American Civilization and Its Discontents By Matthew Continetti

[mystery-ak]

   American Civilization and Its Discontents
By Matthew Continetti

June 6, 2020 6:30 AM

Civil unrest and the birth of a new progressive morality

In 1969, Irving Kristol was appointed Henry R. Luce professor of urban values at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He delivered his inaugural lecture the following spring. Its title, “Urban Civilization and Its Discontents,” a play off of Sigmund Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents, guaranteed the audience a typically wide-ranging presentation from a New York intellectual in the middle of a journey from anti-Communist liberal to neoconservative godfather.

Kristol’s theme was the degradation of the American experiment from the Founding to the social unrest of the 1960s. “If it is proper to say that we experience the crisis of our cities, it is equally proper to say that we are the urban crisis,” he began. “And what I want to suggest further is that one of the main reasons we are so problematic to ourselves is the fact that we are creating a democratic, urban civilization while stubbornly refusing to think clearly about the relation of urbanity to democracy.”

The images of mass protests, of vandalism, arson, theft, and violence that have fixated the world since the killing of George Floyd in late May sent me back to Kristol’s talk. As analogies to 1968 have filled the air, I thought it worthwhile to revisit how the foremost spokesman of the emerging neoconservative point of view interpreted his historical situation. The ethnic, racial, ideological, political, educational, and generational cleavages of Kristol’s time seem to have been transposed on our own. And, like the generation of ’68, the Millennial and Z generations contest not just the failure of America to live up to its ideals but, increasingly, the ideals themselves. Kristol’s ideas help to explain why.

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https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/06/george-floyd-protests-civil-unrest-new-progressive-morality/

[catfish1957]

I'll keep it brief, but I vividly remember 1969, and society norms in general is extremely different than they were then.

1. Language.- Curisng 50 years ago raised eyebrows.  And when you heard an "F" Bomb, it dropped jaws.  Foul language just wasn't accepted then, and those who loosley used it....  well using foul language was seen as a crutch for those with limited vocabularies.  Nowadays its just routine interjection. 

2. Out of Wedlock Births-  Yes, it happened, but a much much much rarity.  When it did happen it was a family embarassment.  Now?  I think we all know the statistics.

3.  Overall morals around sexuality. - In '69, even in the midst of the sexual revolution, aggessvie women were viewed in generally negative connatations by general society.  Now, women are as, if not more agressive sexually than men.  What I saw from girls that my son knew was pretty dang shocking.

4. Race and Bigotry-  Yes it existed then.  But honestly, there was a lot more general respect between the races then than now.  SJW wave has created a atmospere of  mistrust and standoffishness that soured day to day interactions.

5. Government-  Our national leaders spent into the red to a degree.  But nothing like the spiraling sprawling $30T Fedzilla bottomless pit created now.

6. Personal Finance-  Savings and fiscal responsibilty was the norm.  It was scandal to go bankrupt of "go to the poor house"

So yes, society has changed, and the moral fiber sadly IMO has gone to shitl