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Do you think that the world was better off back in the 70's and 80's, or even before then? I mean, it seems like we have so much to worry about these days, (environmental issues, fires, drought, terrorism, food supply, health care etc, etc...) and it seems like society is less kind and more un forgiving than it was back then. Not to say that there werent problems back then, but I just feel things are getting out of control these days. Maby its just because I was younger back then and didnt pay much attention to world issues? Does anyone else feel this way??
I was there, somewhere, back in the 70's and 80's. I remember VietNam, Charles Manson, 4 dead in Ohio, Munich Olympics, Watergate, Civil Rights, Disco, few choices in news sources, high interest rates, oil imbargo, oil bust, 3 Mile Island....
I'm sure there's much much more but today the NASDAQ is up over one full percent so I need to go check my retirement funds. No, things are not worse, people are not worse. We just learned to pay closer attention and have a wide variety of news sources to inform us. We experience and information we are more able to make better judgements, such as...
Congress... 535 reasons to support term limits with NO benefits and NO grandfathering tenure.
I think we have a tendency to view the past through rose-tinted glasses when each age faces its own challenges and hardships. I can't say I particularly want to go back to the good old days where women were seen as domestic slaves , racism and homophopia were even more prominent and having any kind of independent thought was considered a danger to society. Still I have to admit the age of the computer/PDA/MP3 and people being welded to their cell phones, and an era of celebrity culture which has taken shallowness to new heights is hardly something we should be proud of either...
I think we have a tendency to view the past through rose-tinted glasses when each age faces its own challenges and hardships. I can't say I particularly want to go back to the good old days where women were seen as domestic slaves , racism and homophopia were even more prominent and having any kind of independent thought was considered a danger to society. Still I have to admit the age of the computer/PDA/MP3 and people being welded to their cell phones, and an era of celebrity culture which has taken shallowness to new heights is hardly something we should be proud of either...
Good comparisons, all throughout history there have been problems.
Who would have enjoyed living in the Civil War when much of our country was destroyed? Who would have enjoyed living in the early 1800's when rich meant you had a large herd of cattle instead of a small herd? Who would have enjoyed the 1600's and all the wars, famines, and diseases (that are easily treated now) that ran rampant in those days?
Its certainly no picnic today, but I'm not sure there ever has been a time that was a picnic.
Good posts - Willys we must be close in age - I sort of idealize the 60s when I was a little kid seeing the world through the golden age of the sitcom, sci-fi (Lost in Space), real space travel, classy old movie stars and singers doing variety specials, etc. But there was that little thing called Vietnam and the Cuban Missle Crisis, the assassinations, etc -- plus the social intolerance and inequities mentioned.
If I had to pinpoint something I would echo Moosketeer's thoughts about the tacky, stupid, no-class 'stars' we have today - plus the songs of the 60s, 70s and 80s were damn good, not this crap which passes for music today.
I will wholeheartedly agree that the coddling of celebrities raises the hair on the back of my neck. Frankly I pray that I can continue to send PBS a few hundred dollars each year so I can watch the McNeil/Lear Newshour just to get objective reporting of news.
However, I disagree with Lakewooder (whom I respect) regarding music. I continue to enjoy some of the new music I hear but continue to enjoy the older musicians.
Good posts - Willys we must be close in age - I sort of idealize the 60s when I was a little kid seeing the world through the golden age of the sitcom, sci-fi (Lost in Space), real space travel, classy old movie stars and singers doing variety specials, etc. But there was that little thing called Vietnam and the Cuban Missle Crisis, the assassinations, etc -- plus the social intolerance and inequities mentioned.
If I had to pinpoint something I would echo Moosketeer's thoughts about the tacky, stupid, no-class 'stars' we have today - plus the songs of the 60s, 70s and 80s were damn good, not this crap which passes for music today.
I think the music and TV shows of today are crap too but I am not of the generation (18-30) this media is programmed for. I think people who are in their 20's now are loving this stuff and will look back fondly on Survivor VI twenty years from now.
And yeah the "stars" of today ain't got no talent or class.
I think the average person today is more socially isolated from everyone and lives in a lonely stressed filled world. More people are taking drugs for depression and has trouble sleeping. Also immigration has divided America and caused a breakdown in our society.
Though, the economy is better than the 1970s and 80s. Remember the Reagan Recession with 20% unemployment and the terrible inflation during the 1970s.
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It's all relative
