This article originally appears in Issue #1 of The Social, which is available to pick up next week or online here.
Something rather strange happened while the great and the good of Irish politics, sports and showbiz waited on a windswept College Green for President Barack Obama to address the nation of his ancestors. It’s one thing to be upstaged by ‘the most powerful man in the world’, but to be outshone by two teenagers from Lucan dressed like a cross between the Legion of Doom and Michael Jackson circa Thriller is another thing entirely.
While Jedward have been called products of the Celtic Tiger, where a cushy upbringing and too much absorbed media have created a generation that is something of a cultural hybred, theirs might be a case so extreme they could pass for some sort of bizarre, satirical comedic performance.
However, an ever shrinking world has led to significant changes to young people’s mannerism, speech and attitudes so the cultural gap between those who grew up in the city during the boom times and their parents is probably wider than that of any previous generations.
With the Celtic Tiger cubs now reaching adulthood, what does it mean for the charging identity of what it means to be a Dubliner?
Constantly thrown at kids who embrace the fashion trends and lifestyles that become popularised through films, music and television is that they are becoming “Americanised”. In stark contrast to this lazy expression, the US is not the centre of the world.
However, the boom - and subsequent influx of new faces, races and cultures - did give Dublin a certain cosmopolitan feel it hadn’t had before. ” [The multicultured nature of the city] does have an effect on what it means to be Dubliner, but that’s not necessary a negative thing,” says Cllr Dermot Looney, a 28 year-old Labour Party representative on South Dublin County Council.
“I think there’s a tendency when we talk about language, slang, vernacular and so on, to focus on the negative. But I think we’re seeing a great richness being added to our language.”
But the with the economic landscape completely different from what they experienced growing up, do these Celtic Tiger kids have the fortitude to drag the country back from the mire? Dylan Haskins is a 23-year-old social activist and broadcaster. He believes that it’s the youth that will be relied upon to rebuild Ireland over the next few years.
“You’re more likely to see a creative response to a problem from a young person because young people are generally well equipped to deal with new experiences,” says Haskins.
“I think we’re very well placed to deal with a paradigm shift. It’s easy to fall into this idea of everything was one way and now everything is going to be really difficult. It remains to be seen how economic hardships will affect us, but all you can do is respond to the environment around you and keep going.”
While it’s easy to deride Jedward and what their rise means for Dublin, it’s important to remember that over the last couple of decades many have fought for the freedom of expression the twins and so many others now enjoy.
“I think young people of our generation have felt a lot more freedom in terms of their personal lifestyles, in terms of their sexuality and really important facets of society that really wasn’t around when our parents were around” says Cllr Looney.
“You have to look at the struggle of the LGBT community; you have to look at the struggle of the feminist movement, the struggle of liberal campaigners and socialist progressives over many years just to get their voices heard, never mind achieve full equality.”
The Celtic Tiger generation may have grown up in relative extravagance, but they were not at fault when these luxuries were snatched away. Now forced to pick through the debris, they’re reacting to new harsh realities with a certain sense of style and swagger. Mock them if you must, but these kids are our best hope of redemption.
0 notes / Permalink
