There’s a lot of distance between Paul Weyrich and Mumford and Sons, but Jordan Bloom finds a way to bridge the gap. Over at TAC, Bloom recalls this 2007 essay that Weyrich co-penned with Bill Lind:
“One of conservatism’s most fundamental impulses, and one of its most valuable in a time when history is neglected or forgotten, is to recover good things from the past. Traditional cities and towns, passenger trains and streetcars, are examples of this tendency, which we label retroculture. The next conservatism should incorporate retroculture as one of its guiding themes, a basis for its actions beyond politics.
[…]
“Why not retro manners and retro dress? It would be nice to see men’s and ladies’ hats again instead of kids’ underwear. By making old things new, retroculture might offer a counterweight to the endless spiral downward that pop culture decrees in everything.
Maybe it’s just a fad, but it seems some of today’s youth are embracing this alternative message. (This retro trend is perhaps consistent with the latest PPP survey, showing: “When asked what they thought was the best decade for music, Republicans chose the 1950s as their favorite decade and Democrats the 1960s.”)
In any event, you might think this sort of comparison is proof young Mr. Bloom has too much time on his hands. But this a sign of a creative mind. Consider this from Brain Pickings:
“Originality often consists in linking up ideas whose connection was not previously suspected,” wrote W. I. B. Beveridge in the fantastic 1957 tomeThe Art of Scientific Investigation. “The role of the imagination is to create new meanings and to discover connections that, even if obvious, seem to escape detection,” legendary graphic designer Paul Rand seconded.
Speaking of originality, I have previously spoken about my affinity for the TV show Portlandia, which (ironically) does a better job of mocking progressivism than almost anything else out there. In their first season, they did a skit about how the “Dream of the [19]90s is alive in Portland.”
During their second season, they went a step further, noting that the spirit of the 1890s is alive in Portland. If you’re familiar with Mumford and Sons, you’ll know it’s sort of true.
So I guess Weyrcih gets the last laugh? Now this is retroculture!