Well, here we are, 2022 in America.
Observations:
The virus carries on showing little sign of ending, although it will surely end soon. It has ended the lives of almost a million Americans maybe a year or so early on average.
But the mental and spiritual health (the culture) of America is in far, far worse shape. After the Spanish Influenza of 1917 ended, America was in no worse shape spiritually than it was in 1914. Men worked right through the pandemic without even thinking that there was an option - what men have done in this country since forever. Gotten up at the crack of dawn and worked. Women did exactly what they've done for hundreds or thousands of years. Raised their babies, prayed their man came home safe from work, cleaned the house and got dinner ready.
Now, after a pandemic of similar proportions, we can observe that men don't want to work. Statistics show that workforce participation is down significantly, far more than population shifts along would support. The great resignation is a seminal event. Men simply do not believe that there is a purpose in working. Women are even more confused. They all seem to believe that their purpose is to make a tiktok video and be a teenager until they're about 45, after which they haven't thought for a second what will happen.
We have destroyed ourselves, culturally. I'm going to compare a typical 1950s adult life with a 2020 adult life in succinct observations.
1950: Everyone was married and had about 3-4 kids.
2020: We are averaging less than 2 kids, if we get married at all.
1950: Way less material goods - smaller houses, 1 car max, no TV. And this was pretty uniform in the middle class.
2020: Two classes now - some with much larger houses, car per occupant, TVs everywhere, etc.
1950: Politics mattered very little. Working class were Democrats, business owners were Rs, and it was a minor topic. Time to get to work, need to put food on the table. Limited federal government.
2020: Only politics matters. I have to get my guy in because government is so important in our daily lives. 24 hour news cycle.
1950: It was hard to tell what "side" a journalist was on. Facts mattered. Facts weren't selected or omitted due to your target audience. Everyone got the same information.
2020: Obvious.
1950: It was commonly accepted that math and science were the keys to improving your life if you were a youngster.
2020: Obvious.
1950: We didn't even talk about our gay uncle, and the phrase "trans" was unheard of. Literally unheard of.
2020: We display gay and trans people in a proportion of advertisements far in excess of their population.
1950: Black people were considered inferior without even considering an individual's merits. It was a white culture.
2020: Black people are considered equal.
1950: Everyone went to church.
2020: No one goes to church.
1950: Our attitude was "We are Americans, we are the best"
2020: Our attitude is: "When will the Chinese pass us up"
1950: The Federal Government was tiny. Each individual solved his own problems or got local charity.
2020: Only the federal government matters. Huge.
1950: The best job was a corporate Jobs with US Steel, IBM, GE were for life. Work 30 years and out with a pension. Independent businesses and/or farming were reasonably prosperous options.
2020: The best jobs are government jobs. Everything else is just a 2 year gig.
1950: We knew very little of what was happening outside our own town.
2020: We know very little of what's happening inside our own town, but we know everything that's happening elsewhere.
Observations:
The virus carries on showing little sign of ending, although it will surely end soon. It has ended the lives of almost a million Americans maybe a year or so early on average.
But the mental and spiritual health (the culture) of America is in far, far worse shape. After the Spanish Influenza of 1917 ended, America was in no worse shape spiritually than it was in 1914. Men worked right through the pandemic without even thinking that there was an option - what men have done in this country since forever. Gotten up at the crack of dawn and worked. Women did exactly what they've done for hundreds or thousands of years. Raised their babies, prayed their man came home safe from work, cleaned the house and got dinner ready.
Now, after a pandemic of similar proportions, we can observe that men don't want to work. Statistics show that workforce participation is down significantly, far more than population shifts along would support. The great resignation is a seminal event. Men simply do not believe that there is a purpose in working. Women are even more confused. They all seem to believe that their purpose is to make a tiktok video and be a teenager until they're about 45, after which they haven't thought for a second what will happen.
We have destroyed ourselves, culturally. I'm going to compare a typical 1950s adult life with a 2020 adult life in succinct observations.
1950: Everyone was married and had about 3-4 kids.
2020: We are averaging less than 2 kids, if we get married at all.
1950: Way less material goods - smaller houses, 1 car max, no TV. And this was pretty uniform in the middle class.
2020: Two classes now - some with much larger houses, car per occupant, TVs everywhere, etc.
1950: Politics mattered very little. Working class were Democrats, business owners were Rs, and it was a minor topic. Time to get to work, need to put food on the table. Limited federal government.
2020: Only politics matters. I have to get my guy in because government is so important in our daily lives. 24 hour news cycle.
1950: It was hard to tell what "side" a journalist was on. Facts mattered. Facts weren't selected or omitted due to your target audience. Everyone got the same information.
2020: Obvious.
1950: It was commonly accepted that math and science were the keys to improving your life if you were a youngster.
2020: Obvious.
1950: We didn't even talk about our gay uncle, and the phrase "trans" was unheard of. Literally unheard of.
2020: We display gay and trans people in a proportion of advertisements far in excess of their population.
1950: Black people were considered inferior without even considering an individual's merits. It was a white culture.
2020: Black people are considered equal.
1950: Everyone went to church.
2020: No one goes to church.
1950: Our attitude was "We are Americans, we are the best"
2020: Our attitude is: "When will the Chinese pass us up"
1950: The Federal Government was tiny. Each individual solved his own problems or got local charity.
2020: Only the federal government matters. Huge.
1950: The best job was a corporate Jobs with US Steel, IBM, GE were for life. Work 30 years and out with a pension. Independent businesses and/or farming were reasonably prosperous options.
2020: The best jobs are government jobs. Everything else is just a 2 year gig.
1950: We knew very little of what was happening outside our own town.
2020: We know very little of what's happening inside our own town, but we know everything that's happening elsewhere.
