Polaroid cameras, shirt-dresses, The Beatles, vinyl: retro has never been more ‘in’. It seems that every teenager has been raiding his or her parent’s attic and reinstating old favourites to their former glory. Furniture is being manufactured to look old, with deliberately peeling paint and cracked wood. A few months ago my mother presented me with a ‘brand new antique’ record player. On top of my revamped 1940’s dresser, it looks the real deal.

It’s not just old products though. Up and coming creative types are reaching into the past for inspiration as well. A popular American band, Panic At The Disco released their second album recently, and hitting the play button will send any listener into an immediate time warp. Who can even tell if that’s Ryan Ross or John Lennon?

All of this nostalgia, whilst aesthetically pleasing and a vast improvement from the ghastly fashion and frightening music of the 90’s, begs a bigger question: where has all the originality gone? Is our obsession with the past a bittersweet trip down memory lane or just a complete lack of new ideas?

Thus far, throughout the history of western civilisation, each generation has been defined by a new style, in fashion, music, literature and lifestyle. Each change between generations is accompanied by a morphing of values and morals, and a change in the general attitude of the people.

A clear example of this is the vast difference between the 50’s and the 60’s. The 50’s retained an air of dignity and poise, family, security and social standing were considered the most important aspects of life. Today’s teenagers look back to the 50’s and think of dinner parties and the nuclear family. The more politically aware might recall the Korean War, the more culturally inclined will remember Beatniks. In contrast, the 60’s were an explosion of colour and revolution. Glancing back to the 60’s inspires visions of tie-dyed clothing and Beatlemania. These days, the strong sense of social justice and huge political changes in regards to racial and gender equality are sometimes overlooked in the haste to decorate kombi vans and don bandanas.

The point is, both of these decades had strong, unique identities, and were boundlessly different from their predecessors.

So where is this originality when it comes to the youth of today? All social change is pushed by the young people of any generation. Without the willingness and passion of the younger members of society to develop and change, societies can remain in ruts for years. Glancing back, it was young women like Germaine Greer and Gloria Steinem who fronted the women’s movement, young men such as Martin Luther King who pushed racial boundaries. This is not to say that I underestimate the power of the middle-aged or elderly, far from it in fact. But if the leaders of tomorrow just aren’t interested, tomorrow looks very bleak indeed.

The Noughties, as the youth of the millennium have been cheekily dubbed, seem to be almost lazy in their pursuit of their own identity. Rather than taking bold steps forward, they are sliding helplessly backwards, and disturbingly, seem to be enjoying the ride.

As a Noughtie myself, I should have some of the answers, and certainly, I am partially responsible for this sorry state of affairs. Not only do I dress like I’m in the 70’s, own furniture from the 40’s and listen to music from the 60’s, but I don’t even read contemporary literature- only the classics for me.

Could the reason why there is so little new talent available simply be because we’re not looking hard enough? If I don’t read anything published in the last fifty years, how will I ever know if there are amazing new authors out there? And if I can’t turn Elvis off for long enough to give My Chemical Romance a spin, who am I to judge? Our obsession with past legends and icons has become so intense that even if the next Madonna was singing outside our very window, the likelihood is we would draw the curtains and turn our record players up.

Before I blame the lack of beauty on the beholder, however, there are other issues at hand, outside the realm of creativity. The growing level of political apathy amongst youth is alarming, and a huge desertion of past tradition. In former years, the transition between generations was pushed along by political change, which in turn was largely facilitated by youth and youth organisations.

Our parents and grandparents protested, chanted, revolted and burned their bras for justice; the Noughties seem content with changing the TV channel or uploading a new webpage instead.

There certainly isn’t a lack of causes to get involved with, and many a youth organisation exists, especially on university campuses, as long as the tradition has stood. There are people who care, unfortunately their voices are too often drowned out by thumping club music, or muffled by alcohol before they can make any impact.

It seems as though young people these days have an amazing talent for compartmentalising. Certainly, I find myself rationalising watching a daily episode of Friends instead of the 6 o’clock news, and the few protests I have attended have been more of a social affair, the cause forgotten in our haste to share coffee and current gossip. Of course, the dramatisation of real life on TV is part of the problem. When war documentaries show airbrushed soldiers, and rape stories on crime shows always have a happy ending, turning a blind eye on the actual injustices in the world is relatively easy. The impact of real suffering and trauma is dulled, and made into everyday occurrences. Stories of abuse no longer elicit horror, but sage nods and grimaces instead.

The Noughties are being numbed.

Perhaps the revival of all things past isn’t just nostalgia for hairstyles and peter-pan shirt collars, but is a yearning for a time when people felt things, and life meant more. When things lasted, such as family and careers, instead of falling apart and being discarded for newer, shinier versions. It could be that we are simply emotionally and academically exhausted.

It is an endless cycle. The lack of new ideas and motivation leads to a revamping of old ones, which leads to a lack of new ideas and motivation, which… well, you get the point.

Is there a solution in sight? A huge positive example is the interest young people are taking in climate change. There have been several protests and conferences held over the past few years to point out to the government that youth care, and it’s the first time in years that I’ve noticed a stirring even just amongst my own acquaintances.

Independent youth media and arts has taken off with the advent of the internet generation as well, and as annoying as whiny teenage blogs may be, they sure do provide a forum for discovering new talent.

Maybe the Noughties are simply the tortoise to the 60’s hare?

Perhaps in a few decades, youngsters will be emulating Noughties style, and revamping iPods and PCs. The recycling of old ideas could be just a trigger to incite a renaissance of creativity.

For now, I am content to enjoy my records and swing jackets and crocheted cardigans; they may not be around for much longer!

Image by Yolkfolk licenced by Creative Commons