Now that Kurt Cobain's journals are being published, everyone seems to be debating over whether or not he was a genius. I mean, he was a decent musician and he came to represent a cultural movement and an era, and he certainly touched many people. But Cobain's significance is not in the quality, or lack thereof, of his work. His significance is that he was a quite ordinary person, he could have been anybody's kid, he could have swapped places inconspicuously with almost any of his fans, and in this way he perfectly represented his generation. And then he killed himself. He had everything that anyone could possibly want, if you believe society's conception of success and fulfillment. He was famous, he was becoming wealthy, he was adored by millions; and it just wasn't enough. It didn't make things better. It didn't work. The lesson lost on that generation's parents, and now seemingly on the remnants of the generation itself, is that he could have been any young person. It could have been your kid who killed him or herself.

This generation has even less to hope for. Get on TV, wave the flag, stay on script. Burrow deeper into a fantasy world, and leave the real one alone.