I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a strong section of the readers of Phoenixvillenew.com that are Scooby-Doo villains. When reviewing the comments left on the Phoenix Files posts, I am surprised that some of them don’t end with “those medeling kids.”
I understand that two of our writers are under 25 and The Phoenix is the first step in their careers in journalism, but having coming a across a fairly large cross section of the American populous, I’ve found that Laurie and Brian are extremely well informed and gifted writers. And yet their credibility and insight have been called into question on more than one occasion: the reason given was the fact they are too young and “wet behind the ears.”
I will never understand the viewpoint that there is some magic age that is reached when you have enough life experience and now you are allowed to talk. I’ve met uninteresting and ill-informed people in every age bracket, and conversely some of the most insightful and enriching people I have talked to have not been old enough to buy a pack of cigarettes.
And let’s not forget Dennis, love him or not, he will warrant a reaction. He is a part of Phoenixville and he has been in this town for so long that you cannot cite him for lack of experience or knowledge. He’s also a lot less green than those other two “young pups.”
Age, experience and education mean very little when weighed against the value of passion. You can gain those first traits, but passion can’t be acquired or purchased from a mail order catalogue. Every generation has to discover it’s own definition of the word “adult,” and judging their merit from your definition is a fool’s game.


Posted by
Matthew Byrd

*FYI: Matt is 28, and looks fantastic