Camelot

The musical Camelot premiered in 1960 and was immensely popular. It was a favorite of John F. Kennedy, and his whole term of office was associated with it. Once the assassination happened, it became even more poignantly appropriate, as it pointed backward to a more perfect time when anything could happen, when the world was only getting better.

Or so Jackie wanted you to think.

Really, the Camelot association was set up completely by JFK’s widow after his death. She worked with - maybe worked over is a better term - journalists at the time to very specifically associate her husband’s administration with the lines

Don't let it be forgot, 

that once there was a spot, 

for one brief, shining moment, 

that was known as Camelot.

(Several movies since then have made it seem as if it was there the whole time. Forrest Gump drinks too many bottles of Dr. Pepper while the musical’s title song plays in the background. Animal House’s not-quite-infamous parade scene referenced Camelot as well as Jackie’s November 22 outfit, although it was set a full year earlier. (Some goofs suggest it actually was set in fall of 1963.))

Nonetheless, making this sort of branding work is dependent on people being willing to believe in it. That Jackie was ABLE to make it stick says something about how well it worked. So let’s look at that for a moment.

We can see in this American myth of Camelot that...

• Everything was better before the world started changing
• The reason everything was better was that the folks in charge cared about what they were doing
• Important Work was being done, and being done through Big Ideals

As we continue, though, we have to acknowledge some less hopeful attributes as well

• Even the most pure and chaste could become corrupted
• Big Ideals are not easy to stand by when one is personally involved
• Once corruption becomes common, it is difficult for what has been built to remain standing.

The musical ends with the start of a war, one that may destroy all that has come before. This sort of destruction can be expected during Fourth, but also Second, Turnings. (For comparison, look at the English Civil War (1642-1651), which resulted in the death of the king and the temporary absence of the monarchy.) The only suggestion that this is a Third Turning (i.e. leading into a Fourth) is that it is mostly about a single person, Arthur. However, in this case the single person is also the head of state and government. These institutions are weak, not strong, during the Third Turning. The rest of the attributes above, positive and negative, are First Turning indicators. 

The fact that Camelot (the musical) was hugely popular suggests that it already was in tune with the times, that people did feel the world was, if not perfect, at least getting there. Post-war optimism - a basic First Turning phenomenon - would align with that. There was also that recently-founded Round Table, the United Nations. Perhaps everyone knew that corruption was around, but were willing to accept it until it could no longer be ignored. In any case, we can see in Camelot a too-appropriate description of the transition from First to Second Turning:  A hopeful, enthusiastic post-war world gets caught up in corruption and self-attack, eventually falling apart. 

Jackie probably didn’t have to work as hard as she did on Camelot. It was so obvious that it might have happened on its own anyway.