An Inescapable Cycle

Generally, people like to think they have control over their own lives. On a broader scale, politicians like to think they have control over the government. But what if all of politics, all of history, is really one big repeating cycle? This is exactly what William Strauss and Neil Howe argue in their groundbreaking book, Generations. Since the Puritan generation in 1584, American history has maintained a four part generational pattern that has dictated crisises, triumphs, and everything in between. The four "generation types" include the following: idealist, reactive, civic, adaptive. In the current cycle, the aging Baby Boomers are the idealists, the disillusioned Generation Xers the reactives, and the Millennials the civics. Any adaptives are virtually toddlers. The pattern repeats, with a crisis at its "rightful" place in each cycle. As I read this historical perspective, I was at first incredulous. The future cannot be predicted. But as I kept reading their explanation, I became more and more convinced. The timing of a massive crisis can "easily" be predicted--though the nature of the crisis cannot. Eerily, this book vaguely predicts the current issues of terrorism and the economy. According to this model, Millennials are like the G.I. Generation--and they made it through their crisis (World War II) with flying colors. Hopefully, the Millennials will do the same.

Globalization=Homogenization?

In the age of globalization, it seems that materialism and competitive nature of the West knows no bounds. The working population in rural China has even abandoned centuries of reverence for their elders in hopes of striking it rich in the allusive cities.

Over the next few weeks, I will blog about articles and books concerning the work ethic and values of different generations in two cultures.

I find the influence of the West on Eastern cultures very fascinating; what makes the lure of the sophisticated West so appealing? I want to understand how children from two cultures view their parents and work/school, and vice versa. How do ethnic values and practices shape one's work ethic? What happens to a recent immigrant who is absorbing values from their heritage as well as from their new society? Will they absorb values from both societies and develop a melting-pot outlook on life?

A Bad Case of Nostalgia

Sega Genesis. All That. The Backstreet Boys. These are all representations of nostalgic figures in our past. Whether it's your favorite video gaming system, a television show, or your adolescent years jam from back in the day, Generation Y--roughly ranging from ages six to twenty-nine--is definitely a sucker for the "pop culture of the late '90s and early 2000s that makes them wistful." Though it has been a proven trend for nostalgia to hit generations towards their older years, authors like David Browne--a New York Times writer--theorize that the September 11 attacks forced our generation to grow up faster, and in turn sparked a frenzy for us to desperately clutch onto any menial form of identity we can get our paws on. Although I do admit the September 11 attacks did trigger a shock wave whose reverberations can still be felt today, I don’t think that it would be equitable to pin our early case of nostalgia on those attacks alone. In contemporary society, we have done away with an exuberant amount of traditions that we once held dear for centuries such as the downslide from the extended family to the nuclear family to the divorced/separated family. Since our generation has made such radical shifts in the little time we’ve been here, it’s no wonder why nostalgia has crept up on us in our early years.

"The World Won't Be Aging Gracefully. Just the Opposite."

Do you think the world will end in 2012? Were the Mayans correct? Will there be a catastrophic event that obliterates the human race? The answer, according to this article, is most likely...no. It is true that the world is under strain though. The end of the world probably won't be due to falling astroids or a toxic nuclear bomb (even though that seems quite possible).

Demographics will be the demise of the human race. But don't worry, the United States is better off than Japan or Italy; we have a replacement level of 2.1 children per couple. And soon, we will be the only english speaking democracy in the top 12 most populous nations meaning that our role in the global society will continue to grow and strain our crippled economic system. Don't worry! The end of the world is not as near as we think. We'll still be able to consume our hot dogs and apple pie and grow obese yelling at the TV watching Monday Night Football.

Here's the image I was talking about--this is the old Dutch woodcut. A google search for "ages of man" or "ages of woman" will direct you to other examples (in English). What's up with the skeleton? There's so much background symbolism going on here with the props, the owl, the trees that frame the image. Click the image to see an enlarged version...