Originally posted by phorsenuf
I have two views on the whole thing. I'm only going to post one though for now.
In this country we essentially have 4 different generation groups.
We have the senior citizens who come from a very different time than most of us. They didn't have TV growing up, computers, cars, heck some didn't even have electricty and plumbing. Alot of them came from families that recently immigrated here and some survived the depression and many wars. They grew up in a different time, a different place. I would guess most of them grew up in a religous home of some type. They came from a time when morals, integrity and hard work mean't something, when the world around them wasn't so crazy.
Then you have the baby-boomers. There are actually two sets of them. The older ones and the younger ones. The older boomers grew up in the 50's and early 60's. Life was still simpler than. TV was new, family time was important, religion still played an important role in the home. Grandparents were influential and an important part of the family who passed down stories, traditions and ways of life. Moms for the most part still stayed home and brought up their children to be what they thought were good and moral people, to teach them right from wrong. Divorce rate was low, families stayed together.
The younger boomers grew up in the late 60's and 70's. Tides were achanging then! Womens rights, protests, civil rights and increasing drug use and the sexual revolution. Moms needed and wanted to go out and work, Dad may not have been around, supervision was slacking.
Then comes what I believe is known as genX. The kids that grew up in the late 70's and 80's. They are the age of electronics and technology. Personal computers, the interenet, you want something, you got it. Mom and dad are busy people, everyone is going here and there. Family dinners are a thing of the past and there is just not enough time on a weekend to waste a few hours in church or religion just isn't a family focus any longer. The world is just Go Go Go!
IMHO senior citizens are not supportive of recongnizing the gay lifestyle. It goes against everything they knew to be good and decent. They will not be as ready to accept such a change.
The older boomers probably follow suit. While the may be a tad bit more tolerant of it, they do not want to "see" it. Keep it hidden in the closets so to speak.
The younger boomers are more flexible. Some mind, some don't.
The Genx'ers for the most part could care less since most of the openly gay people are probably from their generation. They want rights and they expect to have them. They want something, they want it now. That is what they are used to. Immediate gratification. Afterall, that is what this world around us has become. We don't write letters anymore, we email. No time to cook a nice dinner...nuke it or drive thru somewhere. Have a term paper...no need to spend time in a library anymore, just go to your computer. Miss a show on TV...Tivo. Instant gratification...that's what we have, that's what we expect.
How long did it take for womens rights to happen? How long for civil rights? Getting rid of slavery? A womens right to choose? These all took a long time. People had to accept them, get used to the ideas.
We have people who say I want these rights and they don't think they should have to wait. There are so many different generations of people in the world that to just say "hey. I want this" doesn't mean that everybody is going to agree. Its not just a religious thing, its a generational thing.
Yes, you have those whose religion plays a large part in their lives and that is wonderful, but please don't assume that its only the God fearing people who are opposed. Go out and ask a large variety of different aged people what they think. I would be interested to see (which I know isn't possible) what age groups voted and how they voted in the states where the ammendments were.
Anyways, that's one of my takes on this whole issue. This is just my personal opinion too.
I do not mean to offend any member of any generation nor working moms, SAHMs or divorced people. I am just passing on my observation of how things have changed over a period of time and how they may have influenced society around us.
Let me be very, very clear, you are free to disagree with gay marriage all you want. You are not free to use the force of government to enforce that view on others.
