Social Stalling

I was just flipping through the channels, and I tend to stop and watch TCM. They show plenty of old movies. They're showing "The Explosive Generation" with William Shatner. It was released in 1961, 18 years before he did the first Star Trek movie. The plot revolves around a teacher (Shatner) and a discussion he raised in class about sex. It goes on to show the chaos that it creates with the parents of the students.

One of the crazier parents looks just like John C. Reilly. He threatened to file a lawsuit against one of the boys because he was holding his daughter. There was a slap involved, and it seemed to make sense considering the era. Morals were tight, and even the smallest things were unacceptable.

It makes me realize that I'm in the right era with regards to my personality. I am not the type to follow rules if they conflict with my own judgment. Not necessarily laws, but just unwritten parental codes and the like. I'm fortunate to have been raised by parents that grew up in the 70s. I didn't have very many restrictions, and the few ones there were concerned my overall health. (Don't stick anything into the electrical socket, don't touch the stove, etc.)

There isn't much reason for me to rebel against authority. My dad worked for the police department, and now does crime scene investigations. I've met plenty of his co-workers, and they were all nice. I have respect for most authority figures. I know what is illegal, and I know what is wrong.

I don't even feel bounded by rules. I'm not overwhelmed by the number or the ridiculousness. The things I do with my day are completely safe.

But some of the things I've done would not have been viewed favorably in the 50s and 60s. And I'm only considering 2000 - 2002. It amazes me how much society has changed, and how abruptly. Usually a movement regarding norms takes centuries. If you compare the 1800s to the 1900s, the tolerances were nearly the same. Children went to school, helped their parents until dusk, and went to bed. The husband worked, and the wife managed the house chores.

Now, there's plenty of movements for equal rights. It isn't uncommon for a woman to be single, working, and successful. There are stay-at-home fathers. Most children come home from school, take pills, and play.

It's difficult to find the source of this change. Some 'experts' say that music is to be blamed for unruly children. Others say it is a direct result of violent video games. But it's something else. I played violent video games during my pre-teen years. I listened to (at the time) heavy rock music. I don't run around with chains and knives. I don't go looking for trouble.

I wouldn't say that women have obtained equal rights. There's still plenty left to be worked out. And while it is a great idea for it to suddenly change, bureaucracies aren't about efficiency.

I don't know where I'm going with this. I guess that movie made me compare the problems of then to the problems of now. I think that the biggest problem out there, right now, is that many people do not have the right role model. We currently do not have the equivalent of Martin Luther King Jr., Che Guevara, Cesar Chavez, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, or even "The Unknown Rebel."

Who are our leaders? Are there any good ones out there?