Scripps Howard News Service
Barack Obama should run for president in 2008 for all the tactical reasons cited by pundits, but primarily because the baby boomers need serious competition from “below” on the vision thing. It’s unhealthy to have so much of our political and strategic discourse dominated by the ’60s generation.
Let me tell you why.
Morris Massey, an expert on conflict between generations, pioneered the argument that “what you are is where you were when …,” meaning all of us reach a point in life where we discover a world larger than ourselves. At that point, we become cognizant of the morals we’ve developed across our early years, and those morals _ or worldview _ tend to persist across our adult years.
For most people, that fateful transition occurs in the teenage years, which explains our tendency to stick with the popular music of those years throughout adulthood. Admit it … you stayed cool enough across your 20s and maybe you faked it deep into your 30s, but then you woke up in your 40s and realized you absolutely hate your kids’ music!
Don’t worry. It happens to everyone.