Where are the liberals of yesteryear?

[Marthe48]

I'm 62. As I grew up through the 50s-60s-70s, there was an energetic drive for civil rights, equal rights, social progression. Then it stalled, now it is going backward. I see blame laid on old white men, but at some point, the progressive drive had to have visionary white men and women in the ranks. I'm sure that some of those giants of social change are still out there and are still committed to those early dreams. How is it that in these times, their dreams are being trampled on, delayed, denied? I grew up sensing that I was living in the winds of change, and I embraced those changes my whole life. In fact, as I studied in history class, read historical stories and novels, I felt that humans were on a relentless path toward a greater good. Maybe the path isn't always smooth, but I am so discouraged when I see the backward facing people running our country and the world into the ground. How is it that the people who worked so hard to advance civil rights, equal rights, HUMAN rights, in that era, seem to be so outnumbered in the present?

[olddots]

1. we came from a generation that didn't want to sell out

I see everyone younger wanting to create their own brand .

Oh well life goes on hopefully but humans are definately the vermin on this planet .

[upaloopa]

2. I will be 69 in a couple of months.

When I was younger I always felt the country would move in a progressive social justice direction. It just seemed to me that people understood that that was the right thing to do.
I did not know anything about conservatives. I grew up in a factory worker environment. We were poor but I didn't know that either. I could not compare my life with others better off than me until I started to caddy at a private country club. I had faith that the Supreme Court would always do what was right. Civil rights and women's liberation and sixties activism seemed to me the things to blunt the power of the wealthy establishment and the status quo.
Then came the Vietnam war. I was drafted and was sent to war. Along comes Goldwater and conservatives. The high inflation and the perceived weakness of Jimmy Carter. That opened the door to Reagan. The factory workers around me voted for conservatism out of reaction to civil rights the anti war movement and women's rights. They blamed the bad economy and losing the war on Dems.
You know the rest.
Ever since we have moved more and more rightward.

[flobee1]

3. not many of us

But we are still here. Raised on Pete Seeger, Abbie Hoffman and Allen Ginsburg. I like to compare it to the jedi's in star wars. The empire got rid of a lot of us, but not all of us it's the duty of those that remain, to bring up the next generation.

[Marthe48]

6. My husband and daughters

were quite conservative. I married my husband in spite of our differences, and as time passed, he came more into agreement with progressive ideals. Our girls heard endless political arguments among the relatives, but for a long time, they weren't impressed with mine. As young adults, they were conservative and I was disappointed that they didn't understand. But again, as time passed, they have both become quite liberal/progressive, even though all of us live conventional lives. Neither of them are politically active, they don't have time. One of my history teachers pointed out that rebellion and change come from the middle class--the rich like the status quo and the poor are too hungry to fight. The rich fought against the rise of the middle class and have been busy trying to dismantle it since we became a force. Yeah, Jedi Knights--but I don't understand how young people can watch the epic movies and not take the message they have to heart.

[jwirr]

4. 73 here. I also did not see this turnback coming. I thought we had finally learned our lessons. But

we missed two points - the rw media and their lies of propaganda - economic problems that exist even today. Jerry Falwell and raygun started the ball rolling in the media wars. And a lot of people fell for it.

Then raygun's trickle down economics took care of the rest. My family is so busy trying to make ends meet even with two bread winners that they have little time for anything else. They do not watch news, they are not involved with politics, and they are quick to blame the poor for all their problems forgetting that they themselves are not rich.

Many of us who are around yet don't know what to do about the mess.

[Arugula Latte]

5. I think it is that rightwing corporate interests figured out how to rig the system and the media --

take over government through buying politicians, take over the media because now government officials can't stop you because you bought their seat, get the military to make you more profits through wars of choice, keep most people scrambling just to survive, warp peoples' minds with religious and rightwing propaganda to get them to think "patriotism" is voting against your own interests, rinse and repeat ...

[GeorgeGist]

7. ThirdWay

[moondust]

8. Greed won.

Egalitarianism is for moochers.