By Uncle Abdul

It's interesting watching a totally new trend developing in the scene today. Janus contributes it's share to this new mix, and I'll have to admit that I've never saw the likes of it from the 'halcyon days of yore.'

What I'm referring to is the current flurry on the e-mail lists about a tongue-in-cheek 'battle' between the 'young' and 'old'. (Notice the emphasized terms denoting some 'begging the question' definitions, but I digress. It's all relative anyway.)

Janus is now going ahead with it's Under-30 SIG (not without its own ramifications), and now there is a non-Janus move afoot to set up a 19-35 Year Old Munch. Now I'm not going to even begin to claim to understand the issues of younger members of the BDSM community of today. (Maybe Hip-Hop is better than Rap for dungeon music.) Certainly when I was their age, the social and communication conditions were a lot different than they are now. So projecting 'my time' to the present day is no substitute for actually living that same age now. Nonetheless being out of the 'youngster's' age loop allows me some certain perspectives on the process of the comments being bantered back and forth.

The 19-35's or the "X"'ers or whatever they identify as say that they would like to discuss their unique issues amongst 'their' age peers. This of course is their right. But in coalescing thusly and setting delimiting boundaries on the basis of age, naturally people 'outside' those delimiters feel ...well... excluded. And since it's done on the basis of age, the reaction of the ...well... oldsters (or Ol' Farts as some of us are beginning to identify) is predictable. The "X"'ers haven't said what their issues are, but left to speculate the Ol' Farts start joking about how they can still have nice bodies, funner times, and more experience. One person has even suggested a counterpoint Ol' Farts' Munch. For me it's fun to watch this banter.

Banter aside, in the maturation of the BDSM community, it should have been expected that owing to the post cyber era that there would be enough "X"'ers to eventually coalesce into a separate subgroup. And it's to be expected that those of us who have aged in the community to react to this reminder that 'we ain't as young as we used to be.' Many Ol' Farts remember not too long ago when we'd party till dawn and then have breakfast at Hamburger Mary's. Now whipper's elbow is replaced with arthritic twinges; snap-to hardons now need Viagra; and the sunrise after a party is greeted in our beds rather than at the dungeon door.

Does that mean generational conflict may result from this trend? Gloriosky I hope not. I for one enjoy the vital and fresh spirit of the newbies--some of who are Ol' Farts themselves. I'm forever pleased and fascinated by the new techniques and ideas the newcomers bring into the scene. And I also know that "X"'ers and Ol' Farts both appreciate watching a scene involving really hot and experienced players. Homogeneity in our community for the sake of homogeneity or at the expense of diversity is not a good thing. On the flip side, however, unrestrained growth of diversity is only the philosophy of a cancer cell. It's better to take the best of both generations. The community can only grow and prosper in that way.

Of course--10 years from now--if you see this bald Ol' Fart (perhaps in a wheelchair) laughing my ass off, that probably means that I've heard one of today's "X"'ers say to some newbie the immortal words, "Why in my day..."

Chao-4-Now

Unc'