this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2025
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I remember my childhood mostly as a happy, oblivious one, affordable food, the usual disagreements between liberals and republicans, but nothing unhinged (say taxes, migrants or abortion). At least it looks reasonable today.

Now it's like everything is unhinged: politics seem to be based on purely emotional reactions and the other side is hell bent on destroying the country: texas starts heavily gerrymandering to secure 5 extra republican seats at the next midterms? california starts lobbying for doing exactly the same and dismantling an independent redistricting commission texas never had.

When I was younger it seemed politics were more rational and cruelty never seemed to be the point of doing nothing. Now we execute people with nitrogen gas, meaning a conscious person has to breathe something he knows its going to kill him during 4 minutes. This is somehow not cruel and unusual. And nobody bats an eye.

I still don't get how populists can be so popular now, they simplify complex issues most people without a degree in the matter, cannot grasp. This includes me.

I'm now 35 and wonder if I'm already talking like an old person who misses his young days so hard. I see that in people in their 60s and hoped never to become one of them, but here I am. To a younger person I may look like one of those old guys who lives to rant.

Am I going to feel even more detached and depressed with each passing day?

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[โ€“] tetris11@feddit.uk 30 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I've been watching BBC Archive footage from the 80s recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yfE9Ihr8F0

Everyone has the exact same fears as they do now: Russian interference, outcompeted by China, being a US lapdog, the price of housing, education standards, rich/poor divide.

All the exact same talking points we have today. We havent changed that much in 50 years just different gadgets.

(Though the absolute rich/ absolute poor divide is a lot bigger

[โ€“] JamieDub86@piefed.social 9 points 4 days ago

Better gadgets and more inclusion for minorities and LGBTQ+ people. But plenty of incredibly vocal people that act like those rights are fascism, oh and numerous other rights are at risk.

Its a lot of better, and we've come a long way. But we've also come nowhere.