Tuesday, April 17, 1984
Daily Ncbraskan
Pago 5
Ed Sullivan forgotten by MTV
I was talking with an 18-year-old girl, a senior in
high school. She said she wanted to ask me some
thing. "Who was Ed Sullivan?" she said.
I said I didn't think I understood the question.
f o) Bob
i.'. Greene
"I mean, who was he?" she said. "Was he like, your
generation's David Letterman?"
"Not precisely," I said.
"Well, what did he look like?" she said.
I asked her if she meant that, were Ed Sullivan to
walk into the room at that very moment, she would
not recognize him?
"No," she said. "I wouldn't."
Then she said:
"Did he look like this?"
She stood up and let her arms hang in front of her
like an orangutan.
I said that he actually had, indeed, looked a little
like that. Where had she seen him?
"I think I saw him in a Beatles video," she said.
The Beatles hadn't made any videos, I said; they
had made movies.
"Let me ask you something else," she said.
I said to go ahead.
"Is it true that Elvis Presley and the Beatles made
their first appearances on the Ed Sullivan show?"
she said.
I said that basically that was true.
"Well, why did you watch them, then?" she said. "If
they hadn't been on TV before, how did you know
that you wanted to see them?"
I said that we watched Ed Sullivan every week.
"You mean you watched his show no matter what
was on it?" she said.
I said yes.
"I see," she said. "Kind of like MTV."
Alas ... it has come to pass. My generation, which
alienated the rest of America in the '60s and 70s by
acting as if we had created the concept of youth, is
now on the far side of a generation gap that
excludes millions of our younger countrymen who
have no real memory of Ed Sullivan.
The young woman is not alone; there are millions
upon millions of bright, intelligent young people out
there who are no more familiar with Iron Butterfly
or Dobie Gillis than we were with Rudy Vallee or
Jack Armstrong, the Ail-American Boy. To them
Lyndon Johnson is as distant a figure as FDR was to
us; to them the idea of watching Jack Parr on televi
sion is as unimaginable as our thoughts of listening
to Fred Allen on network radio.
This shouldn't be so surprising, of course; it
happens to every generation, and it is probably a
healthy thing.
But there has never been a generation so happily,
smugly sure that it was inventing the world for the
first time than those of us in the so-called Baby
Boom. Because we represented a big hump in the
country's demographic profile, we always felt com
fortably surrounded by others just like us; there are
so many members of our generation that often we
felt important just by being alive.
Which makes it all the bigger shock when we now
realize that a completely hew generation has come
along a generation that frankly regards us as
middle-aged and sort of quaint. The fact that they're
right doesn't help any.
This phenomenon has even extended to politics.
Those of us who grew up during the war in Indo-
china and were still relatively young when Water
gate happened view the universe with a gimlet-eyed
perspective that we always considered sort of weather
beaten and world-weary. We may have assumed the
generation that came along after us would eagerly
imitate our political attitudes.
But as my 18-year-old acquaintance said to me:
"I'm real sorry about Vietnam and everything, but
I don't see why your generation hates the govern
ment and hates America so much."
Although she was oversimplifying, I knew exactly
what she meant; it is far more likely that a member
of her generation will join the Marines than end up
marching on a picket line protesting some bit of
American foreign policy.
Continued on Pas 6
rft
M a m m k me
I ) O .
k-rft W v . m mm m, m - Ol
J3;
JA
1
as
your senior year. The Air Force has a new .U
Over $1,000 per month during
financial aid program for students in various
l. . enaneenne fields. Both juniors and seniors
m-- may apply. Find out today if you qualify.
I Limited program. Contact- t-
..... - - " .VJ..al'l
p-i TSgt. Cob Waters (402) 471-5501 J
iZA Call Collect MJ
1 iajmzmmi 5jtitfhV,
Awn ,
fft1.. MMME t
&e1
' IMlTf-l' 1
Editorial
Policy
Unsigned editorials re
present official policy of
the spring 1984 Daily Neb
raskan. They are written
by this semester's editor
in chief, Larry Sparks.
Other staff members
will write editorials
throughout the semester.
They will carry the auth
or's name after the final
sentence.
Editorials do not neces
sarily reflect the views of
the university, its employ
ees, the students or the
NU Board of Regents.
The Daily Nebraskan's
publishers are the regents,
who established the UNL
Publications Board to
supervise the daily pro
duction of the newspaper.
According to the policy
set by the regents, re
sponsibility for the con
tent of the newspaper lies
solely in the hands of its
student editors.
EDITOR
GENERAL MANAGER
PRODUCTION MANAGER
ADVERTISING MANAGER
ASSISTANT
ADVERTISING MANAGER
CIRCULATION MANAGER
NEWS EDITOR
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITORS
SPORTS EDITOR
ARTS 4 ENTERTAINMENT
EDITOR
COPY DESK SUPERVISOR
NIGHT NEWS EDITORS
WIRE EDITOR
ART DIRECTOR
PHOTO CHIEF
ASSISTANT PHOTO CHIEF
PUBLICATIONS BOARD
CHAIRPERSON
PROFESSIONAL ADVISER
Larry Sparks, 472-1 768
Daniel Shatiil
Kitty Pollcky
Tracy L. Beavers
Kelly Grossoehme
Steve Meyer
Ward W. Trlplett III
Lauri Hopple
Jann Nyfleler
Vlcki Ruhsa
Jeff Browne
Hike Frost
Patty Pryor
Jeff Goodwin
Chris Welsch
Mike Frost
Chris Welsch
Lorrl Mongar
Craig Andresen
Dave Treufca
Carta Johnson, 477-5703
Don Walton, 473-7331
The Daily Nebraskan (USPS 144-080) is published by the
UNL Publications Board Monday through Friday in the fall
and spring semesters and Tuesdays and Fridays in the
summer sessions, except during vacations.
Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and com
ments to the Daily Nebraskan by phoning 472-2588 between
9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The public also
has access to the Publications Board. For information, call
Carla Johnson, 477-5703.
Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebras
kan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588
0443. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1S34 DAILY NEBRASKAN
.We at Wright's want to create the jewelry that
will give joy through the generations.
A
A 9
(jj) JEWELERS
wwm.
5
c
o I
C
e j
0
i o
JO
LlOU LvHJjUL LjvyLl
A common vision problem, and it can mean
blurry vision, even with soft contact lenses. At
Family Contact Lens Center, we now f it the
new HYDROCURVE" toric soft lens. Its specifi
cally designed to correct astigmatism. This
breakthrough in lens design means you can
now have the comfort of soft lenses, and
good vision too.
For more information call 083-4000
we offer free consultation,
and a 60-day trial period
:9 FAMILY
Contact Ix'ns Center
Where the health of vour eyes comes first.
6309 East "O" Street
Financing Available
w
1
CORNER OF 13th & P