Quote: (04-06-2012 12:04 PM)ElJefe Wrote:
Until about 1960, I'd say this is the way it used to be in America. Notice the generation that started having children in the '50s and '60s was the same generation that absolutely beat the shit out of our enemies - no holds barred.
That ass-kicking they wrought on much of the rest of the planet allowed their children to grow up in hitherto unknown and never-before-seen prosperity. Whereas their parents had known at least one (quite possibly two) world wars and several other massive conflicts that occurred at approximately the same time, their children were largely kept separate from the ravages of battle. They grew up during a period of economic explosion, an age that to this day remains the truest and most explicit "golden age" in American history.
And with this peace, of course, came restlessness. The new youth (children born anywhere from 1945 up until the late 60's or possibly early 70's in some places) had a completely different perspective on life than their parents. Their parents' old ways had been shaped by lifetimes of devastating conflict-absent these things, the youth sought to move society forward, believing their parents' way outdated now.
Members of this generation earnestly believed they could change the world, and that it was their duty to do so. Their sheer numbers (it isn't called the baby "boom" for nothing) ensured that their voices would be heard sooner or later, and gave them tremendous political clout as they reached adulthood. They still have this power today, and largely guide the modern west's political direction (locally, nationally, and internationally).
Out of these people came modern pacifist movements, the civil rights movement, and the sexual revolution, among other things (I have merely listed the most notable of them). These are all legacies of the baby boomers.
They brought us a lot of good. As a black male, I'm quite thankful for their efforts on the civil rights front, and as players I'm sure many of us are happy that their sexual revolution made casual sex and the "one night stand" acceptable and common. If you're on this forum and you're under 40, chances are that your parents are members of this generation.
Of course, there are some unintended consequences embedded in the baby boomer legacy as well, many of which are only now becoming obvious.
The irony is that while the west looks down on less "progressive" cultures due to their antiquated (by our standards) social practices, these places do have a crucial edge over the west that is often overlooked: fertility.
Western families are crumbling and dying out at a rapid rate. Our youth are not only set to be overburdened (somebody has to support all of the retiring boomers), but also are unlikely to procreate themselves.
Meanwhile, other societies (particularly in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and parts of Latin America) maintain fertility rates that will see them doubling, if not tripling our number of young people by 2050.
It does not really matter who is right in this ideological struggle between east and west, first world and third world, secular and religious. At the end of the day, the future belongs to those who reproduce, regardless of their ideology. To the breeders will go the spoils-they will win this battle by default, because when it is all said and done they (more specifically, the children they raise) will be the only ones left standing.
Right now, the west looks like it will be on the losing end of this fight. Barring some extremely dramatic economic and social shifts, I don't see this outlook changing any time soon.
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