A conversation with my Aunt ; the progressive era was one to be remembered

[ecoalex]

I was surprised to hear my 82 year old aunt say she was glad she lived during America's progressive age. As she sees it, this golden age of consciousness is over. The robber barons of the late 18th century are back. Shredding regulations, ingoring laws , and social conscious , the new conservative /corporate age has returned with a vengenance , as we have observed. She was glad she had the opportunities of the post depression era with social causes trumping corporate/conservative views. Sad to say this enlightened era is now over.

[Worst Username Ever]

1. Its not over until I say its over.

[Malva Zebrina]

2. My husband and I often must over the fact that we have lived most of

our lives in the best era. There were problems, but the voice of the people managed to stand up and fight against civil rights violations, a ridiculous war that took so many lives, women's rights and the rise of women's liberation

All of these promoted change.

Now we are weary and sometimes depressed and sometimes angry to see fascism so blatantly take over and we are also dismayed to see so many young people cheering it on. We think there is a selfishness, a rampant materialism that has taken over the general mood of the country

It may just be the sterotypical old age, that may view modern times as shocking, but I don't think so.

[bloom]

3. The sad thing to me

is that it seems a lot of people don't realize it.

I can sort of understand with people who were not born until the 70's or later. But I don't get it with other people. Esp. friends who have become conservatives...

[Mountainman]

4. I think a real part of the problem is that people are not getting

objective news anymore. During the progressive movement the right was always complaining that the media gave voice to the dissidents and I think that is why they worked so hard to take over TV and radio messages.

There are people in this town of Bakersfield, CA who never hear any other side than the right wing point of view. If these people are the older ones like you talk about, they remember when the news was objective and they think that they are still getting the same kind of reporting. Also, when there are two sides to an issue and one of the sides is an obvious distortion of the truth the media today threats them and having equal weight. During the progressive era the media called a pig a pig.

[ieoeja]

5. Agreed 100%

Grew up in Southern Indiana. Live in Chicago. Back in 2000 I would visit the family and see/read/hear the exact same pro-Bush and anti-Gore news that I saw/read/heard in Chicago. But the anti-Bush and pro-Gore news was almost invisible. It wasn't because the people were a bunch of "stupid inbred hillbillies". These people didn't decide what would or would not be reported in the media.

Their news is horribly censored. Short of traveling to other regions where the news is less censored, how would they know?

The proof is in comparing Rightwingers I know in Chicago to those who voted for Bush in my family. The latter are really fairly progressive, but they voted for Bush because all the newspapers and local reporters assured them that Kerry was a sequential liar who aided the Viet Cong during the war. The Rightwingers I know in Chicago are much, much further to the Right than almost any of family members. And they have almost the same opinion of Kerry having seen all of the same anti-Kerry news in the Chicago media. But very few of them voted for Bush because they also saw all of the news that made it horribly clear that Bush was a hopelessly incompetent CIC. As one of them told me, "I could never vote for that traitorous SOB Kerry, but I'm afraid four more years of W's best intentions will destroy the United States".


And you hit the "liberal bias media" nail on the head. During the Vietnam War folk didn't complain about the media having a liberal bias because the media only contained anti-US-in-Vietnam news. They complained about the media containing any anti-US-in-Vietnam news because they saw that as not supportive enough of the war effort. Once the fact of the media being liberal (i.e. supporting Free Speech) on this issue became established, the myth of the media being Liberal (note the switch to a capital "L") on all issues followed.

[Kahuna]

6. What years is she speaking of? She must be speaking of things

that occurred more than 50 years ago, before I was born. Because there has been no liberal utopia during my lifetime. Or, the utopia that I have personally witnessed was well still in place before * "took" office.

Let me put it to you like this. There has been a lot of social progress made during my lifetime. Economic progress was on the up tic under Clinton and would have continued under Gore. Progress would have continued were it not for the "progressives" who interfered with the 2000 election by supporting Nader and allowed bush to be selected, things have certainly gone way down hill. But you can't blame the Democrats for that. Place the blame where it is due. I just get sick and tired of the people who enabled *'s selection, being the loudest complainers now. I just can't take it.

Putting on my flame retardant suit now. :D