We're poised on a cultural renaissance

Feeling hopeless about $4 per gallon gasoline, gridlock in Springfield and Washington, global warming, and rising food prices? Read Patricia Martin's new book, "RenGen: Renaissance Generation-the rise of the cultural consumer and what it means to your business." It might make you feel more hopeful.

Martin, a cultural specialist based in Chicago, predicts that we are about to see the flowering of a major cultural renaissance. She notes that the period before the European Renaissance of the 14th - 17th centuries was characterized by economic chaos, political corruption, famines and plagues. Martin views negative forces then and now as capable of triggering a process of transformation catalyzed by the human imperative to invent ways to survive.

While the title of the book, "RenGen" refers primarily to 20- or 30-somethings, Martin is quick to point out that the label is less about a specific age group and more about a mind-set. "A change in mind-set is a reorganization of meaning, and the way we derive meaning from life determines the psychic fabric of the common culture," she said.

At some level the new mind-set is an outgrowth of the Internet which allows for self-publishing via blogs and YouTube which allows for self-publishing of videos, or even iPods which give access to music, the Internet and almost everything electronic. Using these new media for some five years or so, there is even a new aesthetic that prefers the sometimes flawed personal opinion-the rough, edgy funny, weird video and the instantaneous access to everything as opposed to "produced" media that seems more staid and slow.

As evidence of this Martin points to the "indie" phenomenon among artists which eschews established channels. Hollywood, record companies and publishers have a system. "The indie approach is decidedly grassroots and free-range," Martin reports. Apparently, it's working. Just look at the tremendous growth in independent films. The Independent Film Channel now has a subscriber base of 30 million households.

Martin cites numerous other examples from popular culture, business, technology and the arts. She even touches on the new spirituality that is decidedly not mainstream but definitely powerful and growing. The genius of this book is to take all of these seemingly disparate societal trends which we all know about, and put them into a coherent whole, and posit the idea that underneath all of this is a collective creativity that will drive us into a new renaissance-and probably sooner rather than later.

Melissa Henderson is the head of children's services at the Glencoe Public Library and an enthusiast for Martin's book. "One of the reasons that I, as a librarian, think this book is important is because the RenGen are 'our' people. Libraries, especially public libraries, should embrace any group that is into personal transformation; after all, to borrow from Omar Wasow, commentator on technology and social issues, libraries are about transformation, not just information. Libraries are the place in a community where people can gather to find and share information not just virtually but physically, which is more valuable in some ways. It can be very difficult to find a space in the community like a public library: open to all, regardless of background, affiliation, income."

Tune into my podcast interview with RenGen author Patricia Martin at http://www.sarahlong.org/podcast/.

Sarah Long is director of the North Suburban Library System. Send e-mail to slong@nsls.info.