You May Say I'm a Dreamer...

Through our discussion of the role media plays in the classroom last week, I was somewhat appalled to hear that someone thinks that there is "no John Lennon of our generation". This is a very bold statement to make, in my mind. In a very literal sense, there is, of course, no John Lennon because no one individual can precisely replicate another. It is true that few singer-songwriters have had as profound an influence on our generation as Lennon did on his, but to expect that there will be an individual that represents the same sort of sentiments for our generation is inconceivable. This is a different time, and with the advancement of our culture has come a tremendous number of changes regarding our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. John Lennon would not be the same if he had been a part of our generation rather than his own, as he would speak to different facets of our communities and lives.

If what was meant by this statement was that there is no inspirational figurehead of our generation, then I beg to differ. This contention was brought up seemingly as a part of a larger argument that there is no one out there to challenge the conventions of our society, which makes me raise my hackles even more; how profound must an individual's ideas be to be considered a "John Lennon"? To what end must they unite and inspire a nation? Consider individuals such as Ursula Le Guin, a woman who considers herself an anthropologist... of societies that have never existed. Similarly, consider her book The Left Hand of Darkness, in which there is a species that changes gender and places no emphasis on conventions of one's sex. Is this not good enough? Does it not challenge society enough? Is its statement not bold, or its message meaningless?

I also have considered what it means to be a "John Lennon", and have found myself consistently stumped. I can't put a single, solid definition to what it means, so does that mean that it is an undefinable thing to be him, or is it simply that we can never hope to achieve the same amount of success through an individual's actions? Regardless, I believe that the claim is untrue. There are a plethora of individuals who contribute to society in unique ways and have broken conventions of society enough times to be considered as much an inspiration as he.

(This isn't to say I don't love John Lennon, the Beatles, and everything he and they have accomplished, but someone's got to play the Devil's advocate.)