Transitions of Time: Comparing Life now to Life Fifty Years Ago.
On the edge of the 21st century, man had discovered more ways than one to make this world a better and safer environment for the future generations due to the increasingly advancements of technology and science, civil reform and medical breakthroughs. However, this does not seem so compliant between generations based on life views, beliefs and opinion differences as they continue to induce provocative dialogues such as comparing life now to that of 50 years ago. The conflict “time” between generation always have been a theme for deviating discussions, and as rule; elder generation tend to influence youth's opinion, pretending on the idea that life was coherently better in
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Racial Segregation and Sexual Orientation were shunned by the world fifty years ago. Long ago, people of different races were ill-treated, meaning that if you were not of a particular race, you could not partake in certain activities such as eating in a restaurant, going to school or working in a certain place that seemed prestige only for a particular race. Also a person who was not heterosexual oriented was shunned because in those days homosexuality was classified as a mental illness disease in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. They weren’t allowed to work in certain prestigious and prominent positions such as politics or talk shows because it would have caused an uproar or scandal. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 abolished that and now people of different races and sexual orientation were allowed to work, socialize and an attain an education anywhere and homosexuality is no longer considered a mental illness. Some prominent figures that hold powerful positions are the President of the United States, Mr. Barack Obama, a man of mixed ethnicity and Ellen DeGeneres, a lesbian comedian and talk show host. Half a century ago women were at an infinite disadvantage in regard to their occupations. The idea that their sphere was at home, and only at home, was like a band of steel on society. The taking care of the house and children, amongst other household duties could not supply the needs nor fill the aspirations of
There is no lack of discrimination in the world today. In 1993, the situation was even worse. LGBT discrimination was one of the worst. The Supreme Court case Bottoms v. Bottoms is an excellent example of that. This case features a child custody dispute between a lesbian mother and a homophobic grandmother on the basis of the mother’s sexuality. Why is the fitness of a mother not being determined by her actions but by her sexuality? This case changed the views of how homosexual mothers and fathers should be judged as parents and their capabilities. As a result of this case, a mother ended up childless and an entire community was hurt by this judges ruling.
Voters between the ages of 50 and 64 were most likely to choose the 1950s, the decade in which they themselves came to age, as the best time for kids; voters under 30 were more likely to choose the 1970s” ( ). This poll reminds me the other poll “When researcher shows and provides new technology to teenagers , they said the new technology is cool or awesome and show their curiosity. When researcher shows and provides new technology to people between the ages of 20 and 41, they most likely to said this technology going to change the world and make big money. But when researcher shows and provides new technology to people between the ages of 43 and 61, little more than a third said they do not think this is good or they just do not like it.” Those polls just remind me a funny thing. Every one have their own opinion or idea to an identical subject. There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes. And people change their own opinion by different reasons,even for the very very same subject.There are so many examples. Some great men then we worship when we are teenagers. Since we grow up, we always have different opinion.We lost our favorite toy. We do not talk to a friend anymore just because he already become our the most familiar stranger. Time could change anything. Our opinion, idea, and thought are change
Many people from the United States hold the belief that being gay is something that has always been considered to be okay. They believe that it is just a given. Despite people’s current beliefs on the subject, for a very long time, it was something that was widely believed to be taboo. In the past, people were imprisoned due to their sexuality. Regardless, throughout the decades, people have pushed for the widespread acceptance of people who are part of the LGBT community. Today, homophobia still exists in some parts of the United States, but we have come a long way since the early 1900s.
(Fraser, 161). This is something that many people feared at the time, as many old-fashioned individuals thought that this was a “fad” of the time. Brad Fraser states that he is “aware that many people are uncomfortable with sexual behaviour, particularly homosexual behaviour. Especially in America where straight white men prefer to keep all gay contact in the dark.” (Fraser) and knows that “many straight people are threatened by the gay community and the inevitable juggernaut the gay movement for equal rights has become.”
Society is always looking for a fresh argument for its people to debate over. The topic has circled to the idea that the newer generations are doomed when compared to the achievements of previous years. There is a worry that the new century is not up to par with history, based on the preconception that they have been less successful. In “Generation Doomed?” Eric Heisler utilizes allusions and juxtaposition to develop the idea that the current generation is not like how older generations have negatively credited it, but instead, they show positive change, development, and contrast from one another.
This article was selected to broaden the context regarding segregation. Segregation is traditionally considered with respect to race in the United States. Nappen takes the concept of segregation and applies it to sexual orientation. The author examines the trajectory of segregation of race and segregation of sexuality in an attempt to consider radical changes in the institution of education. This is interesting and valuable because the struggle of African Americans and other non-whites in America has often been compared to the struggle of homosexual or queer Americans. The author discusses the similarity in treated of gays and blacks in society as well as under the law.
Each generation has gone through multilevel conflicts that would come to define them in the annals of time. For example, in the fifties there was WWII and with the crystallization of the American Dream and our moral identity as a nation. Then in the sixties there was the Vietnam Conflict, Watergate and the Civil Rights Movement that began to peel away the façade. The eighties rose from the ashes of the seventies with a second attempt at a American Dream but created a Cold War and a very real wall that would fall before today with the War on Terror which eludes any comparison to the past. These conflict and consequences had a moral level that would defined what justice, morality and culture was. These fluid concepts ended up spurring real evolution in all aspects of life for each member in an increasingly global culture each generation. These evolving aspects of culture were often transgressive and therefor created unique and novel challenges for each individual who existed independently within the generation. This crisis of morality was a duty each member faced up to in a different way. Some students rebelled against their parents and grandparents moral perspectives in favor of one crafted in the molten passion of the present during the sixties. This was not an isolated incident, no freak occurrence. The seventies would see unpresented environmental revolution and an ensuing social revolution during the eighties. But going another level deeper in these moral
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people
This is because in modern America, there is a blurred line separating the continuum of homo-sociality and homosexuality, and this line is the product of homophobia (Mullhall 317). “Homophobia simultaneously denies and exploits the continuity between homosociality and homosexuality: in so far as the point at which highly valued male bonding turns into highly disvalued homosexual bonding is difficult to locate” (Mullhall 317). Homophobia provides an ever present threat of social rejection and even physical violence upon those who approach the imagined line and those who in fact cross it. This creates anxieties based upon feelings of vulnerability caused by “homophobic pressure,” (Mullhall 318) and leaves men unable to have close bonds with other men without the fear of being seen as homosexual, and consequently a victim of violence and rejection. Despite homosociality and homosexuality being continuous with each other, a line has been drawn in attempt clearly define what is homosexual in attempt to keep themselves safe from violence (Mullhall 317).
As time progresses onwards, the rift between generations seems to widen. Today, an emphasis is often placed on the defining differences between the younger and older generations.
One important aspect of our life is our health. Today, people are proactive about staying healthy and learning about their body. Since technology is now a major factor in our lifestyle; people who grew up in this era are more familiar with it. This group of people are called Generation X and Generation Y. The time span for this generation are people born between 1965 and 1986. Generation X and Generation Y have a different mind-set than the generation before them (Andolina & Lillé, 2011).
The common relationships in 1963 were female and male only. Female with female, a male with male or an individual who liked both female and male was not allowed, it wasn’t acceptable. It never occurred to anyone being homosexuals because “homosexuals were hidden in the closet” (M,Barela. Personal Interview. Feb.-Mar. 2017). If an individual did come out, their life would change the way other individuals looked at them. For example, individuals recognized them as a disgrace, stared and talk horribly about. Consequently, the individual’s friends stopped being friends with the individual because they’ll be too embarrassed to be seen with them or they thought individuals would make up rumors. Whereas, in 2017 homosexuals isn’t a major deal for some individuals. Moreover, individuals are friends with a homosexual because they are normal, just like anyone else. Marriage is part of a person’s memories for the rest of their lives. In 1963 several women followed a tradition when they received a marriage and it was to be a virgin or also known as being pure. As a matter of fact, “parents wouldn’t let their daughter walk down the altar if known she wasn’t pure”(M,Barela. Personal Interview. Feb.-Mar. 2017). In 2017, men and women don't care if the women is a virgin or not on their marriage day. Secondly, individuals in 1963 made a commit to stay together for the rest of their lives.“Married until worse, rich or
I found this article specifically interesting due to the controversies found in American history. Gay identity emerged from the rise of capitalism which allowed both men and women in families to go out and work on free labor. John D’Emilio writes, “In divesting the household of its economic independence and fostering the separation of sexuality from procreation, capitalism has created conditions that allow some men and women to organize a personal life around their erotic/emotional attraction to their own sex” (D'Emilio 470). With everyone being out of the house, family ties have “weakened”, leaving room to provide individuals with more freedom. Lesbians and gays were given the opportunity to express their emotional and sexual desires towards the other sex. Capitalism promoted happiness and pleasure. I agree with the workplace allowing families to have more freedom. My dad was unemployed for a period of time due to an injury caused at work. Throughout that period I felt almost suppressed due to him being around all the time, watching my every move. Maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but he always had this image of “daddy’s” perfect little girl and him being home, seeing what actually was going on always made me feel like his perception of me changed. I didn’t “change” though, I was just growing up. Once he went back to work I felt as though this huge
Popular culture has even created ideas that those with different sexual orientations can be dangerous to our security and safety, which only creates a rationalization for mistreating those with different sexual preferences. There is a great deal of heterosexual privilege in the “charmed circle” and race discrimination. Women of colour are not a part of the “charmed circle” because they are seen as promiscuous and unchaste, impure, strong and sexually predatory resulting in abuse towards these women emotionally and physically. Heterosexual privilege is also seen through the “circle” because acts that are not seen as acceptable in the ‘bad’ sex category can still be seen as acceptable if it is heterosexual, it can be seen as destructive or mercenary but would still be considered to be acceptable.
The past has always influenced the future in which many generations will live in. Sometimes incidents and ideas are warnings but other times, these incidents and ideas can evolve into something that can help the future in time. From 1945 to 2015, society has been changing and improving the science behind bombs and from 1969 to 1977, the world has escalated their determination on putting men into space whereas even music and musicians during the years 1968 to 1980 influenced people’s way of life. From political, social, and technological changes, the past allows generations to evolve in life as individuals and as a society.