14 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
14 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

40-50 Year Cycles?

by thunderbird
12 replies
  • OFF TOPIC
    • |
Does it appear to you that society oscillates from liberalism back to conservatism back to liberalism every 40-50 years?
The Roaring 1920's
40s,50s Fairly stable, recovering from WII, aiming for stability and conformism.
The 1960's, a turbulent era of extreme social change, yadda yadda yadda. A time when CIA neutered movements by distributing LSD to them, leaving them imagining that they were changing things.
80's-90's The result of TV-marination and junk food, partly due to the passive nature of watching big brother. Big brother wasn't watching you. You were watching Big Brother.
The 2010s, an era of turbulence, social revolutions, and changing of the power structures in nations around the world. Partly due to the increasing use of computers and their interactive vs passive, online social networks. It is a time when the cumbersome power structure is desperately trying to maintain the status quo by any means necessary, eg rigging electronically tabulated elections with no ballots that can't be hand-counted, knocking websites off the Internet, going after whistleblowers by every legal and illegal means.
  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    There are extremes on both ends of the spectrum. It's probably good that we notice it and swing the pendulum the other way. It's nice to party and have fun, but there's always a clean up that has to happen.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6840011].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    I think it has to do with people forgetting, etc.... SOME kids actually think things are BETTER just because of computers.

    I was talking with someone just a few hours ago. We BOTH have problems that are RIDICULOUSLY simple to solve! Some people have gotten RICH hyping up the newer solutions, but it is all hype. The answers were ALWAYS there. But ALAS! If only I could explain what my LATEST job is. WOW!!! And these problems may keep 10s of thousands employed in the us They ALSO prevent us from having free time. And I am only talking about ONE minor thing in the computer industry. Related things may rob 10s of thousands more. things related to that may affect EVERYONE!

    I called the XML stuff marketing hype like a decade ago. It has died down, but is STILL hype!

    Kids may wonder how we ever had time before computers. This world could have been a paradise. Mankind BLEW IT!!!!!!! And EVERY advance has been met with a new manufactured challenge.

    Steve
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6840167].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ninja Ana
    Strange, but change is inevitable. Lucky for us our time did not experience the horrible wars of the past.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6842185].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author garyv
      Originally Posted by Ninja Ana View Post

      Strange, but change is inevitable. Lucky for us our time did not experience the horrible wars of the past.
      I guess that depends on where you live.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6842639].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    TB -- women count very highly on these cycles to bring their old clothes back into style periodically.
    Signature

    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6844578].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
    One could argue that we in the US have had a liberal cycle ( 50 years ) that went from 1932 until about 1980 and since then we've been in the mist a conservative cycle.

    The election of 2012 will help decide which way we'll go.


    TL
    Signature

    "It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. -- Mark Twain

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6844620].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator View Post

      One could argue that we in the US have had a liberal cycle ( 50 years ) that went from 1932 until about 1980 and since then we've been in the mist a conservative cycle.

      The election of 2012 will help decide which way we'll go.


      TL
      I think the election and whoever wins will have only have negligible effect on government (being under corporate control, after all) and even less effect on the state of the union. The 99% and dissidents of the 1% will have the greatest impact on which directions the country will go.

      The same principle applies to America's much-trampled front door mat as well (aka Canada).
      Signature

      Project HERE.

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6844662].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author garyv
      Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator View Post

      One could argue that we in the US have had a liberal cycle ( 50 years ) that went from 1932 until about 1980 and since then we've been in the mist a conservative cycle.

      The election of 2012 will help decide which way we'll go.


      TL
      Actually there have been some very hard swings back and forth since 1980. After the 1st Gulf War and Bush 1 - we swung hard to the left with Bill Clinton. After the Bill Clinton years, we had 9-11 which caused a very hard swing back to the right - too far actually. Which then caused us to swing back to the left with Obama. And many are saying that this is the hardest and furthest we've ever swung in that direction in such a short period of time. So much so in fact that many are saying that if we do not decide to swing back to the right in November, that we as a country may very well never swing conservative again.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6844985].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author HeySal
        Originally Posted by garyv View Post

        Actually there have been some very hard swings back and forth since 1980. After the 1st Gulf War and Bush 1 - we swung hard to the left with Bill Clinton. After the Bill Clinton years, we had 9-11 which caused a very hard swing back to the right - too far actually. Which then caused us to swing back to the left with Obama. And many are saying that this is the hardest and furthest we've ever swung in that direction in such a short period of time. So much so in fact that many are saying that if we do not decide to swing back to the right in November, that we as a country may very well never swing conservative again.
        Actually it's easier not to hit things that hurt you when you stay kinda in the middle of the road. Wish people would get that.
        Signature

        Sal
        When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
        Beyond the Path

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6845507].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
          Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

          Actually it's easier not to hit things that hurt you when you stay kinda in the middle of the road. Wish people would get that.
          Exactly!

          Normally when you see a pendulum swing too far to the right, then too far to the left, you will eventually see it swinging in a happy medium no matter what topic or event is involved.

          But the running of our country?

          Noooo! :rolleyes:

          Terra
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6845885].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
    Has our perception of what is the middle of the road changed??
    Signature

    "It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. -- Mark Twain

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6848242].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author HenryDicks
      Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator View Post

      Has our perception of what is the middle of the road changed??
      It's been very actively redefined, at least in the US. You'd have difficulty finding somebody in Western/Northern Europe who doesn't consider Obama to be a conservative president and the GOP to be ineligible. The brand of supply-side economics and anti-science, anti-intellectual social policy is both fairly recent and fairly unique to the US.
      Signature

      Want to know how to make millions of dollars with little work? Just sell books on how to make millions of dollars with little work!

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6848405].message }}

Trending Topics