I’d been thinking about writing again on The Fourth Turning when Thoughtful Man sent me a video yesterday morning via Arse-about-Face Book. It showed one Millennial dissecting the views of another…
The Millennial Generation (Hero, born 1982–2004) first arrived amid “Babies on Board” signs, when abortion and divorce rates ebbed, the popular culture recast babies as special, and hands-off parental styles were replaced by Lamaze and attachment-parenting obsessiveness. Child abuse and child safety became hot topics, while books teaching virtues, values, and team-playing citizenship became best-sellers.
Perhaps that explains…
signal (n.) late 14c., “visible sign, indication,” from Old French signal, seignal “seal, imprint, sign, mark,” from Medieval Latin signale “a signal,” from Late Latin signalis (adj.) “used as a signal, pertaining to a sign,” from Latin signum “identifying mark, sign” (see sign (n.)). Restricted sense “agreed-upon sign” (to commence or desist, etc.) is from 1590s. Meaning “modulation of an electric current” is from 1855.
When I think of the previous Hero generation (born 1901 – 1924) that came of age during the last Fourth/Winter/Crisis Turning (1929 – 1945)…
*Hmm… anything on ‘values from 80 years ago, Clicky?*
*Interesting. How about child safety?*
*Ha!*
As Millennials began reaching their teens in the late 1990s, youth volunteering and community service surged—while teen rates of drinking, smoking, and violent crime declined steeply.
Appeasement didn’t work before, it’s doubtful it will work any better this time and I have to wonder what effect the hyperbolic Health education campaigns started the 1980s to protect ‘the children’ by ‘denormalising‘ smoking has had to the Heroes of today and their ability to accurately assess risk…
Library of Libraries 