We've switched from a culture that was interested in manufacturing, economics, politics...trying to play a serious part in the world...to a culture that's really entertainment-based. Stephen King
Stephen King is my all-time favorite writer...I've read more of his books by far than those by any other. I'm not convinced, though, that this in itself means I would want to hang on his every opinion any more than I would anyone else...writing per se does not automatically impart supreme wisdom on the craftsman. But that having been said, I am more or less in alignment with King's views on politics and society in general. As far as the above quote of his is concerned, it's definitely an over-generalization of the state of our country, but since I grew up as his contemporary, immersed in it all, I totally get what he is driving at. And I think the change from seriousness to entertainment began some time in the late 1960s when the drug/sex revolution, coinciding with the counterculture anti-war movement, went viral long before that term became common currency. The seventies heralded the "me" generation that focused on self-examination and alternative lifestyles. Then came the digital revolution and all kinds of entertainment became easy to access and portable...and here we are, all in our "safe spaces". I remember the generation that came before me and it definitely had a different outlook on life. I think that's one of the reasons that my all-time favorite novel of Stephen King is 11/22/63, a brilliant time-travel story that deeply examines those earlier attitudes and emphasis in our culture. Try reading it some time if you haven't...not many books have literally made me cry, but this one did...
I was just mentioning to David the other day how things changed when Nixon debated Kennedy. I'm just that little bit older than you and I remember the chatter going on about Nixon's '5 o'clock shadow'. Now, looking back, I sense that the advent of televising debates added a new focal point...how does the person look? I feel that it's just continually progressed since then and now social media has become a big factor in how a huge segment of our population forms their opinions.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the suggestion of 11/22/63, I'll see if I can find it in a used book store.