Fads

Today, May 1, is the ninth anniversary of this blog! I haven't missed a Sunday in all that time. I always like to make a special post for the anniversary.

When I started this blog, it was already a dying pastime, as Facebook and other social media sites had taken the place of blogging. Since then, it has declined even more, and I'm one of the few people who still do it. (I'm talking about personal blogs, not commercial or institutional blogs.)

That got me thinking about various fads: fads that should stick around, fads that should go away, fads that should come back, and fads that can stay in the past. It's a pretty random list.

Now, where does blogging fall in all of this? I'm not sure. I'm fine being one of the few bloggers, but I do enjoy reading others' blogs. But some people have (or had) rather dull blogs, so I could do without those.

Current fads that should stick around

Fun prints on socks, shorts, shirts, etc. Life is more fun when you're wearing a shirt with paper airplanes, shorts with pineapples, or socks with pugs in turkey hats, ya know?

Kindness. In the early 2000s, I remember a lot of mean-spirited t-shirts, like "Did you have a big bowl of Stupid-O's this morning?" or "Your boyfriend thinks I'm cuter than you." These days I see more positive messages about being kind, especially on children. I think that is beautiful, especially when our country is led by someone who eschews kindness.

Seasonal flavors/flavors of the month. I love that so many bakeries, ice cream shops, and food companies have seasonal flavors. Twenty, thirty years ago they would just do festive colors, but flavors are much more inventive.

Veganism. I have no intention of becoming vegetarian or vegan myself, but it really is better for the environment. When there are more vegans, it makes it easier for us non-vegans to also consume plant-based foods. Good work!

Athleisure. I love that jogger pants and athletic shoes are considered regular apparel. When I was at Sundance, I could wear clothes to work that I could also use for daily runs, and I was comfortable too! So practical!

Cats. I think most pets (reptiles, rodents, fish, birds) have declined in popularity, but thanks to the internet, cats and dogs are more popular than ever. I'll pass when it comes to dogs, but I'm glad that people are realizing how adorable, affectionate, sweet, and hilarious cats can be. I just love them!

Smartphones. I know we have smartphone addictions, limited face time, and other problems, and those are real concerns that need to be addressed. But how wonderful it is that we carry the world's collective knowledge in our pockets, and we have so many wonderful apps to improve our lives. I can use my phone to log my calories, keep track of my spending, play music, document my life, stay connected, study anything I want, and so much more.

Current fads that should go away

Anatomically inaccurate narwhals. First we had unicorns, then we had mermaids, and I didn't care. Now it's "narwhals." If they were realistic narwhals, I would be 100 percent on board. I love polar animals. But these fake narwhals have a horn from their forehead, like a unicorn. They are not unicorns! The tusk comes from their face, not their forehead!

Alcohol. All the DUI headlines and littered beer cans show me that we have a drinking problem. Prohibition doesn't work, but how wonderful would it be if people said, "I could drink if I wanted, but I choose not to"? I see literally no drawback.

Scrollbars, etc., that fade away for a "cleaner" look. In Microsoft Word, the scrollbar fades away when you're not using the mouse, which means you can't tell how far down a document you are. On Google Play Music online, the running time of the song is hidden unless you hover over it. I don't even bother using Pandora anymore because of their horrendous new design. All these "clean" design elements are more work for the programmer, and they have literally no benefit, but they have lots of drawbacks. My brother blames Apple. The people who designed things this way should go work in different industries.

Bluetooth only. Bluetooth does have plenty of benefits, but it has lots of problems too. In many ways, a good old-fashioned aux cable is better. Why can't we have both, instead of just Bluetooth?

Slim-fit pants. I do like the way they look, but that's probably because it's the accepted fashion right now. They're not very comfortable, especially for me: this is going to sound super cocky, but they get caught on my calf muscles.

Vaping. Just stop already!

Bro country. I don't so much mind the sound of bro country. I hate the lyrics that objectify women and glorify beer (and sometimes even flaunt drinking and driving!). I think country music sees itself as the genre of American values, but when Sam Hunt gets arrested for DUI, those things aren't American values.

Cultural appropriation. I'm not talking about cultural appropriation. I'm talking about the tendency to label everything as cultural appropriation. What do you want us to do, stick to our own culture and ignore the others? Because we can't even look at other cultures without people accusing us of appropriation.

Portraying dads as dumb on TV. When you see a commercial with a couple, ask yourself: if the roles of the man and the woman were reversed, would it be appropriate? So why is it appropriate to portray husbands as irresponsible and dumb but not to portray women the same way?

Internet shaming. Sorry we can't all be as perfect as you.

Old fads that should come back

Brightly colored pants. Remember in 2012, when people would wear pants in every color of the rainbow? I miss those days. I never let myself wear the brightest pants, and I feel sad about that. (But I did collect a lot of colorful shoes!)

Sunshine pop. In the 60s and 70s, there was lots of music with vocal harmonies and lyrics about nature. The popularity resurged in the 90s. I would love for it to come back again.

Camp. I'm not talking about tents and sleeping bags. I'm talking about things that are knowingly terrible and therefore enjoyable.

Cel animation and stop-motion animation. CGI is great, but sometimes I miss the old, classic forms of animation!

Holiday TV specials. Think of a classic holiday special (not a TV episode or a movie), and I can guarantee you it comes from the 60s or 70s. (Garfield isn't classic, sorry.) We need a resurgence of holiday shows; it's boring watching the same things over and over!

I bought this kitschy Peter Cottontail figure on eBay this past week, from the special Here Comes Peter Cottontail from 1971.

Old fads that should not come back

Tobacco. If you work for a tobacco company, I hope you lose your job.

Leotards. One of the many mistakes of the 80s.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside." This song was super popular in the early 2010s, and thankfully it's declined. Besides the obvious problems of consent and rape, it glorifies smoking and drinking, and it's not even about Christmas!