tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post1635560703306312518..comments2024-03-29T02:03:49.151-04:00Comments on History Unfolding: Prophet generationsDavid Kaiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05020082243968071584noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-11060560849228424402007-08-09T20:16:00.000-04:002007-08-09T20:16:00.000-04:00I don't think Obama can be considered a Boomer sin...I don't think Obama can be considered a Boomer since he didn't graduate from law school until 1991 and really entered the work force during the economic downturn of that era. Really marking him as an X'er in overall outlook and experience.<BR/><BR/>Historically, when a new generation takes over the presidency it pretty much spells the end for the previous generation's aspirations. Kennedy in '60 and then Clinton are examples. Who thought it would be us much maligned "slackers" guiding our country through such perilous times. And we're a pretty tiny generation, too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-29798252903129911492007-02-06T15:58:00.000-05:002007-02-06T15:58:00.000-05:00"the idea that American and western civilization h..."the idea that American and western civilization had shown itself to be hopelessly hypocritical and bankrupt spread like wildfire, particularly in American academia"<br /><br />This is a common though incorrect impression. The most striking development in American academia of the last 50 years is the enormous commitment to the sciences, particularly the natural sciences. Take a look at the faculty of almost major university, add up the number of faculty in the Med school, the Engineering school, and the various science depts. You easily get a majority of the faculty. Moreover, look at where universities have expanded recently and with to continue to expand, its the natural sciences. Nothing could be farther from the rejection of western civilization than the large resources poured into the natural sciences. Indeed, far from rejecting the values of their predecessors, American academia is really dominated by scientists who have enthusiastically embraced the intellectual traditions they inherited from the preceding generations. <br /><br />“Perhaps, as the comment above argues, Boomers have produced great scientists, and I would like to have that case fleshed out.”<br /><br />By any reasonable measure - volume of science, quality of science, number of people involved, there is no doubt about the achievements of the Boomer generation of scientists. Beyond producing a remarkable number of individual scientists, its also quite clear that the level of average science is considerably higher than it was 25 years ago. <br /><br />I do agree that some Boomers would like to get something for nothing but its interesting who these people are and they are not all Boomers. In many ways, the paradigmatic individual in this category is Ronald Reagan, who was elected in large part because the electorate didn't want to hear Carter's prescriptions for self-sacrifice and diminished expectations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-76970302033116933492007-02-06T13:12:00.000-05:002007-02-06T13:12:00.000-05:00Well. Most of the world is convinced anyway that t...Well. Most of the world is convinced anyway that the Boom birthyear span is '46-'64, so they're going to get it wrong anyway. Whatever.Matthew Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01007497367844755093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-1586400139427786342007-02-06T12:51:00.000-05:002007-02-06T12:51:00.000-05:00Jenny,
That thought had occurred to me, but B...Jenny,<br /><br /> That thought had occurred to me, but Barack, as you may now, adamantly agrees with S & H that he is NOT a Boomer, so I doubt that redefinition will happen.David Kaiserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05020082243968071584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-85308130195508586982007-02-06T12:34:00.000-05:002007-02-06T12:34:00.000-05:00Don't you think that if Barack Obama is elected Pr...Don't you think that if Barack Obama is elected President and turns out to be extremely successful, that the span of the "Prophet Generation" will be expanded to include 1961?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06363392935159709326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-5310119938353737432007-02-06T09:17:00.000-05:002007-02-06T09:17:00.000-05:00Damn right about history and literature, though th...Damn right about history and literature, though there are some good pop historians and sociologists out there. I knew there was a reason I get more out of genra fiction then out of modern lit, though the Good Old Stuff still holds its appeal.<br /><br />Strange if this crisis' Grey Champion should be an Xer!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-10796044425465954222007-02-06T08:47:00.000-05:002007-02-06T08:47:00.000-05:00Nice article.
The first prophets in recorded hist...Nice article.<br /><br /><i>The first prophets in recorded history were Adam and Eve[...]</i><br /><br />I am, as you probably expected, delighted to see this passage in there.<br /><br />If Obama makes it to the presidency, you don't think that'll be the end of Boom presidents, do you? I expect there'll be Boomers in the White House for the next two or even three decades (although perhaps not uninterrupted).Matthew Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01007497367844755093noreply@blogger.com