http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2006/08/27/retro-fads/ public domain playground. friendly entities welcome. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:37:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2006/08/27/retro-fads/comment-page-1/#comment-19547 Joe Chip Thu, 31 Aug 2006 12:59:45 +0000 http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2006/08/27/retro-fads/#comment-19547 well, judging by the average american's understanding of history, i'd say it's definitely not the latter. i have students who don't know who fought in the civil war. the freaking civil war! that's as american as history gets..; and yet people are still ignorant about it (not to mention the corollary fact that if people are ignorant about the civil war, they will be deeply ignorant about important racial issues in american society). some people even think lincoln was a founding father. not that the retro fads have ever extended as far back as the eras of powdered wigs and mutton-chopped generals. but the whole thing has deadened our minds, i think, to the possibility that history might have some kind of import beyond this season's new styles or kitschy entertainment. well, judging by the average american’s understanding of history, i’d say it’s definitely not the latter. i have students who don’t know who fought in the civil war. the freaking civil war! that’s as american as history gets..; and yet people are still ignorant about it (not to mention the corollary fact that if people are ignorant about the civil war, they will be deeply ignorant about important racial issues in american society). some people even think lincoln was a founding father. not that the retro fads have ever extended as far back as the eras of powdered wigs and mutton-chopped generals. but the whole thing has deadened our minds, i think, to the possibility that history might have some kind of import beyond this season’s new styles or kitschy entertainment.

]]> http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2006/08/27/retro-fads/comment-page-1/#comment-19392 Tim Boucher Mon, 28 Aug 2006 05:12:11 +0000 http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2006/08/27/retro-fads/#comment-19392 I think that may be a factor. But maybe it also helps us understand history better, because we live inside of it by assuming retro forms. I don't know. What do you think? I think that may be a factor. But maybe it also helps us understand history better, because we live inside of it by assuming retro forms. I don’t know. What do you think?

]]> http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2006/08/27/retro-fads/comment-page-1/#comment-19378 Joe Chip Sun, 27 Aug 2006 19:17:32 +0000 http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2006/08/27/retro-fads/#comment-19378 are you saying that the retro phenomenon cripples our ability to understand and think critically about history by stripping historical forms from their original context? are you saying that the retro phenomenon cripples our ability to understand and think critically about history by stripping historical forms from their original context?

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