When I was in junior high we learned about the stock market crash of '29 and the Great Depression. Our teacher, a very smart and dedicated guy, said at one point that there wasn't a big spike in crime because people were more pious and moral back in the thirties. He said he'd hate to see what would happen if the economy crashed in 1984.
Yes, this was 1984. Which is funny because that's now a long time ago. The Good Old Days, you might say. If you were a kid back then you get to pretend that you and people in general were just better back then.
The world has changed in ways that I personally find annoying, no doubt. But do people just plain suck now more than they used to? I can't imagine being comfortable making that claim.
Yes, this was 1984. Which is funny because that's now a long time ago. The Good Old Days, you might say. If you were a kid back then you get to pretend that you and people in general were just better back then.
The world has changed in ways that I personally find annoying, no doubt. But do people just plain suck now more than they used to? I can't imagine being comfortable making that claim.
2 comments:
There have been several crashes since 1984, people actually earn less than they did in 1970, and the numbers of homeless families is shocking.
It's certainly true that people knew less about what was going on in the world at large pre-internet (and particularly before the widespread use of social media). I don't believe people are worse but there's far more blame being cast between groups than seems reasonable and the media itself is fuelling much of that for the simple reason they make more money by fomenting opposition. Some might say they're actively trying to drive us crazy.
That's another thing to keep in mind. We've had a number of economic collapses and steady erosion since that time. Perhaps equivalent to a depression, but since some business has gotten done it's never risen to what usually gets called an emergency. Well an emergency has been called now, but that's a joke.
People have more information now. Whether it's good information or not, well, that varies. In the media, the problem is that on-the-ground reporters are always the ones whose jobs are cut. Pundits, most of whom are worthless or worse, have far more job security.
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