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Americans also live in a much more diverse and accepting society than they did 40 years ago. Let's give it some time, hmmm? Articles like this make me peevish.

by hacknat 13y ago

Americans also live in a much more diverse and accepting society than they did 40 years ago. Let's give it some time, hmmm? Articles like this make me peevish. I really dislike articles that glorify the 1950s-1990s, in anyway, without acknowledging what a strange time it was. Post-war America deserves far more criticism than it ever receives; I often think this is because boomers have a hard time criticizing the era they grew up in. Citing a similar poll from the 1970s is a brief glimmer into a period that wasn't actually that long ago. Did people from the 1970s actually trust each other more, or did they just say that they did? What about the 1920s? The 1870s? The 1840s? Did Americans trust each other more then? Ecclesiastes 7:10

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GregBuchholz 13y ago
Yes, it seems weirdly PC to leave the changing demographic situation out of the picture. The Extraordinary 30-Year Growth of the U.S. Hispanic Population http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/08/extraordinary-growth-americas-hispanic-population/6733/ http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/08/extra... US ethnic minorities make up 49.9 per cent of under-fives http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10117951/US-ethnic-minorities-make-up-49.9-per-cent-of-under-fives.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1...
- bilbo0s 13y ago
  It's strange... because traditional minorities, ie - slave descended blacks and native americans, make up a smaller portion of the population today than they did in 1960. But the explosive growth in the non-traditional minorities MORE than makes up for the decline. Add in the fact that many of the new arrivals speak english only as a second language... and you would think some degree of mistrust would not be a surprise considering our history.
dwaltrip 13y ago
Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. Yeah, because being inquisitive and asking questions is bad!
- hacknat 13y ago
  The KJV is wrong in its translation (why did you even reach for it?). My degree was in Ancient Semitic Literature. A better translation is the NRSV which is as follows: Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. The proverb isn't about squelching inquiry, it's about squelching the belief that the past generation was better than the next. It follows a long litany of proverbs, in context, that describe how to accept the reality that has been given to you.
twister 13y ago
The article is hardly glorifying the period. It's simply making an observation of the difference between the two polls. Neither the author, nor the researchers, nor the interviewee are baby boomers so I'm not sure where that criticism comes from.

by hacknat 13y ago

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GregBuchholz 13y ago

Yes, it seems weirdly PC to leave the changing demographic situation out of the picture. The Extraordinary 30-Year Growth of the U.S. Hispanic Population http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/08/extraordinary-growth-americas-hispanic-population/6733/ http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/08/extra... US ethnic minorities make up 49.9 per cent of under-fives http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10117951/US-ethnic-minorities-make-up-49.9-per-cent-of-under-fives.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1...

bilbo0s 13y ago
It's strange... because traditional minorities, ie - slave descended blacks and native americans, make up a smaller portion of the population today than they did in 1960. But the explosive growth in the non-traditional minorities MORE than makes up for the decline. Add in the fact that many of the new arrivals speak english only as a second language... and you would think some degree of mistrust would not be a surprise considering our history.

dwaltrip 13y ago

Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. Yeah, because being inquisitive and asking questions is bad!

hacknat 13y ago
The KJV is wrong in its translation (why did you even reach for it?). My degree was in Ancient Semitic Literature. A better translation is the NRSV which is as follows: Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. The proverb isn't about squelching inquiry, it's about squelching the belief that the past generation was better than the next. It follows a long litany of proverbs, in context, that describe how to accept the reality that has been given to you.

twister 13y ago

The article is hardly glorifying the period. It's simply making an observation of the difference between the two polls. Neither the author, nor the researchers, nor the interviewee are baby boomers so I'm not sure where that criticism comes from.