Gregg:

Good review of an interesting book.  However, from what I can tell,  
like most treatments of this sort, it mostly deals with the *figures*  
and not the *ground* . . . <g>

Why would our Culture want people to behave like "infants," constantly  
protected and, yes, "mothered" (but not "fathered," as Meghan McCain  
recently reminded us)?  No, this is *not* something that promotes  
"Wisdom" (which, as the saying sometimes goes, is "wasted on the  
youth.")

The most obvious answer is that our Culture is supported by an economy  
that is overwhelmingly driven by *consumers* (not producers, with  
"industry" now amounting to less than 12% of the GDP) and,  
accordingly, our lives are filled with "advertising" -- most of which  
is for things we truly don't need.  But pushed enough, we might be  
convinced to "want" it.

The sort of person who is the ideal consumer -- as many I know in the  
ad-biz have repeatedly told me -- is a 13 year-old girl (or its  
psychological equivalent.)  The best advertising is, as put in their  
mad-lexicon, "seducing their delicate affections."  They are the most  
likely to form "brand" allegiances and, as the Colin Kapernick fluff  
reminds us, *memes* aren't targeted at "inquiring minds."  Although,  
it is true the Facebook memes about Third World workers making  
$0.23/hour in Nike factories and Nazi doctors "sacrificing everything"  
can be darkly humorous.  Yes, under sane conditions, much  
award-winning advertising would be classified as child abuse.

The Labor Force Participation rate (LFP) in 1970 was 90/30%,  
male/female, and now it's 60/60% (heading towards 30/30%) -- reflected  
a massive drop in men-at-work (under RADIO conditions) along with a  
doubling of women-at-work.  This is fundamental structural change in  
the Culture, which therefore must have a structural (or *formal*) cause.

TELEVISION -- the previous *paradigm* -- is, of course, behind all  
this.  As a recent New Yorker (the once "literary" publication, now  
being "edited" on Twitter) story by Ken Auletta (their long-time  
"media maven") put it, the "Mad Men" have now been replaced by the  
"Math Men."  The Russian (among many others) "interference" in the  
2016 election was mostly just more advertising -- intersecting the  
reality that "politics" is also a thriving click-bait "consumer"  
business opportunity.  As it turns out, the Russians are very good at  
math.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www-2Dnewyorker-2Dcom.cdn.ampproject.org_c_s_www.newyorker.com_news_annals-2Dof-2Dcommunications_how-2Dthe-2Dmath-2Dmen-2Doverthrew-2Dthe-2Dmad-2Dmen_amp&d=DwIBaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=JFYdBt2Wf0YCKU-XcalQdM9z8fxgQ5hWdtFrVXJJtts&s=5vlXUENPpKILnfpHMVZeN3tlrQYE_BJLjvQKQxGxsSQ&e=

The "mother" has long-been the symbol of the TELEVISION age -- with  
the "boob tube" replacing what was once the "family hearth."  From  
"Leave it to Beaver" to "All in the Family" and "Married With  
Children," the steady degradation of *fathers* in our Culture has been  
widely documented.  As I've mentioned, Jordan Peterson's affection for  
Jung -- perhaps not so well understood by his young male audience --  
has as one of its anchors "The Great Mother."  Post-modernity has been  
a romp by the "goddess" triumphant (endlessly "deconstructing"  
male-power) -- as reflected in most television commentary about  
politics, or whatever else, today.  Yes, the Goddess, even captured  
the Catholic Church.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.amazon.com_Great-2DMother-2DAnalysis-2DArchetype-2DNeumann_dp_0691166072&d=DwIBaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=JFYdBt2Wf0YCKU-XcalQdM9z8fxgQ5hWdtFrVXJJtts&s=KXCvxzsmLy_TUvHQyZ8eO_IwN0aGJ_vu5jXUSOli95o&e=

"Safety," as many anthropologists have emphasized, is "women's work"  
in most human communities they study.  Much of non-human biology (aka  
Ethology) would agree.  "Danger," on the other hand -- frequently  
meaning an early death -- is for somebody else.  Just ask Konrad Lorenz.

Yes, along so much else, under DIGITAL conditions, this is also a part  
of the growing pile now labelled "everything must go" . . . !!

Mark

Quoting "Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx" <[log in to unmask]>:

> This article reviews a book on the coddling of the American mind:
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__quillette.com_2018_09_02_is-2Dsafetyism-2Ddestroying-2Da-2Dgeneration_&d=DwIBaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=JFYdBt2Wf0YCKU-XcalQdM9z8fxgQ5hWdtFrVXJJtts&s=f6_XUfEngBLZzsQpkXi1rdhgF2N19QiS-w9qTOghUXg&e=
>
> I largely agree with the thesis of the book. I have written about  
> similar issues. Here is a blog I did summarizing a similar issue:
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.psychologytoday.com_intl_blog_theory-2Dknowledge_201701_the-2Dconcept-2Dconcept-2Dcreep&d=DwIBaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=JFYdBt2Wf0YCKU-XcalQdM9z8fxgQ5hWdtFrVXJJtts&s=ZromwJLSudQhAL-5GMU5xL8CrVoU6ZeYY__RTZAKvs4&e=
>
> Best,
> G
>
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