Chicago Boyz Archive

Are Breitbart.com’s Standards Falling Down?

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Apparently so.

We sent the following message to Breitbart.com today:

Ordinarily, when a book is criticized in the press, it is right and proper that the authors come forward to respond to the critiques presented. The pseudonymous columnist “Hamilton” at breitbart.com has now published what purports to be a critique of our book America 3.0. But to respond to that column, it would be more appropriate to send it to the Land of Oz and ask the Scarecrow to pen the reply. The column is so stuffed with strawmen that a direct reply would require more expertise in that area than either of the authors can properly claim.

“Hamilton” (we respect the actual founder too much to apply his name without quotes to this pretentious hack without cringing) appears to base his entire column on the perceptive review of our book by Michael Barone in the Examiner, recently picked up by realclearpolitics.com. Hamilton seems perplexed as to why Barone, whom he claims to respect, seemed so favorable to the book. Perhaps, (and we are going out on a limb here) it is because Barone actually read the book, whereas it is perfectly obvious that “Hamilton” has not so much looked at a page of it, and actually didn’t read Barone’s summation of it with enough attention to pass a sixth-grade reading comprehension quiz.

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Mike Lotus Interviewed By Chuck Morse About America 3.0

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Thank you to Chuck Morse for today’s interview. Chuck very graciously gave me almost an hour to talk about the book. We discussed the roots of America 2.0, and the transition to America 3.0. So, we got into the history, and how the future might play out. Chuck suggested that we would have a second conversation, and it would be terrific if that happens.

The audio is here.

Civic Association and Loneliness: Two Sides of the Coin in the English-Speaking World

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An excellent article, Family Ties in Western Europe: Persistent Contrasts by David Sven Reher, Population and Development Review, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Jun., 1998), pp. 203-234 contains some fascinating passages which are highly consistent with the arguments we make in America 3.0:

Loneliness is one of the most important social problems in weak-family societies. I refer to the loneliness of the individual who must confront the world and his own life without the safety net of familial support so characteristic of strong-family regions.'” Suicide, often an indirect consequence of loneliness, tends to be far higher in northern Europe and the United States than it is in southern Europe.” The effects of loneliness are compensated in weak-family societies by a strong tradition of civic association, where people form groups, clubs, and societies for the most varied purposes. The number and variety of these associations in England or the United States would be unimaginable for a citizen of southern Europe. In weak-family societies the individual is able to combat loneliness by turning directly to civil society, itself largely the product of the needs and initiatives of its members, in contrast to strong-family societies where the family comes between the individual and civil society, meeting a large part of the needs stemming from loneliness.
 

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America 3.0: Author Appearance

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Monday, June 17, 2013
Western Conservative Summit, “Envisioning America 3.0” (James)

America 3.0: Jim Bennett at Colorado Christian University, Monday, June 17

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[Note that this event is scheduled for next Monday and reservations are required.]

From the CCU website:

Issue Monday: Envisioning America 3.0
 
Monday, June 17 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
 
Where is the voice of practical optimism to counter worries from both left and right that the USA faces irreversible decline? One such voice is that of James C. Bennett, historian, economist, space scientist, and futurist. Based right here in Colorado, Bennett is the originator of the Anglosphere concept and a Centennial Institute fellow. Join us on Monday evening, June 17, at 7:00 p.m. in the CCU Beckman Center to hear about the important new book he co-authored with Michael J. Lotus, America 3.0: Rebooting American Prosperity in the 21st Century – Why America’s Greatest Days are Yet to Come. His talk is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.

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