Generational Cycles – Woodstocks

Darrell Mann

We are stardust We are golden And we’ve got to get ourselves Back to the garden

The Woodstock festival of 1969 was a defining moment in the coming-of-age of the Baby Boomer generation in the US. … Read More

Generational Cycles – Wednesday Addams

Darrell Mann

Twenty-six years after their last big-screen outing, the Addams Family is back in theatres this month. And yes, still creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky (now also digitally animated). The family, created by the cartoonist Charles Addams, has been … Read More

Generational Cycles – Teen-Movie Re-Makes

Darrell Mann

Many would say that there are only three different films. Some would say seven. Either way, that’s never stopped film companies from making thousands of the damn things. Occasionally, they run out of ideas so badly, they decide … Read More

Generational Cycles – Judy Blume

Darrell Mann

“I was goddamn lucky those books were part of the usual fare on the shelves of my public middle school library. My sudden guilt at age 33 about omitting [Judy] Blume from my influence list led me to … Read More

Generational Cycles – Jordan Peterson – Hero To Heroes

Darrell Mann

In a polarized world, there aren’t many more polarizing figures at the moment than Jordan Peterson, the man responsible for the publishing phenomena that is, ‘Twelve Rules For Life’. Peterson was born in Canada in June 1962. Which … Read More

Generational Cycles – Childhood Sweethearts

Darrell Mann

Psychologists from Sigmund Freud forward have generally agreed: our core attitudes about life are largely locked in by age five or so. Changing those attitudes requires intense effort.

Neil Howe and William Strauss took this obvious truth and … Read More

Generational Cycles – A Star Is (Re-) Born

Darrell Mann

The Star Is Born story has become an iconic one: Fading star discovers and nurtures the next generation star, and then dies. It is a classic Hero’s Journey tale. One with, quite literally, a death of the ‘old’ … Read More

Generational Cycles – How The LP Saved (Baby Boomer) Lives

Darrell Mann

I wasn’t sure whether to put this one into the ‘Best Of The Month’ or ‘Wow In Music’ sections of the ezine, but ultimately, this month’s publication of (Baby Boomer) David Hepworth’s homage to the long-playing record could … Read More

Generational Cycles – The Death Of Comedy?

Darrell Mann

Comedy is in a period of extraordinary flux. It wasn’t so long ago that it seemed like comedians were filling stadiums and everyone was saying comedy was the new rock-n-roll. The past two years, however, have witnessed the … Read More

Generational Cycles – (Generational) First Principles

Darrell Mann

Every complex problem has a thousand clear, simple wrong answers. But it also has the potential for a clear, simple correct one provided we understand the first principles from which the complexity emerges. Strauss & Howe’s generation model, … Read More

Generational Cycles – Political Impressionability

Darrell Mann

This from the Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt book, ‘The Coddling Of The American Mind’ (the one referenced earlier in the ezine in the second article):

“Here’s a quirk about American politics: the majority of white Americans … Read More

Generational Cycles – Irony

Darrell Mann

I’m a sucker for Generation Cycles books. Part attempt to find evidence to (one day!) negate the Strauss & Howe model, part smug self-satisfaction. The most recent venture was Tiffanie Darke’s ‘Now We Are 40’ romp. A great … Read More

Generational Cycles – Joy

Darrell Mann

Baby Boomer (Prophets)   -           The Joy Of Sex

Generation X (Nomads)     -           The Joy Of Sucks

Generation Y (Heroes)       -           The Joy Of Shots

Generation Z (Artists)         -           The … Read More

Generational Cycles – Reservoir Dogs

Darrell Mann

Published in 2002, The Cinema of Generation X by Peter Hanson, is an early study of the youthful voices who defined American movies in the 1990s. Each chapter analyzes various themes in Generation X cinema and the creators … Read More

Generational Cycles – The Over-65 Gold-Rush

Darrell Mann

From a recent article in The Washington Post:

Executives at Gillette have for decades defined shaving as a rite of passage. The company famously mails out free razors — with “welcome to manhood” cards — to … Read More

Generational Cycles – Plaid

Darrell Mann

One of my favourite Generation X characteristics is the reluctance to be labelled. I hadn’t connected the issue to fashion until I saw this little gem of a generational generalization:

Then it became obvious…

…GenX wants … Read More

Generational Cycles – Who’s Way?

Darrell Mann

In 1969, Frank Sinatra released the song, ‘My Way’. Even though he was over twenty-five years into his career, it was to become the song that still today defines him. It also became the anthem (funerals, birthday parties, … Read More

Generational Cycles – 12 Rules For (Millennial) Life

Darrell Mann

Could the plight of today’s 20-something white American male be cured with a self-help book? For tens of thousands, the answer appears to be a surprising yes.

The author, Jordan Peterson, is a clinical psychologist and college professor … Read More

Generational Cycles – Spot The Year?

Darrell Mann

Let’s keep things simple this month. Here’s a poster from the Whitney Museum.

Can you guess the year?

Answer:

And here’s the point….

Related posts:

1. Welcome to the August 2008 Issue of The TRIZ Journal!

… Read More

Generational Cycles – Anthems

Darrell Mann

When Roger Daltrey sang, ‘I hope I die before I get old’, he sounded what was to become the clarion cry of the rising Baby-Boom teenager. The Who’s song ‘My Generation’ quickly established itself as the anthem for … Read More