The Subaltern and I

So I asked my subaltern if he'd listened to NPR this morning.

They had Former Deputy Undersecretary of Assistant State Stuff Richard Armitage on pushing a new brand of bottled diplomacy called "SmartPower(Now with Quinine)TM". Seems like a kind of "soft power" in comfortable shoe. Transcript available for purchase, here.

I thought to spark up a conversation about the values of soft versus hard power.

Instead, he tells me he doesn't listen to NPR. And as a counter, brings up "The Daily Show." I asked him if he got his news from "TDS." Told me no. He also watches CNN.

Which is like TDS without the humor.

Kids these days are funny. Still ornery, still aggressive, still Merkin. But their dataflow...TDS, CNN and the like, combined with a lack of basic grounding in How Stuff Works, is going to make for some interesting times, ahead.

Oh well. That's life.