Over the past century or so, our society has become more laid back in many ways.

[raccoon]

We are much less formal, calling nearly everyone by their first names, dress much more casually, etc. Several generations ago, many children called their parents Mother and Father, which is almost unheard of now. Cursing is more acceptable.

This predates the 1960’s too. While I don’t remember WWII, from what I’ve heard and read about it, social attitudes changed a lot after the war.

What caused the change? It predates TV and Internet. I suspect the change from an agrarian society to an industrial society, from rural to mostly urban, has something to do with it. Geographic mobility as well.

Your thoughts? Know of any books/articles about this?

[Democrats_win]

1. This too shall pass. After Obama fails strict conservatism will follow?

Hopefully Obama will not fail, but if he does, I don't see any other path for conservatives but to demand that our society shape up. They'll demand a more disciplined workforce. And guess who'll be running the country: conservatives.

We've seen this before when Reagan came to power. There were more freedoms before that time. When Reagan came in, suits and ties became a little more essential than during the 70s. The sexual revolution ended quickly (although AIDS played a role.) Also, drugs were not tolerated at all following Reagan. In the 70s, at least half of students in most schools did drugs regularly.

Things change, but sadly it's really hard to change back to a more relaxed world. The driver for all of this: Americans simply will not tolerate a bad economy. We are defined by what we own.

[rrneck]

2. The baby boom had a lot to do with it nt