I suppose, I dont know how people saw things in the past, but looking back from now I feel like despite the terrible things that happened in the past that maybe there was always at least the hope/possibility of a better future even if people feared for the worst. during wars looking to a future where there is peace, during nuclear fear era the hope the cold war would end, having a naive belief that increased global co-operation would seek to avoid mistakes of the past, with technology developments improving peopleās lives.
I think that any hope for the future is completely dead, the things people might have put hope in have been revealed to be completely unable to change course, we are trapped in the systems death spiral (I see it creakyknees I see it) that refuses to face reality. it is too late for the planet, we have probably already crossed the threshold for apocalyptic climate change. it is clear that governments have learned nothing from the past and only draw upon it selectively for rhetorical value if it suits their interests. each generation being better off has screeched into reverse. technology seems less about improvements, and more about making everything monetisable and bleaker, replacing humans wherever it can and burning up the planet to do it. things may have been bad at the past, but I think they could imagine a better world, I canāt.
I think that there was a brief ten year period between the Festival of Britain in 1951 and the Cuban Missile Crisis where things didnāt look completely bleak.
Good post and something Iāve spent years trying to figure out. Is the lack of hope something specific to this generation or is it something that happens to everyone and Iāve just gone through the period where it happens to me? For me, 9/11 was definitely the point where the future suddenly fell to pieces - but I was 17 at the time, so it likely had a bigger impact than if I was only 5 years younger or 5 years older. I guess living my youth in a post-Cold War, pre-9/11 sweet spot probably emphasised it too. Regardless, everything seems to have been downhill since then.
I think about this a lot. I was aware of bad shit happening but it all seemed far away.
I was 19 when 9/11 happened FWIW.
I fully get the sentiment of despair when surveying the sea of shite that surrounds us.
But also, thereās a hell of a lot of good happening in the worldā¦
The ubiquity of the news is a massive difference too. Even up to the mid 2000s, the news was maybe a newspaper, 6pm or 10pm, done. You could switch off very easily and think about something else. Now itās as soon as you wake up, all day long, your phone pinging you breaking news, social media posts about the news, doomscrolling the news, THE NEWS. Itās incredibly hard to stay positive with a bombardment of negativity, which by definition is what the news is.
Thereās also a pressure to keep up with the news. You donāt have a nuanced opinion on the Middle East? Not got statistics to hand about climate change? Not got a list as long as your arm about why Keir Starmer is actually worse than the Tories? What are you even doing with your life?
I ducked out of the news as much as is possible in 2020 for MH reasons, and I donāt miss it in the slightest. Itās impossible to completely avoid and I get as much as I can manage through osmosis. Not suggesting thatās the way forward for most people, but itās keeping me upright.
Iām very similar tbh, I keep up with stuff via the topics on places like here and the headlines I see in passing and thatās plenty. Iāll hear about anything that really matters.