PHOTO: front page of the official Oregon State University student newspaper featured the article by Tori Hittner, "Students 'just let go' during Undie Run 2014," OSU Barometer, Jun. 2, 2014 and the above photo by Justin Quinn. Also see the related student editorial by Editorial Board, "We need more legal crazy at Oregon State," OSU Barometer, Jun. 2, 2014.
PHOTO: OSU students streaking on Halloween night in 1975 as shown on the front page of the student newspaper The Barometer Nov. 3, 1975. (See previous post OSU naked streaking in 1975 vs. nearly naked run in 2011 (6/26/11))
By coincidence, in the same issue, as coverage of the undie run, was a serious onion piece on gay marriage by a student wondering how opposition to gay marriage can make any sense sense given the advances over the last few years: Cassie Ruud, "Attempt to appeal gay marriage ruling is idiotic," OSU Barometer, Jun. 2, 2014. (See previous posts Oregon gay marriage legal again after banned by Constitutional Amendment (5/20/14) and Gay Oregon Judge acknowledges validity of 1972 "Baker" gay marriage case by ruling it obsolete (5/31/14))
I find it interesting to see how the thinking of younger people shifts from their elders. Things that seemed impossible decades ago become expected and common place in the future.
I find this type of generational drift to be also true with technology. For example, a few days ago I watched the "Jetsons" cartoon on a TV special about the 60's (I had watched the Jetsons regularly as a starry eyed technology lover 50 years ago and dreamed about helping to invent this future) -- I noticed how much of the Jetsons' futuristic technology was now a reality 50 years later. By a strange coincidence, just a few days later, a similar observation was made in a student newspaper column by Brooklyn Di Raffaele, "Look out, Jetsons, we're only missing flying cars," OSU Barometer, Jun. 2, 104.
The future is always possible, despite those who want to stop it! Of course, on that optimistic note about the future, let me close by saying that as I get older, I better understand why older people often want to be misanthropic neo-Luddites because they are too tired to keep up with the changes in society. It is often easier to get set in your ways and oppose change than it is to embrace change for the benefit of everyone.
