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Blogs - a 3T flash in the pan. I like this little piece from Matt Welch, where he says that all that's happened in the world of blogs this decade is that the partisan war of ideas has gotten worse. Blogs make it easier to isolate yourself in your own little opinion bubble, and have failed to live up to any potential to be a source of "grassroots fact-checking" or "cross-partisan critical thinking" or whatever. I've tried to keep my blog generationally themed, though the reader is free to assume whatever partisan bias he or she wishes (but do read Matt's article). Posted by Steve at 6:40 PM
Our crusading leader. This blog has spent considerable effort pondering the question of what's happened these past few years in America in terms of social change. In the parlance of Strauss and Howe generational theory, have we or haven't we transitioned from the fragmented Third Turning to the gathering storm of the Fourth Turning? The dark and fearful mood of the nation suggests that we have, as does the vigor with which we pursue a clampdown on perceived threats in culture (e.g. violent video games) and community (e.g. illegal immigrants). But other factors suggest otherwise, such as paralysis in government, and the apparently insane continuation of debt deferment from decades past, as though there would never be a reckoning. Let's get our great-great-grandchildren to pay for the next war! One interesting interpretation of the social mood is that the partisan split has actually sent one political camp across the divide while the other has remained behind. In this view, the conservative Republican-types accepted the challenge of 9/11, and opted for total war against the Evildoers - in other words, they went into 4T mode. But those darn liberal Democrats wouldn't play along, and stayed in 3T mode, refusing to get behind the president and the war. But now Bush is starting to lose the support of conservatives, and the basic reason is that his message is muddled - he wants the 4T total war against the terrorists, but he also tries to sell a 3T message of free trade and open borders. He's really turned out to be in 3T mode, pursuing a partisan agenda. Well, veteran historian Kevin Philips is mincing no words. In this Washinton Post column, he argues that the Bush-led Republican party has become an alliance of corporate interests (mainly oil-industry and financial-industry) and the religious right. And that afore-mentioned partisan agenda would be apocalyptic war in the Middle East, whatever benefits Corporate America, plus keeping science from being taught in school. Philips is a member of the Silent generation, a generation which has long played the role of tempering the worst instincts of the Boomers, Bush's generation. In this case, he has some dire warnings about what the Boomers have done to the GOP. Posted by Steve at 7:24 PM |
| Lost | 106+ |
| G.I. | 82-106 |
| Silent | 64-82 |
| Boomer | 46-64 |
| Gen-X | 25-46 |
| Millennial | ?-25 |
| Homeland | ? |
| High | 1946-1964 |
| Awakening | 1964-1984 |
| Unraveling | 1984-? |
| Crisis | ?- |
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Strauss & Howe Generations Sites
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The Fourth Turning Discussion Boards
Generations at jamesgoulding.com Generations on Wikipedia Model for the Saeculum The TimePage LifeCourse Associates |
Blogroll
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Aging Hipsters
Generational Dynamics Generations in Conversation Generation Next TimeLog Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow Ypulse |
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Where noted, background information on generations theory is copyright 1996 Broadway Books. All other content on this web site is copyright 2002-2007 Generation Watch and Steve Barrera. All rights reserved. |