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Is There a Generational Culture War?

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
DOI10.1177/20419058211066514
Date01 December 2021
AuthorBobby Duffy
Published date01 December 2021
12 POLITICAL INSIGHT • DECEMBER 2021
‘Not cool, University of
Manchester. Not cool.’
This was how Jeb Bush,
former Governor of Florida,
responded to a 2018 story about Manchester
University Student Union ‘banning’ applause
at its events. Students had argued that
clapping might trigger anxiety among some
audience members, and that there were
quieter ways for people to show appreciation.
Students were encouraged to instead use
‘jazz hands’ – the British Sign Language
gesture for applause, where you lift both
hands up and wave them.
Media stories about a ‘culture war’ between ‘woke’ young people and
older generations abound. But, argues Bobby Duffy, if we look beyond
the headlines, we f‌ind a far more complex picture with social attitudes
shifting dramatically over the past 40 years.
Is There a
Generational
Culture War?
It may seem odd that such an eminent
American politician felt compelled to
comment on a minor decision by a handful of
students thousands of miles away in Britain.
In fact, former Governor Bush was making
a self-deprecating reference to his own
excruciating experience of ‘silent applause’,
when he had to ask his audience to clap
after a at speech during his unsuccessful
campaign for the 2016 Republican
presidential nomination.
But the joke was missed in the
international media storm that blew up
Political Insight December 2021 BU.indd 12Political Insight December 2021 BU.indd 12 18/11/2021 14:2018/11/2021 14:20

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