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Haha, fair enough: I can see how my pithy phrasing of that part of my comment could be interpreted to mean that I saw myself as the only one who cared about pov

Haha, fair enough: I can see how my pithy phrasing of that part of my comment could be interpreted to mean that I saw myself as the only one who cared about poverty and how the world was cruel and nobody else understood </angsty teenager>. What I actually meant by "fashionable" was that, in the couple decades preceding the financial crisis, it was far, far from the mainstream to be concerned about or even acknowledge some of the structural economic issues that had been growing since the 80s or so in the US (for example, dropping social mobility, which is more or less agreed to be a bad thing pretty much across the political spectrum). There were obviously plenty of people who cared in the same period, but that's not really what "fashionable" means. So no, I'm not particularly old, but caring about those issues in particular for a couple of decades gives me something like a 15-year head-start on the epoch we're currently in, when suddenly even the most ignorant and apathetic person in the country can quote factoids from a Robert Reich book or whatever. At any rate, it was a throwaway remark to point out that I'm not just pretending to care about the deeper issues underlying how "sad" Internet economics are because I think it's the "in" thing to do (I know plenty of people who are like this for any social issue that's currently in vogue).

lsc 11y ago
So, I'm probably not a whole lot older than you, I was born around the time Reagan was first elected. but I do consider myself a fan of history. my perception is that the time between somewhere around '80 and the 2008 crash was a rightward[1] cycle of the pendulum of public opinion, at least on economic issues,[2] and that before that, when my parents were youngsters, there was a lot more support for a safety net and for wealth redistribution in general. My feeling is that the 2008 crash and the lopsided[3] recovery from same has... given rise to the sorts of economic feelings that were popular in the '70s and before. Sanders isn't particularly radical by '70s standards, but compared to anyone who had a shot during my lifetime? he is extremely radical. [1]I like using "left" and "right" because their meanings are less complicated than "liberal" and "conservative" (essentially, on which side of the Legislative Assembly would you sit?) [2]- of course, we're talking about economics only, to the extent that you can talk about economics without talking about social issues. I have a much harder time supporting the claim of a leftwards social push during the same time. [3]by lopsided, I mean that some areas, and some people have done pretty okay. I certainly can't complain about my position. For that matter, compared to 2001? 2008 wasn't a crash for me and the people I hang out with at all. But, I am given to understand that others aren't so lucky.
- matwood 11y ago
  I'm of similar age and understand the rightward cycle. Growing up we didn't have much, but I remember working in a grocery store and watching people who drive nice cars buy steaks with food stamps and beer and cigarettes with cash. My family was eligible for food stamps, and my parents fought about it often. My mom wanted my dad to go get them and he refused and instead took another side job. I think experiences like that shape people, and over time becomes part of their core. I'm more libertarian while many of my friends who grew up well to very well off are extremely liberal. They never experienced pulling themselves out of nearly nothing so they have a hard time imagining it is possible. I did it, so I think it is infinitely possible. Of course the reality is somewhere in the middle.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]

lsc 11y ago

So, I'm probably not a whole lot older than you, I was born around the time Reagan was first elected. but I do consider myself a fan of history. my perception is that the time between somewhere around '80 and the 2008 crash was a rightward[1] cycle of the pendulum of public opinion, at least on economic issues,[2] and that before that, when my parents were youngsters, there was a lot more support for a safety net and for wealth redistribution in general. My feeling is that the 2008 crash and the lopsided[3] recovery from same has... given rise to the sorts of economic feelings that were popular in the '70s and before. Sanders isn't particularly radical by '70s standards, but compared to anyone who had a shot during my lifetime? he is extremely radical. [1]I like using "left" and "right" because their meanings are less complicated than "liberal" and "conservative" (essentially, on which side of the Legislative Assembly would you sit?) [2]- of course, we're talking about economics only, to the extent that you can talk about economics without talking about social issues. I have a much harder time supporting the claim of a leftwards social push during the same time. [3]by lopsided, I mean that some areas, and some people have done pretty okay. I certainly can't complain about my position. For that matter, compared to 2001? 2008 wasn't a crash for me and the people I hang out with at all. But, I am given to understand that others aren't so lucky.

matwood 11y ago
I'm of similar age and understand the rightward cycle. Growing up we didn't have much, but I remember working in a grocery store and watching people who drive nice cars buy steaks with food stamps and beer and cigarettes with cash. My family was eligible for food stamps, and my parents fought about it often. My mom wanted my dad to go get them and he refused and instead took another side job. I think experiences like that shape people, and over time becomes part of their core. I'm more libertarian while many of my friends who grew up well to very well off are extremely liberal. They never experienced pulling themselves out of nearly nothing so they have a hard time imagining it is possible. I did it, so I think it is infinitely possible. Of course the reality is somewhere in the middle.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]