Are we living in a time of “anomie”? Sociologist Emile Durkheim defined anomie as the time between the breakdown of one social order and the establishment of a new one. During times of anomie, people are often confused, as they lack clear rules on how to live and relate with each other.
I think that we are in such a time. I believe that until the 1970s there was a dominant social order in America built around the suburbs, the manufacturing economy, and advancing science and technology. Although we still have suburbs and advancing science and technology (the manufacturing economy was DOA by the mid 1980s), we aren’t quite as enthused about them as we once were; we are no longer willing to build a social narrative around them.
The modernist suburban-industrial social order started breaking down in the mid 1960s with the urban riots and college unrest over Vietnam. It was prevented from healing by the oil shortages and economic strife of the 1970s and early 80s (not to mention Richard Nixon). Then came the Internet, and 9-11, and zing, we’re not in Tullytown anymore. “My Three Sons” and “Ozzie and Harriet” are dead and gone, and there’s a bit too much deviant crime (mother drowns newborn infant, stoned parent with 3 kids in car crashes into opposing traffic, gang beats teen to death on video, etc.). And a bit too much prurient interest in it.
Michael Jackson is also dead and gone, but the whole spectacle surrounding it just proves my point.
I think that our society and culture is presently in a conflict mode between two poles; one based on internationalism, ethnic diversity, educational achievement (not necessarily true education), and the embrace of user-friendly communications/entertainment technology; the other is based around more traditional values such as religion, family, small community, and individual triumph in gladiator-like arenas (e.g., NASCAR racing). Yes, the opposing icons are Barack Obama and Sarah Palin (hopefully she will eventually go away and allow Mike Huckabee to take the “red state” mantle). We’re not sure just which one defines the accepted cultural norm; it keeps on flipping. Perhaps half of the population represent “true believers”, committed to one lifestyle or the other; the other half drift around in a state of anomie.
Recently I found a picture that I took by accident, pressing the shudder unintentionally. I was going to ditch it, but something about it seemed interesting. It looked a bit like modern art. So I put it through some Photoshop hocus-pocus, and here’s what I got. I call it, “Art for a Time of Anomie”. Somewhat facetiously, of course. But here it is, nonetheless.
Jim,
I tend to see the time we are living in in even broader strokes: A kind of double whammy.
There is the shift from the industrial revolution (which lasted up until perhaps mid-20th century) and the information age (which has really come into it's own in say the last 30 years). This in itself has the capacity to cause major shifts in society.
But the change to an info age has lead from a nationalistic sense of how the world is organized to a global sense of world organization.
However, in this last concept of world organization there is a big problem that reverberates among many layers of society. That problem/question is "who has the authority?" or "what will be the authority?"
And because there are such seismic shifts going on in the world organization (which is still in the process of deciding who/what will be the authority), a lot of people are harking back to the "good old days" when one absolutely knew who and what the authority was, who and what one's nation/nationality was.
These are massive problems/questions, to say the least. Rather than face them, give them careful tho't, allow for no answers for a while until there is a consensus regarding what the answers will be, a lot of people simply want to return to the places and answers that served so well for so long–but no longer serve as answers. In short, people are simply scared and revert to what they knew in the past worked.
Unfortunately, the "old stuff" won't work any more when it comes right down to it. Thus, yes there is a period of serious confusion that has very broad, encompassing all aspects of world society as I see it.
MCS
P.S. You are right that your picture turned out a bit like modern art. Another good picture.
Comment by MCS — October 4, 2009 @ 8:36 pm
Jim,
I tend to see the time we are living in in even broader strokes: A kind of double whammy.
There is the shift from the industrial revolution (which lasted up until perhaps mid-20th century) and the information age (which has really come into it's own in say the last 30 years). This in itself has the capacity to cause major shifts in society.
But the change to an info age has lead from a nationalistic sense of how the world is organized to a global sense of world organization.
However, in this last concept of world organization there is a big problem that reverberates among many layers of society. That problem/question is "who has the authority?" or "what will be the authority?"
And because there are such seismic shifts going on in the world organization (which is still in the process of deciding who/what will be the authority), a lot of people are harking back to the "good old days" when one absolutely knew who and what the authority was, who and what one's nation/nationality was.
These are massive problems/questions, to say the least. Rather than face them, give them careful tho't, allow for no answers for a while until there is a consensus regarding what the answers will be, a lot of people simply want to return to the places and answers that served so well for so long–but no longer serve as answers. In short, people are simply scared and revert to what they knew in the past worked.
Unfortunately, the "old stuff" won't work any more when it comes right down to it. Thus, yes there is a period of serious confusion that has very broad, encompassing all aspects of world society as I see it.
MCS
P.S. You are right that your picture turned out a bit like modern art. Another good picture.
Comment by MCS — October 4, 2009 @ 8:36 pm