What an extraordinary writer you are, Sarah. I love the use of language to express our collective condition and your talent in this medium is incomparable. What a gift.
100% ! My favorite part….”1991 crashes into 2024, like my photo of the Colorado mountains. It was always one story, one ever-twisting tale. One long road at the edge of a cliff without guardrails, driven by people who love the scenery despite the risks.” Masterful! Thanks Sarah!
Your words remain the most powerful reality I have ever read in my 72 years, and today,they brought tears to my eyes. Not for Brenda and Dylan , as I never watched 90210 , but for you , your generation , and the next. “They” rarely fits, but “they” have broken our spirits with mass murders,repeated violations of the rule of law ,ethics and morals. But then I recalled how I felt when RFK was assassinated,the wreck of the 1968 Democratic convention,race riots, VietNam, Kent State , Nixon( before,during and after Watergate), his pardon. I could not go any lower. My generation talked about never having kids as the present was terrible and the future looked worse
But then the sun rose again, I married( today is our 48th anniversary) , had 3 kids, now 4 grandkids. I am blessed .
I am still scared for me , my descendants , for you and your readers. But let’s hope the sun keeps rising and shining on those who deserve it
Good luck to all of us
Thanks again for stirring our souls with your words
Sarah, your writing is so unique and beautiful. I'm just a few years older than you; your references to music, books and culture always resonate with me. I cry randomly for no apparent reason these days. When I reflect on what started the tears, I joke that its menopause. But really, its lamenting over the loss of something. Freedom, the hope for a peaceful world, truth. The only thing that makes it tolerable is knowing I'm not alone in this. Thank you for being there in it with all of us.
Thank you very much! And not to get too personal, but we are one strong generation to go through perimenopause/menopause while dealing with all this shit...
For real. Not to mention trying to raise our own kids and take care of our parents. This was so beautiful and I have cried on and off this whole last weekend and it’s usually a tribute to Shannen Doherty that’s started it, but it’s about so much more as you well put. I turn 50 this year and this is not the world I wanted to leave my children but I am going to spend the rest of my days continuing to try to make things better even if it’s just a bit a time.
Yes, I'm a few years older than you and I had that same hope. I feel like we grew up at the end of the Boomer world just waiting for our turn to run things (which we never got to do) and our future felt so full of good possibilities then JFK, Jr.'s plane went down (25th anniversary of that was a few days ago) and planes flew into the world trade towers two years after that and I felt that the world had changed forever and I mourned that my babies lives would lack the safety I had experienced. Now I know, thanks in large part to Sarah, that nefarious plans were already underway from the inside of our country. We have been on quite a ride and we are going to need to be very strong going forward.
If you had that photo printed as a poster, I would buy it so I could stare at it. Very cool image. It's funny how often we unconsciously create something with deeper meaning than what we had intended.
I'll buy one as well. This could be a nod to that elegy for the nation. At least when I look at this photo in my home, I too, will ascribe to it similar loss amidst staggering timeless beauty.
I was 10 when 90210 came out and it was THE show of my tween years. Between Shannen, Richard Simmons and Dr. Ruth all in one weekend…it feels like a hunk of the 90s just fell into the ocean. I’m certainly not naive enough to think that the 90s were a panacea, but it certainly did not feel like end times. There was hope and possibility of better times ahead.
I tend to be a cautious optimist. These days are challenging that. But it’s how I stay human and hang onto my compassion. I don’t want to lose that.
Compassion is what to prioritize! And yes this weekend was awful. The 1990s felt bad when they were happening, because we were teenagers and everything feels bad (and also some things genuinely were awful), but now I miss them. I wish I could raise my own teenagers in a 1990s USA.
I’m not GenX and I never watched 90210 but I love “Losing my Religion” by REM. Even with just one of those three anchors, your piece still resonates deeply and I love your style. Thanks for your great work and stellar political criticism. You are a gem.
This meant so much to me, Sarah, as a Gen Xer and a human and an American in deep grief about everything we've lost and everything we're about to lose -- knowing that at this moment, we are trapped and no one is coming to save us.
Thank you for this. I'm a little older, our 90210 watch parties featured much beer. Shannon's death is hitting me pretty hard, both because I loved her in 90210 and Charmed and because I've recently been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer as well. She was my hope and I'm a little broken now.
I am very sorry to hear of your diagnosis. And yes, Shannen Doherty was a fighter. I wish everything good for you and hope you can find comfort and joy in these times. Someone close to me has stage four cancer too and I struggle to find the right words. Just know I wish you all the best straight from my heart.
I am too old for BH90210 and my kids are too young so I never watched it, but I do remember watching Biden grill Hill and thinking, "I've had worse stuff said to me at work every day of my life.'" I had zero comprehension of the gravity of what I was witnessing. None. I couldn't understand why they were going after her so hard AND I didn't realize that you don't have to put up with that kind of treatment from men.
What do you mean, by saying that you don't have to put up with it? It is enforced. Enforced by bullying, enforced by the courts, the police, the laws that *not* enforced, by employers, and by violence. How do you not have to put with it? Not being snarky, just asking sincerely if you've found a way out -- because I sure have not.
The non-hillbilly elegy. As recently as 2016 I naively believed we could never get to this point. But I was only 57….goes could I have known? 😉
I wasn’t hip to the writings of Sarah quite yet, but just about. And I’d rather know than be caught off-guard, so I’ve been bracing myself ever since. And yet still it far exceeds my imagination or expectation.
I remember crying on November 4, 2008, in blissful disbelief that we had elected a black president, in my lifetime, seeing what I’d seen and knowing what I’d known.
Even more tears, of a different kind, flowed on November 9, 2016, with the realization that it was false hope all along, and America was the shithole country I suspected it was.
Thanks again for your gift of words, as only you can tie all of these thoughts and facts together.
For levity, I read this and conjured up memories of the Seinfeld episode when he denied watching Melrose Place, much like I suppose your dad denied 90210. Ah . Good times. They never last, do they?
Ha -- my dad denied watching Melrose Place too (it came on right after 90210) but got caught when he declared that Jane was better looking than Alison. But he copped to watching "Charmed", which he kept calling "The Charmed Ones" by mistake.
I also hear you on the two sets of 21st-century tears, eight years apart...
I lived in Denver off and on for 20 years (between there and my native California). I'd say your mirror photo is serendipitous, but then I'm into such things. As always, I'm moved by the graceful power of your prose.
Exquisite writing Sarah that weaves multiple subject matter into a quilt and fabric that is our diseased and dysfunctional America. We are now witnessing the end game that has been the industrialists 50 year plan since the beginning with The Powell Memorandum in 1971. That plan was initiated during Reagan's presidency in the early 80s.
As an early GenXer (same say Gen Jones) we were the first generation to witness and experience this diabolical deception and betrayal by our oligarch, so called elites.
That said, even though I do not like ALL of Bidens policies. He is our leading Democrat candidate who has done a fairly decent job of running the country in this extremely polarizing dangerous times.
So, I hear and feel what you have to say about Biden, but now is the time to unite behind him or its the final curtain call for America and our fragile democracy.
Sending you and yours peace & love and a brighter tomorrow from all this darkness and despair.
You are writing an elegy for the nation.
That's what it feels like. On the bright side, I guess, I feel like I've been writing it for ten years, and we're still here.
That was GREAT!
The image of you ruining a third grade sleepover with a rant about Iran-Contra has put a smile on my face for the rest of the week.
I can see and hear it so clearly in my mind! 🤣
That was a hysterical LOL moment. Love those.
Same!
What an extraordinary writer you are, Sarah. I love the use of language to express our collective condition and your talent in this medium is incomparable. What a gift.
Thank you very much!
100% ! My favorite part….”1991 crashes into 2024, like my photo of the Colorado mountains. It was always one story, one ever-twisting tale. One long road at the edge of a cliff without guardrails, driven by people who love the scenery despite the risks.” Masterful! Thanks Sarah!
Your words remain the most powerful reality I have ever read in my 72 years, and today,they brought tears to my eyes. Not for Brenda and Dylan , as I never watched 90210 , but for you , your generation , and the next. “They” rarely fits, but “they” have broken our spirits with mass murders,repeated violations of the rule of law ,ethics and morals. But then I recalled how I felt when RFK was assassinated,the wreck of the 1968 Democratic convention,race riots, VietNam, Kent State , Nixon( before,during and after Watergate), his pardon. I could not go any lower. My generation talked about never having kids as the present was terrible and the future looked worse
But then the sun rose again, I married( today is our 48th anniversary) , had 3 kids, now 4 grandkids. I am blessed .
I am still scared for me , my descendants , for you and your readers. But let’s hope the sun keeps rising and shining on those who deserve it
Good luck to all of us
Thanks again for stirring our souls with your words
Thank you very much for reading, and my best to you
Sarah, your writing is so unique and beautiful. I'm just a few years older than you; your references to music, books and culture always resonate with me. I cry randomly for no apparent reason these days. When I reflect on what started the tears, I joke that its menopause. But really, its lamenting over the loss of something. Freedom, the hope for a peaceful world, truth. The only thing that makes it tolerable is knowing I'm not alone in this. Thank you for being there in it with all of us.
Thank you very much! And not to get too personal, but we are one strong generation to go through perimenopause/menopause while dealing with all this shit...
For real. Not to mention trying to raise our own kids and take care of our parents. This was so beautiful and I have cried on and off this whole last weekend and it’s usually a tribute to Shannen Doherty that’s started it, but it’s about so much more as you well put. I turn 50 this year and this is not the world I wanted to leave my children but I am going to spend the rest of my days continuing to try to make things better even if it’s just a bit a time.
Yes, I'm a few years older than you and I had that same hope. I feel like we grew up at the end of the Boomer world just waiting for our turn to run things (which we never got to do) and our future felt so full of good possibilities then JFK, Jr.'s plane went down (25th anniversary of that was a few days ago) and planes flew into the world trade towers two years after that and I felt that the world had changed forever and I mourned that my babies lives would lack the safety I had experienced. Now I know, thanks in large part to Sarah, that nefarious plans were already underway from the inside of our country. We have been on quite a ride and we are going to need to be very strong going forward.
Right!!?? :-)
I just can’t fathom how amazing that photo is. Absolutely phenomenal.
Thanks! I can't believe I'm the one who took it lol
If you had that photo printed as a poster, I would buy it so I could stare at it. Very cool image. It's funny how often we unconsciously create something with deeper meaning than what we had intended.
Thank you -- and yes!
I'll buy one as well. This could be a nod to that elegy for the nation. At least when I look at this photo in my home, I too, will ascribe to it similar loss amidst staggering timeless beauty.
I’d buy one!! Wouldn’t have to be as big as a poster…..
I was 10 when 90210 came out and it was THE show of my tween years. Between Shannen, Richard Simmons and Dr. Ruth all in one weekend…it feels like a hunk of the 90s just fell into the ocean. I’m certainly not naive enough to think that the 90s were a panacea, but it certainly did not feel like end times. There was hope and possibility of better times ahead.
I tend to be a cautious optimist. These days are challenging that. But it’s how I stay human and hang onto my compassion. I don’t want to lose that.
Compassion is what to prioritize! And yes this weekend was awful. The 1990s felt bad when they were happening, because we were teenagers and everything feels bad (and also some things genuinely were awful), but now I miss them. I wish I could raise my own teenagers in a 1990s USA.
I’m not GenX and I never watched 90210 but I love “Losing my Religion” by REM. Even with just one of those three anchors, your piece still resonates deeply and I love your style. Thanks for your great work and stellar political criticism. You are a gem.
Thank you!
This meant so much to me, Sarah, as a Gen Xer and a human and an American in deep grief about everything we've lost and everything we're about to lose -- knowing that at this moment, we are trapped and no one is coming to save us.
Thank you very much, I'm glad the article helped a bit.
My exact feelings, too.
Thank you for this. I'm a little older, our 90210 watch parties featured much beer. Shannon's death is hitting me pretty hard, both because I loved her in 90210 and Charmed and because I've recently been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer as well. She was my hope and I'm a little broken now.
I am very sorry to hear of your diagnosis. And yes, Shannen Doherty was a fighter. I wish everything good for you and hope you can find comfort and joy in these times. Someone close to me has stage four cancer too and I struggle to find the right words. Just know I wish you all the best straight from my heart.
🤗❤️
I am too old for BH90210 and my kids are too young so I never watched it, but I do remember watching Biden grill Hill and thinking, "I've had worse stuff said to me at work every day of my life.'" I had zero comprehension of the gravity of what I was witnessing. None. I couldn't understand why they were going after her so hard AND I didn't realize that you don't have to put up with that kind of treatment from men.
What do you mean, by saying that you don't have to put up with it? It is enforced. Enforced by bullying, enforced by the courts, the police, the laws that *not* enforced, by employers, and by violence. How do you not have to put with it? Not being snarky, just asking sincerely if you've found a way out -- because I sure have not.
Speaking for my much younger self, I had never witnessed anyone pushing back.
The non-hillbilly elegy. As recently as 2016 I naively believed we could never get to this point. But I was only 57….goes could I have known? 😉
I wasn’t hip to the writings of Sarah quite yet, but just about. And I’d rather know than be caught off-guard, so I’ve been bracing myself ever since. And yet still it far exceeds my imagination or expectation.
I remember crying on November 4, 2008, in blissful disbelief that we had elected a black president, in my lifetime, seeing what I’d seen and knowing what I’d known.
Even more tears, of a different kind, flowed on November 9, 2016, with the realization that it was false hope all along, and America was the shithole country I suspected it was.
Thanks again for your gift of words, as only you can tie all of these thoughts and facts together.
For levity, I read this and conjured up memories of the Seinfeld episode when he denied watching Melrose Place, much like I suppose your dad denied 90210. Ah . Good times. They never last, do they?
Ha -- my dad denied watching Melrose Place too (it came on right after 90210) but got caught when he declared that Jane was better looking than Alison. But he copped to watching "Charmed", which he kept calling "The Charmed Ones" by mistake.
I also hear you on the two sets of 21st-century tears, eight years apart...
*how could I have known. No editing option- that pesky autocorrect’ll getcha
I lived in Denver off and on for 20 years (between there and my native California). I'd say your mirror photo is serendipitous, but then I'm into such things. As always, I'm moved by the graceful power of your prose.
Thank you!
Painfully on point as usual, Sarah. But at least if we can still feel pain, we’re alive enough to still take action, so there’s that.
Yes, exactly!
Just this morning found this remake Corey Hart did of this iconic song. Seems relevant. https://youtu.be/C08gOyASz2U?si=Dmq2mOq2szRu5jmT
The way I want your next post to be the entire story of the Iran-Contra sleepover🙏
Haha don’t tempt me!
😈
Oh yes please
Same!
Exquisite writing Sarah that weaves multiple subject matter into a quilt and fabric that is our diseased and dysfunctional America. We are now witnessing the end game that has been the industrialists 50 year plan since the beginning with The Powell Memorandum in 1971. That plan was initiated during Reagan's presidency in the early 80s.
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/democracy/the-lewis-powell-memo-a-corporate-blueprint-to-dominate-democracy/
As an early GenXer (same say Gen Jones) we were the first generation to witness and experience this diabolical deception and betrayal by our oligarch, so called elites.
That said, even though I do not like ALL of Bidens policies. He is our leading Democrat candidate who has done a fairly decent job of running the country in this extremely polarizing dangerous times.
So, I hear and feel what you have to say about Biden, but now is the time to unite behind him or its the final curtain call for America and our fragile democracy.
Sending you and yours peace & love and a brighter tomorrow from all this darkness and despair.
Vote for Joe, not that criminal schmoe.
Thank you! I assure you, I would *never* vote for the criminal schmo! I've been cursing that schmo since I was nine.
Now, you should say how you really feel! 😂😂😂