As Conferences Go

In Generations and in a later book by the same authors (Strauss and Howe) called The Fourth Turning there is an ominous prediction that the Millennial Generation is going to be called upon, like the GI Generation was called upon sixty-five years ago, to do remarkable and self-effacing things ... nothing less than to save the republic and our civilization.  If ever there was a group of people representing the nucleus of our redemption, it assembled in Las Vegas at YK1 and knew itself for what it is--completely remarkable!I have been attending conferences all over the planet for years.  I have lost count of the times and places.  So it was that I went to YK1 on a whim and with hope.  I was certainly hopeful that there would be a few people in my age group  ... and there were ... but the truly inspiring thing about YK1 was the intelligence and maturity of the younger generation, some of them later cohort X-Gen and some true first and second cohort Millennials.  

(For those of you who have not gotten into generational studies the "bible" is Strauss and Howe's Generations, or you can visit The Silent Generation and get the general picture.)

I met hundreds of people and witnessed the awesome brilliance of panel after panel of what might in other circumstances be considered ordinary people.  Markos did very, very well, although we disagreed in public about how big DK should be.  I watched Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake present and ad lib and smile beautifully into the multitude of cameras that were looking for geeks, but found instead poise and intelligence.  I met an early cohort X-Gen gal from Tucson and was smitten.  I am still smitten.  I am selling the house and moving to Tucson as fast as I can.

What I learned is that the blogosphere has several interconnected purposes.  It helps writers ("bloggers") to know they are part of a whole, a surrogate for people who are nearer the center and need help getting the message out.  But it is not necessarily a passive conduit from a center to its periphery.  It is also a gathering mechanism for notions and facts that the center needs to hear to stay sharp.  

The blogosphere helps "commenters" to sharpen their ideas on the grist of the essays and comments of others.  Among commenters, even "flamers" and "trolls" find an outlet to ease their burdens and in this way a set of public boundaries is established within each blogging community, a process poorly managed by ratings of television shows and available to Hollywood only by careful examination of the box office.

The blogosphere helps readers (especially "lurkers") to know they are not alone.  Television and the media isolate; the blogosphere connects.  There is genuine dialogue and the opportunity to unabashedly change your mind.  

But, as one panelist in the "Building Progressive Infrastructure" panel discussion said, it helps to build that round-table or town meeting OUTSIDE the political parties that by just BEING and DOING holds the politicians' feet to the fire.

It was a good milestone to have witnessed.  The whole world looked on and apparently they were impressed.  I hope more will come to YK2 and, more than this, that "Tucson" will please write to me.

Jim