From where I sit, nothing has really changed in so far as the situation, but now we have instant reporting of it.
I largely agree. I hear many reports of various fear-related horrors children and teens must endure, but I also see a surprising number of reports from the civilized (IOW non-fundy controlled) portions of the nation that fill me with hope, including a far greater tolerance for gender diversity and non-het sexuality that I can ever imagine in school. What I see is both that we can now hear about all this instantly, and that the nation has polarized considerably more than it was in the 70s & 80s - the progressive portions are doing better, and the scary parts are far worse. Culture wars + a generally conservative mass media that thrives on fear and shock + instant reporting = a complex and difficult time.
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Date: 2007-10-10 07:55 pm (UTC)I largely agree. I hear many reports of various fear-related horrors children and teens must endure, but I also see a surprising number of reports from the civilized (IOW non-fundy controlled) portions of the nation that fill me with hope, including a far greater tolerance for gender diversity and non-het sexuality that I can ever imagine in school. What I see is both that we can now hear about all this instantly, and that the nation has polarized considerably more than it was in the 70s & 80s - the progressive portions are doing better, and the scary parts are far worse. Culture wars + a generally conservative mass media that thrives on fear and shock + instant reporting = a complex and difficult time.