Word: cults
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1960-1969
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...when, as you say, it "languished largely unread." At that time, Tolkien came as a blessed and delightful discovery, unsullied by elvish slogans on subway walls, FRODO LIVES buttons, or campus societies. But now, everywhere one turns, gushing over-enthusiasts are to be found turning Tolkien into a common cult, with no recognition for the most ardent readers of all who, instead of joining the society, are keeping quiet. As for you, TIME, may the hair on your feet become mangy and fall out. You have done your...
...reform that middle-agers could institute themselves. Middle-agers need prestige as well as power within U.S. society. They need to have their age role approved by those around them rather than feel defensive and self-conscious about it. What militates against this is the Youth Cult...
...Youth Cult is intimately related to the American denial of death. Europe has escaped it so far by retaining the tragic sense of life. There it is recognized that each age has its unique joys and charms, and the entire span of life is valued as equally precious. In the U.S., the Youth Cult marches from trick to trick, the latest being a preparation called "Great Day," by which a man can rinse that grey right out of his hair...
...Like any loquacious neighborhood, hobbyist who has gone overboard for home movies, he mixes obtuse observations of native customs with exuberant how-dy-do's ("Say hello, Lance. Atta baby!") to some of his surfing pals visited along the way. Perhaps wisely, Brown leaves analysis of the surf-cult mystique to seagoing sociologists, but demonstrates quite spiritedly that some of the brave souls mistaken for beachniks are, in fact, converts to a difficult, dangerous and dazzling sport...
...some, like Maurice Belanger, assistant professor of education, attacked the write-ups. "I see no hope for a significant dialogue based on cult, gush, and gossip," Belanger wrote. Strangely enough, his write-up was the most flattering in the booklet...