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So what the heck is going on? Another understanding of our current state of affairs might consider the Left vs. Right showdown to be evidence of the unfolding of the Crisis era. Consider that in the last two such eras, the sitting President was unpopular with half of the country and stubbornly proceeded with policies which alienated old elites (slaveholders in Lincoln’s case and capitalists in Roosevelt’s.) Lincoln was so hated that he literally fought a war against half the American people. Ultimately, both Lincoln and FDR prevailed after transforming the political landscape, and their detractors were swept aside and all but forgotten. Is Bush also presiding over a radical transformation in national identity? Perhaps, or so Jonathan Rauch at National Journal speculates. Posted by Steve Barrera at 5:48 PM
Still kicking and screaming. Several posts ago I suggested that George W. Bush was dragging the nation "kicking and screaming into the Fourth Turning." With all the discussion about whether or not the Iraq invasion was justified, it is apparent that Americans are still intent on arguing ends, not means - which is Third Turning thinking. So are we there yet? One understanding is that half the country - the Left, or liberal, or "blue zone" portion - is still in the Third Turning mode of divisive discourse, while the other half - the Right, or conservative, or "red zone" portion - has moved on to the Fourth Turning mode of determined action. You may find this expressed as “living in September 10th,” versus “living in September 12th.” Posted by Steve Barrera at 12:55 PM
Might as well have a laugh. An Onion article sums up life for an unemployed Gen-Xer. It's funny because it's true! Posted by Steve Barrera at 1:34 PM
Hard times. If you're in the labor market, you know the economy is, um, less than accomodating. If you're in capital investment, you probably pine for the late 20th century boom times. But how does the economy look for you based on your generation? If you're a Millennial who is old enough to work, you have a higher probability of being unemployed than people in your age bracket have had for at least 55 years. Teenagers are beeing squeezed out of the market by older workers, says Kate Zernike at the New York Times. Another factor may be that Millennials are more interested in volunteer work or school during summer than the generations which came before them. When your generation is in the labor force in large numbers, it will respond to economic hardship with political action in a way not seen since the bad old days of the Depression. If you're an Xer, you're either in the fraction of a percent who are Internet millionaires, or are lamenting the end of the "dot com" craze and the last chance you'll ever have to strike it rich. As your middle age approaches, you're going to have to settle down and reduce your risk-taking if you want any chance at a comfortable retirement, which you define as having a roof over your head. You know there's no way you'll be affording prescription medication. If you're a Boomer, retirement is foremost on your mind, and you feel really sorry for yourself because you won't be able to afford a multi-million dollar beach home and eat lobster for dinner every night. At least, that's the impression that this article by Fred Brock gives. It's also possible that you're planning a "downsized" retirement which will redefine old age to be a truly authentic personal growth experience, rather than the twenty-year long golf vacation the G.I. generation made of it. Even if your assets vanish, somehow you'll derive security from deep within your wellspring of perfect inner being. If you're a Silent, you're probably collecting a pension and Social Security, and working a job that some much younger person really wants. You don't understand all the fuss over globalization, since it's only made the world a more fun and exciting place for you to spend your money. You probably won't have to live through the real hard times to come. Posted by Steve Barrera at 5:48 PM |
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| Lost | 104+ |
| G.I. | 80-104 |
| Silent | 62-80 |
| Boomer | 44-62 |
| Gen-X | 23-44 |
| Millennial | ?-23 |
| Homeland | ? |
| High | 1946-1964 |
| Awakening | 1964-1984 |
| Unraveling | 1984-? |
| Crisis | ?- |
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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 2002-2005 Generation Watch and Steve Barrera. All rights reserved. |