It is my privilege to share workspace with a soon-to-be-distinguished student of history , Ryan Sayre “Prayers” Patrico. Like other advocates of civilization, Ryan is shocked and dismayed by the almost total ignorance of history among young Americans. The only consolation I can offer him is that this is not simply a case of American barbarism.
This past weekend I had a great conversation about politics with a lively and intelligent seventeen year old. At some point I mentioned, in passing, the fall of the Berlin Wall. He interjected, “When was that, around 1997?” This would have been depressing enough coming from an American, but my young interlocutor was a European exchange student. And by “European” I mean born and raised in Frankfurt .
O tempora, o mores!
