(no subject)
When you really look at America's youth, we are pretty politically inactive... unless you count the occasional protest outside [insert college here]... but even then you'd be hard pressed to find more than a dozen students. The baby boomer's generation fought for women’s liberation, equal rights for African Americans, and protested the Vietnam war. Then there were gay rights, anti-racism, anti-nuclear arms race... the list goes on.
Ask any of your peers, and their opinions are likely very liberal. It seems people simply become more conservative as they get older, and they suddenly view things they did in their youth as wrong. Thus the baby boomers who once fought so hard for all those causes now vote conservative and bitch about kids not cutting their hair, or wearing baggy clothes, or playing loud music. Hey, remember Woodstock? Yea, that was you guys.
However, now, for the first time baby boomers are unique in that they are a massive bulge in population statistics. Normally younger people are more numerous, ie 0-10 the most. 10-20 the next highest. But baby boomers now hold the highest age demographic. So for the first time in history we have a massive voting weight in the 50-60 age category who are mostly voting conservative. Thus explaining recent conservative political strength.
So is every generation locked into this doomed fate? As for things going full circle, the baby boomers are a one time special event for modern nations. It is a unique boom and after that the population become stable. Europe already has zero population increase. The world population will become stable in year 2075. Once they die out, we can return to normal progressive societies. All things considered, of course, and to hoping we don't just blow each other up before that time comes.
I read a survey recently that suggested the baby boomers are more liberal minded then their more conservative children. Which really just debunks everything I just said. Of course this isn't taking into account the christians, who tend to lean more conservative... perhaps explaining this flux among the voting population, but that's another topic entirely.
Our generation is the most firmly rooted in technology. We are in a continuing wave of technological development, and we are riding this wave of surging innovation. I believe that since so much change has happened in our lifetimes, not only in terms of technological advancement, but in many aspects of life, our generation might end up a lot more open to change, and a lot more open-minded overall. Here's to hoping...
To be continued...
Ask any of your peers, and their opinions are likely very liberal. It seems people simply become more conservative as they get older, and they suddenly view things they did in their youth as wrong. Thus the baby boomers who once fought so hard for all those causes now vote conservative and bitch about kids not cutting their hair, or wearing baggy clothes, or playing loud music. Hey, remember Woodstock? Yea, that was you guys.
However, now, for the first time baby boomers are unique in that they are a massive bulge in population statistics. Normally younger people are more numerous, ie 0-10 the most. 10-20 the next highest. But baby boomers now hold the highest age demographic. So for the first time in history we have a massive voting weight in the 50-60 age category who are mostly voting conservative. Thus explaining recent conservative political strength.
So is every generation locked into this doomed fate? As for things going full circle, the baby boomers are a one time special event for modern nations. It is a unique boom and after that the population become stable. Europe already has zero population increase. The world population will become stable in year 2075. Once they die out, we can return to normal progressive societies. All things considered, of course, and to hoping we don't just blow each other up before that time comes.
I read a survey recently that suggested the baby boomers are more liberal minded then their more conservative children. Which really just debunks everything I just said. Of course this isn't taking into account the christians, who tend to lean more conservative... perhaps explaining this flux among the voting population, but that's another topic entirely.
Our generation is the most firmly rooted in technology. We are in a continuing wave of technological development, and we are riding this wave of surging innovation. I believe that since so much change has happened in our lifetimes, not only in terms of technological advancement, but in many aspects of life, our generation might end up a lot more open to change, and a lot more open-minded overall. Here's to hoping...
To be continued...