My parents grew up in a high-trust society and so their confidence in government, institutions (especially the BBC and NHS) and fellow human beings was set in stone by the time they started secondary school. It was the same for most lower-middle class people who did not live in the big cities, I think.
My parents grew up in a high-trust society and so their confidence in government, institutions (especially the BBC and NHS) and fellow human beings was set in stone by the time they started secondary school. It was the same for most lower-middle class people who did not live in the big cities, I think.
My mother just catches bits of the news and responds emotionally, as you might expect. My father is significantly smarter than her, but even he lacks curiosity these days. I think it's because any time he digs he finds evidence that counters his liberal world view and that encourages him to stop. He just wants to talk about sport, but of course sport is mainly about identity politics these days anyway so even that causes contention.
He was part of an anarchist movement, when studying at university in the late 60s. At one point, they were allowed to occupy a building linked to British colonialism for several days while being granted access to the world's media. He and his friends were being used, just as the rainbow warriors of today's student body are, but he still likes to think of himself as somebody subversive that MI5 will have kept tabs on! Of course, any university student is already working for the government to some degree.
Both my parents became teachers. My father quit his role at a rural polytechnic college around 15 years ago because the nonsense was even then becoming unbearable, but government policy in higher education actually affected him unlike their wider social policy which he could choose to ignore as it generally did not.
Who, in their 70s, would want to accept that they have basically been wrong about everything important their whole life though? As bad as his Boomer generation is, my Gen X one is far worse. His at least were competent at their work, highly conscientious and confident enough to become parents in their early 20s as I think we all should be. They became adults.
I'm 50 and most people my age still look, dress, talk and walk like unhappy teenagers struck by a premature aging disease. That's how they'll die, mostly alone too. Plenty already have, leaving no legacy - genetic or otherwise.
Now that the curse is come upon us all I would love to read about your family, LadyofShalott, if you are able to take time out from the loom!
My parents grew up in a high-trust society and so their confidence in government, institutions (especially the BBC and NHS) and fellow human beings was set in stone by the time they started secondary school. It was the same for most lower-middle class people who did not live in the big cities, I think.
My mother just catches bits of the news and responds emotionally, as you might expect. My father is significantly smarter than her, but even he lacks curiosity these days. I think it's because any time he digs he finds evidence that counters his liberal world view and that encourages him to stop. He just wants to talk about sport, but of course sport is mainly about identity politics these days anyway so even that causes contention.
He was part of an anarchist movement, when studying at university in the late 60s. At one point, they were allowed to occupy a building linked to British colonialism for several days while being granted access to the world's media. He and his friends were being used, just as the rainbow warriors of today's student body are, but he still likes to think of himself as somebody subversive that MI5 will have kept tabs on! Of course, any university student is already working for the government to some degree.
Both my parents became teachers. My father quit his role at a rural polytechnic college around 15 years ago because the nonsense was even then becoming unbearable, but government policy in higher education actually affected him unlike their wider social policy which he could choose to ignore as it generally did not.
Who, in their 70s, would want to accept that they have basically been wrong about everything important their whole life though? As bad as his Boomer generation is, my Gen X one is far worse. His at least were competent at their work, highly conscientious and confident enough to become parents in their early 20s as I think we all should be. They became adults.
I'm 50 and most people my age still look, dress, talk and walk like unhappy teenagers struck by a premature aging disease. That's how they'll die, mostly alone too. Plenty already have, leaving no legacy - genetic or otherwise.
Now that the curse is come upon us all I would love to read about your family, LadyofShalott, if you are able to take time out from the loom!