renard_ruse
Break up Amazon
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2007
- Posts
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Despite the urban legend that "youth" are naturally liberal culturally and politically, over the past 100 years this has not proved to be the case.
There have been several generational pendulum swings since World War I. The 1920s saw a noticeable trend toward cultural radicalism among the younger generation (I could dig up examples, but not going to waste time doing it). The depression slowed down some of the cultural excesses, but politically society was embracing social democracy and the big government the New Deal through the 30s. Many remained life long supporters of big government and economically liberal policies, though perhaps conservative on cultural issues. These people are almost all dead now.
With World War II and the post-war years, the general population, including the younger generation became much more traditional. Sure, there was the rock n' roll culture of the 50s and young free-spirited rebels, but the majority of youth aspired to a suburban, material lifestyle, nuclear families, strong "gender" differentiation, etc. These so-called "silent generation" mostly worked hard, saved money, and watched the changes in society, often dismayed by them (though of course, many were involved in implementing them as well). Most of these people are now the "very old" (75+).
Then, of course, the much discussed and dissected Baby Boomers came along. Although many of them were actually not the crazed hippie radicals that pop culture has retrospectively assigned to the entire generation, its clear that overall this generation was culturally transformative, embracing drug use, casual sex, long hair, and other things shocking to their elders. While this generation has gravitated more to the right politically over the years, and become a very divided generation in its attitudes as its aged, its still viewed as having been a "liberal" generation when young. They are now the old middle age and younger elderly.
The Boomers were followed by the most awesome generation, the youth from about the mid-70s to the mid-90s, which largely, but not entirely coincides with Generation X (the early and middle parts of the generation, less so those at the tail end). This group was very politically conservative during its youth, many of them having revered Ronald Reagan, who was massively popular among teens and young adults during the 80s. It was moderately more culturally conservative than the Boomers that preceded them, which is evidenced by some of the representations of them in the media at the time (watch Family Ties for instance). Perhaps, in a mirror image to the Boomers, Gen X has become somewhat more liberal as its aged, but remains overall relatively politically conservative.
Of course, we are all familiar with Generation Y ("Millennials"). This generation is the first one to truly fully embrace the radical ideals from the 60s and 70s, and even carry them to further extremes. Its not a stretch to call them the most liberal generation in American history, both culturally and politically. Commentators point to this as proof that liberalism, especially cultural and social liberalism is irreversible. Yet, they conveniently ignore the pendulum swings over the past 100 years and forget the much more conservative youth of the 80s and early 90s.
If one looks at history, it would seem the odds are good there will be some sort of pendulum swing back toward some sort of more conservative attitudes either politically or culturally or both among a young generation in the future (of course, we don't what form that may take or what the issues with be at the time). Yet, one could possibly argue that there's some sort of fundamental change in American or human nature and the era of pendulum swings is over.
I will place my bet on history being a guide, but cycles are not even and may take a while, even a couple more generations, or it may happen any time. I believe it will happen though.
There have been several generational pendulum swings since World War I. The 1920s saw a noticeable trend toward cultural radicalism among the younger generation (I could dig up examples, but not going to waste time doing it). The depression slowed down some of the cultural excesses, but politically society was embracing social democracy and the big government the New Deal through the 30s. Many remained life long supporters of big government and economically liberal policies, though perhaps conservative on cultural issues. These people are almost all dead now.
With World War II and the post-war years, the general population, including the younger generation became much more traditional. Sure, there was the rock n' roll culture of the 50s and young free-spirited rebels, but the majority of youth aspired to a suburban, material lifestyle, nuclear families, strong "gender" differentiation, etc. These so-called "silent generation" mostly worked hard, saved money, and watched the changes in society, often dismayed by them (though of course, many were involved in implementing them as well). Most of these people are now the "very old" (75+).
Then, of course, the much discussed and dissected Baby Boomers came along. Although many of them were actually not the crazed hippie radicals that pop culture has retrospectively assigned to the entire generation, its clear that overall this generation was culturally transformative, embracing drug use, casual sex, long hair, and other things shocking to their elders. While this generation has gravitated more to the right politically over the years, and become a very divided generation in its attitudes as its aged, its still viewed as having been a "liberal" generation when young. They are now the old middle age and younger elderly.
The Boomers were followed by the most awesome generation, the youth from about the mid-70s to the mid-90s, which largely, but not entirely coincides with Generation X (the early and middle parts of the generation, less so those at the tail end). This group was very politically conservative during its youth, many of them having revered Ronald Reagan, who was massively popular among teens and young adults during the 80s. It was moderately more culturally conservative than the Boomers that preceded them, which is evidenced by some of the representations of them in the media at the time (watch Family Ties for instance). Perhaps, in a mirror image to the Boomers, Gen X has become somewhat more liberal as its aged, but remains overall relatively politically conservative.
Of course, we are all familiar with Generation Y ("Millennials"). This generation is the first one to truly fully embrace the radical ideals from the 60s and 70s, and even carry them to further extremes. Its not a stretch to call them the most liberal generation in American history, both culturally and politically. Commentators point to this as proof that liberalism, especially cultural and social liberalism is irreversible. Yet, they conveniently ignore the pendulum swings over the past 100 years and forget the much more conservative youth of the 80s and early 90s.
If one looks at history, it would seem the odds are good there will be some sort of pendulum swing back toward some sort of more conservative attitudes either politically or culturally or both among a young generation in the future (of course, we don't what form that may take or what the issues with be at the time). Yet, one could possibly argue that there's some sort of fundamental change in American or human nature and the era of pendulum swings is over.
I will place my bet on history being a guide, but cycles are not even and may take a while, even a couple more generations, or it may happen any time. I believe it will happen though.
If only! The Warren-Sanders-Kucinich left-progressive wing is, in fact, not predominant in the party; Obama's and Bill's and Hillary's center-right/neoliberal business-friendly wing is predominant, and has been for decades now.
