Thanksgiving Uncles

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NBA players and YouTubers love tying their hair. Black celebrities prefer long blonde wigs 
they can flip from their eyes every 30 seconds. Photo Credit: online pic.

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in America, but bad news for internet-addicted kids. No phones are allowed at grandma’s Thanksgiving dinner, so they must listen to old people like grandpa and funny uncles.

Teenagers think old folks are funny or weird because of the way they talk and dress. They live in another world, very different from their online space, which  is forever ‘trending.’ News flash. There’s no old school because there’s no new school. It’s life school period. It is recycling. Same people, same problems, just different time zones.

Teenagers solve problems online. During Thanksgiving weekend, uncles will sit down with next-door uncles and talk till sundown. This is a goldmine for teenagers because they are constantly looking for a million views. The internet is one big photo copying machine, but original content is still gold, because it is 5%. Uncles might provide that. It’s not about interviewing them, with phones thrust in their mouths. It’s about listening, which results in the online ecosystem of: likes, dislikes and share.

Teenagers are beautiful. They know they are. That’s why they think they have nothing in common with old people, like uncles. On the contrary, they do. That’s why they’ve enjoyed going to the barbershop since they were little. There’s no new school or old school on that chair. It’s an experience of likes and dislikes, which leads to understanding jokes and politics. In some cases, parents move to another neighborhood, but still drive kids to the old barbershop, if they cannot find one that fits, in the new zip code.

Not all kids are in touch with their uncles, because life is tough. That will never change. That’s why Tik Tok and YouTube-crazy teens must hang out with their uncles near the grill or home library, this Thanksgiving.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

Executive Blogger

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