Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2019 July 10

= July 10 =

Strauss Howe generational theory
According to Strauss Howe's theory on generations what exactly is a turning? For example Strauss Howe believe the Millennials ended roughly around 1982-2004. Is it hard to define a turning and does it have anything to do with generations? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss–Howe_generational_theory#Timing_of_generations_and_turnings — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.151.21.118 (talk) 10:43, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Terms like "generations" are approximations. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 12:03, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Indeed. To make matters worse, because these are now marketing buzzwords, "generations" are now "defined" day-by-day to suit particular needs rather than to reflect actual demographics. The difference between a Millennial and a Gen Z mostly comes down to how advertisers will try to target them. Matt Deres (talk) 12:48, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
 * What are you basing this assertion on? Demographers base the definition of generations on the generation time, the time it takes for members of a population to reach maturity and begin having offspring. For humans this is generally 20 to 30 years. Of course in non-academic contexts people may be looser with their definitions. Strauss and Howe were/are not academics. --47.146.63.87 (talk) 01:04, 13 July 2019 (UTC)
 * That idea only works if the entire human population were to reproduce at the same periodic points in time, like seven-year locusts. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 07:14, 13 July 2019 (UTC)
 * See main article Strauss Howe generational theory.: "According to the theory, historical events are associated with recurring generational personas (archetypes). Each generational persona unleashes a new era (called a turning) in which a new social, political, and economic climate exists. Turnings tend to last around 20–22 years. They are part of a larger cyclical "saeculum" (a long human life, which usually spans between 80–90 years, although some saecula have lasted longer)."


 * "While writing Generations, Strauss and Howe described a theorized pattern in the historical generations they examined, which they say revolved around generational events which they call turnings. In Generations, and in greater detail in The Fourth Turning, they describe a four-stage cycle of social or mood eras which they call "turnings". The turnings include: "The High", "The Awakening", "The Unraveling" and "The Crisis".
 * "According to Strauss and Howe, the First Turning is a High, which occurs after a Crisis. During The High, institutions are strong and individualism is weak. Society is confident about where it wants to go collectively, though those outside the majoritarian center often feel stifled by the conformity. According to the authors, the most recent First Turning in the US was the post–World War II American High, beginning in 1946 and ending with the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
 * "According to the theory, the Second Turning is an Awakening. This is an era when institutions are attacked in the name of personal and spiritual autonomy. Just when society is reaching its high tide of public progress, people suddenly tire of social discipline and want to recapture a sense of "self-awareness", "spirituality" and "personal authenticity". Young activists look back at the previous High as an era of cultural and spiritual poverty. Strauss & Howe say the US's most recent Awakening was the “Consciousness Revolution,” which spanned from the campus and inner-city revolts of the mid-1960s to the tax revolts of the early 1980s. "
 * "According to Strauss and Howe, the Third Turning is an Unraveling. The mood of this era they say is in many ways the opposite of a High: Institutions are weak and distrusted, while individualism is strong and flourishing. The authors say Highs come after Crises, when society wants to coalesce and build and avoid the death and destruction of the previous crisis. Unravelings come after Awakenings, when society wants to atomize and enjoy. They say the most recent Unraveling in the US began in the 1980s and includes the Long Boom and Culture War. "
 * "According to the authors, the Fourth Turning is a Crisis. This is an era of destruction, often involving war or revolution, in which institutional life is destroyed and rebuilt in response to a perceived threat to the nation's survival. After the crisis, civic authority revives, cultural expression redirects towards community purpose, and people begin to locate themselves as members of a larger group. The authors say the previous Fourth Turning in the US began with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and climaxed with the end of World War II. The G.I. Generation (which they call a Hero archetype, born 1901 to 1924) came of age during this era. They say their confidence, optimism, and collective outlook epitomized the mood of that era. The authors assert the Millennial Generation (which they also describe as a Hero archetype, born 1982 to 2004) show many similar traits to those of the G.I. youth, which they describe as including: rising civic engagement, improving behavior, and collective confidence. " Dimadick (talk) 09:19, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

Write-in votes in DRE machines
Hello, I have a question. How are write-in votes counted in touch screen systems, that is, in DRE machines? Are they stored on a memory card and read by a computer, as is usual for traditional votes? Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.41.100.198 (talk) 16:15, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
 * They vary somewhat by state, but there seems to be (at least) two general methods.
 * 1) Write-in votes are handled manually (the "old fashioned" way: paper ballots), e.g. Georgia.
 * 2) Write-in candidates must be "declared" (whatever that means), then they appear on the DRE list among the others, e.g. Texas.
 * Also, there are four types of DRE voting machines. At least one has an on-screen keyboard allowing user to write (type) name. Details here.  2606:A000:1126:28D:84CB:D08E:899F:D254 (talk) 06:44, 11 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Also, there are four types of DRE voting machines. At least one has an on-screen keyboard allowing user to write (type) name. Details here.  2606:A000:1126:28D:84CB:D08E:899F:D254 (talk) 06:44, 11 July 2019 (UTC)