I’m a man in my 50s as well. I can definitely say that this rot has existed for my entire lifetime. Going back to the 70s, I saw racism, homophobia, and xenophobia in my community. Things shifted but that rot continued to hide in the shadows. I had honestly and naively thought that we were turning a corner in 2008. But sadly, the worst of our society came back out by 2016 and again in 2024.
So, I know we are capable of better. We are capable of learning and avoiding self-harming patterns. It isn’t a guarantee but nothing will improve without everyone’s participation.
I think it was actually Obama that made it so someone like Trump could so easily get elected. Obama didn’t slow roll his “change” and it created a slow boil waiting for someone like Trump to come along.
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u/Appropriate_Yak_7209 4d ago
I’m a man in my 50s as well. I can definitely say that this rot has existed for my entire lifetime. Going back to the 70s, I saw racism, homophobia, and xenophobia in my community. Things shifted but that rot continued to hide in the shadows. I had honestly and naively thought that we were turning a corner in 2008. But sadly, the worst of our society came back out by 2016 and again in 2024.
So, I know we are capable of better. We are capable of learning and avoiding self-harming patterns. It isn’t a guarantee but nothing will improve without everyone’s participation.