The Day The Music Died

By Life & Times guest blogger Tony Taylor

By no means would I ever endorse or encourage censoring anyone of what they think, feel, say, write or produce, because we can always choose NOT to turn it on. I just needed to preface this piece with that statement.
September 19, 2007: This date was a watershed for me. I WAS OFFENDED BY A MOVIE. I have always prided myself on being open to new things, new ideas, and new experiences. Whenever people I knew expressed offense or a distaste for something, I always tried to see something redeeming about it. I always thought to myself that if you don’t like something you should no partake of it and leave everyone else to their own devices. Just because I don’t like or agree something, God bless the guy that does. I have never been offended by any part of pop culture. I always thought I was an anomaly because all my friends had tons of things that offended them. I always figured they were too uptight and I was just more cosmopolitan in my thinking.
Well, at age 32, I’ve suddenly become “offendable.” I went to see a movie entitled “Super Bad” based on the word of mouth and reviews. I had heard it was one of the great high school comedies ever. Growing up in the 80s I loved the R rated comedies we all saw like Animal House or Old School. movies that pushed the envelope. I have always prided myself on being obstinate, rebellious, and belligerently enthusiastic about my insurrectionary attitude. Well, September 19, 2007 was “the day the music died” for me (to quote Don McLean).
This movie was full of the worst examples of misogyny, crude behavior, extremely explicit sexual descriptions and the crassest sight gag ever that I cannot even explain because I can’t type it without feeling bad like a dirty minded 15 year old.
There are one of two things going on here. Either society has taken pop culture to such an extreme as far as subject matter that it should offend all our sensibilities or else I am just getting too damn old. What do you guys think? They used to say at rock concerts “If it’s too loud, you’re too old.” Well I would stay at a concert till my ears bled and still smile, but this movie actually made me say uncle. Am I really turning into my dad, or is society really getting crass?