Not Alone Any More – Traveling Wilburys
For one of my graduate seminars this week we read a number of articles about Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone. I’ve got a number of criticism of his thesis (that declining membership in social organizations produces a decline in civic engagement) that don’t bear getting into here. But for at least one powerful data point, it’s worth mentioning that his thesis about declining voter turnout has been shattered in the past two presidential cycles.
Putnam was writing in the late 90s, when turnout was at record lows. However, in 2004 we saw turnout hit around 60% – a level not seen since the 60s. And this year, by all accounts, looks set to go even further.
Turns out people may be bowling alone, but they’re playing WoW in communities. So there’s that.
Also, since it’s unlikely I’m going to post on the subject any other time: how cool were the Traveling Wilburys? No one would say it’s the best music any of those guys created by any stretch. But there’s something to be said for listening to people genuinely having fun. I’ll take a goof-off record from the Pettys, Harrisons, and Dylans of the world any day. Their stuff was out of print for a long time, but it got re-released last year. Head here to get yourself a copy.