Editor’s Letter – June 2018

Even as I near the end of my 30’s, I don’t think I am particularly old, although there are an office full of 20-somethings here that are determined to prove that I am. Mind you, they do have their uses. They have taught me proper Instagram etiquette, and taught me the meaning of “OG” and “GC”. Two separate conversations. Both awkward. In spite of the vast chasm of confusing culture, confusing language and confusing musical taste that 10 years seems to bring these, millennials do have their positive points. There is a certain cliché around work ethic and entitlement but from my perspective I see a generation who have more vision for change than any generation before them. There is an excitement around the possibility to alter the things that we know are wrong but have been caught in a sort of “it’s too hard” inertia for decades. Plastic bags in supermarkets as an example. Even America’s complex social issues have been debated with much excitement lately due to the latest Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) hit, This is America. While I was excited about getting my Spotify early 90’s grunge playlist to play via Bluetooth in the car, Glover’s video was blowing up the internet. Even videos analyzing the video were blowing up the internet. After being forced to watch it by one of these 20-something colleagues, I could see why. It’s a wonderful yet disturbing insight into the what is like to be black in America. There are so many layers of meaning lyrically and visually – many I’m sure are over my head but I think I get the general gist. I think many others do too. Overnight this video has become a cultural phenomenon and the multi-talented Glover has become a hero for a generation who want change and who want to make it their way.