4 ms·
Something cultural happened in the 1980s, I think across N.America. From my perspective, Atari and then, Nintendo killed playgrounds. Culture split into urbra
by mymythisisthis 8y ago
Something cultural happened in the 1980s, I think across N.America. From my perspective, Atari and then, Nintendo killed playgrounds. Culture split into urbran, grunge, and pop.
It was weird generation to be in. The Baby Boomers were all settling into their careers (mid-career to retirement). Their children all hitting their teens about the same time 80s/90s. The population was growing older, and quickly. As the two main groups, Boomers, and Gen X, were both transitioning to more mature roles; mid-level managers and teens.
The sense of utopia that younger people could feel in the 50s and 60s was gone. People, as a whole, started to worry about retirement. As people get older they get more conservative.
As the Boomers left school, the money was cut. The new buildings in the 1950s had worn out. Their children now entering school now had their music programs cut, and saw the cracks in the walls.
Everything was just grungy.
- crooked-v 8y ago> Something cultural happened in the 1980s, I think across N.America. Possibly also relevant is this graph: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/74298000/gif/_74298891_lead_crime_gra624.gif https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/74298000/gif/...
- mymythisisthis 8y agohttps://ktwop.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/baby-boomers.png https://ktwop.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/baby-boomers.png Birth rates for the last 100 years. You can exactly see the 1929, 1979 and 2008 economic crashes; just by observing birth rates. Sometimes we look for complexity, and overlook the boring demographic stats. We need to take demographics more seriously.
- chocolatebunny 8y agoI can't really see anything in your graph that could relate to the 2008 economic crash. I mean, I guess there might be a tiny divot, but it looks pretty small.
- deathanatos 8y agoWhatever point that graph is attempting to make is lost by having no axis labels, no units, and no legend.
- cr4ig_ 8y agoWhat happened in the 1980s was the culmination of Baltimore's deindustrialization. Baltimore had the misfortune of having every single one of its major job-producing industries decimated by globalization and consolidation. Manufacturing, steel, automobiles, shipbuilding were all killed by globalization, containerization basically wiped out port jobs, and consolidation of the insurance and banking industries wiped out Baltimore's medium skill white-collar jobs (Baltimore used to be a regional insurance/banking center). What was left of banking and insurance after consolidation got wiped out by technology. I know a guy who got laid off consecutively by three different banks before he finally gave up on the banking industry in Baltimore. And therein lies the solution to Baltimore's problems. If you were to somehow provide 30-50,000 low-skill living-wage jobs and maybe an additional 10-15,000 medium-skill white-collar jobs, you could start to "fix" Baltimore. Because the net effect of all those people having money to spend plus the halo effect adding another 10-15,000 jobs (providing new services for all those working people) would be so massive it would change the city. The problem is really just that simple -- total lack of economic opportunity for a large fraction of Baltimore's population who are lacking in skills or education. Baltimore has "good bones" but intractable economic problems. And the root problem is, how would you provide those jobs? If I had that answer, I'd run for emperor of Baltimore.
- mymythisisthis 8y agoThe only solution I can think of is a long term educational plan. Good edu spending and strategy is the only stimulus that really pays off.