Entertainment
Kids Today Don't Understand Every Millennial's Greatest Fear
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
In the age of social media, generational gaps have never been more pronounced, from thinking of Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura, The Grinch, or Dr. Robotnik to “When you hear the name Rizzo, who do you think of?” It’s the same with quicksand: once a constant fear among Gen X and millennials, it’s nowhere to be found today.
For decades, especially during the 80s, Movies and TV shows would toss in a quicksand segment as if it were the most common way to die in the jungle, the desert, or the Swamp of Sadness (a bog is wet quicksand). Did Hollywood realize nothing could top The Princess Bride?
Quicksand Terrified Suburban Kids
Quicksand has been in movies since the beginning. It was a cheap special effect that typically involved a star kneeling in mud. The threat of a slow, agonizing death by way of suffocation added a built-in clock to the scene; after all, we can see them sink lower and lower into the ground. Water, dirt, and room to kneel are all you need to add a terrifying sequence to any western or jungle adventure.
One of the most memorable quicksand scenes is found in 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia. While a sandstorm is starting to engulf the desert, a young boy stumbles into quicksand, and our heroes run over to attempt a rescue using a strip of cloth. It’s a short scene, which makes it all the more terrifying when the boy can’t hold on and is sucked under the sand, never to be seen again. This is the scene that filmmakers spent years trying to emulate to add tension to their films.
The 60s were filled with quicksand, and when those kids grew up and started working in Hollywood, they brought their childhood fear and fascination of quicksand with them. By then, Blazing Saddles had already parodied the trope and few serious films were using it, but that didn’t matter, because the biggest fantasy and sci-fi films of the 80s: Krull, Beastmaster, The Princess Bride, The Neverending Story, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, even Enemy Mine tossed one in.
That’s not counting the cartoons of the 80s, which feel contractually obligated to include quicksand. G.I. Joe has some of the worst (or best) scenes, thanks to butterscotch quicksand that looks more like water (this is why Rick and Morty included a sign with the quicksand gun). For some reason, Cobra Commander getting stuck wasn’t the end of the trope; it appeared in the 90s in an episode of Baywatch.
Real Quicksand Is Annoying But Not Deadly
Oddly, it’s Baywatch that’s close to how quicksand is commonly found out in the real world – sinkholes. A guy is messing around on the beach, partially buried, when the tide starts coming in, and he realizes he can’t get up because of the water coming in from underneath. It doesn’t create a suction effect; rather, the liquid and solid sand mix together, alternating between being solid and porous enough that any bit of pressure causes them to part. Hence, the sinking, and why the best advice when stuck in quicksand is to remain calm and keep movements to the absolute minimum.
There’s something terrifying about the thought of being stuck in quicksand, unable to move, as any action on your part will only hasten your own death. It sounds like it would be great for a horror movie, except that real quicksand, which again, doesn’t have its own suction, is more of an annoyance than a deathtrap. Your knee might be dislocated from having to pull it out, but you won’t go low enough to drown, and it’s usually narrow enough that you can reach an edge and apply the bit of leverage needed to walk out. That’s where the generational gap comes in, because the science is clear and the reality of quicksand isn’t terrifying at all, but if you’re a millennial or Gen X, you can’t shake that feeling in the back of your head that there’s nothing more terrifying.
The use of quicksand in Hollywood has dropped to the point that kids today have no fear of the extreme danger that quicksand poses in their everyday lives. If they ever wander off into the desert or try to navigate the jungle, they won’t be prepared. Not like millennials, we’ve trained our whole lives for this moment, we’ve had countless nightmares about quicksand, and we’ll know exactly what to do to survive.
Lift your knee, step out.
Entertainment
Get some new wrist candy with the CMF Watch Pro 2 at its lowest price ever
SAVE $39.01: As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s a discount of 49% and the lowest price we’ve seen.
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There are tons of smartwatches on the market if you’re in need of one. But if you’re willing to look beyond the Apple Watches or Samsung devices out there, you’ll find an awesome alternative from the Nothing brand that’ll save you some serious cash. Not only is it more affordable than the competition, but it’s got everything you could want and then some. In fact, one of the models is on sale right now.
As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s $39.01 off and a discount of 49%. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen.
This affordable smartwatch not only comes in an attractive form factor, but it has just about everything you could ask for. It has your average comms tools like Bluetooth calling and gesture control, a built-in mic and speaker, contacts, message reminders, and music control. But from there, it offers a wide range of sensors and data to help you take control of your health.
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Mashable Deals
With interchangeable watch straps and an attractive face, this extremely reasonable smartwatch is definitely one to rival Apple and Samsung. You’ll want to grab yours while it’s still down to the lowest price we’ve seen.
Entertainment
Get Ankers 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $60 less at Amazon
SAVE 15%: As of April 22, you can get the Anker Prime 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $339.99, down from $399.99, at Amazon. That’s a 15% discount or $60 savings.
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Working off a laptop is great until you realize you only have two ports and need to plug something in. If you’re hooked up to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, you’re pretty much out of luck on the rest. Not only that, but your previously uncluttered desk will most likely look like a Best Buy exploded (a rat’s nest of cords isn’t cute or helpful for anyone getting work done).
If you literally hate mess and cords as much as I do, you need a docking station to hide all that chaos and protect your aesthetic. Right now, Anker’s Prime TB5 Docking Station is on sale for $339.99 at Amazon, down from $399.99. (That’s a $60 price cut.)
Mashable Deals
Are you going to use all 14 ports at the exact same time? Probably not, but you’ll never have to dig through your bag for a specific adapter again. You just plug a single cable into your laptop, and the dock handles the rest. It features a Thunderbolt 5 upstream port, two Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, two USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, SD and TF card readers, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, an audio jack, and your choice of HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 2.1. It’s also fast enough to transfer a 150GB file in 25 seconds.
Entertainment
How I scored ad-free Paramount+ Premium for only 99 cents
SAVE $26: As of April 22, returning subscribers can score two months of ad-free Paramount+ Premium for only 99 cents per month with the code N8C27L. Usually $13.99 per month, that’s $26 in savings. Just note that your mileage may vary.
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If you’re looking to save some money on your streaming lineup, my number one recommendation is to cancel your subscriptions. While it doesn’t work for every streamer, many will offer you a special discount to come back. Not to mention, you’ll be eligible for any new deals that may appear that are marketed to “new and returning customers.” Case in point: as of April 22, returning subscribers can get two months of ad-free Paramount+ Premium for just 99 cents per month.
I’ve tested this out myself, so I can vouch for it. When you navigate to Paramount+ and sign in to your existing account, you’ll be prompted to pick a plan. Select the Paramount+ Premium monthly plan for $13.99 per month. On the “Welcome back!” page, scroll down to the box that says “Have a promo code?” and enter N8C27L. Once you hit “apply” the price should drop to just 99 cents per month.
Credit: Paramount+
That’s all, folks. You can take advantage of two full months of ad-free Paramount+, Showtime, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CBS live TV, UFC fights, and more for less than two bucks. That’s $26 total in savings.
Mashable Deals
Paramount+ has a surprisingly hefty library. Subscribers can enjoy Paramount+ Originals like Landman and RuPaul Drag Race All Stars, Showtime series like Dexter Resurrection and Yellowjackets, CBS hits like Survivor and NCIS, and nostalgic shows from Nickelodeon and MTV. Not to mention, there’s a lineup of movies that’ll keep you fully entertained for your two-month promotional period. Just be sure to cancel again before the second month is over if you want to avoid paying full cost. You can always sign up again when another deal arises. I know I will.
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