Secrets of the City

Finally, a definition!

Grup
n. An old person who still likes to fuck.

Thank you Jesus I lived long enough to be defined…!

Thinking about it though… I don’t remember Kids in the Hall?

I don’t remember Kids in the Hall though…? Must have been during my Neoludite anti-TV phase??

Grip? Honestly, if I was going to named after a Star Trek episode, why couldn’t it be Amok Time?

If you’re in your late 30s, enjoy Plomeek soup, and might die from the biological stresses associated with the mating ritual of Koon-ut-kal-if-fee, you might just be a Vulcan in the midst of Pon Farr. Mate or die!

I’m a PonFarrian.

I remember Kids in the Hall, but I don’t recall what it feels like to get f$%&ed. Oh wait, i recently completed my tax filing, I do remember.

Grup, rather. I would like it if MNspeak 2.0 gave us the ability to edit our posts.

ME?

To think, it’s been almost a month since a Sarah post. And again, you do not disappoint. I’m in my early 30s, I remember Kids in the Hall (Dave Foley pre-Newsradio, yet many consider me a frigid bitch. So once again, I evade easy categorization. Damn.

Somewhat off-topic, but after reading the previous “grup” thread, it reminded me about the Beth Orton concert.

Anyone heard anything?
I can’t find anything about it on the first-ave site, or on her official site.

Wondering if I should just turn my tix back in to Ticketmaster.
Of course, then those *#^$!* get to keep my non-refundable fees –which I would have to pay to them again when I purchase new tix if(!) she decides to come back.

For anyone interested, “He’s 45″ was a recurring sketch during season 3 of The Kids in the Hall (http://tinyurl.com/l7tbe). Bruce McCulloch (the short, surly Kid) played the title character — balding but with long, gray hair, biking shorts, trendy glasses, asking his befuddled teenage son (Foley), “Wanna smoke a doobie with your old man?” Incisive and dead-on, like so much of their stuff.

Ugh, don’t encourage the use of that term!

hot damn, i love KITH. i saw them on their awesome reunion tour at the orpheum (boston) 6+ years ago. nothing like seeing the chicken lady, buddy cole (my personal favorite) and mister heavy foot clomping down the aisle. good times.

Wait, I’m only 23 but I definitely remember kids in the hall. Who can forget the joys of “sausages” and the stolen gazebo?

If grups, twixters, et al are closing the generation gap, then how does that affect the dating scene? Are the differences between ages blurring or disappearing in romantic relationships, too? Or can too old/too young still be a turn-off? I’m a recently-single 30 year old & I’m

If grups, twixters, et al are closing the generation gap, then how does that affect the dating scene? Are the differences between ages blurring or disappearing in romantic relationships, too? Or can too old/too young still be a turn-off? I’m a recently-single 30 year old & I’m

If grups, twixters, et al are closing the generation gap, then how does that affect the dating scene? Are the differences between ages blurring or disappearing in romantic relationships, too? Or can too old/too young still be a turn-off?

I’m a recently-single 30 year old & I’m wondering what my “age bracket” for dating is or should be. Any thoughts?

does the state count?

If grups, twixters, et al are closing the generation gap, then how does that affect the dating scene? Are the differences between ages blurring or disappearing in romantic relationships, too? Or can too old/too young still be a turn-off?

I’m a recently-single 30 year old & I’m wondering what my “age bracket” for dating is or should be. Any thoughts?

If grups, twixters, et al are closing the generation gap, then how does that affect the dating scene? Are the differences between ages blurring or disappearing in romantic relationships, too? Or can too old/too young still be a turn-off?

I’m a recently-single 30 year old & I’m wondering what my “age bracket” for dating is or should be. Any thoughts?

Or am I just repeating something other people have already thought of?

Oops. Sorry, I goofed when I posted.

Adam, I’m 31, and I prefer to date women around 22-25. Don’t tell my wife.

Your age preference might be affected by already having the 30 something sitting at home…

What about young men (with no children) who get vasectomies? Salon had an article on this budding trend. Do more men want to stay young by avoiding responsibilities of fatherhood?

And what about more women having C-sections by choice? NPR had a segment on that. Give birth on your own schedule with less recovery time. Do women want children yet desire to minimize unwanted effects of the natural birth process?

Are we more averse to the pains and responsibilities that we associate with parenthood? Is that part of the current youth-oriented culture?

You raise a lot of questions, Adam.

People have been observing that youth has been extended for years now. Later marriages, having kids later — not surprising many have decided not to ever have kids.

What’s somewhat frightening, in terms of demographics, is that some of our best and brightest are the ones electing not to have kids, which means we’re looking at a tough road to hoe in elections down the road…

Jonny (aka: the guy who gets it on with Diablo Cody) had a nice screed about his grup-ness on his site.

And can I just say that “grup” is the worst fucking moniker for a group of all time?

What about young men (with no children) who get vasectomies? Salon had an article on this budding trend.

Men who don’t seek constant mating opportunities are bucking the primordial instinct to spread their DNA, arguably man’s real purpose in life. Of course, such a phenomenon would also explain what should also be an oxymoron, liberal men.

My theory is that it has to do with being raised by single women.

I spead my DNA all the time. I’m spreading it now.

100 years ago, feminists such as Emma Goldman complained that having babies held women down economically. Adults have kids later in life, men are getting vasectomies before they have any kids. Is it now common sense now: children are a big financial burden (responsibility?)?

Maybe guys who have vasectomies were raised by single moms … so they know first-hand how hard it is for parents to make ends meet?

Trust me — men who have early vasectomies aren’t just guys with single moms. They’re guys who just don’t want to have (or have more) babies.

I’d be amazed if you could come up with a vasectomy/single mom correlation. I’d be even more amazed if they collect that data.

Is there a predicter for whether a 25-year-old hipster will be a “grup” in ten years? Do some hipsters get re-absorbed into mainstream culture after they have kids? I want social scientists to get on this shit.

Didn’t we ban the use of the word “hipster” in anything but an ironic sense?

I think the predictor would likely be the current trend of the hipster in question — is he/she settling in to a less active scene-oriented lifestyle? Also, probably more likely among those who couple up later in life, even more so if they couple with someone who also displays those tendencies.

If it’s all about the scene, they’re scenesters.

I’m a grup. I am SO a grup. I don’t care if that name sucks — actually, “Miri” is one of my favorite Classic Trek episodes, so I guess it’ll do as well as anything! — I fit this demographic almost scarily well.

It ain’t just about arrested development, its also about some kind of freaky unholy unhealthy pang for lost innocence. I can’t explain why this particular age group is so connected to their lost youth, but there it is. Maybe the 70s and 80s were great times to be kids-slash-teens? Maybe more of us grew up with fond, golden, glowing memories of our childhoods/teen-hoods and can’t ever quite leave that state?

I’ve tried the grownup thing. I honestly have. I keep returning to grup-i-tude. Its almost a default position. Not giving up stuff you liked as a kid — punk rock music, goofy TV shows, comic books, toys — used to make you a “geek.” I guess I’d rather be a “grup” than a “geek,” but only just!

Jonny, given that I fall directly into the teeth of grupitude (which are shaped like Optimus Prime, strangely enough), I can’t really argue with any of it. My kid loves it, if nothing else.

I stopped in a (very cool, by the way) wee ones urbanista shop on East Hennepin the other day and saw that some label out of NYC is doing DK and Ramones logos on onesies. Fuckin’ rip-off artists!

I am the O-G Original GRUP

Oh my… it’s not about any of those things! It’s about showing everyone what consumer decisions you make and how great of a mom/dad you are and how alt you are and how you don’t buy into all the conventional parental codes.

I had to listen to these people go on and on about how great they are on Saturday morning. Look at how cool I am! I just bought some European shoes!

Just read the NY Times article… I completely understand not wanting to lose yourself with the birth of your child and retaining some of your passion, but raising a generation of “mini-mes”? That seems a bit selfish.

We wear Chuck Taylors around here, Jason.

oh god, kristoff, you mean ‘pacifier?’ between that and the pet shop next door I’m almost ashamed of my neighbourhood. I keep thinking “no one would possibly spend that kind of money on this stuff, right? Then they will go belly up and be replaced by something useful … right? right?”

But no. People do shop there. Also the kitchen supply store down on the corner, which is ridiculously overpriced as well. I can’t even go out for a cheap beer in my neighbourhood. Six bucks a pint? I’ll just get a 12 pack at surdyk’s and drink at home, thanks.

I’m starting to get a bit peeved about this grup=consumerism assumption. The cynicism of it all leads me to wonder if any one of you with kids (or more importantly, those without) have ever seen the price tags at the Disney store, or the Gap for that matter. It’s all expensive, for chrissakes.

Maybe we’d all just be better off with a Wal-Mart for every so called ‘neighborhood’ rivalry. Then we can trade barbs about who walks the furthest to pick up their 24/pack of socks that wear out in a week.

Vive indie.

>>>> The cynicism of it all leads me to wonder if any one of you with kids (or more importantly, those without) have ever seen the price tags at the Disney store, or the Gap for that matter.

I’m….fairly sure that “grup-dom” and “spending a lot on kids-dom” are two seperate things. I don’t see “rampant consumerism” as being anything to do with “grup” as a concept — more like “clinging to crap you still liked as a youth/teen.”

You’re thinking more “yuppie.” I think that’s still, nominally, a wholly different subset.

I shop at Target for kids’ clothes, or Marshalls in a pinch!

Actually, I think the New York Mag and PiPress took two decidedly different takes on the subject. The NYMag definitely points out $350 jeans, repeatedly. When asked by the PiPress reporter how much I spend on sneakers, my answer was, “Not much, I’m Norwegian.”.

For me it’s less about clinging to childhood (believe me, I really don’t want to see an Urban Guerillas show in the Entry ever again!) and more about providing my kid with a childhood that she can look back on as unique, creative and exciting.

I’m sure I’ll eat my words in an Absolutely Fabulous kind of way when she comes home from Jr. High with a Vote for Bud Jr. button on.

And you have a little girl? If I had a daughter, I’d be running Nigerian internet scams to keep her in Oilily. Anyway, I think the definition of “grup” does have a strong consumerist component to it- the reporters keep mentioning ipods and designer jeans.

“cougar”, anyone?

And, Oilily has us on speed dial – but only for the Fall Sale.

Twixter? Urbanista? Please stop.