For some of us, though, the leaps are a little too mind-boggling.
I look at America, and I see a lot of people who are both future-shocked and traumatized by the present. Maybe we shouldn't be too surprised by the backlash against the 21st century and the desire of millions to return to the comforting certainties of the 18th.
At least, certainties in retrospect, since we know how their story turned out. I wouldn't be surprised if the 18th century wasn't so comforting to those who lived it.