“Generativity,” like all words, is made up. In this case, it is comparatively new, coined by psychoanalyst Erik Erikson in 1950. “A concern for establishing and guiding the next generation” is Erickson’s most often quoted definition. The principle of generativity is clearly more well-known than the obscure word. Common expressions of generativity apply to one generation establishing and guiding the…
Veteran actors Helen Mirren, 68, and Om Puri, 64, star in the new DreamWorks film “The Hundred-Foot Journey.” The story is not about age though. Food, family, ego, ambition and love are the ageless themes of this mini-masterpiece. With its confident “show, don’t tell” approach, Hollywood is, as often the case, subliminally influencing culture. In this positive example, the filmmakers…
Arcade Fire’s video for their single “We Exist,” which features a man who dresses as a woman, sparked a backlash from some transgenders, the victims of bigotry the message intends to support. The critics claim the band are representing an experience they didn’t personally understand. In the Q Magazine column “Good Intentions,” writer Dorian Lynskey (August 2014) called out the…
Who hasn’t wished to go back in time? If only for a moment, you could strap yourself into the Wayback Machine and travel with Mr. Peabody and Sherman to a significant date in your past. So you could make a better decision, see something differently, say the right thing, hold that thought, reinterpret a nuanced message, hit delete rather than…
Could it be evolution is not so evolved? Some humans still closely resemble creatures of the ocean. Consider these similarities. There’s the whale and shark; these big guys approximate seafaring politicians, CEOs and superstars, dominating their respective domains. And for each of the big guys, there are two familiar little guys. Remoras or suckerfish cling to the big fish like…
1. Expect to be asked if your kid is in the band. 2. Go with the assumption you are a record exec or A&R guy/gal checking out the band. 3. Don’t bother getting there early to beat the herd to a seat — there are no seats. 4. Skip the opening bands. The odds are infinitesimally remote they’ll be the…
There is no denying the influence of statistics, focus groups and polls on the American scene. They are the life blood of political operatives, corporate marketers, entertainment industry executives and special interest advocates, among others — for better and worse. With great power comes great responsibility. The value of collected and shared information lies with the integrity and credibility of…
“Don’t underestimate the ingenuity of humankind,” writes Michael Milken, chairman of The Milken Institute, in the foreword to the new book The Upside of Aging. Milken compares the original sequencing of the human genome, which took 13 years and cost $3 billion, to the procedure today which takes a few hours and costs about $1,000. “So while it’s possible that…
Hollywood is getting the message about catering to mature audiences – the one-in-five among us 65-and-older, with comparatively more disposable income, more time to be entertained and less time to be wasted. Longevity rules in this new genre, which is capturing the attention of appreciative audiences with depictions of older adults as multi-dimensional characters involved in realistic, non-stereotypic aging experiences….
Recent Comments