Guys like us, we had it made …

Guys like us, we had it made … August 18, 2016

ThoseWereTheDays

Comparing today to 50 years ago, from the Pew Research Center:

About eight-in-ten (81 percent) Trump backers say that things have gotten worse for people like them compared with 50 years ago. Just 19 percent of Clinton supporters say the same. A 59 percent majority of Clinton supporters say life is better for people like them; only 11 percent of Trump voters think this.

I’m disappointed I haven’t been asked this question by a pollster. I was born 48 years ago, but I also would be happy to share my memories and opinions about what life was like 50 years ago.

If you ask those of us who are 18-53 years old for our opinions about what life was like before we either existed or have any memory, we’ll give you an answer. And that speculative, possibly even informed, opinion may mean something or other in the aggregate. Maybe it tells us something fuzzy about general optimism or pessimism. Or maybe something about the dismal state of history, social studies, civics and science education.

But I don’t think our answers carry the kind of meaning sought by Pew’s survey, or generally implicit in their reporting on it. That’s clear from their refusal to differentiate between those of us 18-53 who have ideas and guesses about 50 years ago and those who are older who can answer the question based on what they actually may remember.

What about people who are older than us 18-53-year-olds? They likely have at least some memory of what life was like 50 years ago, so their opinions might convey a different kind of meaning. So what does it mean for them to say, “Yes, I think life was better for people like me 50 years ago”?

We need to break that down by age cohort:

Age 54-64: Wasn’t it cool to be a little kid? Somebody else paid for your food, clothing and housing. People gave you toys for Christmas and your birthday. You got to see all your friends every day at school and spend the rest of your time playing or riding your bike. Gosh, being a kid was great.

Age 65-70: I peaked in high school. Go away, nerd, or I’ll give you a swirlie.

Age 71 and up: I am white, male, heterosexual and Protestant. Also, I think polio was awesome. And I’m frightened and bewildered by computers and cell phones. I miss having all that lead in my paint, gasoline and bloodstream, and I miss being able to buy incandescent light bulbs that could fry an egg. I miss the clarifying existential terror of the Cold War and not having to press “1” for English. I miss prayer in schools and the honest satisfaction of paying for my pornography. I hate Mothers Against Drunk Driving and I hate that you can’t even grab a little ass these days without getting sued. Also, I worry that the Moon landing may have awoken something nameless and horrible. Now get off my lawn, hippie.

See earlier: “Donald Trump, ‘Playboy,’ and when bigots were kids.”


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