This is a great, historically meandering opinion piece at the NYT by Smithsonian historian Jon Grinspan, who writes that today’s combination of political polarization and Gilded Age excess has occurred before in America, followed by an era of ‘restraint,’ as Grinspan calls it, or ‘moderation,’ as I would call it. The only problem: we may have to wait till Gen Z (born 1997-2012) and Gen Alpha (2013-2055) grow up and take power before we see that more restrained/moderate era. …

It kind of makes sense when you think about it. Basically, Baby Boomers and Generation Xers have already blown it. Meanwhile, Millennials are in the process of blowing it with their own double-down generational versions of extreme lefty and righty leaders. So it’s up to you, Gen Z and Alpha.