Boorstin's Theory

Background

Daniel J. Boorstin's philosophy put into simpler words, said that change is inevitable and unpredictable. His question was, can change be predicted or managed?He implied that although one cannot predict change, what matters is how you react to it. Boorstin said that societies that adapt better to change last long, because change cannot be managed. The societies that try and stop change also fail, because change is inevitable.

Examples

Caroline Pacha -Nobody can predict or manage change- One example is when slavery was abolished in America in 1865. America had slaves since colonial times, and it was thought at the time that slavery would last forever. President Lincoln debates with Illinois senator, Stephen A. Douglas in Galesburg, Illinois in 1858, and during their fifth debate Lincoln says,"I wish to return Judge Douglas my profound thanks for his public annunciation here to-day, to be put on record, that his system of policy in regard to the institution of slavery contemplates that it shall last forever." In 1858 the anti-slavery movement was sweeping through the nation, and Stephen A. Douglas was trying to to manage the antislavery movement instead of responding to it. Although Stephen A. Douglas predicted that slavery would last forever and tried to make sure of it, he failed due to the fact that you cannot predict or manage change. http://www.nps.gov/liho/historyculture/debate5.html

Joseph Hlavinka Another example of Boorstin's Theory in action is the example of Communism. Although Communism had been an idea quite a bit of time with debatable origins, it did not become a major world force idea until the late 1800's, when although Karl Marx was on the downswing, the Bolshevik revolution was just around the corner due to his ideas. Due to the way in which people reacted to this idea, we soon had a World War or two and a cultural revolution on our hands. It is still the form of government used by some countries today, though the way in which it is executed is a dictatorship, not an anarchy like the idea of Communism would expect. All in all, Communism and by extension Marxism are both ideas that came about randomly, as per Boorstin's theory, that ended up having a major effect on the world as we know it today.

Laurel McKelvey -The Fall of the Roman Empire - If you go back in time and tell people that Rome will eventually fall, you will most likely be sent to an insane asylum. Rome was the most powerful country in the world. The Roman army was unstoppable. Romance languages, our calendar, and the spreading of Christianity have Roman origins. The Empire was thriving. Prosperity showered the Romans. It looked as if Rome would live forever as the top empire in the world. But history takes crazy turns sometimes. Rome became too large to handle, there was corruption in the military, and slaves were putting citizens out of work. People began dying due to starvation and disease. Political parties declared war against each other. Chaos broke out everywhere. Barbarian tribes found this time as an opportunity to attack Rome. Rome could not defend itself. In 476 AD, the Visigoths sacked the Roman Empire. Nobody predicted that Rome would fall. Nobody could predict that Rome would fall. You cannot predict change and that is the bottom line. Sources: http://rome.mrdonn.org/fall.html and http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome

== 'Grace Vincent' == The Great Depression. In the 1920's a.k.a the roaring twenties lives up to its name. Although it was a brief time period,the people were very optimistic. After the end of World War One people were looking forward to a break and believing prosperity for all of America. People got carried away and began investing heavily in the stock market. People bought stock on margin, meaning that they only had to pay a % of the stock value and borrow the rest. But suddenly the economy collapsed and investors lost all value in their stock account leaving almost bankrupt and penniless. Coming out of the roaring twenties into this horrible depression was like a smack in the face. No one saw it coming nor could we do anything about it. American citizens were forced to keep that optimism from the roaring 20's to revive to economy in a time where people wanted to give up. This tragedy that happened in October 29, 1929, all over America just before thanksgiving and Christmas. The american government initiated problems to lift people out of poverty. We also eventually engaged in world war two which gave a boost to the economy and the american morale. This provides as a great example of the Boorstin Theory because the US was caught off guard, thrown into a horrible depression, and forced them to adapt to the changes and restore america back to its former greatness.

"Katherine Yao"~ The Space Race The 1950s marked the peak of the Cold War, in which tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union had reached its highest. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, the US and Russia were neck in neck in the war. Technology and space exploration was a big part of the Cold War. A vast majority of people believed that the United States would be the first ones to launch an artificial satellite into Earth's orbit. They were proven wrong on October 4, 1957 when a Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launched "Sputnik". Sputnik became the worlds first artificial satellite and man made object to be placed in Earth's orbit. The launching of Sputnik surprised and angered many Americans. In retaliation, America launched Explorer I (a satellite) in 1958. Later that year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an order forming the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA). In December of 1968, Apollo 8 was launched, being the first manned orbit of the moon. On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched 3 men to the moon. These men would then be the first humans to ever walk on the moon. The turn of events in the Space Race serves to prove Boorstin's theory-- no one would have ever thought that the Soviet Union would beat the United States to space.

Layo Laniyan- Women in the Workforce During World War II, women made up most of the workforce as most of the men were fighting in Europe. Prior to WWII, most women worked in the domestic sphere, or in their homes. This caused a shift in attitude toward women working in the public sphere. When men returned from the war, most women lost their jobs to their male counterparts. Despite this, many women returned to the workforce. The increase in workforce, helped the American economy. In order to accommodate this shift, many other countries adapted and allowed women into the workforce to compete with the US. Although nobody predicted this shift in attitude towards women, most countries adapted and improved for the better, supporting Boorstin's Theory. Sources: [1]

Michael Meaux- Arab Spring- Just recently, for the past two and a half years, riots, rebellions, and revolutions have been breaking out in the middle east. Small groups of freedom fighters would go on strike or fight against the government both through militarized assaults and political assaults. These riots were followed by more and more in different countries. The Arab Spring was thought to have started due to the political stress build-up and the model of the French Revolution and the American Revolution. This Arab Spring proves Boorstin's Theory correct because the government leaders did not adapt and change to the revolutions happening around them and, now they have either adapted and kept control, or they did not and are overthrown. http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline

Emily Ragauss- 9/11 On September 11, 2001, over 3,400 people were killed after an terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. 2 commercial planes were hijacked and flown into the two twin buildings. Another plane hit the Pentagon and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The results of these attacks were death and destruction, and it triggered U.S. initiatives to defend the U.S. and the president from terrorist attacks. In airports all around the U.S., the security was transformed into what it is today. A lot of screening and it takes forever. No one could have expected the planes to be hijacked by an Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda or the World Trade Center getting blown up, proving Boorstin's theory, that changed cannot be predicted and reacting to that change won't be easy.Link 1Link 2