bOLOS uNITED sTATES hISTORY

mR > bOLOS (pERIODS 2ac & 5)

The American Paradox of Choice

Good luck next year with your coursework and the college selection process (if that's what you decide to do). Remember that the more choices you have, the more dissatisfied and paralyzed you will be, but that MAKING a choice is the most important way to end the agony. You WILL love what you choose, provided that you commit to that choice and don't look back.

    I thoroughly enjoyed being your instructor and most importantly, I treasure the relationships we created. Now please enjoy your summer!

    Mr > B

    The Final Four

    Please make sure you are taking notes on EACH presentation before transferring your comments to either the paper form or the electronic form below. Every student must turn in one piece of paper AND vote using the form linked below:

    The images above are adapted from George Packer’s most recent book, Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal. His essay version is called, "The Four Americas" and originally appeared in The Atlantic.

    America in our Time: The Consensus

    What are the consensus assumptions of your parents' generation ("GenX")? Try to frame this list in the most positive way possible. What ideas about America did your parents grow up believing were true, even if today they have begun to doubt some of those assumptions? Both you and they should practice empathy: even if your parents no longer support a particular assumption strongly, perhaps the majority of Americans (in power) still do? For example, what were your parents told regarding the practice of recycling?

    Click here for a editable small group worksheet.

    Featured Theme Song: "We Belong Together" by Vampire Weekend

    Lyrics
    We go together like sound and sight
    Black and white, day and night
    We go together like left and right
    Oh, we go together
    We go together like give and take
    Pains and aches, real and fake
    We go together, don't be opaque
    It's clear we go together
    We belong together
    We belong together
    Baby, there's no use in being clever
    Baby, it don't mean we'll stay together
    We go together like pots and pans
    Surf and sand, bottles and cans
    We go together like lions and lambs
    Oh, we go together
    We go together like Keats and Yeats
    Bowls and plates, days and dates
    We stay united like these old states
    It's how we go together
    We belong together
    We belong together
    Baby, there's no use in being clever
    Baby, it don't mean we'll stay together
    Hallelujah, you're still mine
    All I did was waste your time
    If there is not some grand design
    How'd this pair of stars align?
    Source: Musixmatch

    Songwriters: Rostam Batmanglij / Ezra Koenig