molson_golden2002 Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 You know, has middle class person/family been hurt by job loses, taxes and immigration, the need for a two family income, etc. Or has technology, bigger homes, more people living farther from crowded cities etc. made life better? I tend to feel things have gotten better, but I bet someone could make the opposite argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I had no income in 1970. I had no house in 1970. I had no car in 1970. I had no phone in 1970. Today, I have a job, house, and car. I feel I'm better off. Other things I didn't have in 1970: my own room, brothers and sisters, a radio, clothing. Sometime in late 1970, I had a heartbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornerville Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 All depens on how the media spins things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 You know, has middle class person/family been hurt by job loses, taxes and immigration, the need for a two family income, etc. Or has technology, bigger homes, more people living farther from crowded cities etc. made life better? I tend to feel things have gotten better, but I bet someone could make the opposite argument. I was born in 1984, but pay attention (haha). And I would say no, Americans, largely because of the depletion of industrial/manufacturing jobs are not as well off as they were pre-Reagan. Granted, labor jobs aren't ideal jobs, but back then they were steady, paid well enough, and required skill. not to mention they provided pride and large scale employment to folks wtihout a college education. Would the country at large benefit from universal college attendance? may be, but that's so incredibly unrealistic it's hard to even fathom. So, without the opportunities afforded by a college diploma, the American middle class is left with very very very few choices. I am in telecom sales in Chicago and do a lot of work out in the sub-urbs for industrial businesses and have witnessed first-hand accounts from business owners and from the common worker alike that the pressures applied to the American industrial force by the much much cheaper global arena are OVERWHELMING. Couple that with the idle minimum wage and we're left with people just trying to makes ends meet. Why did you pick 1970? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 In 2007, i can access porn and some type of NFL related programming 24/7 with a few button punches. Could you do that in 1970? I dont think so. You tell me which is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 In 2007, i can access porn and some type of NFL related programming 24/7 with a few button punches. Could you do that in 1970? I dont think so. You tell me which is better. Free Love and a chance to go to Vietnam for free too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Free Love and a chance to go to Vietnam for free too. True, Vietnam is more expensive these days. But, medicine is better to treat the Free Love ailments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molson_golden2002 Posted March 21, 2007 Author Share Posted March 21, 2007 Why did you pick 1970? I guess because its just over a generation ago, but no real reason. Yes, I think times are harder for the high school graduate to get ahead in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 In 2007, i can access porn and some type of NFL related programming 24/7 with a few button punches. Could you do that in 1970? I dont think so. You tell me which is better. I 2007, I can effortlessly argue for months with a Hamburger U grad about math. In 1970, it took significant effort. Maybe it's a wash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeseburger in Paradise Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I guess because its just over a generation ago, but no real reason. Yes, I think times are harder for the high school graduate to get ahead in the world. Maybe it ought to be harder for the high school graduate to get ahead. Few, if any, society's will reach thier full potential by relying on a minimal education expectation for the majority of its citizens. As was stated in a previous post, universal college education may be difficult. Encouraging people to attain that college eductaion by having it be hard to get ahead without would probably benefit our society in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdh1 Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 In 2007, i can access porn and some type of NFL related programming 24/7 with a few button punches. Could you do that in 1970? I dont think so. You tell me which is better. Favorite Post Ever. I take back my Ram-Anus comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Yes. People by and large live longer, healthier lives. The air is cleaner. The water is cleaner. We have hundreds of media outlets to divert our attention. We have computers that can do what we want them to (Imagine a message board based on direct-impact typewriters). We no longer live under the threat of MAD. Today, heart disease isn't a death sentence. Fewer people smoke. We have more variety in our food choices now than at any other time in recorded human history. The list could go on and on. Don't listen when some idiot Luddite eco-freak tells you we're worse off, and that the past is some sort of "golden age". It wasn't. The past sucked. It was filled with disease, war, destitution, famine, illiteracy rampant poverty and ignorance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 For middle America, I feel it's worse and I blame Madison Ave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I think it's better - but there's a long way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 In 2007, i can access porn and some type of NFL related programming 24/7 with a few button punches. Could you do that in 1970? I dont think so. You tell me which is better. in 1970 computers were the size of a large room and the internet was for research in 2007 computers are in most folks homes and the internet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 If you would have seen the friggin' shirts I was wearing in 1970 you would know without question which era is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 If you would have seen the friggin' shirts I was wearing in 1970 you would know without question which era is better. Yeah, no Shiit!!! Polyester, Baby!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Franklin Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Yes. People by and large live longer, healthier lives. The air is cleaner. The water is cleaner. We have hundreds of media outlets to divert our attention. We have computers that can do what we want them to (Imagine a message board based on direct-impact typewriters). We no longer live under the threat of MAD. Today, heart disease isn't a death sentence. Fewer people smoke. We have more variety in our food choices now than at any other time in recorded human history. The list could go on and on. Don't listen when some idiot Luddite eco-freak tells you we're worse off, and that the past is some sort of "golden age". It wasn't. The past sucked. It was filled with disease, war, destitution, famine, illiteracy rampant poverty and ignorance. Good Lord: we agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Good Lord: we agree. I think Joe's wife logs in as him on occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungee Jumper Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Good Lord: we agree. Odd. Usually Joe doesn't even agree with himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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