The Hookup Generation (For July 19th)

Romantic Comedies when done well have the potential to really resonate with me. I would by no means call myself a romantic (to be completely honest I am much more likely to be labeled a cynic) but for whatever primal feminine or mass media induced reason some of these Rom-Com's really do warm my heart. Love Actually still tops my list of favourites. 10 years on and I still can watch it and enjoy it as much as I did the first time. The second I loved from first viewing was (500) Days Of Summer. In thinking about it both of these stories were presented in somewhat unconventional ways, with hilarious dialogue and fantastic soundtracks and to me felt incredibly real in the issues and struggles they addressed. They didn't paint relationships as merely wonderful, serendipitous meetings of fate so much as an active engaging somewhat awkward pursuit, which I find refreshing and true. I saw a trailer for a film called What If this week and it has me intrigued. It seems to address this concept of an immediate connection two people can feel in first meeting one another. I guess some would call it love at first sight. And continues to ask the Crystal/ Ryan question: can men and women remain just friends.? It seems simple in premise but hilarious and witty and wise. I watched a panel interview from the Toronto Film Festival where the film premiered and one particular question struck me. The interviewer asked Zoe Katan the female lead, if she thought it was accurate to label today's generation of young adults as the 'hookup generation' who have quitesentially killed romance. I like that she seemed quite offended at the implication and goes on to answer that of the four late twenty something leads 3 have been in committed relationships for 6 or 7 years- is that not answer enough? It is a provoking question though. My first response is to say well yes realistically that when compared to the generations before us, ours could be viewed as one that is more casual with their relationships but I wouldn't go so far as to say careless or loveless or murderous of romanticism. And to be honest I don't necessarily think its a completely bad thing. In speaking in stereotypes my parents generation born in the 1950s and 60s were often engaged, married, pregnant or parents before they had left their teenage years. It seems, If you met someone who you didn't find a complete misery you dated under supervision for a relatively short period before announcing an engagement and began establishing your own nuclear family. It was whirlwind romance. Romance included being polite, looking sharp, dancing close. The generations before - their parents and grandparents came from the hardships of world war- where courtship proceeded across oceans in the form of hopeful letters and occasional telegrams. Correspondence was precise and intermittent and consequently suspenseful and exciting and romantic. The notion of awaiting love and fighting for love was romantic. It was hopeless romance. Nowadays communication is immediate and continual. Some would say un romantic. I think this has played a part in the development of this new generation but is only one contributing factor. Today's generation not only has access to a much larger pool of international suitors, they are more informed of disease and pregnancy, have access to various forms of contraception, are not bound to societal wide held beliefs of gender roles or stereotypes and are thus the first dare it be said sexually liberated generation. Whether or not one chooses to be sexually experimental remains an individual choice that I don't think should be generalised to a generation and in agreeing with Kazans statements many of my friends at age 23 have been in steady relationships for more than 5 years. I think Romance is simply being thoughtful and irrespective of when you were born- if you have a genuine interest in someone, if you love someone, they invade your thoughts and for that reason alone, I don't think romance will ever die. Do you think each generation redefines Romance? Is there one particular kind of Romance that is better than another?