"But David Foster Wallace predicted a hopeful turn. He could see a new wave of artistic rebels who 'might well emerge as some weird bunch of anti-rebels… who dare somehow to back away from ironic watching, who have the childish gall actually to endorse and instantiate single-entendre principles… Who eschew self-consciousness and hip fatigue.' "
Call me naive but I've thought about this before -- that this oversaturation of irony and the mainstreaming of 20th century-style rebellion could very soon have a backlash in the form of the rise of some kind of fascistic movement among young people.
FWIW I think that the younger generation is realizing they shouldn't afraid to be genuine about their feelings and public statements, unlike Gen X and the older Millenials before them. The world is getting weirder and scarier and the information/entertainment overload is overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. A lot of people are seeking out a real warmth and an un-snarky, eyeroll-free reception to their words and art. Problem is that our culture now forgets nothing. Too much self-reflection, too much nostalgia.
Call me naive but I've thought about this before -- that this oversaturation of irony and the mainstreaming of 20th century-style rebellion could very soon have a backlash in the form of the rise of some kind of fascistic movement among young people.