Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Over all - was life better 50 years go today - or was it worse? [View all]hfojvt
(37,573 posts)46. did Coretta Scott King really think she was living in a hell hole?
the worst place in the world back then? Worse than South Africa? Worse than Bangladesh? Worse than China or Romania?
Bill Cosby is about my dad's age and got married in 1964. As a college educated black man in 1964 he was doing better than my own 31 year old dad, and his wife was probably not doing too bad in the hell hole either.
Colin Powell is the same age as Cosby, and like my dad was a Geology major in college. He seems to have done pretty good in the hell hole of America.
There are probably other examples, except that they are not any more famous than my dad (and mom) who also had pretty good lives. Mostly, of course, because of what happened in 1962 (one of their sons was born). It wasn't THAT bad for everybody.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
70 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
Over all - was life better 50 years go today - or was it worse? [View all]
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
OP
Correct! Everything is relative. Depends on who you are, where you were, what race, what gender et
kelliekat44
Nov 2013
#35
Definitely, many often now seem to have the attitude you can't fight the system. Also, for example,
RKP5637
Nov 2013
#27
I remember in about 65 my local small town newspaper carrying a headline news story that the local
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#11
frankly it does both. Working in the healthcare field - there is no doubt whatsoever that the
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#62
well I can't disagree with that. Even many of the social programs that lift people out of poverty
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#34
and you could order all kinds of exciting stuff from comic book ads -
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#20
As one of my friends was saying, it's easier for the crazies to get the microphone and
RKP5637
Nov 2013
#28
Definitely! I didn't think the world was that better then ... yep, it's not perfect now, but
RKP5637
Nov 2013
#30
Perfect post, JAG. And it ties in perfectly with what we've been discussing in the AA forum, huh?
Number23
Nov 2013
#63
No one has mentioned something that has greatly improved many people's lives since 1963...
raccoon
Nov 2013
#40
Both better and worse of course, but from a historical perspective the last half
Egalitarian Thug
Nov 2013
#47
Well, up to and including 11/21/63, it was good. Then it went all to Hell, and stayed.
WinkyDink
Nov 2013
#55