Poll:- life better now or in 1959?
- Thread starter JLM
- Start date
And understandably so. Canadians in 1959 were about 95% of European extraction of who Christianity was the accepted and practiced religion. We can all be tolerant of other religions but that is not to say that immigrants need to think they have the right to bring them here to replace our accepted religion. We accept immigrants here because we feel they see advantages to our way of life and want to fit in. In other words "when in Rome do as Romans do". Or do you think you have the right just to discard that old adage?
Tsk, tsk...I guess you've never heard that old sage advice: "Respect your elders." Or perhaps that's just another old-fashioned, outdated concept.
Well shucks, lessee now...I don't recall a lack of tolerance, multiculturalism, respect for all the different viewpoints, different worldviews, etc. where I came from back in those dark, old days. Mind you, those memories could have become part of that wispy fog that set in during the ensuing 50 years...I suppose you have statistical evidence, laid out by specific geographic regions of our entire country - to prove that those values did indeed not exist in any appreciable strength way back then?
The shift in values to which I referred was more in the direction of instant gratification, a seemingly growing sense of "me, me, me", and all that other stuff that - although mildly interesting to discuss - also has no defined statstical base of evidence. At least, not one presented here.
But don't forget, the part of the thread started with JLB's reference to a section of Wikipedia, which I thought summed up the thought rather succinctly. We likely haven't added anything of value to it since.
Yes, and in 50 years from now some guy just like you will be saying exactly what you say about 'us', as we are now, and those of you whoare still here, will see the narrowness of his statements just as wedo of yours.
'Respect' doesn't mean 'agree with them', countryboy. I respect my mother, that doesn't mean I agree with her every time.
There is no need to dig up any statistics, although I assume it could be dug up very easily. How many female or black doctors, lawyers, engineers, politicians were there 50 years ago? How many openly gay people were there 50 years ago? How many are there today?
In those days, a woman’s place was considered to be at home. A thought of a woman doctor, a woman lawyer, a woman Senator was almost considered a blasphemy in those days. Indeed, contempt for women and blacks was all pervasive. Let me give an example of what an Anglican Bishop said about women becoming priests.
“A woman preaching is like a dog walking on his hind legs. The surprise is not that the dog does it badly, the surprise is that the dog can do it at all.”
I gave the example from religion, but the same attitude was all pervading in the society, regarding women, blacks and other minorities.
As I said, there is no need for statistics, but you could easily dig them up.
I have no doubt of that, talloola, that 50 years from now, people will regard us as intolerant, prejudiced, narrow minded etc. same as we regard people 50 years ago. And for all I know, they may be right.
Here's your quote that started all this: (and his memory is very likely to be foggy, imperfect after 50 years).
Sometimes it's a matter of how you show the respect. I don't think my memory is foggy at all, and I am older than you. If you meant no disrespect to those of us who might be a bit "long in the tooth", then fair enough. I guess I read it differently. (yeah, I know - assumptions are dangerous...guilty as charged!)
But don't forget, we're usually judged by our actions, not our intentions. :-|
Trends kind of come and go, 2050 could be more like 1950, most of us will probably will not have to worry about it.
What about those that hold the view that killing is fun, robbing is profitable, getting kids hooked on drugs is worthwhile, etc.? Or what about those that think there should be only one religion and go about exercising that view on everyone else?
You must have lived in an extremely small world back then.
One of my best friends in junior high was a fellow by the name of Muchalla. We called him Micky for short. He was born in India and was Hindu back then. There was also a Buddhist kid that came from Kuching, Sarawak in Malaysia. All that in one little highs school in the southern Okanagan. You didn't get out much, did you?
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How many people were there in comparison to today? How easy was transportation for people to get here back then in comparison to today? Boy, you have a narrow field of vision.
Maybe in your tiny little world. Not in mine.
Certain places in the world might take exception to that statement. China, for example. I think it qualifies as being around back in the "old days." Tsk, tsk, that wouldn't be a little touch of intolerance there, would it?
"We must be tolerant of every opinion, every worldview." You said it, in an earlier post.
Someone once said, "Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach." Or maybe "preach" would be a better choice...
I said memory is likely to be foggy, countryboy, I did not say that the memory is foggy. Likely to be foggy means that it is foggy in some instances, not in others. As to you, I don’t know you personally, so I really have no way of judging if your memory (as to how conditions were for you personally) is foggy or not, I expect you are the best judge of that.
My comment was general in nature, that in some instances, the memory does become foggy, I was not commenting on any individual cases.
It is certainly possible JLM, nobody can predict the future. However, I think it is extremely unlikely.
If you look at the last couple of hundred years or so, the movement has been from conservatism to liberalism. Yesterday’s liberal is today’s conservative. Indeed, a flaming, radical liberal of 100 years ago would be a right wing extremist today.
So unless something catastrophic, unimagined happens in the next 50 years, chances are that the society will be even more progressive, more tolerant 50 years from now compared to today.