Since joining Room 8, I’ve spent much of my time writing about things I’m not happy about, generally about the policies of the State of New York. After all, it is those things that I want to see change. But I don’t want people to get the impression that I am dissatisfied with everything. Aside from my personal life, about which I have no complaints, there are many things that have gotten better in the past 30 or 40 years. In the holiday spirit, I’ve decided to list a few of those. "
Thirty or forty years ago, reasonable people thought it possible that a nuclear war would lead to human extinction in the near future. Sadly, the risk of a single nuclear, biological or chemical incident is much greater, thanks to the rise of international terrorism. But with the number of warheads greatly reduced and the Cold War over, extinction caused by a massive nuclear exchange seems to be off the table, at least for the foreseeable future.
Also, back in the day people worried that rampant population growth in the developing world, and rampant pollution in the richer countries, would overwhelm the global environment. Global warming is an increasing threat due to the latter, but poor countries have drastically reduced their rate of population growth.
Back then, large scale famines and epidemics occurred repeatedly, killing millions. Smaller famines, usually caused by wars, still happen, AIDS continues to circle the globe, and a global pandemic remains a concern. But there are far fewer people starving today – obesity is a greater concern – than in the past. Life expectancy is way up in what used to be called the Third World.
Many of those countries, in fact, are booming – including massive ones like China and India. In the 1970s, the inability of poor countries to service their debts was a concern; today we are in debt to those countries. Africa, in fact, stands out as one of the few poor places where the standard of living has been going down since 1970s. And global trade and technology transfer, in addition to reducing the U.S. cost of living, has made these improvements in formerly poor nations possible.
In 1970 there were few democracies of any sort anywhere around the world outside the United States and Europe. Today we fret about the quality of democracy in places like Iran, Russia and Venezuela. Yet that only shows how the goal line has been moved. In each of these places, there are elections for President that, while not completely fair, it is possible that incumbent might lose. At the legislative level, we don’t even have that in New York State. Meanwhile, you have democracy, at least to some extent, in much of Latin American, in the Philippines, in Taiwan and South Korea, and in much of Eastern Europe. Remaining dictatorships, like North Korea, stand out. Politically, only the Arab world has regressed. Call me an optimist, but I expect mainland China to be democratic within my lifetime, with the uprising of 1989 having the same effect as the uprising in Europe in 1848: both were crushed, but in the latter case new ideas were planted and the old guard who opposed them eventually died out.
Speaking of old ideas dying out with those who held them, that appears to be slowly happening to various forms of discrimination and intolerance in the United States. The civil rights revolution may have changed very few existing minds, but it did increase the number of new minds who came of age with fewer inherited prejudices. I for one have no complaints about political correctness, a non-coercive form of social development. What judicial remedies like busing failed to accomplish quickly, the inculcation of tolerance and diversity in the young is accomplishing slowly. So slowly, perhaps, it takes a long view to see it. But comparing the attitudes of my great grandparents’ generation (they didn’t want a “mixed’ marriage between Italians and Poles, breaking my great uncle Mario’s heart) and that of my children it isn’t hard to see slow progress sometimes obscured by short term setbacks.
I’m concerned that our terrible state government has destroyed the education of so many of New York City’s children, and threatens the progress the city has made in other areas. However, we need to be grateful that our city government is much better run than 40 years ago, when it was doing damage to itself. The police prevent crime, the subways run reasonably, and at least in better neighborhoods the parks have been revitalized, all through the long run dedication of many people. I hope this continues.
Finally, while I’m a skeptic when it comes to increased material consumption – which I generally see as an unsatisfying increase in manufactured “needs” – there is no question that the internet has enriched my life, and that of my children. In my view, cable TV is for people too much time on their hands, cellphones are for the kids, air conditioning is for people who live down south, big houses are for people with too much unnecessary stuff, and one car is enough. That’s why I lie in Brooklyn. But the internet I can use.
With so many people working to make things better, and succeeding in so many cases, I can’t help but be frustrated and a little disgusted with the things that aren’t getting better. Imagine if I was blogging about the challenges faced by the worst off two-thirds of the world? If they can move forward, why can’t we? If they can work for a better future, why can’t we? If those who came before us, who built up the institutions that in some cases have decayed, had surplus resources to dedicate to our life today, why don’t we? The problems of the State of New York, and in some cases the United States, are an embarrassment in contrast. I don’t think those younger will be calling the generation of Americans now in charge “The Greatest Generation” anytime soon.
In the big, global picture, however, things are getting better – despite global warming, global terrorism, and the governance of the State of New York. So there is reason to be hopeful about the rest. I’ll be back for Day One.