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Posts like this really make me feel like I'm living in a completely different reality from some people. I can't tell how much of this is exaggerated for comedic

Posts like this really make me feel like I'm living in a completely different reality from some people. I can't tell how much of this is exaggerated for comedic value and how much of it is genuine.

evilduck 1y ago
It's written comedically but you mostly live a different life.
- johnnyanmac 1y ago
  Generational divide too. I grew up watching stuff like Project X, and then meanwhile it just seems like Gen Z can barely gather together for anything anymore. Let alone a rager.
AmbroseBierce 1y ago
I think that making people doubt about it like you just did it's intentionally a bit of the comedic value.
gosub100 1y ago
Its from an author who mainly wrote newspaper columns in the 90s. It's his style of tongue-in-cheek humor, and it's aged about 3 decades. I won't say "hasn't aged well", but just "aged".
- xxr 1y ago
  Great assessment of Dave Barry
- the_af 1y ago
  It has definitely aged, but I'd say it has aged a lot better than, say, Scott Adams' humor.
jauntywundrkind 1y ago
It's one of my greatest fears to see the Gonzo going out from the world. Whether or not it's the truth, this post captures a value-system that used to be strongly coded into the world, a domain of part truth part bullshit, but all yes forward excitement that the in the know smart exciting people were in for in abundance, accepting the tongue in cheek along side the sheer raw ambition to outdo the meager reality about us.
buildsjets 1y ago
I'd say a different era rather than a different reality. The Dave Barry quote is obviously humor. But back from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, I was genuinely at numerous house parties, basement concerts, and un-permitted raves which where broken up by authorities, including some where the power was cut, (or worse, where the music was cut and lights flipped on full bright) and the cops forced everyone to pile into their cars and drive home, with whatever head full of chemicals they might be taking on the road with them. Poor saucer-eyed kids. Ah, memories, memories. Where is that brain damage they promised us? I'm still involved in a local music scene somewhat. And yeah, there will always be an underground. And yes, some of the underground gets old and had to get up at 7am to pay the mortgage so some of this may be looking back with rozy glasses. But it just seems to get smaller every year. I don't hear bumping bass from the neighborhoods on Saturday night like I used to.
- zie 1y ago
  > I don't hear bumping bass from the neighborhoods on Saturday night like I used to. You obviously just moved neighborhoods :)
  - henry2023 1y ago
    https://www.derekthompson.org/p/the-death-of-partying-in-the-usaand https://www.derekthompson.org/p/the-death-of-partying-in-the...
    - carlos22 1y ago
      Roughly the same is true for sexual interactions. Was posted on HN a while ago. And I think it makes perfect sense, if you look at Japan they have all that development and are like 10+ years ahead.
- bluGill 1y ago
  > Where is that brain damage they promised us? How would you know? Sure you would know if you were walking but otherwise braindead, but if you are "5 iq points dumber" (whatever that means) or something like that you wouldn't know since there is no way to know what "might have been"
B-Con 1y ago
Dave Barry is a humor writer. I've followed him for 20 years and this is absolutely his style of writing, perhaps even paraphrased from one of his pieces. Hats off to OP if this is their original writing, it nails his style.
- the_af 1y ago
  My introduction to Dave Barry was Slackware Linux and the fortune cookie program, which greeted me with random quotes, often some humorous remark by Dave Barry. Because of this, I both like him and associate him with my early nerdiness.
- chris_wot 1y ago
  Dave Barry caused me to write the original Exploding Whale article on Wikipedia. I got the first oddball barnstar, which was made just for me. I’m now banned.
  - failingforward 1y ago
    This is, if not the best, likely the most concise history of Wikipedia I have ever read.
  - B-Con 1y ago
    This is the kind of minor celebrity Internet encounter that delights my day but is impossible to explain to anyone else. :-D
zhivota 1y ago
Both honestly. For the guy who wrote it, it was comedy. But people do live like this. It just doesn't usually end all that well for them.
- henry2023 1y ago
  I’d say is not different to having a hobby. If you spend so much time on any hobby such that you neglect your work or your family then yeah it’ll lead to trouble.
  - ycombinete 1y ago
    I think that's the deliniation between a hobby and an addiction.
bandrami 1y ago
In the 90s I was stationed at Anacostia Naval Air Station and would drive in to the base every morning through the warehouse district (it's now the stadium the Nationals play in). At 04:30 most of the raves would be letting out and bleary saucer-eyed teenagers would stagger into the streets of Southwest DC to start walking to their suburban homes.
mylifeandtimes 1y ago
"Kids don't follow" by the Replacements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGxINyXiVgQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGxINyXiVgQ Describes many a Minneapolis party in the early 80s.
IanCal 1y ago
Some comedy, for some this is the view of a party. I know people for whom a night out isn’t a night out unless they struggle to remember anything and the quality is measured by how awful they feel the following day. It’s not for me, but they can enjoy it how they like. If I want to feel bad, not remember anything but have a good story, I’ll read a book then run face first into a wall.

Posts like this really make me feel like I'm living in a completely different reality from some people. I can't tell how much of this is exaggerated for comedic value and how much of it is genuine.

evilduck 1y ago

It's written comedically but you mostly live a different life.

johnnyanmac 1y ago
Generational divide too. I grew up watching stuff like Project X, and then meanwhile it just seems like Gen Z can barely gather together for anything anymore. Let alone a rager.

AmbroseBierce 1y ago

I think that making people doubt about it like you just did it's intentionally a bit of the comedic value.

gosub100 1y ago

Its from an author who mainly wrote newspaper columns in the 90s. It's his style of tongue-in-cheek humor, and it's aged about 3 decades. I won't say "hasn't aged well", but just "aged".

xxr 1y ago
Great assessment of Dave Barry
the_af 1y ago
It has definitely aged, but I'd say it has aged a lot better than, say, Scott Adams' humor.

jauntywundrkind 1y ago

It's one of my greatest fears to see the Gonzo going out from the world. Whether or not it's the truth, this post captures a value-system that used to be strongly coded into the world, a domain of part truth part bullshit, but all yes forward excitement that the in the know smart exciting people were in for in abundance, accepting the tongue in cheek along side the sheer raw ambition to outdo the meager reality about us.

buildsjets 1y ago

I'd say a different era rather than a different reality. The Dave Barry quote is obviously humor. But back from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, I was genuinely at numerous house parties, basement concerts, and un-permitted raves which where broken up by authorities, including some where the power was cut, (or worse, where the music was cut and lights flipped on full bright) and the cops forced everyone to pile into their cars and drive home, with whatever head full of chemicals they might be taking on the road with them. Poor saucer-eyed kids. Ah, memories, memories. Where is that brain damage they promised us? I'm still involved in a local music scene somewhat. And yeah, there will always be an underground. And yes, some of the underground gets old and had to get up at 7am to pay the mortgage so some of this may be looking back with rozy glasses. But it just seems to get smaller every year. I don't hear bumping bass from the neighborhoods on Saturday night like I used to.

zie 1y ago
> I don't hear bumping bass from the neighborhoods on Saturday night like I used to. You obviously just moved neighborhoods :)
- henry2023 1y ago
  https://www.derekthompson.org/p/the-death-of-partying-in-the-usaand https://www.derekthompson.org/p/the-death-of-partying-in-the...
  - carlos22 1y ago
    Roughly the same is true for sexual interactions. Was posted on HN a while ago. And I think it makes perfect sense, if you look at Japan they have all that development and are like 10+ years ahead.
bluGill 1y ago
> Where is that brain damage they promised us? How would you know? Sure you would know if you were walking but otherwise braindead, but if you are "5 iq points dumber" (whatever that means) or something like that you wouldn't know since there is no way to know what "might have been"

B-Con 1y ago

Dave Barry is a humor writer. I've followed him for 20 years and this is absolutely his style of writing, perhaps even paraphrased from one of his pieces. Hats off to OP if this is their original writing, it nails his style.

the_af 1y ago
My introduction to Dave Barry was Slackware Linux and the fortune cookie program, which greeted me with random quotes, often some humorous remark by Dave Barry. Because of this, I both like him and associate him with my early nerdiness.
chris_wot 1y ago
Dave Barry caused me to write the original Exploding Whale article on Wikipedia. I got the first oddball barnstar, which was made just for me. I’m now banned.
- failingforward 1y ago
  This is, if not the best, likely the most concise history of Wikipedia I have ever read.
- B-Con 1y ago
  This is the kind of minor celebrity Internet encounter that delights my day but is impossible to explain to anyone else. :-D

zhivota 1y ago

Both honestly. For the guy who wrote it, it was comedy. But people do live like this. It just doesn't usually end all that well for them.

henry2023 1y ago
I’d say is not different to having a hobby. If you spend so much time on any hobby such that you neglect your work or your family then yeah it’ll lead to trouble.
- ycombinete 1y ago
  I think that's the deliniation between a hobby and an addiction.

bandrami 1y ago

In the 90s I was stationed at Anacostia Naval Air Station and would drive in to the base every morning through the warehouse district (it's now the stadium the Nationals play in). At 04:30 most of the raves would be letting out and bleary saucer-eyed teenagers would stagger into the streets of Southwest DC to start walking to their suburban homes.

mylifeandtimes 1y ago

"Kids don't follow" by the Replacements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGxINyXiVgQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGxINyXiVgQ Describes many a Minneapolis party in the early 80s.

IanCal 1y ago

Some comedy, for some this is the view of a party. I know people for whom a night out isn’t a night out unless they struggle to remember anything and the quality is measured by how awful they feel the following day. It’s not for me, but they can enjoy it how they like. If I want to feel bad, not remember anything but have a good story, I’ll read a book then run face first into a wall.