General Society: Society: News: Hankyoreh

Netflix documentary series <도시인처럼> The protagonist, the author, Fran Libowitz. He lamented the times as he walked through the city, and said,’Now everyone only sees their smartphones, but no one walks the streets of New York properly.’ Wikimedia Commons

Condae was closer than I thought. Right next to nothing else. While leaning over a beer mug with a friend and lamenting about the company life, I felt an unexpected’intergenerational difference’. “If you look at new kids these days, they don’t even work overtime because of the basic on-time work. It’s a real jet (Z) generation.” My mouth opened without my knowledge. ‘Oh my goodness. I don’t even work overtime because of the basic on-time work, friends. What is this?’ Grabbing my surprised heart, I counted our annual years one by one for the first time. My friend who started her company life for 6 years or a little bit earlier was already 7 years old. It was a moment when I realized that we, who had been tied up as the last generation of the millennials, and our generation, which was known as the opposite of’Kondae’, are no longer the age of first-year society. Moreover, it is difficult to explain each individual’s difference in a plain language called’millennials’. Some of us tend to serve in organizations a little more, and others of us tend to be a little more individualistic. We were not all tied together neatly, and even among our close friends, we were forced to feel the gap between generations. “Hey. Still, you can’t just think and talk about it. Then, you’ll become stupid.” At the words he threw laughing, the friend said firmly. “I speak only with my face.” As a result of synthesizing the opinions, it was concluded that I was a little more millennial and my friend less millennial. We are inevitably becoming more or less, or collectively referred to as the’millennial generation’. Although it is said that ‘Kondae-yeok’ does not depend on age and generation, it is now moving toward an age and social position that suits ‘Kondae’ rather than young people. Perhaps what we should have is an appropriate role model. In order to grow old as a little less hated, we need a’Kondae role model’ who will become an appropriate senior. An appropriate Netflix series fell in front of us. It is a documentary series directed by Martin Scosage and starring Fran Libowitz.

70s, female, lesbian, New Yorker, essayist and critic, humorist… . Fran Lee Bowitz, an American writer who has a complex character that is not enough to describe with a few keywords, is a’devil character’ who fascinates me and my friends. In this documentary, he gazes at the streets of New York, the city of dreams and the charm of all seasons, with an annoying expression, and expresses sensuous opinions on how to live in it, tourists, money, subway, art, and walking. Moreover, the unique wit and cynicalness makes the video more sticky. Is it because old friend Martin Scorsage was in charge of directing? The visual beauty is a bonus, and his laughter bursting with every word Fran Libowitz adds to the fun of the video, like a special bonus. Lee Bowitz is straightforward. Complaining about the New York subway line with the’Under construction’ sign, he quietly’disss’ the plastic art installed in public facilities. “Of course, the mosaic works are cute. But does it have to take 5 months to install it?” If he were a Korean and lived in Seoul, I can imagine what he would have criticized for the uncontextual poems on the subway screen door. He can hate him for saying so accurately without a bit of retreat, but the aspect he shows is too open to be tied up with the stubborn word’Kondae’ and jumps out. He is a’senior’ who knows how good and important’fun’ is. To the question “Do you have a secret hobby (Guilty Pleasure)?”, Lee Bowitz replies, “There is no such thing.” “Because I enjoy it confidently without feeling guilty (guilty). I don’t understand why it connects with guilt. Of course, if the hobby is murder, the story is different. (…) I don’t feel guilty about pleasurable behavior. There are many people in the world nowadays without feeling guilty even after killing people, and it’s okay to keep children in iron bars at the border. People like that are fine, so why should I feel guilty? Especially when you think about what pleasure is as you get older, you can just do it if you enjoy it no matter what. Just do it.” It is indeed the best answer. They say that not everyone has to follow the changes of the times, and they even reject it. For those who want to teach themselves how to use social network services (SNS) or how to use mobile phones, I respond like this. “The reason I don’t do SNS is not because I don’t know what it is, but because I know it so well.” Can you grow old with such a sharp, accurate and fun person? To the audience’s question, “How can I have a sense of humor?” he responds: “It’s like’How can I get taller?’ It’s the same question.” I have a hope for the future to grow old like that, but it will be quite difficult. In front of this charming entity who completely calmed the city of New York with his weapons of humor and wit, I was convinced that it would be difficult to find a role model more than this.

Of course, I cannot agree with all of his ideas. Criticism of the current situation, where he wants to express his thoughts in detail, takes a place in the’franc repertory’. “Even if you’re not good at it, you can do anything. But do it alone, don’t see it. (…) I don’t know if you have the judgment. Such people are usually young people.” Like these days, everyone can become a writer, and the bitterness that hangs in the middle of the era of actually becoming a writer can be reassuring to anyone. The era of expressing even less polished and coarse thoughts in words can be quite uncomfortable and uncomfortable for some. However, in the past, there were far more people who couldn’t speak their words. Wouldn’t this age be much more advanced than in the past when people who learn less, have less, and are in less complete situations did not allow the opportunity and space to speak? Even speaking, he wouldn’t be unaware of the past, which required a specific gender, color, and status. Smartphones and SNS, which are said to never use the privileges that were granted to only a few in the past, must be broken by Fran Libowitz. For’Kondae’ like Libowitz, it may be a’waste of life’, but for some, this tool and space can be a place for desperate self-expression and political speech. Lee Bowitz cannot completely hide the aspect of the older generation who lived in a prosperous and growing era. “No one makes enough money to live in New York. But there are 8 million people.” In fact, Fran is a man who owns a house in the city of New York, and many New Yorkers live worrying about the rent they will pay next month. From the standpoint of living with a monthly rent in Seoul, a city boasting a house price as high as New York, I wanted to respond without losing as much as Fran said. “Why do you live in the city? Because of the job! There’s nothing I want to do in my hometown.” He is a fascinating person who wants to resemble enough, even after offsetting many complaints. It is somewhat envious to see him running upright across New York with his two feet in a nice shirt and scarf, jeans and jacket. There are no older women in our Korean society who can speak language freely and give honest criticisms about everything in the world. “The Me Too movement is something I have never thought of. Living as a woman was the same from Eve’s birth until 8 months ago (MeToo came out).” Who can say this? He says he hasn’t done any social movements because he doesn’t expect to change his mouth. But in fact, the fact that he has been actively active so far, is not his existence a movement. Damin Chun Newnick Editor