You are generally correct but I must tell You that I have run into many young people in their 20's who get it, even here in Northwest Colorado!! Just yesterday I conversed with a young man of 22 who knew all about the Beatles, the 60's, Vietnam, Bill Clinton and how Jimmy Carter pardoned all draft resisters!! I asked him how he knew all of this and he told me his parents educated him and he read widely!!! So there is hope.
You are so right. There is hope and we can encourage young people like your acquaintance to stay involved and make a difference. Hope seems fleeting at times so hearing about your conversation helps.
Kenny. I agree with you. Most young people I talk to get much of their information from their parents. Plus they seem to read a lot on their lap tops and phones.
I loved your article how to talk to people who are 50 years younger. I too turned into a new decade last week. Being in with the 70's crowd has it perks especially as a woman. Everyone is so nice to me. In the grocery store good looking young men help me carry my groceries to my car. If I am standing in line at a store young people tend to say go ahead of me. I recently had lunch with my grandson (age 20) and two of his friends. I was fascinated listening to them talk about our country. One of my main employees mother is younger than my sons! Working with her is a treat for me to continue to learn. The best way to talk to young folks is to LISTEN. They have hopes and dreams just like we did when we were in our 20's. It is up to each one of us to make sure we have a great and strong country so they can be proud of America. We need lots to change. It starts with our education system, Hollywood and main stream news. We need term limits so old folks after the age of 70 no longer can serve in office. Kindness is back in vogue. Go flex on that idea. Thanks for all that you continue to do. You are an inspiration to us all. Hugs from Arizona.
Cecelia, you're absolutely right. The best way to talk with young people is to listen. They're going to inherit this mess. They know it. But instead of being bitter or angry about the mess we're leaving them, I find that they have all sorts of ideas for how to clean it up, fix it, make the world better. And they have the energy and determination to succeed. That's what keeps me optimistic.
I can understand that there is new slang, especially given the prevalence of texting and social media, but it seems to me that graduate students in public policy should be interested in presidents who served within the last fifty years and whose policies and failures affect public policy today. I am in your age range, but even if I were in my twenties, I would be impressed that you served as a cabinet member and advisor to presidents, and that, according to Wikipedia, Time magazine named you one of the ten best cabinet members of the century.
And please, don’t let your ego get away from you, you are only one of the best in the last century! 😄 Seriously, that really is very impressive, we are lucky to have access to you!
No one has done more hands-on work post-presidency than Carter. Any he gives people what they need the most…housing. He also had solar panels on the White House in the 70s! Hard to imagine how much more advanced we’d be with clean energy if that amount of caring continued. I also give him great credit for calling out Apartheid by Israelis to Palestinians. Telling the truth isn’t especially popular in the US, especially when it comes to foreign relations involving military/CIA.
I’ve always felt that Jimmy Carter was one of our best ex-Presidents, too. I remember voting for Jimmy Carter in his re-election campaign, when he lost almost (or every state except Georgia) to Ronald Regan. As a 26 year old from the South, I wondered, what was “wrong” with everybody’s thinking? I’d like to think I was fairly grounded even then.
As a foreigner who has little interest in politics, I admired Mr Carter for his insistence on human rights. Many people thought he was naïve, but as I met numerous people outside USA, I find out how much of his work have saved lives and improve human conditions. In fact, Carter's human right spirit is ever in need now worldwide.
The haters thought Jimmy Carter was a loser for many reasons, especially when he signed the Agreement for the neutrality of the Panama Canal waterway. He returned the Panama Canal Zone to Panama, to be fair to other countries and enhance cooperation in the region. He created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. He still speaks truth to power.
My take? He defeated Gerald Ford, who found himself in office in the first place exactly because he made a deal with the Republicans of the time . . . to not prosecute Nixon over Watergate. Sound like a pattern of behavior to any of you? To my perception, Jimmy Carter got caught in the backwash of Watergate. All went quiet while Republicans held the presidency, until Clinton took office, then we had the 24/7/365 Whitewater(gate) investigation. Republicans have been trying to paint themselves virtuous and the Democrats as dirty dogs ever since. On the other hand, Carter was first to promote a notion of Christian values in his policies, that are now being attacked as Socialist - as if there's something wrong with it - by self-anointed pseudo Christian evangelicals - and other Q-publican politicians - whose doctrines could validly be argued are heresy. Of all the thing religious the right makes a big deal of, it astonishes me that none of them ever picked up on Carter's initials - JC.
I don't think it matters that Jimmy Carter's initials are J. C. because so much of the mean spirited side of the aisle does not care much about the 'teachings of Christ'. Christ's teachings were pretty socialist it seems. Jimmy was 'nice'. the Republicans were (and are) not. It's that simple.
Uhhh, the Bible (There are so many versions), was written by men IMO, and I was not there to see or hear Christ. I am a former Catholic, (survivor). It was not my intent to proselytize. Sorry for any perceived insult. I am sincere. This present topic is how to communicate with the young. I do not go to church much, but There are people whom I love that do. I respect their right to their spiritual faith. I have my own, to be sure. Peace.
Besides, a Jesuit would probably box your ears for falling into the stimulus/reward/punishment, Pavlovian trap of the faith. You're supposed to follow Yahshua because - well - Yahshua says so! It's the "bought-off" flaw inherent in the teaching.
I guess for the same reason they shriek about a decoration being accidentally burned down, by a batty old homeless guy who was probably attempting to shelter from the cold by climbing inside and thinking it might be a good idea to light a fire to warm himself.
But all this is just sidebar to the original question - although interesting and worth thinking about.
On Saturday evening I recorded the film made in 2018, I think, about Jimmy Carter. Glad I did. It was called 'Rock and Roll President' and was full of performances by well known musicians who performed at the White House and back in Jimmy's hometown. Great entertainment and facts about probably the best president we ever had, (outside of FDR). I can't help but wonder if he was set up by the hostage crisis, similar to what Hilary Clinton experienced with Bengazi.
I see the parallel. You may be on to something, but I don't see how that changes anything - even if the connection & practice were provable. We're all aware of "conservative" deceit. Besides, how could it possibly be proven to those who are un-swayed by provable facts - if any be available on that issue.
DZK ; We know that even in the face of evidence, like the attack on the capitol, they are unmoved, hypnotized or obtuse! That just can't be true! Or they are that entitled that there should be no need to be questioned. Some kind of 'Divine right' to do whatever...
Not only a good president, but a good person. I had the opportunity to live in Plains, GA for a couple of years after his presidency. He took daily walks usually accompanied by his remaining security person. If I were our on the porch, he would always stop to talk a bit. An interesting person to get to know. He would sometimes make some suggestions about needs in the community that ultimately led to my doing some parent groups.
Mary Ann; She was intelligent, but had to campaign the traditional way. She did what virtually all other politicians did to win. Was criticized for not going into poor areas and especially rural places to campaign. Had 'high end' fundraisers like many politicians still do today. There are those who felt that with the help of the DNC chair, Debbie Wasserman Shultz, she and others 'threw Bernie Sanders under the bus' during their campaign. Some made it a damning point that she was 'A young Republican' very early in life. She is a woman and the same people who are racist, disliked her for being female. She has a great laugh and spirit, and is extremely intelligent.
I find it hard to warm up to Hillary because the image she projects is that of a19th-century school marm in a grade-B Hollywood movie. I wish she would loosen up. Politics is more akin to Hollywood than many of us would like to acknowledge.
As a woman running to be the first female president she must have wanted to look serious. The pressure would be heavy. The first thing her opponents would do is try to trivialize her as being so much fluff, or incompetent. Almost impossible to relax as a female and still be taken seriously. It's a compliment to her that you merely suggest that she 'projects an image of a 19th century school marm in a grade-B movie'. I think that is a grade-B stereotype. As a youth, an example of a 'serious woman' was Nancy Culp's banker character, Jane Hathaway. It was a comedy after all, but it was telling that a competent banker was this a-sexual female who was crushing over uneducated country boy, Jethro. Being a successful banker made her less feminine. Women were relegated to either being 'dumb blondes' or brainy school marms'. More than half the people in this country are female, and there are those who do not like the idea of a woman in charge. That is why we still have not passed the Equal Rights Amendment. That is why Hillary did not get elected. Part of it anyway. The electoral college is a blight on Democracy.
He was an example of men with a conscience, humility, honesty, and faith.....all tied to truth, not HIS singular truth but universal truth. I see, read about and run into so few men like that nowadays. Like me, I bet he's elated to be ignored by ignorant people.
Robert you are such an erudite, clear writer I so value and am grateful for this newsletter you are doing now. Everyone's comments add so much to the discussion. I am your age and watched Saturday Night Live when it started in the 70's. I still love it. Recently, I was taken aback when they announced the musical guest (which I admit I often won't know) and the guest host, I DIDN'T KNOW HIM EITHER! I was horrified at my cluelessness and shrieked, "omg I'm too old for SNL!"
That's funny! I have the same experience every week and rarely know the host or musical guest. I'm always glad when they tell us they "got an Oscar" for a movie I've never seen or heard of! Good for you to keep hanging in there!
Claire; I only watch SNL to see the political skit at the beginning of the show. After that, I just don't get it, (or don't want to). Very talented impressionists! Sometimes funny too!
I think we’re living in an era that has a dearth of melody-writers. John Lennon or Paul McCartney could write in 30 minutes what Mr. Sondheim couldn’t produce in a lifetime:a catchy melody (Bring in the Clowns excepted).
I share your dilemma Robert, now in my 70’s, I feel as if I’m reliving the rise of fascism, the war my family fought before I was born, in real time, feeling unable to prevent the demise of my adopted country.
You are such a beacon of information and hope in this era of lies and disinformation, I hope we can persevere saving what’s left of our democracy for our youth.
By the way, my first rock concert was, The Beatles, 1964, Birmingham, U.K., The Profumo affair was huge news, Stephen Ward died at the hospital I trained at in London.
It is such a fright to us all to witness this happen. Especially since we had grandparents, great-grandparents, or for some, parents who fled these atrocities from their home countries.
I had to laugh reading this blog, it’s so very true. I’ve seen the blank stares, the rolling eyes and laughs from my own children on more than one occasion. However, it really struck home when I was sitting in a salon chair and a twenty something hair stylist stopped dead in her track and yelled out “Are those Reebok tennis shoes from the 80’s!” I have to admit they were, I searched long and hard to find them too! I laughed out loud and proudly admitted that I was indeed, stuck in the past. These young people are our future and we needn't be worried, they are the most inclusive and active generation I've seen in decades. Great article!
Mr. Reich, you are very blessed to be able to interact with young people every day. My wife and I live in a rural area and have no grandchildren, so the only young people we see are on TV or at the grocery store. I enjoy my very few conversations with them, even if I don't understand the desire for tattoos and purple hair color!
Tim Baldwin; I remember hearing about people swallowing goldfish, and wearing raccoon coats, and men 'marcelling' their hair. Also wearing 'snap jacks'. (shoes that 'snapped on' instead of tying, they had a buckle, sort of. The young of every era has to differentiate themselves from the older generation.
I lived in southern Illinois, and I will always remember seeing an older woman sweeping a porch in the outback, with a well-defined circle of rouge on each facial cheek.
Now this enters foreign language territory! 😂 My mther-in-law lives in MN and the state has it’s own language for certain phrases that I found very confusing.
My sister is a longtime resident of MN; Duluth, Cloquet and now International Falls. There are some interesting phrases and a unique to the area accent. Some Swedish, Dutch and German mix in there.
I was with a friend on a local bus, we were in our teens. We had to stifle a laugh when this old lady got on and she had the same thing. Looked like picachu, the pokemon character, who would not exist for decades.
Talking "with" (as opposed to talking to) people 50 years younger, I find myself picking up new and vibrant ideas and, most of all, a fresher view of the world. Thank you for this article. Resonated with me!!
When I visit a medical clinic my fist impression is the docs are just out of high school. I too am in mid seventies and it is a strange experience in many ways. Often my wife and I are the oldest couple in a restaurant or grocer. Robert Reich is a treasure and I wish there were more like him in position to make a difference.
Frank Gilbert; He is doing a good job all by himself, but the more positive thinkers who know about the political landscape and who care about others, who know economics and the law on top of all that, the better! I see this type of forum as a guide and reassurance/information at a perilous time. I'm just about to cancel my local newspaper because the associated press and the corporate 'journalists who have replaced local reporters are just not informative. The paper itself is printed in another town and it's late!
So the NYT and Washington Post are running what I consider the standard mill of the day. Not screaming save our democracy or here is what private citizen action should taken. I continue to look for some red hot opposition from liberal media and from liberal politicians. Large corporations have polluted, grabbed greedily while working against public interest. I would have thought threats to democracy may have pushed them to our side. Likewise no heat from our great universities or large hospital groups. Drawing a line in the sand just who is on our side?
Also puzzled by the absence of voices of contractors and suppliers that would benefit from Biden's agenda. Anyone know if Michael Bloomberg contributing substantially in this election cycle?
When I first went to my in-laws house (rural), my mom-in-law asked me to get something on the davenport.?? It sounded a little bit like carport so I started walking to the covered space between the house and garage. She asked, where are you going? I responded, didn’t you say it was on the davenport? She then laughed and said it means couch. 😄
I remember a friend's mom telling me her daughter was on the piazza. I looked around trying to se if there was a piano type instrument. It was the porch!
LOL -- This was too funny. I totally relate because I am in my 60s and returned to grad school this year. I am a good 45 years older than my classmates and have reached such a level of uncool that my (forgiving) classmates find me charming -- like a vintage postcard or something.
Actually, these students here are amazing and in the milieu, I find hope for our future.
You have to go deeper than Hollywood. What Hollywood did was use movies to create stereotypes for public behavior. Now that we have the internet where talented young people can create their own narratives of reality, we look there.
A reality show may not be a stereotype, just because it's specific to the people in it. but old movies with characters might have been somewhat stereotypical. If you read my comment, I said 'Hollywood was never real life, but idealized. Hey, I was watching those movies. Actors were not always models for public behavior. Sometimes they were depicting specific characters in a novel. Sometimes a screenwriter was selling fashions or cigarettes, or some other products, like cars, furniture etc. I don't have 'to go deeper' at all! Comedy is not especially deep, it is just a specific genre. There are all types of films and some get pretty deep. 'All's quiet on the western front' is one of them, for example. Older people were talented too, in a different era.
My suggestion here is that you rent the documentary “Collective” on Netflix to get a better idea of what I’m saying about Hollywood depictions of reality vs actual reality. It is the difference between the police depiction of Floyd’s murder and the bystander with her cellphone
Peter, my interest today in this forum is not to debate the relative depictions of realty between yesterday and now. I was making a suggestion about young people looking at older media to get an idea of what we were looking at in the past. Some may find it illuminating, others not so much. I am certainly not claiming to be an authority and doubt that old media was all about distortion.
Except for vocabulary lapses at 50 years' distance, we are all as young. The younger ones look up to us and we cannot fail them. This is why we are all young together!
I know how you feel. I’m 59; my undergraduate students are all nearly 30 years younger. But, I love being in the classroom with them. They’re all intelligent, passionate about gaining knowledge, and committed to making the world a better, more equitable place. They lead me to learn new things and they keep me young.
You are generally correct but I must tell You that I have run into many young people in their 20's who get it, even here in Northwest Colorado!! Just yesterday I conversed with a young man of 22 who knew all about the Beatles, the 60's, Vietnam, Bill Clinton and how Jimmy Carter pardoned all draft resisters!! I asked him how he knew all of this and he told me his parents educated him and he read widely!!! So there is hope.
You are so right. There is hope and we can encourage young people like your acquaintance to stay involved and make a difference. Hope seems fleeting at times so hearing about your conversation helps.
It is definitely all about education!!
....which can and should come from a variety of sources.
Kenny. I agree with you. Most young people I talk to get much of their information from their parents. Plus they seem to read a lot on their lap tops and phones.
Unusual but good!
I loved your article how to talk to people who are 50 years younger. I too turned into a new decade last week. Being in with the 70's crowd has it perks especially as a woman. Everyone is so nice to me. In the grocery store good looking young men help me carry my groceries to my car. If I am standing in line at a store young people tend to say go ahead of me. I recently had lunch with my grandson (age 20) and two of his friends. I was fascinated listening to them talk about our country. One of my main employees mother is younger than my sons! Working with her is a treat for me to continue to learn. The best way to talk to young folks is to LISTEN. They have hopes and dreams just like we did when we were in our 20's. It is up to each one of us to make sure we have a great and strong country so they can be proud of America. We need lots to change. It starts with our education system, Hollywood and main stream news. We need term limits so old folks after the age of 70 no longer can serve in office. Kindness is back in vogue. Go flex on that idea. Thanks for all that you continue to do. You are an inspiration to us all. Hugs from Arizona.
Cecelia, you're absolutely right. The best way to talk with young people is to listen. They're going to inherit this mess. They know it. But instead of being bitter or angry about the mess we're leaving them, I find that they have all sorts of ideas for how to clean it up, fix it, make the world better. And they have the energy and determination to succeed. That's what keeps me optimistic.
You are one smart guy and I totally agree. I stay optimistic too. Hugs from Arizona
I can understand that there is new slang, especially given the prevalence of texting and social media, but it seems to me that graduate students in public policy should be interested in presidents who served within the last fifty years and whose policies and failures affect public policy today. I am in your age range, but even if I were in my twenties, I would be impressed that you served as a cabinet member and advisor to presidents, and that, according to Wikipedia, Time magazine named you one of the ten best cabinet members of the century.
Graduate students know Jimmy Carter, of course. But undergraduates who are below the age of 19 aren't sure when he was president.
And please, don’t let your ego get away from you, you are only one of the best in the last century! 😄 Seriously, that really is very impressive, we are lucky to have access to you!
Time Magazine got that one right about Robert!
Agree. I was a bit surprised about that because these past presidents still show up in the news etc. They certainly should know Hillary’s husband!
I've heeded Mr Reich ever since.
It will never not be odd to me how generally Jimmy Carter is dismissed with a sneer and without discussion.
It's kind of a relief to me to see clawback against the "she was a terrible candidate" dismissal of Secretary Clinton.
I think Jimmy Carter will be remembered as a good president, and the best ex-president America has ever had.
No one has done more hands-on work post-presidency than Carter. Any he gives people what they need the most…housing. He also had solar panels on the White House in the 70s! Hard to imagine how much more advanced we’d be with clean energy if that amount of caring continued. I also give him great credit for calling out Apartheid by Israelis to Palestinians. Telling the truth isn’t especially popular in the US, especially when it comes to foreign relations involving military/CIA.
I’ve always felt that Jimmy Carter was one of our best ex-Presidents, too. I remember voting for Jimmy Carter in his re-election campaign, when he lost almost (or every state except Georgia) to Ronald Regan. As a 26 year old from the South, I wondered, what was “wrong” with everybody’s thinking? I’d like to think I was fairly grounded even then.
As a foreigner who has little interest in politics, I admired Mr Carter for his insistence on human rights. Many people thought he was naïve, but as I met numerous people outside USA, I find out how much of his work have saved lives and improve human conditions. In fact, Carter's human right spirit is ever in need now worldwide.
The haters thought Jimmy Carter was a loser for many reasons, especially when he signed the Agreement for the neutrality of the Panama Canal waterway. He returned the Panama Canal Zone to Panama, to be fair to other countries and enhance cooperation in the region. He created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. He still speaks truth to power.
My take? He defeated Gerald Ford, who found himself in office in the first place exactly because he made a deal with the Republicans of the time . . . to not prosecute Nixon over Watergate. Sound like a pattern of behavior to any of you? To my perception, Jimmy Carter got caught in the backwash of Watergate. All went quiet while Republicans held the presidency, until Clinton took office, then we had the 24/7/365 Whitewater(gate) investigation. Republicans have been trying to paint themselves virtuous and the Democrats as dirty dogs ever since. On the other hand, Carter was first to promote a notion of Christian values in his policies, that are now being attacked as Socialist - as if there's something wrong with it - by self-anointed pseudo Christian evangelicals - and other Q-publican politicians - whose doctrines could validly be argued are heresy. Of all the thing religious the right makes a big deal of, it astonishes me that none of them ever picked up on Carter's initials - JC.
I don't think it matters that Jimmy Carter's initials are J. C. because so much of the mean spirited side of the aisle does not care much about the 'teachings of Christ'. Christ's teachings were pretty socialist it seems. Jimmy was 'nice'. the Republicans were (and are) not. It's that simple.
We're on the same page, here.
Uhhh, the Bible (There are so many versions), was written by men IMO, and I was not there to see or hear Christ. I am a former Catholic, (survivor). It was not my intent to proselytize. Sorry for any perceived insult. I am sincere. This present topic is how to communicate with the young. I do not go to church much, but There are people whom I love that do. I respect their right to their spiritual faith. I have my own, to be sure. Peace.
Besides, a Jesuit would probably box your ears for falling into the stimulus/reward/punishment, Pavlovian trap of the faith. You're supposed to follow Yahshua because - well - Yahshua says so! It's the "bought-off" flaw inherent in the teaching.
I guess for the same reason they shriek about a decoration being accidentally burned down, by a batty old homeless guy who was probably attempting to shelter from the cold by climbing inside and thinking it might be a good idea to light a fire to warm himself.
But all this is just sidebar to the original question - although interesting and worth thinking about.
On Saturday evening I recorded the film made in 2018, I think, about Jimmy Carter. Glad I did. It was called 'Rock and Roll President' and was full of performances by well known musicians who performed at the White House and back in Jimmy's hometown. Great entertainment and facts about probably the best president we ever had, (outside of FDR). I can't help but wonder if he was set up by the hostage crisis, similar to what Hilary Clinton experienced with Bengazi.
I see the parallel. You may be on to something, but I don't see how that changes anything - even if the connection & practice were provable. We're all aware of "conservative" deceit. Besides, how could it possibly be proven to those who are un-swayed by provable facts - if any be available on that issue.
DZK ; We know that even in the face of evidence, like the attack on the capitol, they are unmoved, hypnotized or obtuse! That just can't be true! Or they are that entitled that there should be no need to be questioned. Some kind of 'Divine right' to do whatever...
Without getting into any detail, I'm experiencing >first hand< the ramifications of all that.
DZK ; Let's just say it smells the same and leave it at that. Seems like their M.O.
Not only a good president, but a good person. I had the opportunity to live in Plains, GA for a couple of years after his presidency. He took daily walks usually accompanied by his remaining security person. If I were our on the porch, he would always stop to talk a bit. An interesting person to get to know. He would sometimes make some suggestions about needs in the community that ultimately led to my doing some parent groups.
There's a Q-publican running for Portman's seat that tries to tar Carter's "socialist agenda" with destroying America. Really, someone should speak with him about that. Carter's not at the top of my list of great presidents, but that big toothy grin meme that was pasted everywhere seems to have been prophetic to our current dilemma: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.yQ1NCTsJivHvl9N81cANsAAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1
Mary Ann; She was intelligent, but had to campaign the traditional way. She did what virtually all other politicians did to win. Was criticized for not going into poor areas and especially rural places to campaign. Had 'high end' fundraisers like many politicians still do today. There are those who felt that with the help of the DNC chair, Debbie Wasserman Shultz, she and others 'threw Bernie Sanders under the bus' during their campaign. Some made it a damning point that she was 'A young Republican' very early in life. She is a woman and the same people who are racist, disliked her for being female. She has a great laugh and spirit, and is extremely intelligent.
I find it hard to warm up to Hillary because the image she projects is that of a19th-century school marm in a grade-B Hollywood movie. I wish she would loosen up. Politics is more akin to Hollywood than many of us would like to acknowledge.
May you be reincarnated as a woman, Stan of Stanistan.
As a woman running to be the first female president she must have wanted to look serious. The pressure would be heavy. The first thing her opponents would do is try to trivialize her as being so much fluff, or incompetent. Almost impossible to relax as a female and still be taken seriously. It's a compliment to her that you merely suggest that she 'projects an image of a 19th century school marm in a grade-B movie'. I think that is a grade-B stereotype. As a youth, an example of a 'serious woman' was Nancy Culp's banker character, Jane Hathaway. It was a comedy after all, but it was telling that a competent banker was this a-sexual female who was crushing over uneducated country boy, Jethro. Being a successful banker made her less feminine. Women were relegated to either being 'dumb blondes' or brainy school marms'. More than half the people in this country are female, and there are those who do not like the idea of a woman in charge. That is why we still have not passed the Equal Rights Amendment. That is why Hillary did not get elected. Part of it anyway. The electoral college is a blight on Democracy.
Images of women in the media that I saw when young were all stereotypes.
Agreed!
I second the comment of Jimmy Carter. History will show he was on the right path.
He was an example of men with a conscience, humility, honesty, and faith.....all tied to truth, not HIS singular truth but universal truth. I see, read about and run into so few men like that nowadays. Like me, I bet he's elated to be ignored by ignorant people.
Robert you are such an erudite, clear writer I so value and am grateful for this newsletter you are doing now. Everyone's comments add so much to the discussion. I am your age and watched Saturday Night Live when it started in the 70's. I still love it. Recently, I was taken aback when they announced the musical guest (which I admit I often won't know) and the guest host, I DIDN'T KNOW HIM EITHER! I was horrified at my cluelessness and shrieked, "omg I'm too old for SNL!"
What you said about his writing! Wow, I am amazed at his output as well. He writes a lot, across many issues, and is so productive I am envious!
An incredibly gifted communicator. Thank you RBR.
That's funny! I have the same experience every week and rarely know the host or musical guest. I'm always glad when they tell us they "got an Oscar" for a movie I've never seen or heard of! Good for you to keep hanging in there!
Claire; I only watch SNL to see the political skit at the beginning of the show. After that, I just don't get it, (or don't want to). Very talented impressionists! Sometimes funny too!
I think we’re living in an era that has a dearth of melody-writers. John Lennon or Paul McCartney could write in 30 minutes what Mr. Sondheim couldn’t produce in a lifetime:a catchy melody (Bring in the Clowns excepted).
I share your dilemma Robert, now in my 70’s, I feel as if I’m reliving the rise of fascism, the war my family fought before I was born, in real time, feeling unable to prevent the demise of my adopted country.
You are such a beacon of information and hope in this era of lies and disinformation, I hope we can persevere saving what’s left of our democracy for our youth.
By the way, my first rock concert was, The Beatles, 1964, Birmingham, U.K., The Profumo affair was huge news, Stephen Ward died at the hospital I trained at in London.
My first introduction to the Beatles was when most Americans at the time discovered them -- on the Ed Sullivan TV show.
It is such a fright to us all to witness this happen. Especially since we had grandparents, great-grandparents, or for some, parents who fled these atrocities from their home countries.
I had to laugh reading this blog, it’s so very true. I’ve seen the blank stares, the rolling eyes and laughs from my own children on more than one occasion. However, it really struck home when I was sitting in a salon chair and a twenty something hair stylist stopped dead in her track and yelled out “Are those Reebok tennis shoes from the 80’s!” I have to admit they were, I searched long and hard to find them too! I laughed out loud and proudly admitted that I was indeed, stuck in the past. These young people are our future and we needn't be worried, they are the most inclusive and active generation I've seen in decades. Great article!
Mr. Reich, you are very blessed to be able to interact with young people every day. My wife and I live in a rural area and have no grandchildren, so the only young people we see are on TV or at the grocery store. I enjoy my very few conversations with them, even if I don't understand the desire for tattoos and purple hair color!
Absolutely, Tim. I consider it a blessing.
Tim Baldwin; I remember hearing about people swallowing goldfish, and wearing raccoon coats, and men 'marcelling' their hair. Also wearing 'snap jacks'. (shoes that 'snapped on' instead of tying, they had a buckle, sort of. The young of every era has to differentiate themselves from the older generation.
I lived in southern Illinois, and I will always remember seeing an older woman sweeping a porch in the outback, with a well-defined circle of rouge on each facial cheek.
Now this enters foreign language territory! 😂 My mther-in-law lives in MN and the state has it’s own language for certain phrases that I found very confusing.
My sister is a longtime resident of MN; Duluth, Cloquet and now International Falls. There are some interesting phrases and a unique to the area accent. Some Swedish, Dutch and German mix in there.
I was with a friend on a local bus, we were in our teens. We had to stifle a laugh when this old lady got on and she had the same thing. Looked like picachu, the pokemon character, who would not exist for decades.
Talking "with" (as opposed to talking to) people 50 years younger, I find myself picking up new and vibrant ideas and, most of all, a fresher view of the world. Thank you for this article. Resonated with me!!
When I visit a medical clinic my fist impression is the docs are just out of high school. I too am in mid seventies and it is a strange experience in many ways. Often my wife and I are the oldest couple in a restaurant or grocer. Robert Reich is a treasure and I wish there were more like him in position to make a difference.
Frank Gilbert; He is doing a good job all by himself, but the more positive thinkers who know about the political landscape and who care about others, who know economics and the law on top of all that, the better! I see this type of forum as a guide and reassurance/information at a perilous time. I'm just about to cancel my local newspaper because the associated press and the corporate 'journalists who have replaced local reporters are just not informative. The paper itself is printed in another town and it's late!
So the NYT and Washington Post are running what I consider the standard mill of the day. Not screaming save our democracy or here is what private citizen action should taken. I continue to look for some red hot opposition from liberal media and from liberal politicians. Large corporations have polluted, grabbed greedily while working against public interest. I would have thought threats to democracy may have pushed them to our side. Likewise no heat from our great universities or large hospital groups. Drawing a line in the sand just who is on our side?
Very good question!
Also puzzled by the absence of voices of contractors and suppliers that would benefit from Biden's agenda. Anyone know if Michael Bloomberg contributing substantially in this election cycle?
Ain’t old age great Robert? I’ve been deaf as a snake for about 10 yrs. Have trouble hearing my Beach Boys albums! Tom Peck, 81
😄😄
😂😂 This was a comical read. Thank you.
I have very high hopes in the younger generation.
When I first went to my in-laws house (rural), my mom-in-law asked me to get something on the davenport.?? It sounded a little bit like carport so I started walking to the covered space between the house and garage. She asked, where are you going? I responded, didn’t you say it was on the davenport? She then laughed and said it means couch. 😄
Is that like a sofa? 😉
😂 At least you’re closer to a guess than I was!
I remember a friend's mom telling me her daughter was on the piazza. I looked around trying to se if there was a piano type instrument. It was the porch!
LOL -- This was too funny. I totally relate because I am in my 60s and returned to grad school this year. I am a good 45 years older than my classmates and have reached such a level of uncool that my (forgiving) classmates find me charming -- like a vintage postcard or something.
Actually, these students here are amazing and in the milieu, I find hope for our future.
I urge we older folks to get out and talk and most importantly listen to the younger generations. They have a lot to say!
Ah! Listening and thoughtfully engaging. I wish there were classes on how to engage with boomers and visa versa. I'd sign up.
You can watch old movies, too. But Hollywood was never real life, but idealized. But it looks like you are engaging with older people in this forum!
You have to go deeper than Hollywood. What Hollywood did was use movies to create stereotypes for public behavior. Now that we have the internet where talented young people can create their own narratives of reality, we look there.
A reality show may not be a stereotype, just because it's specific to the people in it. but old movies with characters might have been somewhat stereotypical. If you read my comment, I said 'Hollywood was never real life, but idealized. Hey, I was watching those movies. Actors were not always models for public behavior. Sometimes they were depicting specific characters in a novel. Sometimes a screenwriter was selling fashions or cigarettes, or some other products, like cars, furniture etc. I don't have 'to go deeper' at all! Comedy is not especially deep, it is just a specific genre. There are all types of films and some get pretty deep. 'All's quiet on the western front' is one of them, for example. Older people were talented too, in a different era.
My suggestion here is that you rent the documentary “Collective” on Netflix to get a better idea of what I’m saying about Hollywood depictions of reality vs actual reality. It is the difference between the police depiction of Floyd’s murder and the bystander with her cellphone
I'm not so clueless that I can't see a difference between police depictions and the bystander's cellphone. That's insulting! IMHO
Peter, my interest today in this forum is not to debate the relative depictions of realty between yesterday and now. I was making a suggestion about young people looking at older media to get an idea of what we were looking at in the past. Some may find it illuminating, others not so much. I am certainly not claiming to be an authority and doubt that old media was all about distortion.
Thank you!
Except for vocabulary lapses at 50 years' distance, we are all as young. The younger ones look up to us and we cannot fail them. This is why we are all young together!
I know how you feel. I’m 59; my undergraduate students are all nearly 30 years younger. But, I love being in the classroom with them. They’re all intelligent, passionate about gaining knowledge, and committed to making the world a better, more equitable place. They lead me to learn new things and they keep me young.