The East Kent Salon is a forum for debate, launched in 2019. It is part of a network based in cities including Manchester, London, Leeds, Liverpool and Zurich, and is inspired by the annual London 'Battle of Ideas' festival run by the Academy of Ideas.

We acknowledge a debt to the ‘enlightenment salons’ of the past, which emerged from the literary and philosophical movements of the 17th and 18th centuries. They hosted many of the great thinkers of the time, such as Diderot, Rousseau and Voltaire. The salons reflected the intellectual ferment of their age, and acted as the seeding ground for ideas that would usher in the new age of democracy and the freedoms which have shaped the society we live in. They were precursors of a 'public sphere' through which the public could be a part of debating and shaping the ideas of the age that in turn shape their lives.

This spirit is much needed in the present and for the future. In 2019 the value of free speech and democracy itself have been called into question, whilst online public fora often resemble echo chambers. By contrast the salon is a space where ideas can be put forward and where audiences can listen, discuss and argue back. Our discussions are always pitched towards an interested general public.

The salons are held at public venues in Canterbury and elsewhere in East Kent. Discussions will generally be introduced by speakers, but there will always be an emphasis on input from the audience. Events are designed to be conversational, ensuring that as many people as possible have the opportunity to speak their minds.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Who is stealing young people’s future?

For our very first East Kent Salon we are lucky to have sociologist Jennie Bristow introducing a discussion on the generation wars: Who is stealing young people’s future?

Date: October 17th, 7-9 pm, 
Venue: The City Arms,  7 Butchery Lane, Canterbury CT1 2JR

The so-called ‘generational divide’ between old and young seems to inform many political debates today. On the one hand it is claimed that older generations voted for their interests and prejudices over the needs of the young, to whom the future belongs. On the other, the younger generations are heralded as either the saviours of politics or the victims of greedy parents. Indeed millennials are often encouraged to regard their parents’ generation as entitled and selfish, and to blame the baby boomers of the Sixties for the cultural, economic, and political problems of today. But is it true that young people have been victimised by their elders? And who stands to gain from making this claim?

In her new book Stop Mugging Grandma: The 'Generation Wars' and Why Boomer Blaming Won't Solve Anything, sociology lecturer Jennie Bristow interrogates the rise of intergenerational conflict. Bristow argues that, throughout the Western world, assumptions about differences of interests and needs between generations have become a new ideology, distorting the framework for wider social and economic debates.

In this inaugural event of the East Kent Salon, Bristow will give a short lecture exploring the prominence and popularity of terms like ‘baby boomer’, ‘millennial’, and ‘snowflake’ in mainstream media and will assess how the discussion on generations relates to important issues such as housing, education, pensions, and employment. Salon attendees will then discuss the issues raised by the book and have the opportunity to interrogate the key arguments that surround the ‘generational war’.

Jennie Bristow is senior lecturer in sociology at Canterbury Christ Church University and an associate of the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies. Her other books include The Sociology of Generations: New Directions and Challenges (Palgrave 2016) and Baby Boomers and Generational Conflict (Palgrave 2015).

 Entry to the discussion is £3. Discussion is in the bar, and food is available, so please patronise our generous hosts at The City Arms

*Join our East Kent Salon Facebook group where all events will be announced, and discussions can be pursued post-salon.

 *Where possible indicate your intention to attend via the East Kent Salon facebook group  or via  Eventbrite as we are limited by venue size.

                                     ***Spread the word - all welcome!***

Some reading on the topic:

*The futility of generation warsJennie Bristow, spiked, 21 June 2019
*The Theft of a Decade: How the Baby Boomers Stole the Millennials’ Economic Future. Reviewed by:Craig R. Roach. NY Journal of Books, May 14, 2019
*A Generation of Sociopaths review – how Trump and other Baby Boomers ruined the worldJane Smiley, Guardian, 17 May 2017





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