-here-come-the-protesters/

The wikipedia plot for the new Micheal Cera movie

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

First sentence reads:
Meet charming and jobless Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera)

What will actually be the case:
Meet awkward and jobless Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera)

For awhile I thought they were just type casting Michael Cera as the weird awkward dorky kid. But then I realized that he wasn't being type cast, he actually is that awkward in real life.

Maybe it's just me

So there is a movie coming out called 17 Again. The basic plot is that Matthew Perry magically gets turned into his 17 year old self in order to relive his high school days. The younger version of Matthew Perry is played by the hunky Zac Efron. I want to know why Matthew Perry is the older Zac Efron and why in the world they wouldn't have casted Rob Lowe. Rob Lowe and Zac Efron are practically identical except that Zac looks about 20 years younger.

Top Movies of 2008

I expect 2008 will be an amazing year for movies. Before the pesky writers strike high priority movies were pushed to completion before the strike began, giving Hollywood enough material for the upcoming year. Here are the movies I can't wait to see in 2008. (I didn't write any of this, I just compiled it from the internet.)

Must See:



Fanboys
Release Date: 2008
Starring: Sam Huntington, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell
Synopsis: Star Wars fans travel to Skywalker Ranch to steal an early copy of Episode I: The Phantom Menace for their dying friend.
The Hype: The long-delayed Star Wars comedic adventure is supposed to finally hit theaters in 2008 and you know what, I'm still looking forward to it like the Star Wars geek I am.



Get Smart
Release Date: June 20th, 2008
Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Terence Stamp, Alan Arkin
Synopsis: Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 for CONTROL, battles the forces of KAOS with the more-competent Agent 99 at his side.
The Hype: Possibly already the big comedy hit of 2008, it's the first movie since The Producers in 2005 to have Mel Brooks' touch. Besides that, the footage already out has planted this solidly as the soon-to-be funniest spy movie of the decade.



Cloverfield
Release Date: January 18th, 2008
Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas
Synopsis: Revolves around a monster attack in New York as told from the point of view of a small group of people.
The Hype: You've all seen the trailers by now and at this point the "what the hell is it?!" buzz is higher than almost any other movie in 2008. The early reviews have been all positive, and a new classic could be in the making.



Semi-Pro
Release Date: February 29th, 2008
Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Will Arnett
Synopsis: Jackie Moon, the owner-coach-player of the American Basketball Association's Flint Michigan Tropics, rallies his teammates to make their NBA dreams come true.
The Hype: Might be the best Will Ferrell comedy since Anchorman. The full trailer is pretty damn hilarious - at least it will be better than Blades of Glory and Talladega Nights.



Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Release Date: May 22nd, 2008
Director: Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Munich)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent
Synopsis: The latest installment of Indiana Jones is set at the height of the Cold War in 1957.
The Hype: This needs no introduction. Dr Jones returns to the big screen 18 years after The Last Crusade and 19 years older with Shia LaBeouf as his new sidekick.

The Fighter
Release Date: 2008
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Brad Pitt
Synopsis: A look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid '80s.
The Hype: Visionary filmmaker Darren Aronofsky is finally taking on a more mainstream film that will likely still include his incredible cinematography and brilliant filmmaking techniques.

Look Good:


Strange Wilderness
Release Date: February 1st, 2008
Starring: Steve Zhan, Allen Covert, Jonah Hill
Synopsis: Animal enthusiast Peter Gaulke (Steve Zahn) and his sidekick Fred Wolf (Allen Covert) host an ailing wildlife TV show "Strange Wilderness," which is in a steep ratings decline. Desperate to save the show, Peter hatches a Hail Mary scheme to find the one animal that could truly turn the show around and change the nature-show landscape forever - Bigfoot.
The Hype: This comedy should be a sleeper hit, and with Jonah Hill and Steve Zhan I'll be laughing.



Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Release Date: April, 25 2008
Starring: Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris (NPH), John Cho
Synopsis: Harold and Kumar get sent to Guantanamo Bay where they eventually escape and find themselves in the center of some wacky mishaps.
The Hype: The first one was great, the second should be just as good.



Rambo
Release Date: January 25th, 2008
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Paul Schulze, Matthew Marsden
Synopsis: In Thailand, John Rambo assembles a group of mercenaries and leads them up the Salween River to a Burmese village where a group of Christian aid workers allegedly went missing.
The Hype: Like Rocky before it, Sly Stallone has returned to put a final cap on this franchise and so far the incredibly gory trailers have evoked an overwhelmingly positive response.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Release Date: Late 2008
Director: Kevin Smith (Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II)
Starring: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes
Synopsis: Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cashflow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.
The Hype: Kevin Smith rarely goes wrong and after Clerks II in 2006, I'm confident that this will be just as good, if not even better than that. He's got an amusing plot, a hilarious lead actor, and gorgeous lead actress - what more can you ask for?

The Pineapple Express Release Date: August 8th, 2008
Director: David Gordon Green (George Washington, All the Real Girls, Snow Angels)
Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Amber Heard
Synopsis: A stoner and his dealer are forced to go on the run from the police after the pothead witnesses a cop commit a murder.
The Hype: The powerhouse Judd Apatow production team is ready to redefine and reinvigorate the stoner comedy genre with Pineapple Express, a half-action, half-comedy mega-movie.

The Love Guru
Release Date: June 20th, 2008
Starring: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco
Synopsis: Pitka, an American raised outside of his country by gurus, returns to the States in order to break into the self-help business. His first challenge: To settle the romantic troubles and subsequent professional skid of a star hockey player whose wife left him for a rival athlete.
The Hype: Mike Myers is back with his first original character creation since Austin Powers and if he pulls it off, it could be possibly be better than that series.