Sadly, politics seems to stalk me wherever I go in Facebook. Anywhere people engage each other, ugliness, hate, and discontent is always waiting just below the surface for any chance to ruin an otherwise pleasant and funny conversation. I fucking hate it.
So, the image to the right posted on the 70's memory page. Of the many comments I read, most were just straight up reactions to the memory, not interpretative memories that may have drastically mutated in the ensuing years that brought us to how we remember those good ole days today.
Now that I have pondered the meme awhile now, I realize the meme asked for it to get political with the words "cultural shift".
Nothing fires up a lot of us Boomers than words like "cultural shift". Most of us are sure it was better then than it is now. Seems we want to blame some group we are not part of for the perceived sad state of affairs our world is in now. It's the kids, the rich, the Democrats, the GOP, atheists, Bible Thumpers, the brown immigrants; it's always someone other than ourselves.
No one seems to want to acknowledge that what we have today is a group grope. It took all of us to create what we are living through now. In my opinion, no group is as bad as my Baby Boomer generation at condemning the world we helped to create. When a Millennial, a G throught Z generation punk blames us and wished we were dead and gone, well, we deserve it I guess. Many of us felt the same about our parents from "the Greatest Generation" who busted our balls during those wonderful1960's and 1970s.
The more things that change, the more they remain the same. My mom always contended there was nothing new under the Sun, just reiterations with subtle twists. And now that I have lived for over 70 years, I realize that she was right.
The story remains the same; it's the set that changes.
Later ..............................
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A perfect song to match my mood at the moment is, "The Way It Is", by Bruce Hornsby. It is a beautiful song with a serious message. I try to resist, but every time I hear it, my eyes go moist.
5 comments:
In my manner of thinking every new “age” has a range of folks….. some focusing on the fun, joy, and happier aspects of a time….. some who try to negatively and politically portray a different age (in either direction) as evil or bad, and some who feel or get “lost” about the dichotomy of the prior two groups.
I have had a (probably unfortunate) inclination to fall into the “lost” camp a lot. Much of this has to do with a lot of the rancor that can occur between folks. And, as such, I often tend to being more of an observer of what is happening rather than participating in either more dynamic group.
It is an odd, sometimes lonely layer to be in.
PipeTobacco
P.S. just to clarify, when I call one group “negatively political” I am NOT meaning folks who discuss politics and political change. Instead, I am talking about folks who purposefully use societal tools as weapons to denegrate and attempt to destroy other folks. And, often the societal tools are political ones.
Pipe Tobacco - I have tried to keep some perspective when remembering the years I have already used up. The "Good Ole Days" were filled just as current days are filled with both wonderful times, boring times, and downright shitty times. Appreciating the power of each in my life is what keeps me sane I think. What I hate is when one generation passes judgement on another without having walked in their shoes.
I agree with you, especially the last statement.
Damn. I joined the 70s page and a Boomers page. Just what I needed. That picture of cultural shift from 1963 to 1969 sort of blew me away
That 60s photo kind of blew me away. Change creeps up on you but when it is shown several years apart, it is visible. The birth control pill had a great deal to do with it along with demographics that showed a slight number of fertile females more than males. Throw in the Vietnam war. What else contributed?
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