An America that can do anything

by phil on Saturday May 8, 2010 10:28 PM
historical patterns

Is there such a thing as a "great" generation? Roosevelt once said that "To some generations, much is given. Of other generations, much is expected." When I watch documentaries on the History Channel about Britain during World War II or the United States during the Marshall Plan, I perceive a country on its best behavior, that there was a "good" Britain or America playing out. Americanness or Britishness was present. How do you measure when a country is behaving more true to its own ideals? Were the baby boomers a bad generation? What determines whether a particular generation will turn out well? Is it simply a matter of having good leaders?