Traditionally in western society, youth movements rebel against their older overseers, but eventually succumb to the old order. This happens for a variety of reasons; untimely death of noteworthy leaders, disillusionment of the cause, apathy towards humanity, greed, or a love interest that takes up most of the rebels free time. In any case, people slowly bought into the old order, until they were so deep in the muck there was no point to rebel. People act out when they have nothing to lose, but when you own property and have people you care about, you have important things that can be lost if you act like a radical or do dangerous things.
So what does this have to do with now? Well, it may be a tired old saying, but computers will lead to the downfall of the American way of life. You see, that system I have just spouted to you has happened several times this century. It happened to our grandparents, and it happened to our parents. It's even happening to us as I type. To you younger folk still in school, you think you all that, well you ain't none of that... but maybe you will be able to if my prediction is correct. You see, us youths have learned to use the computer, something that many of the older people haven't. They may have some basic skills, but for the most part don't have the profeciancy the young have. That's the problem. For the first time, the incoming bright-eyed bushy tailed are needed. They don't have to pay their dues, bid their time, make connections and work their way up. Because computer skills are desperately needed in the corporate and government sectors, you have something that I find quite alarming. You can tell a lot about a person superficially by how they dress, and today's computer nerd working in an office does not dress in a suit and tie, but something more ... "laid back". This breach of dress code isn't the end of it, the attitude that the older folk don't know a thing, for the first time, is confirmed. These old business men admit they don't have the necessary computer skills needed in today's sophistimacated technomological world, and so they call out to the young to be their hands. The young say fine, but I get to be who I want to be. Never before has this happened on such a massive scale, that the youth are able to go to work but hold onto the rebel spirit.
Back in the eighties, if you were a punk it meant you dropped out of school, possibly joined a gang, and did nothing productive all day. Sure you dressed weird and did something to your hair and skin, but that was secondary, it was to show that no one owned you. Today, a punk is someone that dresses in dime-store clothing, listens to thrash-metal music, has a couple of peircings on their face. Its the outer shell of a punk, but not the spirit it once was in the seventies and eighties. These 90's punks still exist in the noughts, and they go to school. College even. They work at start-up internet businesses, don't change their dress from high school, and live resentful of the norms. Do you see the problem? Normally these people would have either died in the gutter or gotten a real job that had a dress code. They would have slowly let their punk ways go till they were just a fond memory of their youth. Now, they can hold onto these ideals till they die. Never before was the flame of youth held onto on such a massive scale.
These people are hypocrites, yes, but who isn't. They say they're a rebel while working a job. They rebeled against their parents and the system, but they're apart of that system too, they just won't admit it. They figure as long as they dress different they're not working for the man, meanwhile they're busy in April filling out tax returns (in the USA). They would be happy to know, however, that they are helping the system fall apart. The social fabric is coming undone. Now that they can stay rebelous in attitude, the clics from high school aren't dissolving as they should. Normally, most everyone realizes that high school is bull shit once its over, or atleast a few years down the road. Only a few think its the best time of anyones life, simply because they didn't accomplish anything after it to replace that faded glory. However, once the barrier of lunch tables is gone, and people work side by side on the assembly line or the cubicle, they realize they aren't so different and had no reason to hate each other in high school. Now though, they seperate themselves, look to others dressed like them for support, and continue thinking the other one is an idiot when in fact they both are.
High school trends are bullshit, but the ability to carry out the ambitions of a confused teenager allthroughout life are even stupider. It may be tough to face a crushing reality, but no one is special, we're drones meant for the slaughter. I suppose though that no one will realize this till its too late. My best bet, this generation will raise its kids to be free spirits, and they'll be even lazier and more apathetic than us. However, their children will rebel against our children by getting real jobs, dressing in ties and dress (not in the same emsemble), and doing something with their lives when our generation and the one proceeding after it did nothing but waste time and let things go to hell.