In 1991, Strauss & Howe published their landmark book, Generations, The History of America’s Future.  Almost all generational insight today still owes them a considerable debt.  Here is the prediction they wrote twenty years ago about where our culture is headed by 2015.  Thought-provoking and startling, to say the least.

“The mood of a crisis era reflects society’s transitions into a secular crisis. A grim preoccupation with outer-world peril will grow to maximum intensity, as spiritual curiosity declines. Artistic culture will avoid nuance, often (in the form of propaganda) overtly reinforcing “good” conduct. Worldly problems will no longer be deferred, but will be allowed to congeal into a struggle requiring total consensus, aggressive public institutions, and personal sacrifice. Wars are very likely, and they will be fought with fury and efficacy. Sex role distinctions will widen, public and family order will strengthen, and personal violence and substance abuse will decline. A rush of hopeful confidence in near-term secular progress will crowd out worries about questionable public means and contribute to a low tolerance for risk-prone lifestyles.”