Dear Ian
Tao Wells >

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The generation that blossomed into adolescence in the heady sixties genuinely believed they could change the world and in turn expected more from it. They scooped up the wealth of the eighties, and besides being the most affluent group in history to date, they reaped the benefits offered by credit and mortgage. Living beyond their means became a lifestyle. There are many who blame them, the Baby Boomers, for the economic ills of today. Some quite adamantly maintain that current student debt is only one of the expenses we’ve inherited from our parents’ (mis)use of money. In turn though, the generation that amassed this student debt, the most educated social group in history - flourishing artist and writer Tao Wells included - is equally disparaged by its elders: “slackers”, they call them. “Whiners”.

Tao Wells' "Dear Ian" is a presentation of this intergenerational debt. It addresses the parallel evolution of both generations' ideologies, and stratifies these in plain view, without compromise to the intensity of Tao's bitterness.

I can certainly sympathise with Tao. His plight is not unique, but it does appear to have mutated into a thing with an uglier presence than would be commonplace. Frankly, I feel some unease: what he has out on display is so public, and also, so close to home. “Shop front home porn”, he says, and assures me that it makes him a little uneasy too.