[Olog-hai]

We have the greatest opportunity the world has ever seen, as long as we remain honest — which will be as long as we can keep the attention of our people alive. …

JFTR, that block of text is not in the 1787 letter to Colonel Carrington. This is how it really reads:

I am convinced that those societies (as the Indians) which live without government enjoy in their general mass an infinitely greater degree of happiness than those who live under European governments. Among the former, public opinion is in the place of law, and restrains morals as powerfully as laws ever did anywhere. Among the latter, under pretense of governing they have divided their nations into two classes, wolves and sheep. I do not exaggerate. This is a true picture of Europe. Cherish therefore the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, judges and governors shall all become wolves.

I cannot find the actual source of the unrelated text from above.

[Dick Bachert]

Thank you. I gleaned that quote from an ordinarily accurate source. It appears that my source did some para-phasing.
The truth is that your “find” makes Mr. Jefferson’s feeling on the subject EVEN more strident and intense!
I shall begin using YOUR cite though, given the shortened attention span of today’s population, it may be necessary to - as accurately as possible - apply some out of quotation para-phrasing there as well. I suspect that problem is what prompted MY source to do so.
On that attention span thing, I recently heard a presentation by a man who’s spent 20 years in the visual media business. I was shocked to learn that his experience with the Generation Xers and Millennials is as follows:
* Most of them DO NOT READ BOOKS but get their information from their electronic devices (smart phones, tablets, computers).
* If something they “click” on doesn’t grab their attention in the first 8 seconds, THEY’RE GONE!
* Even if they’re “hooked” in those first 8 seconds, most of them will TUNE OUT if it runs much over 2 minutes.
THAT EXPLAINS A LOT DOESN’T IT?
Years ago there was a TV program called “The Short Attention Span Theater”. Looks like we’re there!

[Dick Bachert]

Thank you. I gleaned that quote from an ordinarily accurate source. It appears that my source did some para-phasing.
The truth is that your “find” makes Mr. Jefferson’s feeling on the subject EVEN more strident and intense!
I shall begin using YOUR cite though, given the shortened attention span of today’s population, it may be necessary to - as accurately as possible - apply some out of quotation para-phrasing there as well. I suspect that problem is what prompted MY source to do so.
On that attention span thing, I recently heard a presentation by a man who’s spent 20 years in the visual media business. I was shocked to learn that his experience with the Generation Xers and Millennials is as follows:
* Most of them DO NOT READ BOOKS but get their information from their electronic devices (smart phones, tablets, computers).
* If something they “click” on doesn’t grab their attention in the first 8 seconds, THEY’RE GONE!
* Even if they’re “hooked” in those first 8 seconds, most of them will TUNE OUT if it runs much over 2 minutes.
THAT EXPLAINS A LOT DOESN’T IT?
Years ago there was a TV program called “The Short Attention Span Theater”. Looks like we’re there!