Bits & Pieces. This blog is a bit like being broken, it comes in bits and pieces, and sometimes you don't know where to start. But let's start with a memory from back in 2018. I was sipping on a caffe latte at Mug and Bean behind the Pretoria High Court, where the atmosphere is different from the rest of the city center. The people dress, talk, and walk differently here, and I couldn't help but notice a young lady who walked in, probably a millennial. She grabbed my attention, but do you know what it was that caught my eye? Her shoes. Or rather, what looked like bedroom slippers.
As a GenX-er, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the younger generation's tendencies. They are so different from what I grew up with, and sometimes I wonder if I'll ever figure them out. But back to the shoes. Shoes, I was taught by my father's generation, are essential. In business, it could even make or break a deal. Shoes are made for a specific purpose. Runners wear running shoes, construction workers wear boots, and soldiers wear military boots. As for businessmen and lawyers, they wear formal, well-polished shoes. And yet, here was a young woman in a formal setting wearing bedroom slippers. It didn't make sense to me.
But as I looked around, I noticed that she wasn't the only one. It was apparently a fashion trend. I couldn't help but wonder what happens in the transition between generations that results in such significant shifts in culture. I mean, I thought GenX was radical in their teens and twenties, with our baggy jeans and punk rock music. GenX was out to burst their parents' eardrums. But then again, weren't our parents' generation the ones who invented mini skirts and the bikini? Iam sure that their parents thought they were radical and out of order.
It seems that every generation believes they have made an improvement in society, while their parents are convinced that society is deteriorating. And so, the question remains: is it acceptable to wear bedroom slippers in a formal setting in the capital city, or is it an indication that society is heading in the wrong direction? It's a puzzle, a bit like being broken into bits and pieces, but perhaps if we put the pieces together, we can start to understand this ever-changing world.
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