Boomer myself and growing up we did have to worry a lot about "THE BOMB" but otherwise, the future looked pretty rosy. Our parents won that war, science, and industry were making amazing leaps. Most communities could afford improving schools. The future looked pretty bright and my parents' generation had an overwhelming positive mental attitude about what all was going on. Thus, the 'baby boom'.
GI bill meant more education for more people and more education generally brings about more liberalism. Optimism and some increases in opportunity, even for the working class was the norm, even as we struggled in matters of racial justice and lifting boats peopled by neighbors of a different color. Social justice made some important strides even when the old money loathed the rocking of the yachts their old social norms stayed afloat in.
But, alas, the ultra rich didn't like the expansion of the middle class, the class that was building the rosy future. They hired politicians and strategists who would pontificate that greed was good and they could achieve and maintain power by dividing us rather than fostering better universal educational and vocational opportunities. Those jerks decided money and power for them was more important than decent futures for the masses. They decided to get us all fighting each other more and progressing less.
After a couple more generations of the rich encouraging self serving culture wars, less education, drastically eroding opportunities and the environment being savaged for immediate profit for the aging ultra rich feeling mortality's cold breath on their shoulders who didn't want to leave any personal profit making chance on the table, well, things are in the shitter now.
It's not just being able to avoid unwanted pregnancies that makes people in their childbearing years think 'nah, maybe not'. There is real, and justified fear that the future is not a good place for children.
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