You're Getting Warmer

One of the neat things about old literature--doesn't even have to be great literature--is it gives you a sense of perspective. You can understand what concerned people at different times and places. (I don't trust historical novels to do this--they too easily incorporate modern views.)

What you sometimes learn is people had very different views. More often, you realize how similar we all are.

For instance, I was just looking at Kaufman and Ferber's 1932 play Dinner At Eight (made into an even more famous movie in 1933). In the final scene, all the characters gather and make small talk.

Here's one line--remember, it's meant as a cliche: "But the trouble with children today is that they're blase at fourteen. They've been everywhere, they've seen everything, they've done everything."

This sentiment has been heard at least since the days of ancient Greece, yet every generation makes it anew.

But this really caught my eye: "They say it's getting warmer every winter. It's on account of the Gulf Stream. They say there'll be palm trees growing where the Empire State is."

Wow. I didn't know anyone worried about global warming in the 30s. I knew there was a warming trend in the first half of the 20th century, followed by a cooling trend that had people worried about a new ice age around the 70s. And everyone now knows there have been ups and downs in temperature throughout history. But I honestly didn't know anyone was concerned about it until fairly recently. I figured they all had the "everybody talks about the weather..." attitude.