Neil Howe & William Strauss discuss the Turnings on CSPAN | 1997


Neil Howe and William Strauss appear on C-SPAN to discuss the release of their 1997 book, The Fourth Turning. In this clip, they discuss the historical significance of turnings, as well as offer prescient predictions as to where America may be heading. (1997)

29:40
religions are going to have yeah let me
29:42
answer the Generation X point your group
your generation is the most criticized

in America and people do not fully
appreciate some of the great values that
Generation X brings to the American
table in particular the strong survival
skills the pragmatic instincts these are
going to be very very important as this
generation enters midlife because with
the the boomers providing the vision
values at the top with Generation X what
we call the 13th generation being the
midlife pragmatists the equivalent of
the dwight eisenhower’s of crisis and
with today’s young millennial generation
becoming the next heroes that is when
the society will will be powerful and
we’ll be able to solve problems there is
a danger however the Generation X could
take the commercial slogans of today and
convert them into the political ideology
of tomorrow

  • just do it
  • whatever it takes
  • Why ask why
  • no excuses

and there’s a
danger in that I think it’s important to
realize we talked a bit about boomers
earlier our our book plays no favorites
with generations we talk about the role
that each type of generation plays in
the upcoming crisis and it’s absolutely
generation prepares it in a way for the
role that it later plays the Generation
X was the survivalist hurried unattended
two kids of the consciousness revolution
rule an upbringing which really will
prepare them for the pragmatism and
survivalism they’re going to have to

show as midlife leaders in the fourth

turning America the caller also asked