I imagine the time will come when the only way to really shock the parents will be to become a radical. Maybe in a generation or two. Already, to some people questioning the consensus is the equivalent of a "Fuck you" - that's all they hear. That's why Thomas Friedman became furious after the Seattle protests he never saw coming. To some Democrats, arguing for Nader was like giving them the middle finger. As for pop culture's straining for shock value - whether Eminem or Temptation Island or Hannibal - let us blame it on the shameless Clinton, with his penchant for interns, cigars and masturbating in the sink, among other things.