Tattoos and Knitting

Of the 75 microtrends cataloged in his book, Penn admits none caught his attention more than the bizarre fact churned up by a Miami polling firm last December, which found that 1 percent of Californians between the ages of 16 and 22, asked what they expected to be doing in 10 years, volunteered that they hoped to be military snipers. A sign of a generation desensitized to life and addled by videogames? Not to worry, says Penn. Aspiring snipers are evidence of a patriotic generation, who see sniping—a profession requiring reserve and cool in a war without front lines—as the new "Top Gun" military profession.

Penn insists that "Microtrends" is not a political book—and no doubt marketing executives and "Tipping Point" devotees will find plenty to chew on here. But given Penn's affiliation with the Clintons—and the mantra-like repetition of the word "tolerance" as a key to understanding an increasingly "disaggregated" America, it's hard to find good news here for any candidate who does not share his outlook. He insists he has been meaning to write the book for years, though conveniently, it is being published just five months before the first primaries. Democracies of the future, writes Penn, "may find it harder to maintain stable coalitions and will find that issue and lifestyle coalitions (i.e. antiwar activists or single moms) will more likely replace the identity politics of the past." If your favorite candidate is suddenly pitching tax credits for math majors or new safety standards for tattoo parlors, it's a safe bet they've been thumbing through "Microtrends."

© 2007