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poliphiloIf the 19th century- the era of railways and stove pipe hats- really began in 1815- with the defeat of Napoleon, and the 20th century really began in 1914- with the outbreak of the Great War, shouldn't the 21st century really be getting under way round about now?
Every century has a theme and an atmosphere. The 18th century was about reason and the flight from reason, the 19th century was about science and the application of science and the 20th century was about ideology- all the isms up to and including nihilism- and that's pretty much the atmosphere we're living in still.
If the 21st century had really dawned would we still be obsessing about Hitler and Elvis or enthusing over the Monty Python reunion? The fact that we're looking over our shoulders for our ideas and icons and folk demons proves we're still living- mentally, spiritually- in the 20th century- just as the Edwardians were still living in the 19th.
It's all getting to feel a bit stale, a bit samey. Why the bleep are our radio stations still playing music that's 40, 50, 60 years old? Come on, 21st century, get your act together!
Every century has a theme and an atmosphere. The 18th century was about reason and the flight from reason, the 19th century was about science and the application of science and the 20th century was about ideology- all the isms up to and including nihilism- and that's pretty much the atmosphere we're living in still.
If the 21st century had really dawned would we still be obsessing about Hitler and Elvis or enthusing over the Monty Python reunion? The fact that we're looking over our shoulders for our ideas and icons and folk demons proves we're still living- mentally, spiritually- in the 20th century- just as the Edwardians were still living in the 19th.
It's all getting to feel a bit stale, a bit samey. Why the bleep are our radio stations still playing music that's 40, 50, 60 years old? Come on, 21st century, get your act together!
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no subject
Date: 2014-05-26 08:13 am (UTC)