Friday, December 30, 2016

TOW #14- Generations DON'T exist!

In this article concerning the idea of "generational thinking", the author, Ross Anderson, attempts to understand and debunk this myth. He first starts with marginalizing and time-lining the events that led to this type of thinking, such as Hollywood or grandparents. Since generations do not exist, what does? Well, there exists a group of people who are alive at the same time, which is a rough constitution of a generation, but at the same time, isn't.
In order to break the reader's already made mindset, the author must use logic and credibility to support his claim. In the article, Anderson states, "Strauss and Howe are futurists; they predict that a major crisis will occur once every 80 years, restarting the generational cycle". By going into further detail about Strauss and Howe, Anderson must first establish the researcher's credibility. In addition to establishing credibility, Anderson also must provide logical evidence to support his claim, such as, "It encourages us to focus on vague ‘generational personalities’, rather than looking at the confusing diversity of social life.". Anderson entwines his personal thoughts with the one he is arguing, appealing to readers thinking process because he can relate to them.

Thus, Anderson is able to successfully navigate the reader through the maze also known as the debate of "generationalism". 

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