Nostalgia has become such a… trend, I guess? Obviously, I think nostalgia, the feeling, has been around for a while, but society seems to be really enticed by it. Maybe that’s just my observation?
I’m not complaining, though, I like nostalgia in moderate doses. When I want to feel those feelings again, there are several resources I might employ. I’m a child of the ’90s and ’00s, so most of my nostalgia comes from those decades.
I enjoy watching old Nickelodeon cartoons that were on in the 90s. Hey Arnold! is one of my favorites. I really would like to watch Aaahh!!! Real Monsters however, it’s on Paramount+. I only subscribe to Paramount+ rarely, maybe once a year. Typically, that is to catch up on Star Trek. There were a lot of good shows on TV for children in the 90’s. I haven’t even mentioned networks like Disney or Cartoon network. They had good shows too, like Dexter’s Lab. When I was young, I felt a kinship to Dexter because we’re both nerds. You get the point though, my childhood was filled with a lot of television.
As I grew older, getting into my teens in the 00’s my interested slowly shifted from television and playing outside to listening to music and playing on my computer. I think my mother was disappointed. I honestly think she wanted me to be her boy forever. TIme had different plans though. Anyway, if I’m in the mood I like to do blasts from the past via music. I used to spend a lot of nights listening to VH1 Insomniac Music Theater. If you’re unfamiliar with that program, it played late at night on VH1. They primarily played indie and alternative music that had more of a chill vibe to it. I really found my taste in alternative music then.
Random Memory (Warning: May be gross to some people)
I just remembered a few of the nights I spent awake, and one always stands out to me in particular. I honestly thought my tongue was dying and going to fall out of my mouth. And when I say that, I mean layer by layer. You see, I was sitting in the chair enjoying the music when I noticed my tongue got a bit weird feeling, like overly fuzzy or something was caked on it. I rubbed it against my teeth, and could feel this gunk on my teeth. I ran to the bathroom and opened my mouth to investigate. I was shocked, I was very easily peeling an entire layer of skin off the top part of my tongue.
I remember spending the rest of the night awake, worried that my tongue was going to peel away, or I would loose the ability to taste things. None of which happened, fortunately. Later on, I did some research. I don’t remember if it was online or what, but I remember learning that every so often, an entire layer will peel from your tongue. It’s normal, it’s just not as noticeable typically.
While writing this post, an interesting observation occurred to me. So much of nostalgia is centered around pop culture. It makes me wonder if nostalgia is a societal construction and not a natural emotion. Before civilization, did cavemen get nostalgic about their old cave? Or that really engaging hunt they went on? There’s a lot that I don’t know, and that’s certainly on that list. lol
The two decades that I use for nostalgia were also very difficult decades for me. It’s my guess that my foray into cartoons and music was more about me coping or trying to escape from my troubles. Thinking about it, it wouldn’t surprise me if I use nostalgia of those times as an escape for the troubles I’m going through this decade. I guess it would be situational irony.
Alright, well I think that’s enough rambling for this morning. I should get some more work done. Yesterday was a slow day for me. Please feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts on the interplay between culture and nostalgia.
Take care.
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