What one of my favorite history books about my favorite historical period—turn-of-the-century American—tells us about technology, anxiety, and human nature
The sublimation was necessary to avoid sinking back into the Hobbesian description of life as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." We use all sorts of things to denote status; it's better than the alternative of brute strength and willingness to kill.
Although some people do a better job of sublimation than others!
I wonder if the Gilded Age, which created such inequities between rich and poor in the late 1800s, also contributed to the American nervousness of the early 20th century. Another parallel to current times, perhaps.
Blom’s deft interweaving of technology, art, music, and psychology sent me back to listen to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, which still sounds modern today. Its dissonance, kineticism, and driving beat are arguably even more forward-thinking than Gershwin’s similarly urban Rhapsody in Blue, composed several years later. A stunning work!
What a wonderful piece! It’s oddly comforting to see it isn’t our first, second, or third rodeo. I had to go listen to the song and put the book on my wish list.
Another interesting historical link to examine is how the technological advancements in transport and the aesthetics of "speed" connect with the rise of politicized modernist movements like vorticism and futurism, which helped foster (to what extent is arguable) a European cultural zeitgeist ready to accept fascism.
Edit: I can somewhat see an analogy with today's rise of technocrats and the romanticization of "AI" (for whatever definition of AI), especially with the rise of right-wingism among Gen Z men, exemplified by the young DOGE recruits.
I have become fascinated by the Art Nouveau/modernisme movement which embraced modern techniques and materials but sought to promote organic forms, a sense of craft, and humanistic values. I think it is time for an Art reNouveau!
Timely to include model T image early in the piece now that Ford is marketing their new EV platform reveal as a "model T moment" (some, but not a ton of relevance there to the changing pace of technology - automobiles evolving into software products which update software over the air)
The sublimation was necessary to avoid sinking back into the Hobbesian description of life as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." We use all sorts of things to denote status; it's better than the alternative of brute strength and willingness to kill.
Although some people do a better job of sublimation than others!
I wonder if the Gilded Age, which created such inequities between rich and poor in the late 1800s, also contributed to the American nervousness of the early 20th century. Another parallel to current times, perhaps.
Blom’s deft interweaving of technology, art, music, and psychology sent me back to listen to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, which still sounds modern today. Its dissonance, kineticism, and driving beat are arguably even more forward-thinking than Gershwin’s similarly urban Rhapsody in Blue, composed several years later. A stunning work!
What a wonderful piece! It’s oddly comforting to see it isn’t our first, second, or third rodeo. I had to go listen to the song and put the book on my wish list.
Another interesting historical link to examine is how the technological advancements in transport and the aesthetics of "speed" connect with the rise of politicized modernist movements like vorticism and futurism, which helped foster (to what extent is arguable) a European cultural zeitgeist ready to accept fascism.
Edit: I can somewhat see an analogy with today's rise of technocrats and the romanticization of "AI" (for whatever definition of AI), especially with the rise of right-wingism among Gen Z men, exemplified by the young DOGE recruits.
I have become fascinated by the Art Nouveau/modernisme movement which embraced modern techniques and materials but sought to promote organic forms, a sense of craft, and humanistic values. I think it is time for an Art reNouveau!
Timely to include model T image early in the piece now that Ford is marketing their new EV platform reveal as a "model T moment" (some, but not a ton of relevance there to the changing pace of technology - automobiles evolving into software products which update software over the air)