What rot. That may be how you see it, but it is simply not the life experience many have. And to say that's the hand they've been dealt suggests that you have absolutely no desire to change anything to improve anyone's lot
Racism was "life" years ago....for many it still is - thankfully that is changing. Sexism and misogyny too - again thankfully that has changed/contiunes to change, but still is their life experience to some extent in certain circumstances. In the same way both of those "acts of fate" dictated how fair your life was to a significant extent. (and for many it still does).
People purposefully made the lives of others more difficult than they needed to be - maybe as Bash says, that is human nature and has been for Eon's - however, civilisation evolves over time and there rally is no need to perpetuate the same kind of behaviours and discriminations the species has been practicing ever since it climbed out of the cave/tree.
To be so simplistic as to think everyone has complete control over the choices they make in how their lives turn out is naive in the extreme. And that is before you even consider the imperfection of the human condition and our unerring ability to make poor choices that affect how our lives pan out. Simply trying to do the right thing against an enormous pressure from peers and those in their local community to take a different path is not enough for many. You cannot deny that poverty is a trap and for some and one that they only ever escape by foul means because that is the only realistic option they have available. These are multi-generational ingrained issues and to say it is as easy as "make the right choices and you'll be fine" is the modern day equivalent of "let them eat cake".
I will agree to a limited extent that each generation has it better. As my old Granny (born in the North East in 1915) used to say "you never see children without shoes anymore". However, the challenges each generation faces are different and largely unique to them and to dismiss them as "not as hard as I had it" misses the point hugely. I would not want to be a young person today in truth. Job prospects/security lower, personal and national debts higher, exposure to sexual abuse - higher, climate crisis, water/food/resources scarcity and population pressure increasing, gap between rich and poor increasing, Life expectancy going in the wrong direction in some parts of the UK. And on that final point - how do you explain that healthy life years expectancy in Blackpool is 53 years and in Richmond it is 73 years?
So whilst some elements may be better than their forebearers, many aren't or are just different. We have the means and ability to change all that if we choose to,
but if left to individuals, nothing will change.
Is the ism I'm looking for Conservatism (as in conserving the status quo), I wonder
What a prick!
www.theguardian.com
