Originally Posted by
Tensaw
Holy thread drift Batman! We've gone from ostensibly talking about Joe Citizen jocking up to plug holes where government has failed, to trash-talking the bad old days when there was racism written into local laws. I commented on how it seems that in the past, people were more willing, and able, to handle whatever needed handling without looking to someone else to do things for them. I am not a historian and my views on this were shaped through direct, personal observation of my grandparents and their cohort. Generally speaking, they seemed willing, and able, (and in fact, preferred) to do things themselves rather than hire things done. From gardening and canning, to basic home maintenance and auto repair - they were largely able to do what needed to be done. As far as the 1950's, we can talk about racism being written into local laws, but I don't think that is the same conversation as whether there was the same level of street crime as there is today. For the record, I think it is ridiculous that citizens have to go out and patrol the streets at this point (that would seem to be a fundamental function that government should handle - just like roads and bridges), but good on the people willing to step up and address the problem. [The fact certain cities can't maintain a viable law enforcement organization, nor even credibly maintain roads, would be one more indicator that things now have devolved since the 1950's. [Note that our interstate system got spun up in the 50's.]
One huge difference between the 1950's and today, is the ready availability of information. I am interested in all sorts of stuff; from vehicle maintenance to woodworking, to plumbing, archery, kayaking, firearms, and well, you get the picture. My source of information for all of these interests is,... the internet. Just yesterday I discovered that on a Honda transmission there is a vent tube that can clog and cause the transmission plug to pop loose as it had on my wife's car. I can say with certainty, that I would have *never* figured that out on my own. (That vent tube was difficult to see and reach even after I knew where it was.) So with instant access to this abundance of information, we should be the most capable generation ever. Sadly, that does not seem to be the case. Certainly there are individuals who use this access to information to expand their knowledge and skill, but that is far from universal - based on my personal observation. All that being said, what blows my mind is the idea that my grandfather probably would have figured out the vent tube thing one way or another. I have some of his old reference books and with some of them, I'm like a dog looking at a ceiling fan trying to understand the content. [Yes, I hold my grandfather in high regard and yes, he was probably a standout even amongst his peers. Perhaps what I know of him is why I hold that generation in such high regard.]
Ultimately, it just does not seem to me like our society on the whole is going in the right direction, for whatever reason. Certainly there are standouts in this generation - Elon comes to mind. And I am certain that there are individuals, just regular folks, who are super smart, switched-on, and who do all the things. I'm very good friends with some of these folks. But then I go to Walmart and get the sads all over again. It may be that individuals in society are diverging in opposite directions - the smart are getting smarter and more capable, but the dumb and getting dumber and they way outnumber the smarts...
I guess I am having a hard time with the notion that society is currently in a better place that 75 years ago. Maybe I'm wrong because take in too much news...