> I'd hardly say we're in a post-postmodern stage, though... whatever the fuck that means, I'm assuming it's a reactionary stage against postmodernism, which would make it plain modernism.

There's no reason a reaction against post-modernism would have to be plain modernism. Its hardly as if approaches to the world are on a simple unidimensional scale where there are only two extremes, and any reaction against one must be simply its polar opposite.

We've been in a post-pomo world since 9/11: see http://www.bruno-latour.fr/sites/default/files/89-CRITICAL-I... if you doubt this. What's odd is someone dusting off the irony-is-killing-us essay template again after a decade of stridency and self-assurance.

That's an interesting piece. You can see how some lines of thought have become verboten in respectable society. This era might be considered the Rise of Fear and the Return of Authority.

FWIW I think that the younger generation is realizing they shouldn't afraid to be genuine about their feelings and public statements, unlike Gen X and the older Millenials before them. The world is getting weirder and scarier and the information/entertainment overload is overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. A lot of people are seeking out a real warmth and an un-snarky, eyeroll-free reception to their words and art. Problem is that our culture now forgets nothing. Too much self-reflection, too much nostalgia.