Very well written article with many excellent examples of the problems with nostalgia. Musto sums it up perfectly with this line, “...lazily compare the best of the past with the worst of the present.” Woody Allen’s movie Midnight In Paris calls it “Golden Age Thinking -erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one one’s living in.” (I highly recommend the movie) I loved the era I grew up in and it’s still evident in the clothes I wear, the foods I eat, the patchouli I dab on my neck, the incense I burn, music I listen to, the spirituality I embrace. Was it a perfect time? No, nothing is, except peace and love.
Some good LOLs, a heartfelt personal history, and a thesis that holds water. What’s not to love? Plus the writing is superb. (Makes sense that the author had a weekly column in the Village Voice.)
It’s hard for me to resist pre-tech/internet nostalgia - the good old days before computers began dominating every aspect of life. But I think the author is right that this kind of looking back is both inaccurate and not productive.
Very well written article with many excellent examples of the problems with nostalgia. Musto sums it up perfectly with this line, “...lazily compare the best of the past with the worst of the present.” Woody Allen’s movie Midnight In Paris calls it “Golden Age Thinking -erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one one’s living in.” (I highly recommend the movie) I loved the era I grew up in and it’s still evident in the clothes I wear, the foods I eat, the patchouli I dab on my neck, the incense I burn, music I listen to, the spirituality I embrace. Was it a perfect time? No, nothing is, except peace and love.
Some good LOLs, a heartfelt personal history, and a thesis that holds water. What’s not to love? Plus the writing is superb. (Makes sense that the author had a weekly column in the Village Voice.)
It’s hard for me to resist pre-tech/internet nostalgia - the good old days before computers began dominating every aspect of life. But I think the author is right that this kind of looking back is both inaccurate and not productive.