I never really thought I would say this out loud, but I often think it and now the words can no longer be held back.  Life in American has really reached a tipping point where many of us live constricted, unfulfilled lives.(IMO)  When I compare my childhood to what the modern day kid experiences, I want to scream and shout.  When I think about how things have changed for all of us, I am overwhelmed.

What has changed?

Electronic devices such as smart phones (who came up with that name?) didn’t exist so there was no video game addiction, not texting, no email, no Facebook and no electronic communication to impede talking directly with each other.

We played outside when we were children.  How many folks of my generation (boomers) talk about how we used to play outside during all our free time?  All of us?   I remember playing sports with my friends in the streets and in the parks that were organized by us.  We would all come home for dinner and then afterwards go out and play until it was time to go to bed.  Now a days kids don’t participate in spontaneous play.  All their sports play is organized team stuff.  Children are rarely involved in the planning of their free time.  Matter of fact, they don’t have a lot of free time.

School was often boring when I was a kid, but we didn’t have  the teach to the common core test mentality like current students have. This has led to increased homework, specialized tutors and an industry created for college admission testing (SAT and ACT tests).   This is another factor as to why children don’t have much free time.

Back in the day there was a vibrant middle class that made and bought goods.  Today one percent of the population owns nearly one hundred percent of everything.  This is not good news for the future of the country.

During the 1960’s and 70’s college was affordable for many.  Today it is a luxury that costs thousands yearly.  It is not unusual for those graduating college to have over one hundred thousand dollars in school loan debt.  What makes this issue even worse is that there are few jobs for college graduates so they end up moving back home with their parents.

Today’s automobiles are boring to look at.  Cars are marketed today by how great their sound system is and how many iPod blue-tooth hook ups exist in the vehicles.  Tell me, would you rather look at and drive around in a 1957 Chevy or a 2014 Chevrolet Sonic Sedan?

Popular music in our day hinted at sex in a way to heighten teenage imagination.  Today’s music leaves nothing to the imagination.  I wonder if kids of this generation are going to look back in wonder at Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda video or throw up when the images of her surgically enhanced body cross their memory banks.

We didn’t have reality shows.  We had soap operas which were on television in the mornings and afternoons while we were in school.  The soap operas were drama filled interpersonal conflicts, but they didn’t specialize in the outright humiliation that is found in reality shows.  This humiliation lowers the bar on what is defined as entertainment today.  Children learn that humiliation is some kind of sport that they are free to prey upon others. Humiliation is not funny.  It is abusive.  Famous reality show performers usually have no talent except the ability to promote gossip.

Climate Change didn’t exist in the 1960’s.  Now the weather is unstable with droughts in one part of the country and super storms in another.  Back in the day we were hopeful that serious issues of racism, sexism and classism would be addressed and improved upon.  There seemed to be a willingness for the democrats and republicans to work together.  That cooperation and hope has totally evaporated which leaves us all living in a state of quiet desperation.  We have no faith in our government to fix problems so we approach struggles with that understanding.

Fox news perfected the spread of misinformation when it was created in 1996.  They ingeniously created an echo chamber of lies that spread from one news outlet to another like wild fire.  This phenomena fuels hatred of all who are different and a culture of fear on an hourly basis.  This blatant manipulation of the media didn’t exist back in the day.  The results are that people are better informed about what is happening in the world if they watch no news rather than Fox.

It is expensive to live in the USA.  My wife and I live in San Francisco where the median rent for a one bedroom apartment is over $3,000.00 per month.  Think about it.  Rent will cost over $36,000.00 per year and if the minimum wage is $15.00 per hour(which it is far less than that now), you will earn about $31,000.00 per year.  Your yearly wages won’t cover rent!!! Back in the day housing costs were much cheaper and you could get by on minimum wage with the hope for a better life in the future.  That hope for the American Dream is an illusion now.

How do we change this?  Your comments are welcome.

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