Now Entering Parenthood...

I often think about what would happen if I could somehow raise my child in an environment where he or she was only exposed to technology and pop culture from a previous decade such as the 1980’s (my favorite of course).

Instead of watching Mew Mew Power, Barney & Friends, or Yo Gabba Gabba, what would happen if I only exposed them to old episodes of The Electric Company, Mr. Rodgers, and Pinwheel? Instead of the music of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, or Black Eyed Peas, I’d raise them with classics like Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, and INXS. No 3D Pixar or big budget CG special effects films like Iron Man, Harry Potter, or Transformers. Just old school favorites like Ghostbusters, Labyrinth, and Back to the Future. And instead of playing Playstation 3 or XBOX 360, make them believe that the only video games that exist are on the 8-bit NES.

This would of course be impossible to do unless I made sure the kid was never let outside of the house, but it is an intriguing thought. Imagine if the only cartoons you knew about were hand drawn 2D, the most amazing movie monster you’d ever seen was the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and the only zombies you ever battled in a video game were the 2D sprites from Ghosts ‘N Goblins. Then at some point in your life, someone dropped the bomb and showed you Wall-E, Lord of The Rings, and Resident Evil 5.

I can’t decide if it would be incredibly amazing, or incredibly terrifying to instantly discover that all the pop culture you knew and loved was over 30 years old. Would it make you appreciate the changes in culture and the advances in technology even more, or make you wish things had remained the same?

Again, I would never really do this, as I’m sure the kid would be a bit traumatized and seen by his or her peers as a weirdo. It’s just an extremely interesting concept. I can’t help but think about the 1903 story of The Great Train Robbery, in which the audience literally ducked for cover as a train approached on screen. If we had the ability to travel back in time, I’d love to go back and show those folks the 2005 remake of War of the Worlds as their first exposure to motion pictures. Just imagine their reactions! While it obviously wouldn’t be as drastic, I think my crazy idea would be the closest thing to recreating that.