Terry Teachout

All history, and most especially the history of the 20th century, argues against placing ideas in the saddle and allowing them to ride mankind. Too often, they end up riding individual men and women into mass graves.

I am, as it happens, a baby boomer, but not one who feels any broad-gauge nostalgia for the '60s and '70s. My attitude resembles that of my parents, who were born in the '20s and lived through the Great Depression and World War II.

The standardization of world culture, with local popular or traditional forms driven out or dumbed down to make way for American television, American music, food, clothes and films, has been seen by many as the very heart of globalization.

I've been saying I really want to get a 1992 Jeep Sahara, and I'm going to paint it so it looks like the 'Jurassic Park' Jeep. I've actually seen a guy who did have a Jeep Sahara, and he did make it look like the 'Jurassic Park' Jeep. I gave him a thumbs up and said, 'You're awesome!'