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Blast from The Past: Why We're Suckers for Old School Classics | Opinions | LIVING LIFE FEARLESS

Blast from The Past: Why We’re Suckers for Old School Classics

[dropcap size=big]I[/dropcap]t’s 2018, we’re living in an era of black mirrors, self-driving cars, virtual and augmented reality and what not, and yet we still find ourselves spending our time obsessing over the past; particularly sitting all day watching reruns of film and TV shows that have been long gone for decades. Why do we keep walking down memory lane time after time?

The Wonder Years

Old school is anything that is considered old-fashioned or part of an era that is honored to be highly influential, valuable, and characteristic, which every generation could simply form a connection with. While technically there are no precise years as to when people started referring to things as classics, most would associate old school with the ’80s and ’90s, and even the early 2000s – a time when hip-hop was at an all-time high, TV sitcoms were all the buzz, and style was strikingly a character of its own.

…most would associate old school with the ’80s and ’90s, and even the early 2000s – a time when hip-hop was at an all-time high, TV sitcoms were all the buzz, and style was strikingly a character of its own.

Pop culture for centuries has always been a form of expression for everything including politics, race, individuals, historical events, religion, fashion, and relationships in hopes of inducing positive change in the society. Fascinatingly, today’s pop culture is a blast from the past, with millennials mirroring and reviving most of the trends from urban streetwear to vaporwave to pop star dance moves, as well as incorporating modern aspects of minimalism to complete the overall swanky aesthetics and style they fantasize about. Perhaps, you might want to hold on to your awkward childhood and teenage obsessions, it’s definitely making a comeback someday, somehow.

Just Feeling Nostalgic

Why are we willing to sit through hours of content if we already know every line in Mean Girls, how Jack froze to death, why Snape and Lily didn’t end up together, how Ted met his kids’ mother, why Ross uttered his ex’s name at his wedding? – I could do this all day.

In a nutshell, our fascination with old school classics enabled us to experience culture, get a taste of what it’s like to live in that moment, and relive fond memories while living in the present. Despite having access to thousands of films and TV shows and overspending on various streaming services that we don’t need, we always end up going back to the same content we’ve probably seen a million times.

…I still feel nostalgic when my favorite shows back in the day cross my mind because it transports me to beautiful memories of my childhood…

Personally, I could sit through the whole series of FRIENDS, One Tree Hill, or the Harry Potter films, and feel the same excitement as the first time, even if I already know it by heart. Being a ’90s kid, I still feel nostalgic when my favorite shows back in the day cross my mind because it transports me to beautiful memories of my childhood, allowing me to block the noise of the world and just appreciate the times when life was simple. According to psychologists, people tend to resort to past memories of a simpler time to overcome some of the negative experiences we have as an adult as well, to help us go through developmental changes in our lives.

Shows such as Hey Arnold, As Told by Ginger, Tom and Jerry, Legends of the Hidden Temple, All That, Are You Afraid of the Dark, The Flintstones, and Spongebob are some of the old school classics that most generations feel nostalgic for every single time it’s mentioned or on screen. In fact, some of these shows are still on air for a couple of decades now. Not only are they incredibly humorous and amusing, they have underlying messages that are intended to equip us with life lessons beneficial to our journey.

Since these shows and franchises already have a huge following that spans years, studio executives are somewhat assured that they will have a good return on investment compared to producing content based on original ideas that carry a lot of risk.

It comes as no surprise that Hollywood is investing all of their time, resources, and energy in rebooting and reviving film and TV shows as well as sequels we all can’t get enough of such as Gilmore Girls, Charmed, The Office, Blues Clues, Fuller House, Star Wars, and Marvel Comics into miniseries, feature-length films, and serialized and episodic TV. Since these shows and franchises already have a huge following that spans years, studio executives are somewhat assured that they will have a good return on investment compared to producing content based on original ideas that carry a lot of risk. Yes, you could call it undeserved or restrictive, but it’s show ‘business’ for a reason.

Revisiting entertainment masterpieces is indeed a way of reconnecting to our inner child, in fact, we purposely go back to our roots to get inspiration and ideas that contribute to the evolution of the pop culture we enjoy today.

Damaged City Festival 2019 | Photos | LIVING LIFE FEARLESS

CULTURE (counter, pop, and otherwise) and the people who shape it.

Damaged City Festival 2019 | Photos | LIVING LIFE FEARLESS

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