So to the older P&N crowd

[RichardE]

Has there always been major issues like there is today? Or is todays world unprecedented? It seems we are being fed the line of "the world is worse today than ever". Is that true? I am still young, so have no idea.

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: RichardE
Has there always been major issues like there is today? Or is todays world unprecedented? It seems we are being fed the line of "the world is worse today than ever". Is that true? I am still young, so have no idea.

It's always something. The most obvious example was the cold war, where we were always just one slip away from nuclear annihilation. During the 60's, the "hippies", rock and roll, and the feminist movement were all going to destroy American families and culture. Vietnam was huge, of course, as were Nixon/Watergate and the OPEC embargo. Iran contra was a big deal under Reagan. Assorted medical scares like swine flu and AIDS. Inflation/stagflation was a major problem in the late 70's and early 80's. Seems like there were a couple of recessions. That's just a few off the top of my head.

 

[JackStorm]

Originally posted by: RichardE
Has there always been major issues like there is today?

Yes. Read Bowfingers reply for examples.

Or is todays world unprecedented?

Nope. Sucks about as much as it always has.

It seems we are being fed the line of "the world is worse today than ever". Is that true? I am still young, so have no idea.

It's no worse than when I was younger. There's always something going on. Always someone playing on our fears, claiming that the world is ending or that our way of life will be destroyed by whoever or whatever is the current boogeyman.

 

[Moonbeam]

You don't have to be very old to have lived through numerous ends of the world.

By the way the world is identical to the day that Christ walked it, at lease out in the garden when your mind disappears.

 

[JackStorm]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
You don't have to be very old to have lived through numerous ends of the world.

Indeed.

 

[sandorski]

"Nothing is new under the Sun."

The issues may differ, but the probblems are the same as they always have been.

I think the biggest difference today compared to previous recent generations is that there seems to be an increasing fatigue with how things are working out. A decreased willingness to do what needs to be done in order to maintain Civilization as we know it.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Before I post this I should point out that I'm not that old. People landing on the moon was old hat by the time I was born.

But to address the OP's question... I came across an old headline from 1955 a while back (can't find it now). On the front page of a major news paper was a headline announcing the death of Albert Einstein. To the right and just below on the front page was a headline for a story (paraphrasing): Palestinian Terrorist Bombs Kill Several At Tel Aviv Cafe

The more things change... the more they stay the same.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: RichardE
Has there always been major issues like there is today? Or is todays world unprecedented? It seems we are being fed the line of "the world is worse today than ever". Is that true? I am still young, so have no idea.

Well other than in the movies, never had young people such as yourself calling for the offing of anyone older than 55 like we do now.

 

[daniel49]

here you can do some catching up youngster

Text

 

[Siddhartha]

1940's:
War
Crime: "Mafia"
Red Scare

1950's:
Red scare, war
Civil rights
Polio

1960's
Red scare: war,
civil rights: includes women and all minorites,
Economy: inflation
Drugs

1970's
Red Scare, war
Nixon
Economy: Oil shortages, stagflation, beginning of the deindustrilization, lost of blue collar jobs
Civil Rights
DRUGS!!!!!!!!!
Ecology
Crime!!
Racial integration of the North

1980's
Red Scare
Economy: high interest ratses, deindustrilization
Civil Rights
DRUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Decline of government help to neediest
Ecology
Crime!!!

 

[judasmachine]

we've been in some sort of war since around the 1890s as far as i can tell. even before that really...

 

[jrenz]

During the 60's, the "hippies", rock and roll, and the feminist movement were all going to destroy American families ... .

To some extent, I would have to say that this came to pass. Not necessarily due solely to these reasons, but nonetheless, the average American family is in poor shape these days.

 

[DotheDamnTHing]

Originally posted by: judasmachine
we've been in some sort of war since around the 1890s as far as i can tell. even before that really...

the quote from orwell fits nicely here "we've always been at war with eurasia etc"

 

[will889]

We have always had issues, but now more than ever it's come to the forefront that a true educated leader may not necesarrily get elected to the office of President. The "people" are not really represented anymore outside of corporate America in this persons opinion. Not that the dems would do any better it would just be a new set of issues, but still lobbyists and corporations and the motive for personal profit hold the pubic hostage. I actually think i see this republican admin* trying to do some wrong things purposefully to try and "feed" the war effort (this coming from a DS vet myself). I think we should have gone to war, but only in the sense of actually finding Bin Laden to start with. It's my feeling that Bin Laden's location have been known for some time and we really "can't" go after him. Not only "can't" but "won't". For reasons undisclosable*. A president with true vision, true accountability to the people, and the ability to gather other great minds that are also accountable to solve issues both geopolitically and on the domestic side seem much more elusive now more than ever, and it will only grow unless we drastically improve education here in he States and somehow possibly get rid of the electoral college or amend it's dogmatic operational status we will have more of a Nation of "have not's vs. has". The average college student today in my opinion is far less cultured into the true educational spectrum of liberal arts and and overall understanding of how the world works than in past generations. There are always exceptions - better schools produce better students usually but the gap is widening very quickly. Same with politics.

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: RichardE
Has there always been major issues like there is today? Or is todays world unprecedented? It seems we are being fed the line of "the world is worse today than ever". Is that true? I am still young, so have no idea.

Naw, my Dad used to tell me in the fifties that the world was worse than it ever had been. Remember WWII, Korea, WWI, Vietnam. Those things are just really messy. We have more now than ever before and live better than ever before. Refigeration is something that has only been around as a common thing for about 60/70 years and that means that you can have lettuce in Nebraska in January and fried chicken every night if you wish. Air conditioning is relatively new within the last 40 years as a common thing. Think how it was before that. Cars are much more comfortable than buggys and even the cars we had when I graduated from HS in 1964. They had more muscle, but rode horribly and seldom were ACed. Homes are much more confortable - got inside plumbing. Cameras do pictures without film and processing costs. ATM's mean that I don't have to plan a trip with travelers checks and cash enough to cover the whole period of travel - that is Sooooo much easier than even twenty years ago. I could go on and on. E-mail means that you can ask a question and get an answer right away, etc. You kids are spoiled and most of it because my generation and the ones before worked our butts off and already you take it all for granted. Computer science these days is just where to click and which card to buy. Ingrates!!!!

 

[will889]

But Condor you're talking about pratical and technical advances which would happen anyway regardless. Not the overall status of the US in this world and our real political progress. My Grandfather who was 75th Ranger in WW2 did not feel that way as your Dad did about todays kids/generation. Sometimes you have to go back to where you started to see how you got there to begin with if you get off track (and i am of the opinion that we are way off track). But i actually do like your optimism. Nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[Spamela]

vietnam & watergate were major deals when i was a teen,
but nothing today, not even the terrorist threat,
compares with WWII & the fear of a
nuclear war during the 50's-60's.

 

[palehorse]

exageration has always been a natural biproduct of political discussion... then again, i dont think the country has ever been as evenly polarized as it is today.

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: palehorse74
exageration has always been a natural biproduct of political discussion... then again, i dont think the country has ever been as evenly polarized as it is today.

So true. How did we get to the point where the other half the people are idiots?

 

[Fern]

Nah, it's always something.

I'll mention the Cuban Missle Crisis as an example as noone else has.

I do think there's more "nastiness" and exageration/spin/lying about political opponents in politics these days (including the media too).

But its nothing new. Sometime read up on the atmosphere in the 1700's and early 1800's. Newspapers just outright lied. E.g., they would print letters that were suppositly written by politicians (like George Washington) that were complete fabrications by the editors of the newspapers.

Fern

 

[Alistar7]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam

Originally posted by: palehorse74
exageration has always been a natural biproduct of political discussion... then again, i dont think the country has ever been as evenly polarized as it is today.

So true. How did we get to the point where the other half the people are idiots?

Actually its both halves, they are just being brainwashed on diametrically opposed agendas.

 

[NumbersGuy]

"When it's not one thing, it's another. It's always something." Rossanne Rossannaddanna.
&
"Every generation thinks it's smarter than the last and the next" Unknown


There have been many calamities; empires come and go, individuals and groups dissappear, yet overall the species has survived. Although Neandertals and "Hobbits" can't say the same.

People end up living their lives as best they can. War, famine, good times, bad times, epidemics. Babies are born, grow, boy* meets girl, babies, repeat.

IMO we have survived worse stages, instant nuclear anhilation, slavery, communism and Genghis Khan are examples.

There's a great song (and video) by Billy Joel, "We Didn't Start the Fire," along these lines.

Global warming will grief some (most?), benefit others (ND orange growers). Smarter folks of the future (as knowledge keeps increasing) will have plenty of screwups to work on. Good luck!



*repeat this: even AT geeks will eventually get lucky

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: JackStorm

Originally posted by: RichardE
Has there always been major issues like there is today?

Yes. Read Bowfingers reply for examples.

For a start, I am part of the "older" P&N crowd. I'm 64, and FDR was President when I was born. I remember the day Kennedy was shot. I remember the Whitehouse "plumbers" unwarranted breakin of Daniel Elsberg's psychiatrist. I remember the day Nixon fired Archibald Cox in the infamous "Saturday Night Massacre." I remember a lot of the negative aspects of our history, along with the positive.

To answer, no, it's worse, now than at any time since WWII, and in some ways worse than that. At least, we didn't start WWII.

Or is todays world unprecedented?

Nope. Sucks about as much as it always has.

No, it sucks much more. Nixon was the previous champion crook. He was a malevolent, paranoid speed freak who abused his authority to violate the rights of American citizens. The current Criminal In Chief is more of a crook. He's sold out almost all Americans to his corporate financial supporters with tax cuts for the upper 1% of income earners and mortgaged your great grandchildren's with deficit spending to launch his ego driven war.

It seems we are being fed the line of "the world is worse today than ever". Is that true? I am still young, so have no idea.

It's no worse than when I was younger. There's always something going on. Always someone playing on our fears, claiming that the world is ending or that our way of life will be destroyed by whoever or whatever is the current boogeyman.

[/quote]
It's MUCH worse, now, than at any previous time in our history. If anyone should know it would be John Dean, Nixon's Whitehouse counsel. See this excerpt from his book, Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush.

Nixon thrashed American citizens' Constitutional rights, but at least he knew they existed. The current assholes don't even acknowledge that much. If something doesn't change, soon, after 64 years, I'll finally be giving up on America of my youth and dreams.

 

[Jmman]

While certainly not as old as some around here, I do remember Vietnam, Nixon, the oil embargo, hostage crisis, etc. I do not see it being any worse than at other times in our history though, and certainly much better than a lot. People complain about $2 a gallon for gasoline, but I remember lines for hours to get gasoline at any price. People complain about the death toll in Iraq when 25 times as many soldiers died in Vietnam. Heck, more US soldiers died on D-day in WWII than Iraq in 3 years. I remember double digit interest rates. Terrorists? What about when there was a real credible fear that the Soviet Union was actually going to start a nuclear war. A car bomb pales in comparison. I could go on and on. Seperate bathrooms for blacks. The only ones that I see really saying that America of today is so much worse are those on the fringe left who seem to think Bush is the antichrist. Folks, he has two years left and then we will have a new president, probably a Democrat, and the Bush presidency will be only a memory........

 

[WiseOldDude]