RIP, Cord Box: Obsolete in a Wireless World
I’m writing a requiem for my cord box. If you’re a Gen-Xer or older, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
I grew up in the ’80s. Which is to say, I grew up in a wired world. Our house phone had a cord and was mounted to the wall. And every room in the house had a multitude of outlets to handle the wealth of appliances we we’re lucky enough to afford. Remember what it was like to be middle-class in the ’80s? When a family could live comfortably off of one salary? Can we bring that back?
Sorry; I digress. That’s a topic for another time. We’re talking about wires and cords and how many of them you needed to run your cable box and your video game system and your home computer (again, if you were lucky enough to be able to afford those things). That was life in the ’80s and ’90s. Then, in the ’00s, things started going wireless. Phones. Computers. So what happened to all the wires?
RIP, Cord Box: Obsolete in a Wireless World
I kept all mine. Phone cords, power strips, coaxial cables, all of them. They lived in a box–and then in a bin–in my cellar. The bin moved with me from house to house. I still have it. I dove into it for the first time in years just last week, when I attempted to hook up an old turntable. RCA cables? You know I have ’em. The right RCA cable? Sadly, the bin did not provide. No matter; the turntable didn’t work anyway.
Perhaps that’s a sign that the time has come to let go of the cord box, to close the wired chapters of my past. Perhaps it’s time to truly embrace all things wireless. The “neatness” of it all certainly speaks to my borderline OCD. But the nostalgia of that old box and all the jams it’s gotten me out of over the years is a strong pull. To quote Bilbo Baggins: “Why shouldn’t I keep it?”
Besides, I think I see an old tape deck in the stack of boxes in the corner of my cellar. And I know I have the right cord somewhere…
13 Gen-X Words You Probably Still Use
1) Chill Pill
You know a slang word has legs when it pops up on a TV show three decades later. That’s Manfried, by the way. Talking pinata from ‘Adventure Time.’ Voiced by Maria Bamford, a Gen-Xer.
2) Diss
Omnipresent in hip-hop throughout the ’80s and ’90s. I could’ve chosen an example from literally thousands of Golden Era hip hop tracks. But I went with A Tribe Called Quest. Because I love them.
3) Dude
Sure, “dude” has it’s roots in the American West. But Gen-X really made the word our own. It’s evolved to become a gender-neutral, all-encompassing term. And it’s also the name of a pretty famous movie character.
4) Gnarly
West coast surf and skate culture brought this one to the forefront. It’s frequently combined it with the aforementioned “dude.” And now, thanks to Pixar, the term has been introduced to a new generation. Gnarly!
5) Headbanger
I mean, MTV had a whole damn show dedicated to headbangers! Riki Rachtman was the host of Headbangers Ball here in the U.S. But in the U.K., the host was Vanessa Warwick. She rocked.
6) Hella
More goodness from youth culture. This one started out on the West Coast. But over the years, it made its way eastward. I’ve heard East Coast heads use “hella” plenty.
7) Rock
Sure, “rock” music was a product of the Greatest Generation and the Boomers. But saying something “rocks” was invented by Generation X. I won’t be hearing any arguments to the contrary at this time. Thank you.
8) Trippin'
Another one from hip-hop culture that made it’s way into the modern rock world. That’s the beauty of Gen X and our music and our slang. After awhile, it all blended together. And that’s a good thing.
9) To The Max
This feels West Coast, too. But it was everywhere in the ’80s. Music, TV, movies…especially Heathers. I mean, I could’ve just posed clips from Heathers for pretty much all of these terms, right?
10) Yuppie
Those “Young Urban Professionals” were all the rage back in the ’80s. Then they took all that newfound wealth that never really “trickled down,” purchased their prosperity, and pulled up the ladder behind them. Thanks, Yuppies!
11) As If
Would Clueless have even been Clueless without “as if?” No, wait. What I meant to say was: as if Clueless would have even been Clueless without “as if.”
12) Literally
This is a complicated one. You can blame Gen X for corrupting the literal meaning of literally. But it’s really Millennials that took it and ran with it. Literally.
13) Whatever
“Oh well, whatever, never mind…” – Kurt Cobain, voice of a generation.
