Biggest social changes in last 40 years

[kennethpollock]

I am 65. A lot has changed in the USA and it is hard to get used to some of them. They include, IMO, in no particular order:
(a) Decline in standards of dress
(b) Decline in manners
(c) More sexual openness and a decline in morals, due to a perversion of women's liberation and the Pill, IMO
(d) Less open racism and segregation (about the same, but mostly hidden now) and more political correctness
(e) Death of the inner part of almost all American cities (what little is left in most is mostly government offices and government built structures like libraries, sports arenas, etc.) due, IMO, to white flight and the automobile. This is hard for me to accept. I am an urbanite, but now, except for NY, I have to go to Europe to enjoy the pleasures of central city strolling, window shopping, etc.
(f) Loss of influence of the Church and religion (40 years ago, American ministers would have demanded and gotten the resignation of Bill Clinton)
(g) More gadgets such as computers, cell-phones, etc.
(h) More immigrants (illegal and legal)

 

[j]

40 years ago, people would have had the decency to leave Clinton's affair in private, like they did with JFK's.

 

[Master Shake]

Originally Posted by kennethpollock

I am 65. A lot has changed in the USA and it is hard to get used to some of them. They include, IMO, in no particular order:
(d) Less open racism and segregation
Yeah, that is such a hard one to get used to.

 

[dkzzzz]

Originally Posted by j

40 years ago, people would have had the decency to leave Clinton's affair in private, like they did with JFK's.

Cannot agree more. /\\

In last 40 years we lost our style and individualism, but did not loose our religious idiocy and here we are.

 

[Dakota rube]

I can't recall in which book I first read this (either Gitlin's The Sixties; or Halberstam's The Fifties) but the invention of the birth control pill has had a huge and fundamental impact on society.

 

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by j

40 years ago, people would have had the decency to leave Clinton's affair in private, like they did with JFK's.

Very well-put!

 

[Saucemaster]

a) People don't wear social "uniforms" as much. I mean, how are you supposed to know where to classify someone if they don't dress like they're SUPPOSED to?!
b) More freedom to speak one's mind. I liked it when people pretended to like each other, it made sure that I was happy when all I ever did was skate along the surface, where I'm most comfortable.
c) Women ******** now. Some even enjoy it. Oh, how I long for the good old days.
d) Darkies drink from my water fountains. And I have to call them "African-Americans". This is ridiculous, we had perfectly good names for them and now we can't use them, just because they get offended.
e) ...And they're in the cities now, too!
f) Christians are completely oppressed. Their total control of the political agenda is even challenged, once in a while. Thank God we still have everything but the Supreme Court... and we kinda have that, now, too. It's really hard having to deal with people who don't think like we do, though.
g) People don't even talk to each other anymore, they just type on these "message boards" and these "chat rooms". Hell, you don't even know if a man is a man and a woman is a woman.
h) Darkies come in more than one type now.
i) Waiters have names.

(I found a secret decoder ring in my Cracker Jack today!)

(Sorry, this is the closest I'll ever come to trolling, I promise--I just couldn't resist)

 

[lawyerdad]

General decline in horsemanship and musketry skills.
More crowded beaches.
Higher real estate prices.
More internet trolling.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Saucemaster

a) People don't wear social "uniforms" as much. I mean, how are you supposed to know where to classify someone if they don't dress like they're SUPPOSED to?!
b) More freedom to speak one's mind. I liked it when people pretended to like each other, it made sure that I was happy when all I ever did was skate along the surface, where I'm most comfortable.
c) Women ******** now. Some even enjoy it. Oh, how I long for the good old days.
d) Darkies drink from my water fountains. And I have to call them "African-Americans". This is ridiculous, we had perfectly good names for them and now we can't use them, just because they get offended.
e) ...And they're in the cities now, too!
f) Christians are completely oppressed. Their total control of the political agenda is even challenged, once in a while. Thank God we still have everything but the Supreme Court... and we kinda have that, now, too. It's really hard having to deal with people who don't think like we do, though.
g) People don't even talk to each other anymore, they just type on these "message boards" and these "chat rooms". Hell, you don't even know if a man is a man and a woman is a woman.
h) Darkies come in more than one type now.
i) Waiters have names.

(I found a secret decoder ring in my Cracker Jack today!)

(Sorry, this is the closest I'll ever come to trolling, I promise--I just couldn't resist)

 

[globetrotter]

brilliant.

Originally Posted by Saucemaster

a) People don't wear social "uniforms" as much. I mean, how are you supposed to know where to classify someone if they don't dress like they're SUPPOSED to?!
b) More freedom to speak one's mind. I liked it when people pretended to like each other, it made sure that I was happy when all I ever did was skate along the surface, where I'm most comfortable.
c) Women ******** now. Some even enjoy it. Oh, how I long for the good old days.
d) Darkies drink from my water fountains. And I have to call them "African-Americans". This is ridiculous, we had perfectly good names for them and now we can't use them, just because they get offended.
e) ...And they're in the cities now, too!
f) Christians are completely oppressed. Their total control of the political agenda is even challenged, once in a while. Thank God we still have everything but the Supreme Court... and we kinda have that, now, too. It's really hard having to deal with people who don't think like we do, though.
g) People don't even talk to each other anymore, they just type on these "message boards" and these "chat rooms". Hell, you don't even know if a man is a man and a woman is a woman.
h) Darkies come in more than one type now.
i) Waiters have names.

(I found a secret decoder ring in my Cracker Jack today!)

(Sorry, this is the closest I'll ever come to trolling, I promise--I just couldn't resist)

 

[Aaron]

Nice one Sauce.

 

[kennethpollock]

Originally Posted by j

40 years ago, people would have had the decency to leave Clinton's affair in private, like they did with JFK's.

Actually, except for the press, his family and probably some other politicians, no one knew about his affairs back then.
Now we have a more maverick and diversified internet press, like Drudge, so less is hidden from the public. Had JFK's affairs been known, he may not have been hounded from office (unless crimes were involved, as with Clinton) but his reputation would have been damaged.
If you stop to think about this for a second, we all know that the county was far more religious in the early 1960's. It may be now "hip" to say that if it knew, the public would have largely ignored such conduct back then, but that is simply DEAD WRONG. This has gone on for centuries. In his 1832 book, "Democracy in America," DeToqueville expressed astonishment that the American press and public invaded the most private aspects of politicians' lives with such unrestrained glee.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/816/816-h/816-h.htm

 

[LabelKing]

I like social uniforms. It made it much easier, and perverse to flaunt the conventions, and then become really confrontational like the Hollywood Ten.

Today, you have to compete with all these self-described Bohemians, and Urban Outfitter types for "individuality". Joining the Communist Party while being better-dressed than everyone else isn't even a reason for being blacklisted these days.

 

[odoreater]

We don't lynch and burn black people at the stake anymore.

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by Saucemaster

a) People don't wear social "uniforms" as much. I mean, how are you supposed to know where to classify someone if they don't dress like they're SUPPOSED to?!
b) More freedom to speak one's mind. I liked it when people pretended to like each other, it made sure that I was happy when all I ever did was skate along the surface, where I'm most comfortable.
c) Women ******** now. Some even enjoy it. Oh, how I long for the good old days.
d) Darkies drink from my water fountains. And I have to call them "African-Americans". This is ridiculous, we had perfectly good names for them and now we can't use them, just because they get offended.
e) ...And they're in the cities now, too!
f) Christians are completely oppressed. Their total control of the political agenda is even challenged, once in a while. Thank God we still have everything but the Supreme Court... and we kinda have that, now, too. It's really hard having to deal with people who don't think like we do, though.
g) People don't even talk to each other anymore, they just type on these "message boards" and these "chat rooms". Hell, you don't even know if a man is a man and a woman is a woman.
h) Darkies come in more than one type now.
i) Waiters have names.

(I found a secret decoder ring in my Cracker Jack today!)

(Sorry, this is the closest I'll ever come to trolling, I promise--I just couldn't resist)

People drink beers more nowaday.